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Open Educational Resources and Higher Education

This paper examines the concept of OER in more detail, offering a simple, clear definition, explaining the economic and educational potential behind that definition, introducing examples of OER practices around the world, exploring legal considerations, and highlighting some of the challenges to releasing the transformative
potential of OER.

Book cover page

Chapter 5 - Quality Assurance for Distance Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The exponential expansion of higher education enrolments throughout sub-Saharan Africa has led to the establishment of many new public and private universities offering face-to-face, blended and DE programmes. There is a growing need for QA frameworks at the national and institutional level. The chapter argues that there is still a great deal of work to be done, as there are significant variations in policies and procedures for QA and little has yet been done in regard to monitoring and assessing the quality of DE provision.

Cover page

Growth of Information and Communications Technology at African Universities

Significant   work has   been carried   out   at   the   institutional   level—by institutions  and  also  through donor-funded projects. Established  in  2008, the Partnership  for  Higher  Education, Educational  Technology  Initiative aims  to support ICT integration in African universities. Teaching and learning initiatives are  supported  that integrate use  of technology and promoting collaborative knowledge creation and dissemination.

Book cover page

Introduction - Discourses in the Development of OER Practice and Policy

This introduction first sketches a contextual setting for the chapters of the book that follow. With reference to the existing literature, it begins by reviewing OER developments and some of the questions that have arisen from advances made thus far. Drawing inferences from these questions, we identify some of the more important gaps in the way OER research has been conducted. it argues that failure to begin exploring these gaps carries risks that could impede further OER progress.

Book cover page

Chapter 13 - Experiences of Developing OER-Amenable Policies

Governments across the world are increasing the openness and transparency of their services, a move also taking place in the education sector in some countries, signifying commitment to openness and ensuring that adequate attention and funding is paid to open educational resources (OER). This chapter assesses the extent to which policies are being developed and/or modified to support effective use of open educational resources. However, despite the growth of OER at many institutions, surprisingly few have developed and implemented formal OER policies.

Book cover page

Chapter 12 - Sharing Existing Teaching Materials as OER: Key Considerations from Practice

Sharing of higher education teaching materials under open licenses is a growing global practice. Several models of adapting and sharing existing materials include: institutionally-driven initiatives that result in materials being shared, mostly through repositories; cascade models that have a strong mentoring component; use of network repositories; and conversion of commercial teaching resources for sharing as open educational resources (OER). The processes followed in these models are similar in many respects.

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Report cover page

Open Educational Resources and Higher Education

This paper examines the concept of OER in more detail, offering a simple, clear definition, explaining the economic and educational potential behind that definition, introducing examples of OER practices around the world, exploring legal considerations, and highlighting some of the challenges to releasing the transformative
potential of OER.

Book cover page

Chapter 5 - Quality Assurance for Distance Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The exponential expansion of higher education enrolments throughout sub-Saharan Africa has led to the establishment of many new public and private universities offering face-to-face, blended and DE programmes. There is a growing need for QA frameworks at the national and institutional level. The chapter argues that there is still a great deal of work to be done, as there are significant variations in policies and procedures for QA and little has yet been done in regard to monitoring and assessing the quality of DE provision.

Cover page

Growth of Information and Communications Technology at African Universities

Significant   work has   been carried   out   at   the   institutional   level—by institutions  and  also  through donor-funded projects. Established  in  2008, the Partnership  for  Higher  Education, Educational  Technology  Initiative aims  to support ICT integration in African universities. Teaching and learning initiatives are  supported  that integrate use  of technology and promoting collaborative knowledge creation and dissemination.

Book cover page

Introduction - Discourses in the Development of OER Practice and Policy

This introduction first sketches a contextual setting for the chapters of the book that follow. With reference to the existing literature, it begins by reviewing OER developments and some of the questions that have arisen from advances made thus far. Drawing inferences from these questions, we identify some of the more important gaps in the way OER research has been conducted. it argues that failure to begin exploring these gaps carries risks that could impede further OER progress.

Book cover page

Chapter 13 - Experiences of Developing OER-Amenable Policies

Governments across the world are increasing the openness and transparency of their services, a move also taking place in the education sector in some countries, signifying commitment to openness and ensuring that adequate attention and funding is paid to open educational resources (OER). This chapter assesses the extent to which policies are being developed and/or modified to support effective use of open educational resources. However, despite the growth of OER at many institutions, surprisingly few have developed and implemented formal OER policies.

Book cover page

Chapter 12 - Sharing Existing Teaching Materials as OER: Key Considerations from Practice

Sharing of higher education teaching materials under open licenses is a growing global practice. Several models of adapting and sharing existing materials include: institutionally-driven initiatives that result in materials being shared, mostly through repositories; cascade models that have a strong mentoring component; use of network repositories; and conversion of commercial teaching resources for sharing as open educational resources (OER). The processes followed in these models are similar in many respects.