Rapid production of our digital libraries is essential. Devices are currently assembled twice per year by a team of volunteers at ASU, building approximately 100 libraries in a day. But with demand for SolarSPELL digital libraries increasing, we need the ability to increase quantity and ensure quality. We are ready to begin producing the SolarSPELL hardware Next Generation design.
SolarSPELL Hardware Next Generation Design
Offline Digital Training Course
A core component of SolarSPELL’s model is our Train-the-Trainer training. In order to continue to support the education of remote, rural learners while travel is not possible, we are crafting a fully digital version of our signature (heretofore in-person) training program. This new digital, offline training course will allow us to certify SolarSPELL trainers from half-a-world-away. This course will not only support projects in the near-future, but will also enable rapid expansion as we scale.
Library User Interface and Navigation
We have been making steady progress in updating our library’s content, but the site’s user interface and navigation have remained unchanged. As we scale, it is important to invest in several key updates (e.g. search functionality) to improve our library users’ experience and increase learning outcomes.
Wikipedia for Schools
Wikipedia for Schools (WFS) consistently ranks among the library’s most popular content. However, WFS had not been updated or supported since 2013, meaning many of the 10,000 articles were sorely out-of-date. Building upon the work of Wikimedia Foundation (parent of Wikipedia) and in collaboration with Kiwix, SolarSPELL and ASU students are leading the charge in updating WFS to bring this resource to offline schools around the world.
