Resources

This research paper sought to engage with the challenge of determining the conditions under which use of OER can drive a transformative educational agenda in schooling systems, using case studies in the developing world as its action research terrain. The desktop research conducted served to reinforce the urgent imperative for transformation of traditional schooling models, which are increasingly unsuited to the world in which their students live.

This policy brief describes some of the potential disruptions brought by openness as they pertain to key higher education activities of teaching and learning, research, and the impact on higher education policy.

This toolkit introduces the concept of open licensing for educational materials, explores the use of open licences for these materials, provides a practical ‘how to’ guide for teams and government staff, and presents issues to consider before using open licences in World Bank and other education operations. Although all levels of education are considered in this toolkit, the focus is on OER in early childhood education and primary education project

This paper considers some of the challenges in defining digital learning and the political challenges in measuring cost-effectiveness. It then focuses on issues of cost-effectiveness using examples from three initiatives: the Nepad e-Schools Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) financial modelling tool, the adaptation of the UNESCO ICT Competency for Teachers (CFT) professional development course for teachers, and the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) Facilitating Online Learning course (FOLC).

Although the concept of OER initially gained publicity in the Global North, OER are gaining traction in Africa, with an increasing number of OER initiatives focusing on areas such as OER advocacy, practice, and research. Today, the concept has been mainstreamed around the world, as exemplified through the unanimous adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on OER in 2019.

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.

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.

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.

In 2018 we published an open licensing primer for early literacy publishers on open licensing, with a brief section for authors and illustrators.1 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.

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.