(ODL) in Nepal - LearnTechLib

SITE 2016 - Savannah, GA, United States, March 21-26, 2016

Gender awareness and pedagogical innovations in the introduction of open and distance learning (ODL) in Nepal Ellen Carm Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies Norway

Sushan Asharya Tribhuvan University Central Department of Education Nepal

Abstract This case study explores preliminary experiences and findings from an ongoing NORHED1 program, Improving Quality and Access to Teacher Training through Information and Communications Technology (ICT), hereafter termed QUANTICT2, from 2013 to 2019. The overall aim is improving access to and quality of teacher training in Nepal through open distance learning (ODL). The program aims to deliver two master’s degree programs for teachers through ODL, one in English and the other in mathematics education. Grounded in and framed by the diverse Nepalese context, this study outlines Nepalese policies and strategies on the use of ICTs in education and in teacher training specifically, and it explores the application of technology, curriculum revisions, and pedagogical implications for enhancement of gender equity and inclusion. Findings from a pre-pilot phase further identify how male and female students utilized ICTs as a tool for their learning purposes. Introduction Based upon the needs and strategies stated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Nepal, the QUANTICT project aims to increase access to and improve the quality and sustainability of teacher professional development using ICTs and distance delivery modes. A secondary aim of the project is to bridge the existing gender-based digital divide by enabling women’s participation throughout the project. The expected outcomes are: (1) an increase in women’s participation in education technology in higher education, and (2) an increase in the number of qualified teachers (male and female) at a secondary level using ICTs and participating in ODL. Access to continuing education in Nepal requires urgent attention, as the low quality of teacher training is alarming. The Nepalese government now requires a master’s degree for educators teaching at secondary level, further widening the competency gap. While upgrading the qualifications of teachers to a master’s degree, the QUANTICT program also mainstreams gender equality and inclusive education through a focus on relevance, contextualization, and indigenous knowledge. By applying a qualitative case study approach (Yin, 2003) this paper explores the development and preliminary outcomes of QUANTICT using a variety of data sources. This approach enables the authors to examine curriculum revisions, analyze gender equity as a cross-disciplinary theme, and shed light on the pedagogical implications of transforming the master’s programs from a face-to-face to an ODL delivery mode. Through the voices of actors involved in the development and pre-pilot phases and through the use of a variety of methods and data sources—including literacy 1Funded through Norwegian Aid Development (NORAD) 2

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reviews, interviews, field notes, and focus group discussions—this case study reveals multiple facets of the phenomenon under study (ibid). ICTs and ODL: promising technologies for individual and national development Emerging technologies for distance education through ODL provide a range of new possibilities for educational development, such as increased flexibility and access to a wide variety of high-quality teaching materials and programs. The use of ICTs in teaching has been proven to foster new pedagogical methods and to transform teaching practices (Carm, Øgrim, & Johannesen, 2015). QUANTICT may, therefore, be a promising avenue for greater participation and access for women by focusing on new teaching methods, transforming teaching practices, and emphasizing participation, egalitarianism, and inclusivity through a constructivist rather than positivist approach to public education. The new QUANTICT-supported master’s degree programs are based on the use of a Learning Management System (LMS)3 and apply a blended approach of campus-based and face-to-face sessions to facilitate the establishment of learning communities and group interactions. A diverse range of ODL modes have been employed, including: asynchronous text-based courses utilizing technology for text- or video-based delivery; project- and casebased courses; and contextualizing and situating the learning process and content in local realities. When these approaches are merged with discussion, dialogue, peer learning, student and teacher feedback, and tutoring, a new paradigm for teaching and learning emerges for both student teachers and lecturers. The technology and methodological designs of ODL have the potential to enhance the socio-constructivist way of learning by turning a traditional teacher-centered approach into a learner-centered pedagogy. Digital Divide and Development Knowledge is an indicator for development in its own right as it is related to economic growth, health, and culture. Investing in women’s education is a key factor in sustainable development (UNESCO, 2011). Despite the fact that women make up approximately half of the world’s work force, a majority of women do not receive any income at all. Globally, women do 66% of the work and produce half of the world’s food, but they earn only 10% of the income and own 1% of the property (UN, 2010). In developing countries, ICTs and digital competence play a major role in female empowerment and women’s access to education, thereby supporting sustainable development (Carm & Øgrim, 2013). Many researchers, however, have reported on genderbased differences in digital use patterns. In addition, technological environments tend to be gender biased (Björkman, 2002). Findings from countries in Africa, for example, revealed that a first-come, first-serve policy practiced in computer labs tended to favor boys. In other instances, female students’ access to labs was restricted due to the long distance from their dormitories. These cultural and practical obstacles need to be explored to create genderfriendly digital environments. Open universities are being developed and expanded worldwide. In industrialized countries, ODL is mainly used as a means to provide for flexibility in access, time, and progress, whereas in the Global South, distance education is introduced at all educational levels for inclusion purposes (Gulati, 2008). Three major technological trends—the emerging technology of reading tablets; smaller, cheaper, user-friendly computers; and the enormous growth in the use of mobile phones and cloud computing to share software and information—all support and enhance technological penetration in developing countries. 3 Software for e-learning environments; in Nepal, Moodle has been used as it is free of costs.

