Mobile Crowdsourcing Of Education Resources
Utilizes crowdsourcing to bridge the digital divide in access to education in Africa.
About You
About You
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Information Nigeria
Organization Website
Organization Country
Nigeria, LA
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
Mobile Crowdsourcing Of Education Resources
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Idea (you're poised to launch)
How long have you been in operation?
Still in idea phase, but looking to launch soon
THE NEED: Describe the need for your solution and the size/dynamic of the community (ies) you will engage
Millions of Africans apply for university education each year but many of them have issues with information about their various universities, with many students having to travel long distances to the university to get these pieces of information as most of it is not available on the university websites. Also after admission into the university many students end up needing scholarships to cope in school, there are so many of these scholarships available but most of the time students who need these scholarships do not have access to information on these scholarships which are usually tucked away somewhere in the companies little known website. The problems outlined above is experienced by tens of millions of African university undergraduates and prospective university undergraduates.
THE SOLUTION: Please explain what your solution offers and how it is innovative. How will you put your solution into the hands of users or beneficiaries? Be specific!
I propose a mobile Crowdsourcing of education resources as a solution to these problems. It would be an application which will be installed on mobile phones which have become immensely popular in Africa. The application will make it easy for people to share vital information and can be grouped on a country by country basis. The application will initially be created on the java platform because this works on most low end phones. Eventually it will be created for Symbian, Android and Blackberry devices.
The application will be popular among students because it runs on mobile phones and they know that they can get important information through it, while at the same time passing information along.
Students who find out about a particular scholarship offer can share it with the app and other students within that region can get access to this information.
Also for prospective students when they are interested in getting information about a certain far away university's admission scheme they can expect to be updated by users of the app who attend that school.
THE MODEL: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference through use of information technology and media
A good example will be that of a student who lives in Western Nigeria but will like to get admission in a university in Eastern Nigeria. Since these two regions are far apart and most of the university websites are obsolete he would have to make frequent, long and unnecessary trips. If he has this app installed he would be able to communicate easily with many students of the university and also with prospective students who applied for admission in the same school.
After the student gains admission, he/she might not be able to afford tuition and upkeep in the school and would need external help. Many large companies offer scholarships for intelligent students but usually the students do not know of these scholarships, so students using this app will be able to share this important information with themselves.
THE MARKETPLACE: Who are your peers and competitors? What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Currently there are no Africa focused apps that support Crowdsourcing of education resources, which is all the more fascinating because of Africa's rapidly expanding mobile space. The only close competitors are forums which have active discussion boards, a good example is Nairaland.com. The advantages of the model outlined above as opposed to forums are numerous, including scalability, concentrating on the education and much more.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
FOUNDING STORY: We want to hear about your “Aha!” moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution’s potential to change the world.
The idea came to me while I was considering a better way students can get access to scholarships and other information which would aid their education. Then it struck me that the rising mobile market in Africa provides the perfect opportunity to achieve this end.
Personally, I lived through my University on scholarships and I know what I went through scouring newspapers for these abundant but yet elusive scholarships. I always thought that there ought to be a better way and thankfully the Idea struck and I have been perfecting it ever since.
Specify both the depth and scale of your solution’s social impact to date
My solution is still in the idea phase and has not been commercially tested yet. But I am confident in the fact that it would touch the lives of so many people.
What is your projected impact within the next 1-5 years? Is your idea replicable? If so, how?
Within the next 1-5 years, I expect to have designed the app for all major mobile platforms, java, Symbian, Blackberry, Android and Iphone. Then I will make the app publicly available for distribution. It is expected that within five years the app will be a necessity for any student planning on utilising the opportunities that a university avails him.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and mark growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
I expect to have 2,000 active users within six moths
Six-Month Tasks
Task 1
Create the app for all major mobile platforms
Task 2
Initially promote the app on www.informationnigeria.org (my website) because most of its 20,000 daily unique visitors are youth.
Task 3
Advertise on Facebook for the first month.Would be targeted at university students and is needed so that the app can take off.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
10,000 users across at least 10 African countries
12-Month Tasks
Task 1
Increase awareness across Africa by patnering with local websites of various African countries.
Task 2
Hold an official launch so as to get more media coverage.
Task 3
Offer incentives for users who invite a certain number of friends
How many people have been impacted by your project?
Fewer than 100
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
1001‐10,000
Sustainability
Explain how your company, program, service or product is structured
Business
What barriers have hindered the success of your project to date? How do you plan to overcome these and other challenges as you grow your solution?
Since the project is still in the idea phase, I have not experienced any barriers. In the case that these arise I would study the situation, seek advice and adjust my plans.
How do you see the information-technology and media sectors shifting over the next decade? How will your solution adapt to and/or drive that changing environment?
Information technology and media are all going mobile and I estimate that in a few years time the mobile industry will be a formidable industry. An application that utilizes the mobile platform to solve an important education problem would be found really helpful.
Failure is not always an option. If your solution fails to gain traction in the next two years, what other applications of the idea could you explore?
If the idea fails to gain traction in the next two years, I will opt for a web based version. This is not optimal but an advantage is that it is more flexible, less cost effective and less failure prone. The web based version will be built with HTML5 which would enable it work easily as an app and as a website. This is not optimal but can always be a last resort.
Expand on your selections, explaining how you will sustain funding
I will eventually sustain funding by advertising. The best measure of the success of the app is by the number of people using it and if there are many people using it advertising with AdMob should generate enough to keep the app running.
Tell us about your partnerships
I currently do not have any relevant partnerships
What type of team (staff, volunteers, etc.) will ensure that you achieve the growth milestones identified in the Social Impact section?
Currently I am working with a team of programmers and eventually I would have to work with web developers and marketers. I will need volunteers to help publicize the app in their various countries.
Changemakers is a collaborative and supportive space. Please specify any community resources you would need to grow and sustain your initiative. Select all that apply
Investment, Human resources or talent, Marketing or media, Research or information, Collaboration or networking, Pro-bono help (legal, financial, etc.), Innovation or ideas, Mentorship.
Specify any resources you might offer to support other initiatives. Select all that apply
Collaboration or networking, Innovation or ideas, Mentorship.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren’t specified within the list
I plan on publicizing the app all over Africa, since it is targeted at students across Africa and I will need help with this. Also I will need a lot of mentorship and advice from the changemakers community.
Summary
Define your company, program, service or product in 1-2 short sentences
An application that utilize mobile crowdsourcing to ensure better access to education and information relevant to education.
Identify what is innovative about your solution in 1-2 short sentences
Utilizes crowdsourcing to bridge the digital divide in access to education in Africa.
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| crowdsourcing.jpg | 26.61 KB |
 | 36 weeks agoKingsley Ezeani updated this Competition Entry. |
| 36 weeks agoKingsley Ezeani submitted this idea. |
