Michigan State University (MSU) researchers are using a $1 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to improve sustainable agricultural practices in Africa.
The AgShare Open Education Resources project is an 18-month pilot designed to give African educators free access to educational tools researchers hope will improve agricultural practices.
The funding allows for the creation of a virtual educational environment and curriculum for Master of Science degrees in agriculture, with areas of emphasis in livestock, crops and agribusiness.
AgShare will allow users to form learning networks that will share content such as modules, textbook material and videos via the web. In remote areas where Internet is less accessible, information will be distributed through DVDs and printed material.
“The project comes at an important time for African institutions, which are looking for effective ways to address the development of their educational agriculture programming with limited financial resources,” says Christine Geith, assistant provost and executive director of MSUglobal Learning Ventures, an entrepreneurial business unit.
MSU faculty will work with OER Africa, a new project headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and other international experts to develop best practices for sharing information through open education resources.
Source: MSU
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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