SunSPOT (Solar Powered Offline Teaching) is a customizable Arizona State University model powered by Beekee, a technology spinout from the University of Geneva. SunSPOT can complement existing online programs or ASU capacity-building initiatives by adding the ability to deliver the same interactive courses online or offline.

SunSPOT emerged in response to a pertinent problem statement: How can access and completion rates for marginalized populations, including girls and refugees, be dramatically increased sustainably and cost-effectively? The model targets challenges linked to expensive and unreliable internet, transportation and scheduling issues that impede regular attendance at learning centers, and data expenses for learners completing coursework at home.

ASU’s refugee education initiative, Education for Humanity, pivoted entirely to SunSPOT and is in the process of expanding upon early work in Lebanon with additional partners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Thailand. ASU’s International Development Initiative and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College recently led the USAID-funded SHEAMA, Strengthening Higher Education Access in Malawi Activity, which rolled out SunSPOT to public universities in Malawi as part of a capacity-building effort to enable the delivery of distance learning programs throughout internet-poor Malawi.