Reporting on the Multichoice pilot project research
By Nicky Roberts

BACKROUND TO THE RESEARCH

In November 1997, SAIDE began a process of conducting research into the potential role of Internet and satellite technologies in supporting the professional development of teachers. This research was commissioned by Multichoice, and was designed to support the implementation of a pilot project to test the use of these technologies for the ongoing professional development of primary and secondary level teachers.

The primary objectives identified for the overall research paper were as follows:
•    Develop a preliminary statement of key issues affecting technology-enhanced learning in South Africa;
•    Establish dialogue with the pilot project planning process, with a view to providing ongoing advisory services to its implementation based on emerging research findings;
•    Conduct thorough research into South African and international projects making use of satellite and Internet technologies in education and training, with a special focus on the ongoing professional development of educators (using the statement of key issues to set research parameters);
•    Compile a final document, detailing relevance of research project findings to pilot project implementation in relation to key issues affecting technology-enhanced learning projects; and
•    Establish a foundation for ongoing evaluation of pilot project, using research project as base.

In January 1998, a preliminary statement of key issues affecting technology-enhanced learning in South Africa was produced and submitted to the Multichoice Pilot Project. The Issues Paper outlines four steps necessary for making informed decisions about how to use technologies:
•    Developing an understanding of the teaching and learning environment;
•    Understanding the potential of technologies that might be used;
•    Integrating the technologies into the teaching and learning environment; and
•    Costing the integration of technologies into the teaching and learning environment.

In April, 1998, a report which aimed to present information that would help to develop an understanding of the potential of using satellite and Internet technologies to support the professional development of teachers, was produced and submitted. The report input is twofold, consisting of both technical input on the generic possibilities of the technologies under examination and of information of the specific ways the technologies have been used educationally.

This report aims to present information that will help to develop an understanding the potential of using satellite and Internet technologies to support the professional development of teachers. The input is twofold, consisting of both technical input on the generic possibilities of the technologies under examination and of information of the specific ways the technologies have been used educationally.

The report begins by providing a broad overview of the technologies under examination. After this, it turns its focus to a broad exploration of ways in which these technologies have been used in education and training, both in South Africa and around the world.

This work is based on extensive primary and secondary research, the scope of which is captured in appendices to the report. In this way, the report starts to provide greater detail on ways in which these technologies have been used to support education and training, but without trying to influence the reader as to which of these uses will be appropriate for the context in which s/he might be working.

Following this analysis, the report develops detailed perspectives on the educational potential of the technologies under review. It explores their potential strengths and possible weaknesses, and reflects on some of the implications of these for the professional development of teachers. In these sections of the report, the focus does shift, to an extent, to subjective perspectives (although it remains strongly grounded in the primary and secondary research conducted), but these perspectives all seek to build on, rather than contradict, the conceptual foundations provided in the companion Issues Paper.

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

The information presented in the final document was gathered through primary and secondary research processes. A literary survey of relevant local and international literature was conducted.

Ongoing Internet surveys were conducted throughout the research process. Web sites were used to gathering information about the educational potential of different technologies and to gauge current educational Internet use. The Internet survey was partly a secondary research process and was partly used for primary research to examine the current use of Internet for education.

On the 13th February 1998, a research workshop was held to explore, in practical terms, possible roles for satellite and Internet technologies in supporting the professional development of teachers.

It aimed to create a strong learning environment to enable educators, politicians, community representatives, and technical experts to explore how the technologies central to Multichoice, Orbicom, and MWeb might be used in specific teacher education programmes. A technical introduction to satellite, Internet, and hybrid (web casting) technologies was given by technical experts from Orbicom and MWeb. The workshop built on the following key issues:
•    The difficulty of establishing new community structures in South Africa (A group session on 'locating pilot projects in communities' was held); and
•    The inappropriateness of technology-driven educational solutions (two inputs from existing educational providers were given and two groups focused on 'integrating satellite and Internet technologies into existing teaching education programmes').

To ensure that South Africa's well established policy environment was being used to create a clear framework for tackling the challenges faced, another group focused on 'transforming policy into practice'.

Additional primary research was conducted into current South African use of Internet and satellite technologies for education, by compiling a series of descriptive case studies. Information for these was gathered during structured interviews held with individuals involved in South African educational projects making use of either of the technologies.

Where possible, additional internal documentation about the project was collected and used for the descriptions, while, in some cases, information about the projects was obtained from the project web site.

Both the Key Issues Paper and the Exploration on the use of Internet and satellite technologies for the professional development of educators are available online at: http://www.saide.org.za/multi/m-homepage.htm