Teaching of science and computer technology in the nation’s higher education space is set to be simplified and revolutionised with the introduction of an innovative new academic resource by Microsoft called Faculty Connection.
At the first ever Microsoft Academic Day held in Lagos, the company announced this major initiative as a part of the comprehensive education partnership and program of action to accelerate educational development in Nigeria.
Microsoft also used the platform to highlight the strategic importance of the company’s innovative education programs including IT Academy and the Imagine Cup Competition, Live@Edu.
“The Faculty Connection is a resource created by Microsoft to transform education; foster local innovation and entrepreneurship to advance the country’s IT education. It is a resource for technology news, customisable courseware, access to the latest Microsoft technology and faculty-only community forums for like-minded academic professionals.”?
Mr. Attilla Szenvedi, Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Manager for West, East and Central Africa explained at the Microsoft Academic Day, 2007.
He also told the gathering of VCs, lecturers and deans of the faculties of computer science of Nigerian universities, that technological advance is one of the main engines for economic, scientific and social development.
“Collaboration between industry and academia is crucial to delivering on shared vision for the future of technology and education. Microsoft remains committed to deepening its relationship with the academic and scientific community in Nigeria, because working together, we can create the next generation of computing technology”, he said.
According to him, Microsoft designed Faculty Connection to address the challenges educators face in teaching technology students.
He pointed out that, it takes time and preparation to keep students engaged while giving them a fundamental understanding of theory. “There is need to provide labs and assignments that inspire innovation and to integrate professional tools and skills that will prepare students for successful careers.”
Szenvedi further explained that the Faculty Connection features valuable tools and academic materials that are exclusively packaged to support technology educators, adding that the site offers a wide variety of material ranging from introductory topics to advanced system design, robotics and embedded development topics.
Some of the features of Faculty Connection are reserved exclusively for the faculty who can freely use and personalize the curriculum content and materials which include a significant number of topics relevant to today’s academic teaching requirements.
The Faculty Connection resource also provides verified members with Microsoft software and access to the latest development tools, while the Forum allows members to connect with colleagues all over the world to share knowledge, concerns, challenges and successes in real time.
The discussions then went on to the IT Academy program which is a global learning solution that empowers academic institutions to help students reach their academic and career potential through high quality training programs on Microsoft technologies that provide a global certification route. Furthermore, it enables academic learning institutions to connect the world of education to the world of work by enabling faculty and students to acquire new technology skills in an academic setting.
A number of higher education institutions, including the University of Lagos, the University of Ibadan and Nnamdi Azikiwe University are already receiving the benefits which are part of the IT Academy programme, including training, certification as well as access to the latest Microsoft Official Curriculum and technologies.
On the Imagine Cup Competition, Szenvedi said that Microsoft is encouraging young people to apply their imagination, passion and creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world today.
He added that Nigerian students who competed in this year’s edition developed applications that were of world-class standard.
The winners of the first prize, Team Remote Lecturing System (RLS), presented their innovative application to the University icons and media.
Mr. Temitope Fatayo, while presenting the RLS application, said, “We focused on using technology to find practical solutions to everyday challenges of lecture congestion in keeping with this year’s theme: Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all.”
Fatayo commended Microsoft for giving students the opportunity to stir up their innovative potential, adding that it will have a very positive impact on the IT manpower development in Nigeria.
Source: This Day