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These trends also decrease the need for expensive computers, servers, and power supplies (Carm, Johannesen, & Øgrim, 2015). Vast differences in technology between industrial and developing countries generally follow the lines of economic difference in the world, i.e., of access to other benefits in society (Hilbert, 2011). The past decade’s debate on ICTs and development has pointed to the digital divide between regions, within regions, and between urban and rural areas, as well as between the sexes. Computerization of the least-developed countries, therefore, is a key factor in development. According to UNESCO (2009), the number of internet users tripled globally between 2000 and 2007; there are large regional differences, however, with Africa and Asia having a penetration rate far below the world average. There are extreme divides between the “haves” and “have-nots” related to the accessibility of technology and information based on race, ethnic group, class, age, region, and gender (Haddad, 2000). Nevertheless, in Asia the proportion of individuals with Internet access had reached 26% in 2011 (compared to the global average of 33%; Internet World Stats, 2011). Women in a Digital World Education empowers and capacitates women to improve their own lives and to affect positive change in their communities. At the individual level, the lack of a quality education can weaken a woman’s position in society and can impact her health, economic situation, occupation, political participation, skill development, and self-confidence. In many developing countries, men are expected to attain education for their individual growth, while women’s aspirations to continue their studies and attain personal growth terminate upon marriage due to family responsibilities and cultural barriers (Taurai & Metzo, 2013). Women are often restricted to pursuing a formal education that requires regular attendance. It is therefore essential to provide alternative modes of education, particularly to attract and to meet the needs of female learners. Many countries are turning to ODL for these purposes. Huyers’ studies in Asia (2005) revealed that women using ODL had enhanced employment opportunities and income generation, improved work performance, and increased selfconfidence. Nepali women, however, have not yet enjoyed these same opportunities. Women from the Global South suffer most from the digital divide and are further distanced from the information age as compared to men with similar socioeconomic backgrounds (Haddad, 2000). Men in all patriarchal societies have easier access to expensive technology—technology that is symbolically tied to power and status (Cooper, 2006). Gajala (2002) argues that ICTs are not gender-neutral but instead reflect the wider sociocultural and economic contexts within which the technologies are produced and used (i.e., technological environments). ODL allows for utilization of educational opportunities from one’s existing circumstances. In addition to being able to explore and pursue their interests and skills, women engaged in ODL have the opportunity to learn to use technology, further facilitating their capacity development. Improved capacity is also likely to increase women’s selfconfidence and degree of empowerment. Provided that “the gender dimensions of ICT—in terms of access and use, capacity-building opportunities, employment and potential for empowerment—are explicitly identified and addressed, ICT can be a powerful catalyst for political and social empowerment of women, and the promotion of gender equality” (United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, 2005, p. 3). This assertion has been applied and implemented in many countries through ODL, and as a result, ODL has become a versatile medium to enhance women’s empowerment and gender equality. ODL enables women to bring out their inherent abilities, creativity, knowledge, and skills and to utilize them for their own benefit and for the benefit of their families and communities. ODL not only provides educational opportunities but also supports women in

