Open Education CasesBIT 648, Nov. 2008

Alantria Harris, Mouly Kumaraswamy, Andy Lake, Vanessa Joy Pulanco, Holly Sharp

This presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License: http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Rural Models

Creative distributionHow information is

received

Creative product/innovation

How to use

Creative promotionHow to encourage

Creative pricingHow to price

Goal: Distribute (medical)

information in a method that is

sustainable to local entrepreneur

Goal: Distribute (medical)

information in a method that is

sustainable to local entrepreneur

Creative Distribution: Make available

Purpose: Make information available to local entrepreneurs through a medium that is easily accessible.Lesson: End users are more likely to use educational resources if they are easily accessible.

Case:Free High School Science Texts (FHSST)• Objective: Create open-content science textbooks for high schools in South Africa which follow

the school syllabus. • Methodology: Textbooks are distributed to sponsoring schools. Textbooks published under the

GNU Free Documentation License could be made available for the cost of printing them on paper (or distributed in electronic format). Creation of content is volunteer based.

• Impact: FHSST has helped many students in Africa learn the basic science skills necessary to complete school.

Application:•Use a mobile internet van to bring internet access and medical supplies (printed and electronic) to users.•Internet van will come on a frequent basis so that students will have adequate time to use the resources and also encourage use.•In addition to the internet van, information should be provided at location local school and medical clinics for students to receive.

Other Examples:

Hole in the WallInternet Van

Aravind

Creative Product/Innovation: Make easy to use

Purpose: Provide innovative mediums for the use of educational resourcesLesson: In rural areas, the availability of the internet is limited. Therefore to encourage the usage of educational resources OER should provide mediums that are common to users.

Case:Health Manpower Development Center (HMDC) - Uganda• Objective: Provide continuing education or in-service training for health workers as an integral

part of their professional development.• Methodology: HMDC provides distance learning through various methods: Printed course

packs, radio programming, and face-to-face support. • Impact: As a result of HMDC more health workers in Uganda are prepared to better perform

their jobs.

Other Examples:

Africa Radio EducationSATELLIFE

1worldspace Satellite Radio

Application:• Provide educational training through PDAs, radio, and printed course packs.• Partner will local community clinics to distribute the technology.• Local community groups can also be used for students to form groups to study and

use the technology together.• Package the training into modules that should be current and updated on a

frequent basis. • Make a certification system based on the number of modules completed. After a

certain number of certificates, students should advance to another level.

Creative Promotion: Motivation for use

Purpose: Create an education model that promotes end usage and translates into sustainable profits for an entrepreneur. Lesson: Education models that promote entrepreneurship motivate the end user and can create self sustaining profits. Case:

Teach a man to fish• Objective: Create self-sufficient schools for children in impoverished areas around the world.• Methodology: Schools operate small businesses run by students. Skills are taught by “hands o

n” application and profits sustain the school. In addition, ever year prizes are awarded for ideas for creating sustainable education.

• Impact: Schools are able to sustain in impoverished areas without funding and students learn skills that are most likely to benefit them outside of the classroom. 10+ functional schools currently running.

Other Examples:

Social Franchising Health SvcNFTE

(Hindustan Lever)

Application:•Give students the opportunity to work and learn. Aside from simply offering medical information, include additional information on running a business.•Partner with this (or similar) organizations and provide materials to a school that could run a medical clinic and earn profits while teaching.•Open the problem up to entrepreneurs from the area to partner in finding the solution. •All the models in Africa rely on a partnership with NGO’s to help adapt to local culture and help “promote” the program.

Creative Pricing: Make affordable

Purpose: Make education materials accessible to all by keeping price low while still assigning value and creating entrepreneurial profits.Lesson: In rural areas internet access will be an issue, so materials will not be easily available for free. In order for people to get access to non-critical items (such as education), organizations need to make access affordable. Two most popular methods uncovered were microfinancing and leasing.Case:

International Finance Corporation - Coffee Bikes• Objective: Make bikes available to workers in Africa to generate income through coffee

transportation. • Methodology: In partnership with Vision Finance, the IFC made bikes available through a year

long leasing program.• Impact: 1,200 bikes delivered last year. Program is planning to triple in size for next year.

Other Examples:

Riders for HealthKenya Photovoltaic

Grameen Leasing

Application:•Make leasing available for those interested in gaining access to materials AND entrepreneurs delivering materials.•Reward users for advancing in program by returning money to those who make full use.•Consider a combination of the 2 methods and lease content to users and then reward them with a partial refund at the end for completing courses. This refund should in no way be tied to the profits of the entrepreneur.

Key Learning’s• The two major challenges in bringing OER to rural Africa are

distribution (due to lack of internet) and pricing (much lower willingness to pay).

• To solve for these challenges we recommend a business model that is based on leasing programs and mobile availability.

• Using the mobile van to bring internet access and medical supplies in addition to printed education would provide additional profits, greater learning opportunity for local “student”. Once “graduated” the student could be given support to start his own local “first stop” treatment center.

Urban Models

Creative Promotion

Purpose: Encourage consumption of educational resources through certification programs that can advance one’s career.Lesson: In developing certification is a viable revenue generator for educational content distributors.

Case:

Aptech Vidya – India, • Objective: Increase computer literacy in developing countries• Methodology: A for-profit franchise of training centers run by entrepreneurs that

charge students for courses. Students receive certifications upon course completion.

• Impact: Increased access to computer education for low-income students

Other Examples:Obsidian

Trident Institute/Micro-MBA

Application:•Cyber cafes can increase their appeal by providing access to OER content and charge additional fee for providing certification services

Creative Distribution: Increase Accessibility

Purpose: Making educational content accessible and customizable.Lesson: Mobile network is the most accessible communication channel in urban areas in developing countries. Provide small incentives for people to understand the content.

Case:

Dimagi – Cambridge, MA, India and Bangaladesh• Objective: Distribute life-improving information over mobile phones• Methodology: Health-related courses lasting up to 7 minutes are provided as pre-

recorded message via mobile phone. The courses are delivered using a Interactive Voice Application, so users can choose the course. Caller is given additional airtime as a prize for answering a quiz at the end of the course.

• Impact: Field tested in Bangladesh with 20,000 users who took courses on health issues.

Application:•Partner with local mobile operators.•Entrepreneur can provide services like packaging the course, voice recording the content and charge the mobile operator•Mobile operator can use this service to attract new customers and increase societal responsibility•Mobile video games that use OER content to increase people’s health/medical knowledge is also an option

Creative Distribution

Purpose: Charging nominal fee for paper copies of OER materialsLesson: Physical medium is the best communication channel for educational content

Case:

Medical Library Model• Objective: Hard copies are preferred over electronic copies, thus placing materials

in hands of users. • Methodology: Library users are charged a nominal fee for hard copies of OER

materials. On-demand printing sold by photocopier services provided by individual or group.

• Impact: Instills entrepreneurship in hands of community to solve issue of distribution.

Other Examples:Ethiopia Reads

Magazine Subscription Services

Application:•Entrepreneurs can setup medical libraries servicing local physicians, medical students and health care workers •They can use a renting/circulation model to keep the printing costs down

Open DiscussionOER Entrepreneurship:An entrepreneur can create value by tailoring the OER to meet the needs of the local economy. To achieve this the entrepreneur needs enough understanding of the educational content to customize it. And know the knowledge gaps in the society that can be filled using the content.

Questions

• Who are the target audience for OER for Medical courses?• Can we change the OER packaging to simplify printing all the course materials?