Project iSWEST: Promoting a culture of innovation in Africa through STEM

Abstract

Technological innovation has the potential to speed up development. However, in most African countries the education system is largely theoretical in nature with inadequate attention to STEM education. In effect, students leave school lacking critical skills which are necessary in today's global economy. We developed and implemented a project-based learning program to provide hands on STEM education to 27 high school students in Ghana through which students developed solutions to real-life problems in Ghana's agricultural sector. Our evaluation of the program revealed a statistically significant improvement in students' self-reported proficiency of the innovation process and core coding concepts. All the students reported that they had been inspired to solve problems in their communities and would recommend others to attend the program. Hence, given the results reported here, our program can serve as a tool to introduce high school students to innovation and real-world problem solving. Our Project iSWEST model can be implemented in other African countries to promote a culture of innovation and help catalyze development.