What is the role of the university in supporting local and national efforts to harness information and communication technologies (ICTs) for socio-economic development? To date, most attention in the higher education sector has focused on distance learning, e-learning, and other efforts to enhance the learning experience and extend the reach of education to remote locations and non-traditional students. This project examines a different and as yet under-appreciated opportunity for universities to play a central role in studying and teaching about ICTs for development (ICT4D) in ways that directly contribute to the developmental priorities of their countries.

 

Coordinated by the Center for Ethics of Science and Technology (CEST) at Chulalongkorn University, this project will produce the first study illuminating the current state and future potential of university engagement in the local and national ICT4D priorities of eleven Asian countries. A secondary objective is to advance network building among Asian ICT4D scholars and institutions. Both objectives serve to build the foundation for future University ICT4D (U-ICT4D) programs in the region.

 

This project aims to open up a discourse in this emerging field and to stimulate the creation and expansion of U-ICT4D activities by reaching key audiences among universities, governments, donor organizations and partnering institutions. The project will utilize the occasion of a major conference, "Digital Learning Asia 2006" (http://www.dlasia.csdms.in/), to broadly publicize the U-ICT4D message and disseminate early findings of the study (24 to 28 April, Bangkok).

 

To uncover the current state and future potential of university engagement in the local and national ICT4D priorities of 11 Asian countries. A secondary objective is to advance network building among Asian ICT4D scholars and institutions. Both objectives serve to build the foundation for future U-ICT4D programs in the region. This will be the first study of this kind anywhere in the world and aims to open up a discourse on this emerging area. It aims to stimulate U-ICT4D activities of universities, governments, donor organizations and partnering institutions. More specifically, the project aims to:

As this project has just begun, its impact is yet to be assessed and understood.