EQWIP HUBs Mwanza - Going Digital

Two major components of the EQWIP HUBs project are digital literacy and innovation. To this end, EQWIP HUBs Mwanza endeavours to incorporate technology into the curriculum or into the daily operations of the HUB wherever possible. Ultimately, our goal is to showcase the possibilities that technology holds to our youth and inspire them to use it when it is available.

To this end, EQWIP HUBs Mwanza sought to digitise our attendance to enhance data collection, reduce paper use, and provide an example of the power of technology. Previously, attendance was done on paper and then an individual would spend 1.5-2 hours per day manually inputting the attendance into an Excel sheet to calculate percentages and have a centralised record. Shruchi Bhargava, the former Environmental and Sustainability Officer, noticed the sheer amount of manpower involved in this endeavour and noticed that a digital attendance sheet would be helpful in saving time. Andrew Inglis, the current marketing and communications coordinator, had the necessary expertise to develop this sheet and launch testing of it with new cohorts on December 11. The usability and some changes were made to the sheet in consultation with participants to ensure that it was as user-friendly as possible. This attendance made it possible to track when participants were coming late and resulted in participants arriving early for class as they did not want to lose points.

Initially, there were challenges with this as the level of digital literacy is low in Mwanza. However after participants became proficient in its usage, they were able to complete the attendance independently. As a result, EQWIP HUBs Mwanza was able to save several sheets of paper per day, as well as freeing up time for people to be involved in other tasks. Participants have also expressed how “cool” they find the digital attendance and the practice of signing their signature digitally on a computer screen is something completely new to them. Ultimately it showcases the possibilities of technology for our participants and lets them dream about what can be done with technology.