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reaching higher positions in every sector (Kanwar et al., 2013). By reaching non-schooled women in Zimbabwe and poor village women in the West Indies and Bangladesh, the power of the ODL approach to ensure gender equity in education and to contribute to women’s empowerment has also been demonstrated in studies by Taurai and Metzo (2013). In concert with the spread of ICTs, there has been a huge global surge in access to primary education, demand for higher education, and engagement of all family members in economic activities. However, the use of traditional lenses to view the position of women and girls is still a practical reality and limits their access to, and utilization of, resources for education, personal growth, and assertion of their rights. One of QUANTICT’s long-term objectives is aimed at bridging existing gender-related inequalities in access to ICTs and education by including women in the digital society and thus enhancing gender equity. Nepalese ICT Policies Policies on ICT in education have been introduced in Nepal in recent years for the benefit of teachers and learners and to ensure equal access to, and benefit from, ICTs irrespective of gender, economy, social background, and different abilities, thereby addressing the digital divide. This section will briefly review relevant documents4 related to the use of ICT in Nepalese education. The Long-Term Policy of Information and Communication Sector 2059 (2003)5 addressed the use of media in partnership with non-government actors for distance education systems. While this policy discussed resource-sharing and ensuring the use of media for education, the Telecommunication Policy 2060 (2004) promised that central-level government employees would be connected to the Internet by 2005 and that published government documents would be made available on Web sites. This document also asserted that government employees with a secondary-level education who were working in service sectors such as education, health, and agriculture should be Internet and e-mail literate. Neither of these documents specifically proposed policies to address gender and social equity issues related to access to/benefit from ICT. The use of ICT in classrooms was a provision of the Communication Strategy for Education 2063 (2007). Updating knowledge of students and teachers at school and at tertiary levels through ICT-based activities was another significant provision. To achieve this policy aim, the document called for establishment of computer laboratories in schools, campuses, and universities for the use of staff, students, and teachers. The Open and Distance Learning Policy 2063 (2007), however, specifically aimed at expanding education to diverse communities of learners, including out-of-school children, deprived groups, housewives, and working populations. Strategies included development of curriculum and learning materials, setting up certification and accreditation systems, providing academic and technical support to schools and learning centers, and utilization of different types of media. The Information Technology Policy 2067 (2010) advocated specifically for expansion of Internet facilities to all schools, promotion of industry-academia collaboration (IAC) in ICT, and formulation and implementation of specific ICT programs for the development of competent human resources. The policy contained a provision for e-certification to ensure minimum quality of ICT equipment provided to educational institutions. It did not, however, 4 (1) National Information and Communication Technology Policy (2015); (2) National Broadband Policy 2071 (2015); (3) Information Technology Policy 2067 (2010); (4) Telecommunication Policy 2060 (2004); (5) LongTerm Policy of Information and Communication Sector 2059 (2003); (6) Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in Education: Master Plan 2013-2017; (7) Communication Strategy for Education 2063 (2007); and (8) Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Policy 2063 (2007).

5 2059 in the Nepalese calendar refers to 2003 in the Western calendar.

