Integrating Digital and Traditional Methods for Data Collection in Resource-Constrained Settings: Experiences and Insights from the UCatchUp Program in Uganda

• In Event: Addressing the digital divide through new interventions and programs

Proposal

Availability and usage of data is one of the key strategies identified to tackle the learning crisis. Data significantly contribute to improving educational outcomes by aiding in planning, tracking progress, and assessing policies (UNESCO, 2024). Digital education management systems have allowed for rapid access to real-time data, especially in developed countries with robust ICT infrastructure. However, the digital divide implies significant disparities in internet and mobile network access in developing countries (Raluca, 2021), preventing the full digitization of education data management systems. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed deficiencies in education systems worldwide including a widespread lack of requisite skills, infrastructure, and policies necessary for the transition to digital systems (Philips, 2021).

In Uganda, the rural-urban divide prevents widespread adoption of digital data solutions for education management due to limited access to internet and internet- enabled devices, digital illiteracy, and uneven electricity distribution. Only 7 percent of rural households are connected to the main electricity grid, compared to 48 percent in urban areas. Similarly, only 9 percent of rural residents have internet access compared to 30 percent in urban areas (Gilwald et al, 2019). These disparities suggest that digital education solutions may face significant challenges in this context. This paper examines how blending digital technologies with traditional data collection methods can enhance data use in low-resource settings, focusing on the experiences and insights gained from the UCatchUp program in Uganda to ensure practical applicability in the local context.

Since 2022, VVOB – education for development has supported the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), the Kasese District Local Government, and the Kasese Municipal Council in implementing UCatchUp – the contextualized, school-based, government-led Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) model – with funding from the Hempel Foundation. The program currently reaches all Grade 3-5 learners in 80 public primary schools within Kasese district and municipality, with plans to scale up to all 263 public primary schools by 2025.

TaRL is a data-driven methodology, with data used for decision-making at all levels. In the classroom, teachers rely on learning outcomes data to group learners and target instruction based on learning levels. At the district and municipal levels, mentors use school-level learning outcomes data to prioritize schools for mentoring visits, concentrating their support on teachers that need it most. However, the lack of digital infrastructure makes timely data access challenging for decision-making at the district and municipal levels.

At the start of implementation, paper-based data collection lengthened the time taken for relevant government stakeholders to receive the data they needed for decision-making, limiting the effectiveness of the data in guiding their decisions. Although digital data collection systems could significantly enhance data use, full digitization was impractical due to limited smartphone penetration and varying levels of digital literacy among teachers. Instead, we developed a blended data collection system wherein initial school-level data collection is done on paper, and mentors subsequently enter this data into a web-based portal at the coordinating-center level. Teachers can continue to reference the data through their paper-based assessment records and stay informed about district data-driven planning through periodic review meetings organized at the district. This approach ensures data is quickly accessible to stakeholders while accommodating the current technological constraints. Additionally, government stakeholders from the district and municipality underwent capacity building on utilizing data for decision-making.

This paper presents the findings from a mixed-methods study examining the impact of implementing a blended data collection system on the efficiency of data collection and the effectiveness of data utilization by government stakeholders in the UCatchUp program. In-depth interviews will be conducted with government stakeholders to gain qualitative insights into their experiences and perspectives, complemented by the analysis of quantitative data on the data portal system usage to assess its impact on data collection efficiency and decision-making processes. Data collection will take place between October 2024 and January 2025. Based on the findings, we will suggest how TaRL programs can leverage blended data systems to enhance data-driven decision making in contexts similar to Uganda, which are affected by the digital divide. We also propose strategies for improving the sustainability of blended data collection systems by integrating them with existing government systems.

Authors

• Kakula Sambanu Wandi, VVOB - Education For Development

• Milly Asio, VVOB- Education for Development

• Elizabeth Babirye Luganda, VVOB - Education For Development

• Brenda Abiro, VVOB Uganda

• Stefaan Vande Walle, VVOB - education for development