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    Meaningful higher education in Kakuma refugee camp: A case study of why context and contextualization matter


    O’Keeffe, Paul and Lovey, Thibault (2022) Meaningful higher education in Kakuma refugee camp: A case study of why context and contextualization matter. Prospects. ISSN 0033-1538

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    Abstract

    In recent years, higher education in refugee contexts has begun to receive increasing attention within the humanitarian-development sector. Resource constraints, coupled with the technology and innovation zeitgeist in international development drives, have helped to create a higher education space where courses in refugee camps are typi- cally delivered via online learning platforms directly from Western education providers. As the space develops, a shift in attention is beginning to occur, such that the legitimacy of online learning for refugees is now being questioned. At the heart of this question are the issue of contextualization and a call for greater emphasis to be placed on blended learn- ing approaches that better reflect the realities of refugee learners. In this case study, the authors compare and evaluate a contextualized medical studies course that was delivered via blended learning in the Kakuma refugee camp in 2019 with a non-contextualized ver- sion of the same course that was delivered in the Dadaab refugee camp in 2018. The study explores the contextualization process and finds that the contextualized course achieved better learning outcomes than did the non-contextualized version of the course.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Refugees; Blended learning; Higher education; Contextualization; Refugee camps; Technology;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > International Development
    Item ID: 16610
    Identification Number: 10.1007/s11125-022-09610-z
    Depositing User: Paul O'Keeffe
    Date Deposited: 12 Oct 2022 09:23
    Journal or Publication Title: Prospects
    Publisher: Springer
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/16610
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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