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contain provisions addressing the digital divide or promoting access to ICT for women or other disadvantaged populations. Nevertheless, the Three-Year Interim Plan (2013-2016) aims to alleviate the digital divide by integrating ICT as an essential aspect of the entire education system and by expanding its use in classroom teaching. The National ICT Policy (2015) further enhances this perspective by including specific policies and strategies related to gender, inclusion, and equity in education. It assures the mainstreaming of ICT in development activities and the promotion of ICT as an alternative career path for vulnerable youth and women. The policy further assures the application of specific measures to address the gender gap in participation and the ability to benefit from the information society, as well as envisioning the use of ICT to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The ICT Policy (2015) aims to improve the quality of education and training at all levels, enhance access to education, and devise mechanisms to integrate ICT throughout the entire educational system. Policy commitments and strategies include: integration of computer skills at all school levels; promotion of e-learning and lifelong learning; capacity-building of tertiary-level educational and teacher-training institutions; and promotion of development and utilization of e-based distance education. These policies also assure the creation of strategies for effective implementation of ICT in the Education Master Plan (MOE, 2013-2017). Importantly, strategies to introduce programs on teacher education in ICTs are included, encouraging educational institutions that are developing ICT-based degree programs through ODL. In this context, it is critical for QUANTICT to include integration of ICT skills in inservice and pre-service teacher training curricula and teacher preparation courses and to promote continuous and lifelong learning through an ODL mode. Although the guiding principles of the Master Plan include promotion of “educational access and equity for all regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability or location,” no specific strategies are outlined to achieve this end. The National Broadband Policy 2071 (2014) aims to provide public schools with broadband service by 2020 by introducing least-cost subsidies to expand coverage in areas not serviced by commercial providers. It also commits to designing and implementing special programs targeted to people with disabilities, and encourages the use of gender discrimination-free ICT. These policies show that Nepal aims to ensure quantitative and qualitative improvements in ICT to achieve better access to quality education. The policies are responsive to gender, inclusion, and equity concerns and utilize ICTs in teaching and learning, including in teacher training. Access to ICT in Nepal Access to and achievement in general education has direct and indirect impacts on the utilization of technology. Where education levels are low, chances of utilizing technology for better work performance or other purposes decreases. Regarding educational access and completion rates in Nepal, 19% of boys and 21% of girls of primary-school age are out of primary school, and the disparity increases in secondary education, with 10% of males and 18% of females not attending school. The educational attainment figures for youth 15-24 years (MOE, 2014) show that 7% have only completed primary school, 18% have completed secondary school, and 12% have completed post-secondary school. The distribution of education generally follows the socioeconomic-, gender-, ethnic-, language-, and caste-divides in the society. Households with access to electricity have steadily increased in the last decade, reaching approximately 75% in 2014, but the statistics reflect the urban, rural, and socioeconomic diversities in the country. According to Central Bureau of Statistics (2014).

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96% in urban areas have access to electricity opposed to 63% in rural areas, and 94% in the richest quintile as opposed to 42% in the poorest quintile. In 2010, 43% of households had access to the internet within a 30-minute commute (CBS, 2011), and furthermore 7%, 3%, and 65% of households had computers, Internet, and mobile phones respectively (ibid., 2012). The penetration of broadband mobile and Internet use are steadily increasing in Nepal. Mobile broadband subscriptions have increased from 13% to 17% in just one year’s time (ITU/UNESCO, 2015), and the number of households with access to the Internet has doubled within the last couple of years to approximately 6% in 2014 (ITU/UNESCO, 2015). The population using Internet—though increasing to 15% in 2014 (ibid.)—is still far below the average among developing countries (35%). Despite tremendous quantitative progress, disparities in access to and use of digital devices are still evident. In 2014, 84% of urban households—as compared to 60% of rural households—had mobile phones. Approximately 18% households in the highest consumption group—but almost no households in the smallest consumption group—had access to e-mail or the Internet (CBS, 2014). Concentrations of households with computers and Internet facilities indicate that electricity and possession of digital devices positively correlate. Although computer knowledge and skills are introduced in some lower secondary schools (grades 6-8), integration of ICT across curricula has not been initiated (UNESCO/UIS, 2014). Less than 0.5% of primary schools use computer-assisted instruction (ibid.), and only 6% of primary schools and 24% of secondary schools have access to electricity. This is one of the major barriers affecting the availability of Internet in schools and is reflected in the following dismal figures: only 1% of primary schools and 6% of secondary schools now have Internet connections (NESCO/UIS, 2014). A Framework for Gender Equity Based upon the needs reflected in the previous sections of this paper, gender equality and inclusion are issues that lie at the heart of effective implementation of QUANTICT. Some of the interventions already achieved though revisions of the existing curriculum are based upon the opinions of potential learners regarding the use of ODL for upgrading teacher qualification. Fennel and Arnot’s (2009) framework on gender equity has been applied to assess gender issues in the revised QUANTICT curriculum, a framework built upon UNESCO guidelines (2003) and arguing for the use of three lenses: females’ “rights” within the curriculum, their “rights to” education, and their “rights through education.” The first two aspects of equity are applied in QUANTICT and are guiding revisions in the master’s courses. Teachers’ attitudes and methodologies are recognized as central to challenging (or maintaining) female stereotypes by challenging (or supporting) assumptions about rights, traditional roles, citizenship, contextual gender roles, and religious and cultural beliefs and practices. In this context, curriculum is perceived as an opportunity, as a key source of students’ knowledge about the social world and about their orientation within the social world—termed a curriculum reform for gender equality in the classroom (UNESCO, 2004, p.177). With this lens, one can reduce biases in girls’ and boys’ subject choices and remove implications of gender stereotypes from teaching materials (Fennel & Arnot, 2008). It challenges stereotypical views and norms, e.g., girls being perceived as unable to benefit from secondary education; less able to succeed in mathematics or science; and sexual violence, abuse, and harassment by critically reflecting upon these issues in a gender-sensitive way (through both ODL and face-to-face modes). By training students to become teachers and applying these approaches in the master’s programs, they learn, experience, and train accordingly. The QUANTICT approach will thereby give teachers a practical and theoretical basis for applying the same approaches in their own teaching practices.

