E-learning Sudan, formal learning for out-of-school children

Abstract

E-Learning Sudan (ELS) is a custom-built computer/tablet game that provides alternative learning opportunities to Sudanese children who are excluded from education. Unique in ELS is that children can learn mathematics, in their own remote village, without a teacher. This research study assessed the effectiveness of ELS in two pilots through a pretest– posttest control group quasi-experimental design. In Pilot I, 67 children in three remote villages, aged used the game for a period of six weeks, five days a week, 45 minutes a day; the control group did not receive any education.. In Pilot II, 591 children in 19 remote villages, played the game for six months, for a maximum of five times a week, 45 minutes a day; the control group received informal education in out-of-school centers. The results of the analysis on the pretest–posttest data revealed that ELS increased mathematics knowledge acquisition in numeracy and adding significantly and maintained student motivation to learn. Analyses of control group data and EGMA (internationally validates Early Grade Mathematics Assessment) showed that the children in the experimental group learned more than children who received no education at all, informal or formal education. These findings suggest that the implementation of ELS can greatly benefit learning for out-of-school children like in Sudan.