¡Viva la Design!
CIDA: Cuba Needs Assessment on Postsecondary Infrastructure and Curricular Supports Inital Review
Cuba is a country of contrasts—a country with an immeasurable amount of natural beauty but an ever-growing infrastructure deficit. People with a passion for life but few personal liberties are openly available. A highly educated population with an insatiable need for information and development, but a political situation that is highly regulated and guarded with information entering or leaving their influence. A country that guards its independence and its own path, but knows that further development means evolving current cultural norms. With all these contrasts, how can a Canadian design professional support cross-cultural development when personal values are challenged?
Partnering with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) offered development opportunities to help develop Polytechnic education in Cuba. Thoughtful, respectful analysis of the economic, political and post-secondary environments was required to provide effective recommendations and training.
Our influence was focused on developing design understanding and improving capacity for producing enhanced digital learning objects in the Cuban context. Additionally, we recommended the infrastructure and training necessary to produce strong curriculum objectives. There are several considerable limiting factors when working in Cuba, and a direct translation from Canadian to Cuban contexts is not possible.
NAIT has been involved with developing the post secondary environment in Cuba. Partnering with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), NAIT offered instructor training, Outcome based training theory and applied research development. This secondment which was my first of three visits the focus was an initial needs assessment to review the current Cuban educational Post Secondary climate through the lens of enhancing media development and training. I was tasked with reviewing and providing initial recommendations that were developed into a 3 year plan to build internal capacity enhancing digital design and development.
During this initial visit and review we had the opportunity to meet with an associate minister of education and several directors of post secondary’s in Havana to review facilities and provide recommendations on training, process workflows and equipment.
