Knowledge Exchange and Learning Partnerships (KELP) - Africa

Partner institutions negotiate a reciprocity agreement that includes the cross-listing of courses, credit transfers, tuition waivers, and joint degrees. Within this "umbrella" agreement, point-to-point linkages on joint curriculum development, teaching, research and/or outreach, papers, online courses, and other types of collaboration are faciliated. Universities, technical colleges, research centres, non-governmental organisations, community groups, and private sector firms are potential links. Face-to-face interaction between and among professors and students, which is intended to generate ideas for joint projects, is complemented by a range of technologies, including the Internet, CD ROM, traditional print media, videocassettes, and others.

Specifically, activities include:

• Management Sciences Network, whose goal is to establish a Management Sciences Network at the Faculty of Management Sciences, University of the North, South Africa
• Public Affairs Network, whose goal is to establish a Public Affairs Network at the Faculty of Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Telematics Centres Network, whose goal is to establish a Telematics Centres Network at the University of Durban-Westville
• Transformed Agricultural Education, whose goal is to establish a Transformed Agricultural Education Network at the University of Fort Hare
• Recreation and Tourism Network, whose goal is to establish a Recreation and Tourism Network at the University of Zululand (Umlazi)
• Bureau for Africa Office of Sustainable Development

These activities are organised and implemented by a Task Team that has representation from each of the founding partners. Task Team members are trained to initiate and sustain faculty/researcher use of information, communication, and knowledge technologies so as to integrate these tools into the higher education curriculum -- training that is accomplished in large part by peers. High-end computers with presentation equipment and multimedia capability are made available to each African institution partner.

Technology, Agriculture, Environment, Economic Development.

KELP focuses on sustainable development as knowledge content; the role of post-secondary institutions in fostering the capacity to manage sustainable development; educational objectives related to the use of technologies to distribute learning content and other resources to geographically dispersed learners in different time zones; means for assessing results derived from the use of technologies; faculty and researcher professional development; training and resources for computer-mediated networks; and access to computers and other related technologies in Africa. The KELP framework is based on concepts explored in a working paper on "Distributed Learning Partnerships".

The initial phase of the initiative will run for five years (1999-2004). Individuals or teams of faculty or researchers from post-secondary institutions will be invited to develop specific proposals and to seek funding for institution-specific, as well as country-specific, activities, in liaison with the Task Team, the Partnerships Coordinator, and the KELP advisor.