Kotebe Metropolitan University

Menelik I Science Shared Campus

A Draft Short Guide to Telegram Groups As a Platform to Addressing

the Learning and Teaching Problem in Science Shared Campus Due to
COVID-19

Prepared by:
Members of Task Force
1. Akotet Yeshaw /Sttudent/
2. Eliab Mihret /Student Council President/
3. Natnael Mesewat /Instructor/
4. Henok Endale /Instructor/
5. Yonas Gashaw /Instructor/
6. Solomon Bogale /Academic Vice Principal/

April 14, 2020

Addis Ababa
Why Telegram Group?

1. The global COVID – 19 pandemic caused, and is still causing, major effects on the socio-
economic lives of countries worldwide. In our country Ethiopia, although the pandemic is
still in its infancy, we are already witnessing a number of changes in our ways of life.
Closure of schools is one of these changes and certainly with huge consequences if not
handled properly.
In Ethiopia, Schools have been closed for six weeks now and most students are passing
their time watching movies, playing video games or dully. This of course does not mean
there are not students who are working on projects, reading advanced academic works
or studying their subjects. This difference will have negative consequences when school
begins as all the students will not be on equal terms.
2. As students seem to be bored and sit idle, this platform will have the following
significances:

 Provides progress in portion coverage so that when school re-opens both teachers
and students will not be stressed to cover subject-matters.

 Helps as push force to make students focus on learning at home.

 Keeps students from wandering here and there and going to bad habits.

 Make students practice the stay-at-home order by the government in the effort
to prevent COVID-19.

3. There is a direction from the FDRE government for teachers to contribute their share in
supporting their students in such difficult time.
Therefore, a task force consisting of some students in the student council and teachers
has been established so as to fill the gap and bring about solutions for the problems we
are facing in the learning and teaching process due to COVID-19.
The task force had conducted two meetings two week ago just to discuss on “what to
do’s” and “how to do’s” in order to address the problems. The following are a short
summary of our discussions and decisions which all students and teachers have at least
the moral responsibility to respect and execute.
 Telegram has been chosen as a media of communication/platform to share data
so that students will be able to catch up on lost time and belated academic
schedule.
  On what to share, we agreed that teachers should share materials in a way that
would help cover subject-matters in text books. The materials to be shared could
be supplementary notes, audio recordings, video lectures, assignments,
worksheets, university entrance exams with particular focus for students of grade
12.

 We discussed that assignments/projects and worksheets would be valued as part

of students’ continuous assessment. But, this is not yet decided-it is pending.

 As grade 12 students demand special attention, grade 12 teachers must pay due
attention and help them as much as possible to cover subject portions.

 We decided to create telegram group for each grade where each grade teachers
subscribe to the group and execute their responsibility to the level possible.

 we discussed and agreed that those teachers and students who are residing in a
place where network is a problem to do their level best for accessing the data to
be shared; and, some students not having smart/android phone to use their
parents’ cellphone for accessing data in the group.

 All subject teachers with their respective grades participate in the group and share
educational resources.

 Grade 12 students to train their juniors on various issues such as on scholarship

 The platform to be a place of open discussion between students and teachers.

Responsibility of teachers
1. Give students reading assignment from text books and share some related
supplementary notes.

2. Provide students with relevant assignments, questions, worksheets etc. that

would help cover portion.

3. Evaluate the students’ performance every two week and value the students’ work
as part of the continuous assessment. Whether or not this decision will be realized
is pending for the time being.
 4. Share/post organized and substantive educational resources which are also
relevant to subjects that they are teaching.

5. Prepare their own unit (weekly) lesson plan and share as planned.

6. Give feedback to assignments and other questions whenever possible and when
students are back to school.

7. Participate in an open discussion on issues raised either by students or teachers

in the telegram group.

8. Share only documents, audios and videos which are academic in nature.

Responsibility of students
1. Execute responsibilities expected as a student.

2. Talk to your parents on the draft document and purpose of the telegram group.

3. Do all the readings and assignments as per the time table based on the
instructions given by teachers.

4. Discuss with your parents on the credit card expense for charging your phone.

5. Participate in an open discussion on issues raised either by students or teachers

in the telegram group.

6. Cope with any difficulty in case you are overloaded with reading assignments
and working out projects, assignments and questions.

7. Make ready text books, assignments and worksheets in hard copy to prevent
your eye from being hurt as a result of much reading on cellphone.

8. Print worksheets and assignments and write their answers and hand them over
to your parents so that they will be evaluated (pending) when school is opening.

9. In case you want to share anything to the group, please post only documents,
audios and videos which are academic in nature.
Tentative Online Learning Schedule/calendar
The online learning using the telegram groups as a platform is timetabled to complete in three
months. The detail academic schedule and activities will be announced in the midst of the online
learning activity based on your feedback.

Telegram Group and/or Channel as a Way of Communication

Both ways of communication are possible. And yet, if a teacher uses telegram group, it is going
to be a- two-way communication, and if channel is used, the communication will be one way-the
teacher will be an administrator. What do you think on this? Actually, there has been created a
telegram group where all students and all teachers are members. In this group, both teachers
and students have access to the group and can share anything which is academic in nature.
Dear students, please help us comment on this draft short guide to telegram groups as a platform
to addressing the learning and teaching problem in Science Shared Campus due to covid-19 and
develop it to a workable piece of document by which we all will be guided.

Thank you
Solomon Bogale
Academic Affairs V/Principal