Elon University - Project Pericles


Brian Digre, Professor - History	Kenneth 'Ken' Hassell, Assistant Professor - Visual Arts	James Brown, Associate Professor - History

Sharing Perspectives

Using the Internet for Joint Research Projects by Students at the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast and Elon University

Brian Digre, Elon Coordinator

This project seeks to link students on the three campuses for joint research and study using the internet. Funding from "Project Pericles" was used to purchase computer equipment and digital cameras for use by Ghanaian students. Elon's winter-term study abroad class brought the equipment to Ghana in January 2003. This spring four class initiatives (plus students from the winter-term class) will explore ways in which computer technology and the internet can allow our students to share their perspectives and learn from each other.
As envisioned in the proposal, Brian Digre attended the annual meeting of the African Studies Association in Washington, D.C. this past December. The focus of this year's annual conference, "Africa in the Information and Technology Age," provided useful insights and contacts for our project.
In Ghana the equipment was received by African faculty and top university administrators who expressed their support for the project. (I have some photos of the presentation at the University of Ghana.)
At present, Ghanaian professors Mariama Awumbila, Amos Anyimadu and Naana Opuku-Agyeman are recruiting students to work with the appropriate Elon classes. I hope within two weeks student linkages will be established.

Sharing Perspectives Interim-Assessment Summer 2003

The "Sharing Perspectives" project seeks to realize more of the Internet's potential for promoting international understanding by linking students at the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast and Elon University. The participating Ghanaian and Elon faculty have initiated efforts to have our students share in digital photography, joint research and discussions of global issues.

As envisioned in our proposal, Brian Digre attended the 2002 annual meeting of the African Studies Association in Washington, D.C. The conference's theme, "Africa in the Information and Technology Age," provided both useful ideas and contacts for beginning our project. Funding from "Project Pericles" was used to purchase computer equipment and digital cameras for use by Ghanaian students. The equipment was brought to the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast by the Elon's January 2003 study-abroad class in Ghana.

Unfortunately, efforts to connect our students in spring classes encountered a variety of obstacles. Differences in curricula and schedules made it difficult to connect classes. For example, students at the University of Cape Coast were away from the university for practice teaching during the first half of the semester. There also were technical problems with email addresses. Some ideas, such as a digital photography project on the children of Accra envisioned by Amos Anyimadu and Ken Hassell, required more time to develop than one semester.

This summer we will evaluate these obstacles and see how we can successfully connect our students for joint projects in the fall. Consequently, this should be seen as an initial report with hopefully a more successful final assessment to follow.