E-learning in Fragile Contexts

Unité has been collaborating with the EPFL's Research Centre Excellence in Africa (EXAF) since 2022 to develop a technological solution that will enable people in areas with little or no internet connection to access educational content remotely. The E-learning in fragile contexts project aims to facilitate the deployment of digital training in regions where infrastructure may be limited.

Lack of and unequal access to education is a major obstacle to sustainable development for many populations. This problem is at the root of the Sustainable Development Goal #4 of the 2030 Agenda, which aims to «ensure equal access to quality education for all and promote lifelong learning opportunities.»

Digitalisation and e-learning tools can play an essential role in the implementation of development projects, especially for education or vocational training. It is a potential solution to guarantee quality training in regions where accessibility is limited due to conflicts. However, it remains very difficult to implement digital education solutions for a large part of the population, who has limited access to the internet due to a lack of infrastructure. Yet, education should be above all inclusive, according to the «Leave no one behind» approach.

In partnership with Unité, the EXAF center has been analysing the local needs and obstacles to the development of digital education in fragile contexts, in order to develop a sustainable low-flow digital education system. To do this, they have been working on both pedagogical material and infrastructure.

Final Report and Online Tutorials

The findings of the project are now available in English and French in the final report.

The solutions developed by EXAF to facilitate e-learning in low connectivity areas are the web application >> e4all - File Compression for All, in combination with the use of mini-computers to provide local hotspots. These solutions have been presented in a webinar and tutorials, which are available to watch online.