Africa’s journey to Open Education

Prof Mpine Makoe Institute for Open Distance Learning ACDE – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe7 June 2014

Triple challenges of education in developing countries

Challenges• Lack of infrastructure - limited access to

electricity and telephone networks; poor roads and postal services;

• Digital fluency - fewer people who have expertise of using computers

• Learner support

• Expanding access to higher education

Access to technology

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

cellphone landline computer internet radio TV

Potential for using cell phonesMore than 80 % of households have access to cell phones

South Africa is ranked 5th in the world for mobile data usage (1st Russia and 7th is USA)

50% urban and 27% rural dwellers browse the internet from their cell phones

Cell phones are more accessible to most rural communities in terms of cost, geographic coverage and ease to use

Encourage people to learn together “while retaining individual control over their time, space, presence, activity, identity and relationship” (Anderson, 2005).

•

OER and MOOCS INITIATIVES

• ACDE

• OER AFRICA

• OERu

• Consumers not producers

Collaboration initiative

– MOOCs - English Writing Course - Pilot – Open access MOOC– Support intervention– Accessed through the internet in their cell phones

AIM– Analyse learner practices– Gather research data

• Context specific• Open Educational Resources• Address our concerns – student support;

access to technology• Accessible anywhere, anytime and anyplace• Sustainability• Quality

Guiding Principles

• Create policies and strategies • Collaborative development of high quality learning

resources – OER• Improved access to and use of appropriate

technology• Supporting a wider range of post schooling study

options• Technological infrastructure• Shared learning and support centres

UNISA STRATEGY TO OPEN EDUCATION REASOURCES

GUIDING PRINCIPLESUNISA OER STRATEGY…

• Commitment to the concept of openness – (access)

• Africanisation (philosophy, interests and epistemology)

• Enhance graduateness (21st century skills)

• Social justice

Way forward

• Development of an effective management systems

• Establish an open learning framework

• Systematic integration of OER