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Open Educational Resource Policy Case Studies: The Seychelles
This case study outlines the OER policy development process for the Seychelles’ Information Communications Technology (ICT) in Education and Training Policy (2014-2019) and the subsequent ICT in Education and Training Policy (2022-2027). Both projects were initiated and supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
Chapter 13 - Measuring implementation of UNESCO’s OER Recommendation: A possible framework
Drawing on a comprehensive literature review of best practice in OER measurement, as well as experience of working with UNESCO to support implementation of the Recommendation, this chapter presents an initial framework for the measurement of the effectiveness of the OER Recommendation and proposes indicators that regions, countries, and/or institutions could adopt or adapt to rigorously measure both how OER is used and its effectiveness for improving learning.
Chapter 12 - Approaches To Continuing Professional Development For Open Education Practices In Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of professional development on effective teaching and learning for university academics into sharp relief. Universities found themselves having to close their campuses and were unable to teach their students face-to-face. Universities in Africa resorted to various strategies to reach students, ranging from no teaching taking place, through emergency remote teaching (ERT) with some form of online teaching, to fully implemented e-learning.
Assessment of Indonesia’s Early Childhood Education and Development Accreditation Process
Investments in early years of education and childhood development are among the most cost-effective and beneficial a country can make to tackle learning poverty, promote healthy child development, and enhance shared prosperity. Over the past two decades, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) has scaled up its commitment to early childhood education and development (ECED) through various educational reforms, policies, programs, and financial investments. With the expansion of Indonesia’s ECED system, the GoI has committed to improving its quality since the early 2000s.
Open Licensing Made Plain: A primer on children’s book creation in the global South (2nd edition)
In 2018 we published an open licensing primer for early literacy publishers on open licensing, with a brief section for authors and illustrators. So much has changed since then that we decided to take a fresh look at the issues and challenges, this time giving full attention to content creators, such as publishers, authors, illustrators, and teacher, all of whom have a stake in producing high quality and cost effective materials for education.
Policy complexity and school curricula: A case for openness in the education system
Education systems around the world have traditionally been characterized by closed knowledge systems, overly prescriptive curricula, narrow conceptions of success and achievement, and a failure to fully empower teachers as facilitators of learning. This inhibits their ability to develop a full spectrum of human learning capabilities amongst learners, especially in their formative schooling years.
Open Educational Resources: Paper commissioned for the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, Technology in education
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education’. Open Educational Resources (OER) have the potential to support the removal of barriers to accessing resources and supporting inclusiveness (facilitated by digital literacy and information and communication technology). There are concerns about the quality aspect of OER, and how this is ensured for users and content creators. In addition, inclusion requires OER to be available in languages in which users prefer to access and use them.
The UNESCO OER Recommendation and Open Knowledge: An Overview for African Librarians
Openly licensed educational content and librarians could enable more equitable access to quality resources, but only if governments, the development community, and other stakeholders pay attention to open educational resources (OER), open access, and other forms of open learning and research. This overview considers one global instrument aimed at facilitating openness, the UNESCO OER Recommendation, and carefully inspects it as it relates to the different library types in Africa and the user communities the libraries represent.
Chapter 7: African OER Initiatives in Higher Education: Insights into OER Localisation, Advocacy and Sustainability
In the last decade, a number of OER initiatives in African higher education have sought to address challenges related to the access, supply and contextualisation of educational materials. However, limited information is available on the effectiveness of such initiatives. To gain deeper insight into this, OER Africa conducted research between September 2019 and February 2022. The project analysed the effectiveness of eleven key African OER initiatives in higher education and their influence on developing and supporting effective OER practices.
Using Technology to Improve Access, Equity, Quality, and Relevance of TVET
This background paper was prepared for for: The World Bank, UNESCO and ILO (2023). Building Better Formal TVET Systems: Principles and Practice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Washington D.C., Paris, Geneva: The World Bank, UNESCO, and ILO.
