MIT-Haiti Symposium | March 27–28, 2017 | Marriott Hotel, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

mit-haiti@mit.edu | http://haiti.mit.edu

We, from the MIT-Haiti Initiative, cordially invite you to a Symposium on March 27–28, 2017, 8AM–5PM, at the Marriott Hotel in Port-au-Prince. The symposium marks a turning point after 7 years (2010–2017) of our Initiative. Our goal has been to develop, evaluate and disseminate open-education resources and other active-learning tools, all in Kreyòl, and to encourage interactive methods that will improve the teaching and learning of STEM in Haiti, especially at the high-school and university levels.

The first five years of this initiative have been made possible by funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, with additional funding from MIT, the Wade Foundation, FOKAL, , Open Society Foundation, Haiti’s Ministry of National Education & Professional Training, Campus Henry Christophe, Limonade, of the State University of Haiti and the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

The response to the MIT-Haiti Initiative to date has been impressive and gratifying. Our workshop survey data have captured Haitian faculty’s efforts towards a better future for Haitian education through activelearning methods and materials in Kreyòl, guaranteeing broader access to quality education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”).

The Symposium on March 27-28 will serve to share our accomplishments, then our prospects for the future, especially as we look to expansion and to deeper sustainability.

This Symposium will feature panels and open discussions that highlight the genesis and rationale of the Initiative, the milestones and impact so far, as well as opportunities for future progress. It will draw upon the lessons learned to date, in order to address the sustainable future for technology-enhanced teaching and learning of STEM in local languages, in Haiti and beyond.

Invited participants include:

  • Participants in our seven workshops to date (2012–2016)
  • Higher-education administrators and other leaders in education in Haiti
  • Representatives of the Haitian Government and State Institutions (such as Parliament, Ministry of Education, Haitian Creole Academy, etc.) engaged in nationwide education projects
  • Representatives of local and international organizations with stakes in improving education in Haiti and globally
  • Representatives from Caribbean countries (e.g., Jamaica, Curaçao) facing similar challenges around the issue of language-of-instruction for quality and inclusion

We are looking forward to an engaging and constructive event, as we hope to see you at the Marriott Hotel in Port-au-Prince on March 27–28, 8AM–5PM. The Symposium’s program will follow soon. Meanwhile, please reserve these two dates in your calendar.

Due to symposium planning and logistics at the Marriott Hotel, online registration is required by Friday, March 10, 2017 or until all space is taken.

Thank you so much for continued collaboration—mèsi anpil! Ekip MIT-Ayiti