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Higher Education in a time of Economic Crisis:

OER as an equaliser?

GUIDE Association 6th International Conference, Megaron Athens, Greece

3 – 4 October 2013

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OER Africa is:

An innovative initiative of Saide Headquartered in Nairobi,

Kenya Established to play a leading

role in driving the development and use of OER in Africa.

Funded by the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and a variety of projects and partnerships across Africa.

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What are OER?

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license.

The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them.

OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-resources/what-are-open-educational-resources-oers/

• African universities are dealing with significant pressure to increase access to HE programmes

• Most institutions are having to increase enrolments despite structural under-funding to discharge their core functions effectively

• Most programmes (including many at postgraduate level) rely heavily on lecturing as a primary mode of transmission of content

HE Quality & Quantity

Higher Education in Africa

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Possible government responses:• Cut back / re-prioritise• Maintain status quo• Invest

GFC: Global Response re HE?

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3 Key Factors in Support of HE in Crisis:

1. Govts should maintain status quo (in real terms) or increase allocation

2. Institutions must restructure and revitalise HE

3. Individuals & households must invest, lest the short-term unemployed become the long-term unemployables

Running to Stand Still…

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HEALTH OER

Institutional Response: African faculty providing socially relevant and culturally appropriate training materials and experiences for their students

Kamuzu College of Nursing PBL

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Kamuzu College of Nursing

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Practicing Skills

Practicing 21st Century Skills

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Use / Possible use of OER in African HEIs

Openly share learning objects, modules, courses, programs, OA research or other relevant OER across institutions and thus:• realise economies of scale

• encourage joint development of curriculum and courseware

• provide faculty and students with a similar standard (high quality) of educational content

• encourage student-centred learning

Here at Last!

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Use / Possible use of OER in African HEIs

Openly share skills-based relevant OER across institutions and thus:• Encourage the development of 21st century skills

amongst students in-school and potential out-of-school students / life-long learners to new Ways of thinking: Creativity, critical thinking, problem-

solving, decision-making and learningWays of working: Communication and collaborationTools for working: Information and communications

technology (ICT) and information literacySkills for living in the world: Citizenship, life and

career, and personal and social responsibility

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Leadership

African Nobel LaureatesMadiba with Wangari Maathai

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Thank youCatherine Ngugi

OER Africa Project Directorcatherine.ngugi@oerafrica.org

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