Sprouting New Practices: ICT Innovations and Research Insights

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Mobilizing demand driven evidence in LMICs to improve policy and policy implementation in a digital society: learning across major global initiatives

Proposal

APPRENDRE is a specialized platform that supports Ministries of Education in 26 partner countries across sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. The platform focuses on professional development for primary and secondary school teachers, including national department managers, supervisors, and educational institutions involved in both formal and ongoing teacher learning. The success of APPRENDRE’s initiatives depends significantly on integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which is vital for advancing educational development. ICT enhances access to resources, fosters innovative teaching methods, and helps bridge educational disparities. APPRENDRE employs demand-driven research and critical thinking to drive sustainable changes in pedagogical supervision, shifting from traditional assessment and disciplinary practices to more dynamic school performance evaluations and teacher training management.

A core aim of APPRENDRE is to build sustainable educational research capacity in its partner countries. To date, the program has supported 46 studies with over 350 researchers from 18 countries. APPRENDRE ensures the relevance of these studies by working closely with beneficiary countries, from identifying needs to disseminating results, including the creation of strategic roadmaps with national and international expert support. ICT, along with inclusion and sustainable development, is central to APPRENDRE's approach, serving as a crucial tool for educational intervention. Notably, APPRENDRE has developed a comprehensive database of theses on primary and secondary education in French-speaking developing countries since 2000. The program has also conducted three sessions of the Certice Scol MOOC, based on the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, engaging over 50,000 education stakeholders in digital skills development. Additionally, the ICT working group created REMOFED SPOC (Rethinking Training Models in the Digital Era), offering six customizable modules for Ministries. The APPRENDRE Ev@lang tool has also been used in many countries to assess French language proficiency among teachers and implement targeted interventions.

Despite these advancements, APPRENDRE has faced challenges, including limited scientific output in education within partner countries, as well as well-known difficulties related to electricity supply and internet access. To address this, the program offers training in participatory research methodologies and scientific writing. However, data collection remains difficult due to complex contextual factors, affecting the quality of evidence. Moreover, insufficient involvement of political decision-makers in the research process has led to limited adoption of findings.

The third phase of APPRENDRE, starting in 2025, will incorporate lessons learned from previous phases. Research will be better integrated with contextual support to ensure its relevance. By involving national education stakeholders in defining research themes and supporting data collection, APPRENDRE aims to enhance the quality and impact of its evidence-based interventions. The program will continue collaborations with its partnership platform, including the GPE KIX and the Africa 21 hub, managed by AUF, focusing on improving the understanding of member countries' needs and requests.

This presentation will discuss the lessons learned from the first two phases of APPRENDRE and outline how research in the third phase will be better co-designed, co-implemented, and adapted to our digital society.

Authors

• Jerome BERTHEAU, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie

• Emilie Doutreloux, Université Laval