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I
am a female graduate student at the
University
of
Iowa
pursuing a Masters
Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Third World Development Support. Within
Urban and Regional Planning my focus in on economic development (with a
particular interest in the use of economic development policies to address
poverty). Within the field of
International Development Studies, my focus is mainly on issues of human
resource development (particularly in the areas of information technology, education and economic development.
Following from my personal experience as an undergraduate in a
Nigerian Institution of higher learning where computer use was very low
and access very limited and my experience as a graduate student here at
the University of Iowa, where computer use is almost compulsory and access
is widespread, I have become keenly interested in the role that
Information Technology plays in education and its role in the pursuance of
overall economic development
Furthermore, having a sister who was very interested in computer
networking but
found herself one of very few women in her electrical engineering
department and also following from my participation in a program in my
university (in Nigeria) that tried to introduce computer use as part of a
larger goal to improve educational communication systems in the
university, I was exposed to various situations and circumstances that led
me to wonder why so few females seemed to be participants in the IT field.
Currently, I am carrying out a research on the low female
participation in ICT in education in
Nigeria
. I am
specifically looking at possible reasons why this occurs; how it is
similar/different from what has been found in other countries and how this
can be addressed especially via institutional strategic plans or ICT
policies. brief overview of
project
In
my course of study here at the University of Iowa, I have worked closely
with the WiderNet Project, a non profit organization here on campus
that works to improve digital communication in developing countries.
WiderNet's current focus is in Africa and its closest ties and
connections are with Nigerian universities. The WiderNet Project
focuses on the improvement of educational communication systems in Africa
by providing faculty and students with access to computers, email, and the
Internet.
During
my work here, I have participated in a number of programs and worked on
several issues...Some of the reports I have worked on are listed below: |
