COSTAATT - ICTs and Digital Technologies - IST Department

To be a student-centred, dynamic and innovative, world-class multi-campus college, promoting excellence in teaching and learning, serving diverse communities and producing lifelong learners who can compete globally.

Chair (Ag.) ICTs and Digital Technologies - head of the academic department at COSTAATT in charge of Information Science and Technology.

It is right now part of our department's work in creating functionally technology literate graduates, recruitment through career fairs, professional development training, existing community work and vacation camps for primary and secondary schools students in STEM. 

Improving lives by training functionally technology literate citizens.

What solutions are available that can help bridge this gap between equity and equality in our minds? Poverty eradication through education. The internet has allowed connectivity for those with access geographically, socially, financially and others. Use of tools like AI, social media, information science and others can enhance or degrade the lives of those who can access these tools. How do we use these tools and technologies to improve equity not equality? Opportunities to access information, knowledge, decision support, education, products, services and others can be used to decrease the gap between those who have and those who have not.   

This solution focuses on "Poverty eradication through education". The college, school and department by our very nature embrace and support the non-traditional and first generation tertiary level learners. The department currently runs a course on information literacy for the college that introduces students to these concepts and starts them on the journey of media literacy (producers of content for consumption). We also run programmes on Information Technology that produces STEM graduates at certificate, associate and bachelor levels. We also run STEM vacation camps for kids from 8 to 15 years old. The solution focuses on learning variability in the vacation camps also. We also volunteer with community groups promoting STEM for Girls. We also take part in career fairs for secondary schools.  

Non- traditional and first generation students.

Formative and summative research have been used in developing our teaching and learning activities. 

The institution, school and departments have used multiple levels of research to inform our teaching and learning practise towards continuous improvement of all of our offerings.  

Improving data and decision support collection and sourcing of information for a multi-disciplinary evidenced based approach to serving the underserved communities in a sustainable manner using skills based, work ready, practical, entrepreneurial, professional and technical competency (media, technology, information literacy) based intervention for poverty eradication.

Proof that equity in education eradicates poverty through practical work ready skills, entrepreneurial skills, media and financial literacy, professional and technical competencies in the underserved communities.

Access to STEM education in primary school in underserved communities leads to an increase in participation rate in the country and region.

Identify the needs of the underserved communities in terms of STEM, education, skills and competencies. 

What are the educational needs of our underserved communities. By improving data and decision support collection and sourcing of information for a multi-disciplinary evidenced based approach to serving the underserved communities in a sustainable manner using skills based, work ready, practical, entrepreneurial, professional and technical competency (media, technology, information literacy) based intervention for poverty eradication.

With this improved evidenced based approach the support, measurement, feedback and modification of sustainable educational solutions can be applied to underserved communities using public, private, non-profit partnerships locally, regionally and internationally.

Short term sustainable educational projects that can lead to deeper collaborations to support communities equitably. This can then lead to long term sustainable educational projects that can benefit the country, region and international community with unique perspectives and solutions for all communities.