Continuing in our “Sustaining Education in Africa in the Coronavirus Crisis” Series, today we are showing how Davis College, a new global network of universities is confronting the period and ensuring learning continues. The Davis College model is a unique hybrid of a liberal arts education with applied and technical curricula, combining competency-based academic programs with a customized, data-driven learning model to actualize practical experience and equip students with the tools needed to thrive in the fastest growing sectors of the economy.
Davis College’s Akilah Institute, opened in Rwanda in 2010 as East Africa’s pre-eminent higher education institution for women with a decade’s applaudable milestone. As school activities stagnates across the world in the past weeks due to government imposed lockdown, what is the fate of Akilah and Davis College students in Rwanda and East Africa for the 2020-2021 Academic Year before normalcy returns as predicted by experts? CEO and Co-founder, Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes gives a firsthand account of all that is being done. According to her:
With virtually no advance notice we set up a distance learning system that allows students to communicate via accessible messenger systems and we shared course content through multiple channels to ensure students can access everything they need to complete their Trimester 2 coursework.
Over the last three months, the spread of COVID-19 has reached every corner of the planet, and with it has come a tidal wave of fear and economic panic. Experts predict that this global crisis will likely extend into next year, with countries on the African continent among the hardest hit. No doubt there will be fundamental changes to the landscape in which the private and public sectors operate as well as how people work, live and learn.
It is in this context that Davis College has been preparing a rapid response to meet the needs of our students during this global crisis and expedite access to online education for Africa’s young people. Since 2010, the Davis College team has built a reputation for delivering high-quality, market-relevant education at the Akilah Institute, East Africa’s premier establishment for women’s leadership and career development. We have now launched Davis College to expand our model to young men and women globally.
With a decade of experience in the African education sector, Akilah and now Davis College are uniquely positioned to launch online competency-based education options for the Rwanda and East African market for the 2020-2021 Academic Year in response to the global pandemic.
Like most other countries, Rwandans are confronting an increase in COVID-19 infections, but thanks to the government’s swift decision making and lockdown, the spread of the virus has thus far been contained. On the heels of the government’s directive to close schools and higher education institutes, our leadership team and staff mobilized quickly and worked tirelessly to ensure the nearly 1,000 students that make up our current student body can continue to learn from the safety of their homes. With virtually no advance notice we set up a distance learning system that allows students to communicate via accessible messenger systems and we shared course content through multiple channels to ensure students can access everything they need to complete their Trimester 2 coursework.
Given that more than 50 percent of Akilah’s students come from rural areas and disadvantaged communities, many without internet access or even electricity, some students have been unable to keep pace with their assignments as they would in Kigali. As a result and to ensure that no student gets left behind, we have instituted the following distance learning policies:
- Students will not be penalized for their inability to submit assignments – they will be given the opportunity to submit all incomplete assignments once they have access to technology and internet or when school reopens.
- Tuition fee deadlines have been postponed given the current economic crisis and movement restrictions.
- Akilah will continue to support students from a distance – our instructors and student affairs teams are always available through all accessible means of communication.
We surveyed all currently enrolled students to gather feedback on their ability to engage in distance learning and two of the biggest challenges that emerged are access to technology and access to the internet to download assignments and communicate with their instructors. In order to mitigate these challenges and allow our students to finish out the academic year, Akilah intends to provide internet bundles and a low-cost internet modem and we’re working to ensure as many students as possible have access to a functioning e-device.
In addition to academic support, we have started virtual clubs and career coaching, and we are further exploring how to continue to instill our core values and create community through digital channels. We feel this is particularly important during such an unsettling time for our students.
The goal is to resume campus classes as soon as the Rwandan government ends the lockdown, provided that it is safe for students and staff to do so. That said, Akilah has pivoted quickly to be able to respond to this unprecedented situation and also plan for the potential of prolonged campus closures in the region.
Transition to Online Programs
Over the past year, Davis College has been building a fully online Information Systems Diploma Program. In March, we opened applications for this along with applications for multi-month bootcamps in cybersecurity and networking. Irrespective of whether we’re allowed to reopen campus facilities in September, and pending next steps in the accreditation process, we will leverage our existing Business Management and Entrepreneurship Diploma Program (BME) curriculum for an online BME program that is both relevant and meaningful to students regardless of modality.
Our professional development team has worked relentlessly since COVID-19 hit Africa to design professional development training to prepare our faculty to shift to a fully online, distance method to finish this Academic Year. Our students will also have access to 24-7 tech support as well as to online library and database platforms. Students at Akilah normally participate in a Bridge program, but in response to the current situation a six-week preparatory program is being revamped specifically for online students. This is designed to strengthen students’ English and digital literacy skills to best prepare them for the online program courses and includes a virtual orientation.
Having spent the past ten years building an innovative, blended model that incorporates extensive online learning, we have been able to rapidly respond to the sudden closure of our campus and ensure minimal disruption to our students’ schooling. Davis College and Akilah’s online platform, digital coursework, and multiple tools that students have to communicate with their peers and instructors have enabled a smooth transition to home learning. The success of Akilah’s students has never been confined to or reliant on a physical space, and we remain more committed than ever in our mission to equip our graduates with the mindset and knowledge to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes is the CEO and Co-founder of Davis College, a global network of universities with a bold mission to educate one million students in Africa and Asia by 2030. Elizabeth is the co-founder of the Akilah Institute, the only college for women in Rwanda.
