Mainstreaming use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in an African context

Abstract

The study derives from a multi-year project implemented by OER Africa. The project sought to understand how OER might be used as a catalyst for pedagogical transformation in African universities. Within a non-determinist and interpretivist theoretical framework and an over-arching project methodology of participatory action research, the study made use of an analytical autoethnographic approach to capture and analyse data and to make recommendations. The approach was informed primarily by hermeneutics and systems thinking and involved multiple in-country engagements and the triangulation of information derived from document review, observation and iterative focus group discussions and individual interviews. The key finding of this study is the suggestion that engagement with OER is unlikely to move from being an individual to an institutional focus unless such engagement is aligned with the overall vision, mission and business model of the university.

A multidimensional and analytical perspective on Open Educational Practices in the 21st century

“…For example, in the 53 publications identified, the discourse revolves around various topics such as the design of open teaching, open assessment and review processes, open platforms and architectures, and the use of open-source software. This multidimensionality involved in the notion of practices is also evident in Mays (2017) model of an open ecology. The model is used to describe OEP in terms of the culture of openness and is divided into different development levels of individual learning resources, open methods of teaching and learning, and open educational practices (Mays, 2017, p.394).…”

“…The design process of open teaching and learning scenarios depends on other factors, such as the institutional culture, the available technologies, and support mechanisms (cf. Mays, 2017). The categorization employed and the developed framework entail a reduction of reality but enable an initial descriptive instrument that forms a basis for further studies.…”

Pedagogical Transformation: Effects of Open Educational Resources on Teaching in Higher Institutions of Learning in Kenya

“…According to the CUE requirements, a university library must offer academic programs sufficient, authoritative, diverse, and current information resources to support teaching, learning, and research at universities (Commission for University Education, 2014). By providing information resources that are accessible for free and that enable sharing, adaption, and redistribution without seeking permission from the owner of the copyright, open educational resources (OERs) serve as an effective catalyst in libraries (Mays, 2017;Bahrawy, 2019). Open Licensed Software and Open Educational Resources are becoming increasingly popular.…”

“…Such limitations have been substantially facilitated by the OER crusade, which has led to widespread access to OERs, particularly in industrialized nations. According to this study, the global economic crisis has had a significant impact on library budgets, making it necessary to share information resources (Mays, 2017;UNESCO, 2012;Smith, 2006;Hodgkinson-Williams, 2010;D'Antoni, 2009;Sarika, 2013 andCimen, 2012). This increases the demand for open educational resources (OERs), which are currently underutilized in Kenyan universities and libraries for research and teaching.…”

Open educational resources: expanding equity or reflecting and furthering inequities?

“…Okamoto 2013 ). Such efforts should go beyond individual action: Departments, colleges, and institutions, could devise policies to support, incentivise, and reward adoption of OER and open practices (e.g., Mays 2017 ).…”