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QUANTICT is facilitating gender-friendly curriculum choices by encouraging “creativity, originality and intolerance of injustice, non-cognitive skills that can help people challenge and transform society’s hierarchies rather than accept them” (ibid., p. 226). In this manner, a gender-friendly pedagogy is being developed and taught. Curriculum can also be a tool for enhancing democracy and equality by ensuring an “inclusive learning environment” as an “essential attribute of high-quality education” according to Fennel and Arnot (2009, p. 143). Gender power relations, especially those embedded in curricula, have to be contested and addressed. These issues also relate directly to teachers’ qualifications, confidence, and professional autonomy. In India, teacher trainers encourage educators to design exercises to sensitize children to their own stereotyped attitudes and beliefs and emphasize the need to “take risks” within the curriculum while moving toward a more radical, participatory, and empowering pedagogy (ibid.). Curriculum Revisions and Pedagogical Paradigm Shifts Some promising curriculum and pedagogical transformations in the master’s courses in English and mathematics exemplify the work in progress. An English teacher6 complained it was irrelevant to address the gender dimension in his course in linguistics. A review of the existing curriculum, however, revealed that there were only male authors represented in the reading list and that the texts being used referred to men in 15 out of 16 cases. The single female representation was a wife in a traditional housekeeping role. The revised English course now reflects a gender-balanced curriculum, and the literacy course includes critical and alternative philosophers such as Garder, Nehru, and the Dalai Lama, as well as teaching material on marginalized and disabled people in Nepalese society. The pedagogical approach now promotes critical reflection, followed by exercises that examine how these philosophies reflect different country contexts and situations and how they might correspond with a Nepalese way of thinking. Locally developed videos reflecting the diverse Nepalese context will be used to address existing cultural practices including subordinate gender patterns. Discussion forums and reflection sessions based upon the content will enhance critical thinking and expose existing practices to new viewpoints and solutions.7 Videos and discussions will be a medium for co-constructing knowledge and applying learner-centered and reflective practices in order to assess and challenge traditional female role models. The master’s course in mathematics now includes key words such as ethnomathematics and non-western concepts, as can be seen in the matrix below. Core localized themes such as games, music, and day-to-day practices are being included and merged with relevant mathematical and scientific topics8 with sensitivity to gender, inclusion, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)—e.g., cultural approaches to teaching mathematics, culturally contextualized mathematics, male-centered and gender-sensitive mathematic curricula—thus enhancing the development of an inclusive local, national, and global curriculum. The curriculum also focuses on critical issues in learning and teaching that are viewed and developed through gender lenses, reflecting different areas for integrating mathematics. The teaching guidelines further require joint student/teacher research activities, projects, and case studies built upon relevant issues in the local environment. The compulsory courses in pedagogy9 have broadened their scope to include indigenous philosophies such as idealism, naturalism, Vedic philosophy (Eastern), and 6 Phonetic course, workshop 2015, Kathmandu University 7 Informant, August 2015 8 Workshop, 2015, Tribhuvan University, EDMT 541/542 (6 credits)

