Latest

Collaborating with the Network of Open Orgs to explore the successes of OERs

NBA has been a long-standing core project partner for Saide’s OER Africa initiative. The OER Africa team recently coordinated a project with members of the Network of Open Orgs, which involved a collaborative effort to develop a set of seven research summaries that explore the success of OER. The summaries were then analysed to extract key findings, which were presented in a short report.

The rock you focus on is the one you crash into

I am not much of a mountain biker, but one thing I learned very early in my few outings on a mountain bike is that the more you focus on the rocks on your trail the more likely you are to crash into them. The alternative is not to ignore them, but to observe them and then identify the pathway around them – focusing your energy and attention on where you want to go rather than what you want to avoid.

Children sitting on the floor and reading books

Presentation: What does open licensing mean for stakeholders and book policies?

The National Book and Reading Policy Workshop was held in Malawi between 2 and 4 February, 2022. The theme for the event was: ‘Towards understanding the role of each stakeholder in the book industry in Malawi.’ Neil Butcher, Lisbeth Levey, and Kirsty von Gogh were thrilled to join online, where they spoke about the implications of open licensing for stakeholders and book policies.

Unleashing the Power of Educational Technology in TVET Systems

NBA collaborated with the IFC’s Disruptive Technologies unit, the World Bank’s Digital Development Global Practice, and the Education GP’s EdTech team to produce a report that explores the opportunities presented by EdTech for TVET systems around the world, with particular emphasis on developing countries.

OERs and open licensing: Why it matters to open universities

Neil Butcher was invited to present at Botswana Open University’s Open Access Week in October, 2021. In this presentation, OERs and open licensing: Why it matters to open universities?, Neil explores what is needed for us to join the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Guidelines cover page of woman assisting a younger woman on a tablet

Publication: Guidelines on open and distance learning for youth and adult literacy

NBA is proud to have worked with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Commonwealth of Learning to develop the newly published Guidelines on open and distance learning for youth and adult literacy. The Guidelines are intended to support literacy providers around the world in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating their open and distance learning-based (ODL) literacy programmes.

Interactive report provides progress on research into CPD models for Higher Education

Are academics at your institution struggling to find the time and space to invest in their own continuing professional development (CPD)? With so many competing priorities, many academics find it difficult squeeze CPD in among their other daily responsibilities.

Student using a computer – courtesy of Kojo Kwarteng, Unsplash

Publication: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Bulletin

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has far-reaching implications for education and training. Neil Butcher and Sonja Loots were privileged to contribute to the South African Qualifications Authority’s recently published Bulletin, which includes 15 papers that focus on empirical and conceptual aspects of the 4IR from several sectors within the context of education and training.

AfLIA and NBA discussion at the mEducation Alliance Symposium

Dr Nkem Osuigwe and Kirsty von Gogh discussed their upcoming early literacy development course at the mEducation Alliance Symposium on 30 September, 2021. They were joined by country champions to discuss the realities of libraries in Africa.

Conference: The Creative Commons Global Summit: 20-24 September 2021

The Creative Commons Global Summit took place from 20 to 24 September 2021. On 22 September, Mohini Baijnath and Neil Butcher had the pleasure of representing OER Africa at the conference, where they presented the initiative's ongoing work on African OER initiatives in higher education.