OER and Impact: Ensuring that Open Content Builds Educational Quality in Africa

Leaders:

• Trudi Van Wyk, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada
• Rory McGreal, Athabasca University, Canada
• Neil Butcher, OER Africa, South Africa
• Zeynep Varoglu, UNESCO, France
• John Arul Phillips, Asia e University, Malaysia
• Nadia Tagoe, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana

Content:

• Introduction to the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) and the open licensing frameworks that make the sharing of educational content possible
• ‘Guidelines on OER in Higher Education’
• Open licensing to improve the quality of education in Africa
• Possible changes in educational policies and practices to harness the potential of OER

Agenda:

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• Introduce the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) and the open licensing frameworks that make sharing of educational content possible;
• Present the Guidelines on OER in Higher Education and get feedback on draft version from stakeholders;
• Explore how open licensing can help to improve the quality of education in Africa; and
• Discuss where and how policies and practices in education need to change in order to harness the potential of OER.

9:00 – 9:45 Session 1

Opening

Introduction to workshop agenda and purpose of workshop
Mr Neil Butcher – OER Strategist, OER Africa/South African Institute for Distance Education, South Africa

Introductory presentations

• Taking OER Beyond the OER Community: A Vision From the Commonwealth of Learning and UNESCO - Ms Trudi van Wyk, Education Specialist: eLearning, Commonwealth of Learning
• UNESCO-COL OER Guidelines – Ms Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialist, UNESCO
• OER – Issues and Challenges for Higher Education - Mr Neil Butcher – OER Strategist, OER Africa/South African Institute for Distance Education, South Africa

Discussions

 

9:45 – 10:45 Session 2

Case-study presentations

How OER has been deployed to improve quality in education

• Use of OER and Non-OER in programmes at the School of Education & Cognitive Science, Asia eUniversity, Malaysia
  Prof John Arul Phillips, Dean: School of Education & Cognitive Science, Asia eUniversity, Malaysia
• Health OER: Lessons from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
  Ms. Nadia Tagoe, Programme Manager, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana
• OER at Athabasca University
  Prof Rory McGreal, UNESCO-COL Chair in OER & Associate Vice President Research, Athabasca University, Canada
• What is OER Africa?
  Mr Neil Butcher – OER Strategist, OER Africa/South African Institute for Distance Education, South Africa

 

10:45 – 11:00 Session 3

Presentation

• Introduction to the UNESCO-COL Chair Programme for OER
  Prof Rory McGreal, UNESCO-COL Chair in OER & Associate Vice-President Research, Athabasca University, Canada

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee/Tea

 

11:30 – 13:00 Session 4

Group discussions

Quality in education: The opportunities and challenges of OER

• Can OER really improve the quality of education in institutions? Why/Why not?
• What barriers prevent institutions from harnessing the potential of OER?
• What support do institutions need to harness OER effectively?

Group Feedback

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Session 5

Plenary presentation and group discussion

• UNESCO-COL Guidelines for OER in Higher Education
  Ms Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialist, UNESCO and Mr Neil Butcher, OER Strategist, OER Africa/ South African Institute for Distance Education, South Africa

Group discussions

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee/Tea

16:00 – 17:00 Session 6

Plenary summary and discussion

• Taking OER Forward: Possibilities and potential of OER, combined with requirements for successful deployment
  Mr Neil Butcher – OER Strategist, OER Africa/South African Institute for Distance Education, South Africa
• Closing Remarks
  Ms Trudi van Wyk, Education Specialist: eLearning, Commonwealth of Learning
  Ms Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialist, UNESCO

 

Target Audience:

• Representatives from governments
• Leaders and providers of higher education?
• Teaching staff at universities and higher education institutions
• Students and student bodies
• Representatives from quality assurance and accreditation bodies and academic recognition bodies

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Understanding of higher education. No knowledge in OER is necessary.

Outcomes:

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• Introduce the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) and the open licensing frameworks that make sharing of educational content possible;
• Present the Guidelines on OER in Higher Education and get feedback on draft version from stakeholders;
• Explore how open licensing can help to improve the quality of education in Africa; and
• Discuss where and how policies and practices in education need to change in order to harness the potential of OER.