Sammendrag
This thesis is an interdisciplinary scoping study of a proposed distance-teaching device and system (the Portable Portal), designed for use in rural Bangladesh. Conceived in collaboration with the Bangladesh-based non-profit Speak Up For The Poor, the system addresses primarily the problem of a lack of qualified English tutors for the charity’s approximately 1400 participating young girls and women, distributed amongst some 30 villages. While this problem is relatively straightforward on the surface, the track record of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) initiatives in Bangladesh is not particularly good, prompting a deeper dive into the historical, environmental, and cultural reasons this is so. This ecological approach draws from the disciplines of engineering and technical development, STS (science and technology studies), and development/education studies to focus on design strategies that don’t just produce a working system, but one that creates value in the lives of its users. Conclusions drawn from this study reveal that although TEL aid initiatives are highly context-dependent, requiring understanding of their unique ecological environment, they are also subject to complex webs of interrelated, “wicked” problems that can derail even the most well-thought-out projects. Long-term monitoring of the impacts of these initiatives is therefore imperative, as is a willingness to adjust and correct course when needed.