Transcript Our Experience Teaching at KIST

Teaching Math In Rwanda
Spring Semester 2007
Werner Horn, Susan Taylor, Carol Shubin, Jennifer Wright
People
Population:
Age structure:
Median age:
9,907,509
0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,082,474/female 2,065,251)
15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,748,189/female 2,765,767)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 98,796/female 147,032) (2007 est.)
total: 18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.8 years (2007 est.)
Population growth
rate:
2.766% (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at
birth:
total population: 48.99 years
male: 47.87 years
female: 50.16 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.37 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Languages:
Note
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili
(Swahili) used in commercial centers
Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Economy
GDP - per $1,600 (2006 est.) ; Per capita income $250
capita
(PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 39.9%
compositio industry: 20.3%
n by services: 39.7% (2006 est.)
sector:
Labor force agriculture: 90%
- by industry and services: 10%
occupation
Inflation
rate :
8.8% (2006 est.)
Education Facts
Average years of schooling of adults
2.6
[88th of 100]
Duration of compulsory education
6 years
[164th of 171]
Duration of education > Primary level
6
[124th of 181]
Duration of education > Secondary level
6
[132nd of 181]
Education spending (% of GDP)
2.8%
[115th of 132]
Female enrollment share > Primary level
50%
[5th of 176]
Female enrollment share > Secondary level
49.1%
[90th of 170]
Grade 1 intake rate
64.9
[58th of 114]
Library books
1,197
[81st of 81]
Tertiary enrollment
1.7%
Kigali Institute of Science and Technology
(KIST)
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Established 1997 to address the
acute shortage of technical
personnel
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Offers degrees in Engineering,
Applied Science, Technical
Education and Entrepreneurship
Science 3 building
houses math dept
Curriculum
• Very high standards
• KIST curriculum is much more ambitious than
CSUN’s math curriculum
• Cohort structure
• Little or no choice of classes
• No dropping classes
• Passing requires 50% - if a students fails they must
repeat the year
• Students spend 30-40 hours a week in class
• Almost all classes are taught in English
• Grand vision – lack of faculty makes it hard to
implement
Kigali Institute of Education
Math component of Secondary
Teacher Education Program
One third of the program
(Math component only)
YEAR 3
YEAR 1
SEMESTER 1
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CODE
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MAT 101
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MAT 102
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MAT 103
COURSE TITLE
Elementary Mathematics
Calculus 1
Linear Algebra 1
SEMESTER 2
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MAT 104 Linear Algebra II
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MAT 105 Abstract Structures I
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MAT 106 Analytical and Affine Geometry
SEMESTER 1
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MAT 301 Differential Geometry
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MAT 302 Probability and Statistics II
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MAT 303 Fundamentals of Computers
SEMESTER 2
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MAT 304
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MAT 305
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MAT 306
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MAT 307
Functional Analysis
Lie Groups, Lie Algebras and their Representations
Applied Differential Equations
History of Mathematics and Physics
YEAR 4
YEAR 2
SEMESTER 1
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MAT 201 Calculus II
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MAT 202 Introduction to Differential Equations (ODE and PDE)
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MAT 203 Probability and Statistics
SEMESTER 2
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MAT 204
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MAT 205
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MAT 206
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MAT 207
Complex Analysis
Representations of Finite Groups
Projective Geometry
Numerical Analysis I
SEMESTER 1
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MAT 401
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MAT 402
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MAT 403
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MAT 404
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MAT 405
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MAT 406
Advanced Complex Analysis
Geometry and Topology of Dynamical Systems
Probability and Statistics III
Introduction to Galois Theory
Measure Theory
Numerical Analysis II
SEMESTER 2
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MAT 406
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MAT 407
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MAT 408
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MAT 409
Arithmetic
Non-Euclidean Geometry and Its Applications
Mathematical Introduction to Computers
Research Project in Mathematics
Students
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Students go through college in cohorts
Bright, motivated, and hard working
Most first year students are francophones
Government supported students
(25,000FRW~$50 per month for room,
board, supplies, and transportation)
Privately supported students
- Tuition cost per semester ~ $1200*
Most students skip meals to get by
Student housing crisis
Few students have access to the internet
Most students have no books
RE Math skills:
Students had good algebraic skills, but
poor graphing skills
Faculty and Staff
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Disparity in pay scale between Rwandans
and expats
Rwandans study abroad often don’t return
Math dept is under-staffed, only 2 PhDs in
math, majority of staff is expat
Poor communication within the department
and the university
Poor organization have to teach to a flexible
schedule; class and exams times may
change with little notice
Large classes and heavy teaching loads
Large classes 150+ students in cohorts
Little assistance for grading, etc.
Infrastructure
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Poor light or glare
One free standing blackboard, if any
Poor acoustics
Leaking ceiling
Inaccessible computer lab
No textbooks
Little photocopying
No sinks in student’s bathroom
Lack of organization and communication
Carrying blackboards and chairs from one class to
another
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Student dormitories were appalling –
Students pay $8 per month for the following
accommodations
2 students per twin bed, 16 students per room, old
mattresses with bugs, general insect infestation, no
lights, no showers, students bath in outdoor sinks
for laundry, unclean water runoff, 2 toilets for
800 students, poor security, unsafe structure
Run by the Rwandan Red Cross
$8*x12x800= $76,800 per year
Where does the money go?
Adminstration
Direct control of the University by the President
Kagame (all classes were
cancelled for 5 weeks to prepare for an
international Aids Conference)
The Senate approves the curriculum
Foreign aid from the UK, Netherlands, and
Japan funds the university
The provosts are sent from UK Open University
and appointed by the Senate
Incoming expat faculty have no idea what the
structure of the university is – there is no
directory or orientation
Frank and open communication is not
really tolerated; example – faculty were asked to
take a pay cut to fund a genocide memorial.
Resolution passed with no discussion.
Future
More online classes, expand the African Virtual
University
Look for more partnerships in the East African
Community and global partnerships
Increase Vocational Training and Teacher Training
Programs