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Buddhist philosophy. The impacts of these philosophies on gender and education in a Nepalese context are challenged through different learner-centered activities. Implications of Western philosophies, epistemologies, and educational pedagogy on development and on Nepalese society specifically will be discussed, helping students to identify how these modes of thinking relate to Nepalese practices and experiences. New topics addressing structural, symbolic, and critical philosophies and the politics of education and power from global, national, local, and pedagogical perspectives have been added to the revised syllabi, as well as themes addressing diversity and inequality in Nepalese society. The new curriculum requires students to relate theory to their own community in order to enhance critical thinking that will lead toward social transformation. The guidelines focus on relevance and practical applications, incorporating gender and IKS to contextualize the teaching content. Actual teaching activities are designed as a model for secondary classroom practice. One concrete example 10 that illustrates the shift from a teacher-centered to a learnercentered, constructivist approach can be seen in one of the students’ exercises in the revised course in pedagogy, where: “groups of students have to select one study area out of 15, review the subject content and prepare a summary paper commenting on major aspects, strong and weak points, as well as implications and gaps. After uploading the paper in the LMS, other groups will read the paper and prepare group feedback through the LMS, before a final, plenary through classroom presentations by the home group, followed by reflections and discussions”11 This exercise includes a range of pedagogical methods: it is a part of a formative assessment; it includes self-learning, collaborative learning, peer reviews, and critical thinking; it uses constructivist teaching methods; and it is based upon asynchronous as well as face-to-face learning (i.e., is a blended approach). Another major change is that the revised curriculum is significantly more genderbalanced; more female authors have been included, and the portrayal of women in the texts is actively reflected upon. The extent to which these principles will be applied in practice depends upon the actual competences, ICT tools, and methodologies applied through the ODL delivery mode, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of the lecturers and professors. Capacity Building and ICT-Based Dialogues and Interaction Indigenous knowledge, traditions, spiritual beliefs, and value systems necessary for identity construction can be threatened and/or undermined in teacher-centered educational settings. The three university programs under consideration here, by contrast, are being designed in a way that enhances dialogue and learner-centered approaches in order to foster access and engagement of multi-voiced identity formation and professional development. Flexible and inclusive strategies apply contextually, and relevant content and teacher-training approaches build upon an understanding that knowledge cannot be transferred but must be constructed by learners themselves based upon their individual history, knowledge, and experience. These approaches encourage students to investigate real problems by reflecting upon their sociocultural context, and in turn to construct or co-construct new knowledge (Vygotsky, 1978). A learner-centered and constructivist approach conceptualizes knowledge as situated 9 Foundations of Education 10 Foundations of Education, November 2015 11 Draft curriculum

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and contextual, embedded in community and identity formation, where new knowledge may lead to individual as well as societal transformation and development. Wenger et al. (2009) have adapted this idea to net-based communities. When learners are taking part in their own thinking processes, new avenues for understanding are opened based upon ones’ own environmental and ethnical roots. This eventually leads to critical reflection upon the existing “taken for granted ancestral knowledge” by merging Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Western knowledge through reflection and critical thinking. During preparations for, and development of, the shift away from a face-to-face to an ODL mode of delivery, a range of capacity-building activities involving university staff and administration took place. Several pre-pilot surveys were also conducted to assess how students responded to the use of ICTs. The various interventions were viewed and assessed through a gendered lens, and based upon availability and motivation, staff and students were selected (taking into account a desired gender balance of at least 30% women).12 At Tribuvan University, several series of capacity-building activities in ICTs were conducted (at all three of campuses involved in QUANTICT) to strengthen the capacity of academic and supporting administrative staff, emphasizing the inclusion of female staff at all project levels. ICT was the main tool for program development and delivery, and the themes of ICT and gender equity were integrated throughout all program activities, e.g., faculty training, teacher training, and preparation of learning materials. The following table lists participants in one of the courses by location and gender. Teaching and learning in a digital environment Location Kirtipur Birganj Dhankuta

