A commitment to strenghten digital literacy and multilingualism

The main aim of the DIALOGUES project Languages, literacies, and learning in a digital age is to build on the partnership between the University of Zambia (UNZA), Chalimbana University (CU), the University of Iceland (UI), Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) and University of Inland Norway (INN) to improve and strengthen digital literacy and multilingualism, including sign language, in teacher education in Zambia by providing access to PhD training, increasing capacity at PhD level, and including Zambian teacher education institutions in an international network of HEIs in order to enhance quality in teacher education in Zambia.

Our objectives

The specific objectives are:

1. To improve the level of competences and skills of Zambian teacher educators by providing access to international blended PhD training courses in the field of digital literacy and multilingualism, including sign language, in language and literacy education.

2. To increase the capacity in PhD education at the School of Education at the University of Zambia through supporting development of discipline-specific PhD level courses focusing on digital literacy and multilingualism, to be approved for a taught PhD programme.

3. To enhance quality in PhD education and reduce the internationalisation gap by establishing an international PhD supervisors’ forum for teacher education.

The primary target groups are PhD students and teacher educators at three teacher education institutions in Zambia. Teacher educators at the three institutions will be offered scholarships to be enrolled in the PhD programme at the University of Zambia and do coursework at INN by blended mobility, and PhD supervisors will be given access to an international network of teacher educators. Additional target groups are other staff members, other students in teacher education and PhD education and administration at the institutions in Zambia. These will benefit from the structures established through the project, like improved teaching by better qualified teacher educators, improved administration for international relations and new PhD courses at the University of Zambia.

DIALOGUES will thus seek to strengthen governance, peace, security, and human development by supporting teacher education institutions in Zambia to build their competence and capacity, and in the long term improve the quality of education. Furthermore, it will also contribute to sustainable growth and jobs by providing teacher educators with competences and skills needed in a digital and global economy.