On May 6th to 10th in Lu, DTML partnered with Shammah High School for their annual “Community Outreach Computer Program” which received 126 students (69 children and 57 adults). The overall goal of this program was to teach students Microsoft Word skills and get them registered on the DTML platform.
Throughout the 5-day program, facilitators walked students through both the basics and more advanced techniques in Microsoft Word. Facilitators maintained frequent interaction and encouraged students to ask questions often. A huge thanks to coordinator Victor Katarangi and our facilitators Mr. Daniel Kasoma and Mr. Emmanuel Odongo, with assistance of future facilitator Mr. Elungat Peter, for delivering such a successful session!
The class of 126 students was split into two groups that went through 3-4-hour sessions. There was a fine balance between in-class learning and in-class training. Practice time was allocated to ensure students were able to try what they learned on their own, given them more confidence in their abilities. The availability of afternoon sessions allowed more adults to participate, giving them the flexibility to balance their busy works schedules and computer outreach program education. Students, both adults and children, showed remarkable discipline and overall excitement about the new skills they were learning.
Students were registered on the DTML platform which gives them access to numerous self-learning tools. A good number of students had the chance to engage with the platform even though there were challenges with the internet and inconsistent electricity. Many suggestions were given and will be considered in our preparation for the next program.
Although the program was a tremendous success, we noticed there are a lot of areas in which we can improve.
First off, with regards to shortage of computers given increasing number of participants, we hope to ask for more equipment donations that could help expand the delivery of education at Shammah High School. Ensuring the school gets a stable power supply for the days of the program is another crucial point we must prepare for next time. Furthermore, internet bandwidth was also an observed challenge that cause some programs to slow down when many students were trying to access the DTML site. Above all, we hope to provide a test to measure student knowledge and confidence of skills learned on our program.
In conclusion, the 4th Annual Community Outreach Computer Program with DTML was a great success and we are very proud of all our students! Looking forward to delivering more education and hands-on teaching to our students at Luweero, Uganda.