Male 30 17 15

Female 9 1 3

Total 39 18 18

Out of the 72 participants, only 13 were female. Though the objective was a minimum of 30% female participation, the actual numbers reflect the unequal gender balance at Nepalese universities. Knowing the various local cultural practices and norms would contribute to a better understanding of the male dominance among employees at the university level across the country; this issue, however, has yet to be investigated. Among non-academic staff being trained in computer literacy, there were no female employees outside the main campus, confirming the employment challenges women face in Nepal. One pre-pilot baseline survey assessing students’ attitudes and the extent to which they utilized ICT as a tool in their learning process was initiated by a lecturer in mathematics. Though the course was primarily delivered through a face-to-face modality, the lecturer also used all of the basic features of LMS13 during the second semester.14 At the end of that semester, a survey was conducted to understand the students’ perception and behavior related to the use of ICT for educational purposes. The population of the survey was 189 students (167 males and 22 females). More men (69%) than women (55%) reported that they used computers. A higher number of men used social media (e.g., through mobile phones) compared to those who used computers. For women, those using computers and social media were equal in number. The reason is likely to be the possession of mobile phones (87% of male and 81% of female 12 QUANTICT indicator 13 Moodle 14Projective Geometry of the Mathematics Education, Kirtipur, Tribuvan University, (September 2014February 2015

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students reported owning mobile phones). This data also indicated that slightly more men than women possessed smart phones. Both men and women were positive about the application and benefits of ODL in learning. For example, 90% of the men and 91% of the women agreed that ICT could facilitate learning outside the educational institution. However, significantly fewer students (66% of the men and 64% of the women) believed that ICT tools could provide opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere; these results are likely attributable to the fact that many students were from remote villages where access to ICT and electricity are limited. Furthermore, 84% of the men and 77% of the women believed that ICT tools could help in visualizing abstract concepts in geometry. Many men (69%) and women (73%) also believed that the use of ICT in learning requires highly professional computer skills. Perhaps due to this belief and the limited access in their homes, fewer students (51% of the males and 64% of the females) believed that ICT could help engage students to learn independently. Based upon the exercises conducted, the numbers of students responding to the tests were as follows: LMS use: Log on Participate in objective assessment Participate in subjective assessment Participate in discussion forum

Male 85 71 39 0

Female 9 6 3 0

Total 94 77 42 0

These findings illustrate that male students utilized ICT far more than their female counterparts did. However, when responding to a questionnaire about attitudes and the benefits of ICT, all students indicated a positive attitude toward the potential added value of utilizing ICT (though only 33% of male and 36% of female students reported using the software in mathematics as a tool for learning). Nevertheless, the positive responses of onethird of participants showed that the average Nepali university student may utilize new technology when given the opportunity. These and similar assessments of students’ attitudes and behavior regarding ICT in their university courses lend valuable insights when designing interventions in ICT for higher education, as they elucidate the extent of male and female students’ access to, use of, and perceptions about ICT in learning. Conclusions The diverse Nepalese context and the country’s unequal distribution and access to education —particularly secondary and higher education—underscores the need for inclusive and gender-sensitive approaches to learning. Recent statistics on ICT penetration reveal that, in comparison to other developing countries, Nepal still lags far behind the global average. The impacts on women in subordinate positions, including access to education, employment, and traditional stereotyped roles in family and society, cannot be overestimated. Fortunately, during the last few decades the MOE has committed itself to introducing ODL through a range of policies and strategies that focus on equity and inclusion. The QUANTICT project responds to these policies to meet the needs of upgrading teacher education, implementing ODL in teacher training, and enhancing equity and inclusion. The pre-pilot phase shows promising results. A gender-balanced perspective has been incorporated into the curriculum of the master’s programs in mathematics and English, and the content now reflects the diverse Nepalese culture and context while critically addressing global and regional discourses and approaches as applied to Nepalese society. Moreover, ICT interventions in the traditional courses proved that both male and female

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students responded positively to the added value of using ICT as a learning methodology. Preliminary findings suggest that the transformation to an ODL approach may be a promising way to shift from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered constructivist approach in the Nepalese context.

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