Bridging the Gap
Collaborative Project Will Help Algeria Integrate Teaching With Technology and Link Its Students to America.

A team of College of Education faculty members have launched a project to help Algerian education officials assess the North African country’s K–12 technology plans and create a link between Algerian and American secondary students.
Funded by a $520,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the project involves a full-scale analysis of Algeria’s plan to integrate technology into its schools.

Associate Professor Joe Codde, who heads the MSU team that includes Professor Rhonda Egidio and University Distinguished Professor Yong Zhao, said Algeria is eager to find ways to effectively use technology in its classrooms.

“A project like this truly gives you an opportunity to make a difference,” Codde said. “As I have traveled through the country, visited schools and classrooms, and spoken with students, I can see how this project will have an influence. This is a developing country and it is very interested in new ideas and technology.
“So it’s exciting to take part in a project that could have large-scale impact in a country that is emerging from years of civil war.”

The project, Information and Communication Technologies–Algeria (ICT–Algeria), is a partnership between MSU; Creative Associates International, a Washington, D.C.–based consulting firm; and Rubicon, a Jordanian educational technology company.

A key focus of MSU’s analysis of the national technology plan will be to evaluate how closely it is aligned with the country’s overall educational goals for its students. Codde said the intent is to understand Algeria’s educational system and how the plan might be changed or improved to most effectively further the learning of Algerian students through the use of technology.

In addition to analysis, the team will also develop a program that will link about 10 Algerian secondary schools with 10 American high schools. The Algerian and U.S. students will collaborate in developing an online news magazine.

“The idea is to have the students write stories on music, art, sports and student life,” Egidio said. “I love these topics because I think this is where students will find their commonality despite the differences in culture and everything else. We imagine that this online news magazine will become a resource for anyone who wants to learn about and gain an understanding of Algeria.”

The project also includes a study tour involving seven officials with the Algerian Ministry of National Education who will visit MSU and American K–12 classrooms to gain a better understanding of how technology is integrated into the teaching of various subjects.