Towards Pedagogical improvements in OER: repurposing for the South
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The document discusses pedagogical improvement through open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP) in the global South. It outlines several characteristics of OER that support pedagogical improvement, including promoting knowledge for all through customization and contextualization. The document presents a strategy for pedagogical improvement involving reflecting on learning assumptions, using a learning design framework with key questions, and fostering an evidence-based approach. It provides examples of OER Africa projects and ways students can create knowledge through technologies.
Towards Pedagogical improvements in OER: repurposing for the South
- 1. Towards Pedagogical improvement in OER Practices: Repurposing for the South Najma Agherdien (Education Programme Specialist: Learning Design) OE Global Conference, Cape Town 7-10 March 2017
- 2. My involvement in OER - fairly recent OER Africa – involved since 2008
- 3. Outline OER characteristics that promote pedagogical improvement Towards a pedagogical improvement strategy Practical examples relevant for the South
- 4. But first… • Pedagogical improvement and Pedagogical transformation - imply a constant state of ‘becoming’ • OER OEP
- 6. Characteristics of OER that supports Pedagogical Improvement - Social Justice ideals • Knowledge is for everyone: – beyond opening up… – beyond access…
- 7. Characteristics of OER that supports Pedagogical Improvement - Social Justice ideals
- 8. Characteristics of OER that supports Pedagogical Improvement - Social Justice ideals • Education requires contextualised practices - OER present opportunities to customise content (local solutions)
- 9. Characteristics of OER that supports Pedagogical Improvement - Social Justice ideals Inclusion of student voice You have a valid point …but you’re wrong
- 10. Characteristics of OER that supports Pedagogical Improvement - Social Justice ideals Knowledge as negotiated process • Content • Structure • Tools
- 11. Strategy
- 13. Making learning assumptions clear – identify blind spots
- 14. A. Reflecting on Learning assumptions • What is learning and why is it important? • What counts as knowledge? • Who are our students and how do students learn best? • What does quality teaching and learning look like? • What is the role of OER in teaching and learning?
- 15. B. Learning Design Framework: Five Key questions • Where do we start? Planning, context, administration, student background and needs • What will students learn? Content (OER) and Structure • How will we support learning? OEP, Pedagogy, learner support and technology • How do we know students have learned? Assessment • How can we be sure of good, quality learning? Quality assurance (Peer review)
- 16. Where do we start? • Geographical distribution: face to face, on campus, blended mode, distance • Programme context: digital support, digital support, internet- supported/dependent, fully online • Technology use: Instructive, cognitive, mediative • Bloom’s taxonomy: remember, understand, apply, evaluate, create
- 17. What will students learn? How will we support learning? • Students (subject) need Tools (e.g. OER, technology, books) mediate/facilitate learning (object) • But, there are tensions… what are they? • Uncover these tensions to effect transformation • Students are involved in multiple activity systems – intersection
- 18. C. Foster an evidence-based approach • More 'know-why' (why working/not) • Reflective Reports • Collaborative research projects: between teaching teams, between/ across faculties • Participatory Action Research: action (leading to change) and research (leading to understanding) • Design-based research: generating theory to solve authentic problems; researcher- driven
- 19. Some OER Africa/Saide examples • Support from Hewlett and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations • A number of projects in various universities in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 20. Grant 1: Planning Grant 4: Institutional Engagement Grant 2: Implementation Grant 3: Implementation and Teacher Education Network Grant Overview Mission: To establish dynamic networks of African OER practitioners …to develop, share, and adapt OER to meet the education needs of African societies.
- 21. Resource Details Resource Name : University Certificate in Midwifery Resource Description : This CD ROM has been developed to support the UCM and upgrading midwifery programmes. It combines a number of new strategies that are being piloted by MCH department to respond to the national needs within the Health sector. These include reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in relation to Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 & 6. Consequently this course embraces the latest methodology (Problem Based Learning) and technologies (Computer based education) in an attempt to be relevant and effective in preparing new midwifes. The materials on the CD ROM have been authored by both University of Malawi - Kamuzu College of Nursing and foreign experts. Resource Author : University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing Resource Source : University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing Resource Tags : nursing, Problem Based Learning, maternal and neonatal morbidity, Computer based education, Resource Type : Modules, Training Notes/Materials/Tutorials Resource Year : 2009 Resource Licensing Condition : Creative Commons: Attribution-Non Commercial Share Alike 2.5 Resource Media Type : Text/HTML Resource Language : English
- 25. More general examples: Student created • Allow learners to use technologies - blogs, wikis, journals, Twitter, Google Docs, etc. - to create knowledge: Tweet summary of reading, ask experts questions and Use Google Docs to write collaborative research report Daily journal entries on what s/he has learned for the day • Rewrite textbook questions/examples • Write course/chapter/section outlines • Video record an interview and upload on YouTube • Contribute entries to Wikipedia
Editor's Notes
- #3: Disclaimer! Any gaps – in this presentation, my thoughts, my articulations – are my own OER Africa (and Saide) – My colleagues, Catherine Ngugi (Director), Brenda Mallinson and Tony Mays (IL) – involved since inception – have done wonderful work in this domain
- #5: We think in binaries – not always useful If we aim for transformation – what exactly do we want to transform? We often alienate academics and students – imply your way of doing, being, etc is deficient. Not good enough Rather, improve – implies becoming/change/development – We all strive for this But… sometimes we want to not always do things better, but we also want to do better things (transform) NB! (Who is in the room?) 2017 is the year of action
- #6: Teachers/Academics have always relied non-commercial – not paid much attention to the rest CC By as ideal
- #7: ‘’epistemological access’’ (access to quality academic practices and approaches). By implication access has to be accompanied by relevant, just-in-time support.
- #8: Students and faculty decide what counts as valid and legitimate knowledge African voice as legitimate
- #9: Authentic real-world relevance – what resonates with us? Examples from Global North not always appropriate for the Global South – textbooks produced by Global North OER mostly from Global North This is the opportunity we have always sought!
- #10: Students as consumers vs producers of knowledge Have always assumed that academic – through teaching and research – need to produce knowledge. Not necessarily true!
- #11: About choices/options Never one solution
- #13: Informs our thinking, guides our practices Schooling/disciplinary orientations and backgrounds determine how we see the world – By making this explicit we can begin to see the blindspots
- #16: Iterative process e.g. Quality assurance happens throughout; do not think of assessment independent of content to be included and what the learning outcomes are
- #19: Within districts, overlaid by population characteristics requiring services, overlap/non accessibility of existing services: need infrastructure info from GDE, present student numbers vs. anticipated need based on literacy levels
- #22: We have supported faculty in creating health OER specifically for their students, based on pre-existing, openly licensed high quality relevant content
- #23: In Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, we have worked with faculty to narrow the divide between the agricultural knowledge produced in the academy and the agricultural know-how generated by farmers on the ground. This is one step towards improved food-security in Africa; one step towards ensuring that drought and climate change do not inevitably result in famine on our continent.
- #24: We are working with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria, and its partners, in other Faculties of Vet Science across the continent, who have recognized the need to provide high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training for veterinarians and allied professions including para-veterinary professionals. This has initiated the development of the African Veterinary Information Portal (AfriVIP), for veterinary training and information and a training platform of the OIE Collaborating Centre for Training in Integrated Livestock and Wildlife Health and Management.
- #25: The African Story Book aims to generate a plethora of stories in languages familiar to Africa’s children. The more stories children read (write, perform, listen to) the more likely they are to enjoy reading. The African Story Book is a practical application of technology to share and generate openly licensed stories and thereby improve Early Childhood Literacy.