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Open Educational Resource Policy Case Studies: The Seychelles
This case study outlines the OER policy development process for the Seychelles’ Information Communications Technology (ICT) in Education and Training Policy (2014-2019) and the subsequent ICT in Education and Training Policy (2022-2027). Both projects were initiated and supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
Chapter 13 - Measuring implementation of UNESCO’s OER Recommendation: A possible framework
Drawing on a comprehensive literature review of best practice in OER measurement, as well as experience of working with UNESCO to support implementation of the Recommendation, this chapter presents an initial framework for the measurement of the effectiveness of the OER Recommendation and proposes indicators that regions, countries, and/or institutions could adopt or adapt to rigorously measure both how OER is used and its effectiveness for improving learning.
Chapter 12 - Approaches To Continuing Professional Development For Open Education Practices In Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of professional development on effective teaching and learning for university academics into sharp relief. Universities found themselves having to close their campuses and were unable to teach their students face-to-face. Universities in Africa resorted to various strategies to reach students, ranging from no teaching taking place, through emergency remote teaching (ERT) with some form of online teaching, to fully implemented e-learning.
Assessment of Indonesia’s Early Childhood Education and Development Accreditation Process
Investments in early years of education and childhood development are among the most cost-effective and beneficial a country can make to tackle learning poverty, promote healthy child development, and enhance shared prosperity. Over the past two decades, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) has scaled up its commitment to early childhood education and development (ECED) through various educational reforms, policies, programs, and financial investments. With the expansion of Indonesia’s ECED system, the GoI has committed to improving its quality since the early 2000s.
Open Licensing Made Plain: A primer on children’s book creation in the global South (2nd edition)
In 2018 we published an open licensing primer for early literacy publishers on open licensing, with a brief section for authors and illustrators. So much has changed since then that we decided to take a fresh look at the issues and challenges, this time giving full attention to content creators, such as publishers, authors, illustrators, and teacher, all of whom have a stake in producing high quality and cost effective materials for education.
Policy complexity and school curricula: A case for openness in the education system
Education systems around the world have traditionally been characterized by closed knowledge systems, overly prescriptive curricula, narrow conceptions of success and achievement, and a failure to fully empower teachers as facilitators of learning. This inhibits their ability to develop a full spectrum of human learning capabilities amongst learners, especially in their formative schooling years.
Open Educational Resources: Paper commissioned for the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, Technology in education
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education’. Open Educational Resources (OER) have the potential to support the removal of barriers to accessing resources and supporting inclusiveness (facilitated by digital literacy and information and communication technology). There are concerns about the quality aspect of OER, and how this is ensured for users and content creators. In addition, inclusion requires OER to be available in languages in which users prefer to access and use them.
The UNESCO OER Recommendation and Open Knowledge: An Overview for African Librarians
Openly licensed educational content and librarians could enable more equitable access to quality resources, but only if governments, the development community, and other stakeholders pay attention to open educational resources (OER), open access, and other forms of open learning and research. This overview considers one global instrument aimed at facilitating openness, the UNESCO OER Recommendation, and carefully inspects it as it relates to the different library types in Africa and the user communities the libraries represent.
Chapter 7: African OER Initiatives in Higher Education: Insights into OER Localisation, Advocacy and Sustainability
In the last decade, a number of OER initiatives in African higher education have sought to address challenges related to the access, supply and contextualisation of educational materials. However, limited information is available on the effectiveness of such initiatives. To gain deeper insight into this, OER Africa conducted research between September 2019 and February 2022. The project analysed the effectiveness of eleven key African OER initiatives in higher education and their influence on developing and supporting effective OER practices.
Using Technology to Improve Access, Equity, Quality, and Relevance of TVET
This background paper was prepared for for: The World Bank, UNESCO and ILO (2023). Building Better Formal TVET Systems: Principles and Practice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Washington D.C., Paris, Geneva: The World Bank, UNESCO, and ILO.