Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls

I’ll be participating in a panel discussion at the 2013 Association of American Geographers (AAG) conference entitled “Models of Online Learning: What’s Old, What’s New?” (http://meridian.aag.org/callforpapers/program/SessionDetail.cfm?SessionID=16667&cal=true) I teach physical geography in a “traditional” university environment. I’ve participated in the evolution of distance education from snail mail correspondence courses to current practices in online education. I no longer teach conventional lecture courses, my courses are delivered in hybrid or totally online  formats. Doing so takes me out of the mainstream of professors at my institution.  Though online education is making great strides in higher education, significant barriers to entry still exist, especially in the sciences and those who teach lab-based courses.   Research in online geography education indicates that doubts remain about its effectiveness and impact on the discipline (Ritter, 2012). I’m interested in how barriers to the adoption of distance education can be overcome by the creative application of technology…

Exactly 20 years ago the World Economic Forum (WEF) had its first event in Africa about Africa. The theme then, and still is today, interestingly, looked at political stability and regional integration. Although there have been significant strides in relation to political stability, the latter continues to elude the continent.

The relevance of regional integration in Africa is neither new nor surprising. It was a primary objective of the African Development Bank back in 1964 when it set up shop. However, effective integration – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa – has been constrained by inadequate regional infrastructures and a contradictory collection of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks.

These factors have led many pessimists to choose to dismiss regional integration as a nice idea that is not likely to happen. On the surface, they may appear correct if you consider the situation.

First, sub-Saharan Africa has a…