Towards a contextualized pedagogy for programming education in Tanzania

Contextualization of curriculum and course contents has been central to development of IT education at Tumaini University in rural Tanzania. However, as the development of the IT program has progressed, pedagogical challenges have become increasingly evident. The pedagogical difficulties materialize most markedly in programming courses. We identified a number of sources of pedagogical difficulties: reliance on rote learning, group dynamics that support free riding, extrinsic motivations, and greatly varying educational backgrounds. In this paper we describe a pedagogical approach that utilizes the theories and principles of creative problem solving to overcome those difficulties. Firstly, we provided optimal challenges to cognitive development by switching to an open learning environment, and we adapted course arrangements accordingly. Secondly, we encouraged intrinsic motivation and sense of autonomy by increasing the amount of affective support. Thirdly, we encouraged reflective learning processes by introducing a new concept of coding-while-lecturing. Fourthly, we stimulated the positive aspects of group work and promoted individual learning by providing adaptable multi-level exercises.