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COLLABORATION AMONG AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES: ROLE OF ERs AND OERs

COLLABORATION AMONG AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES: ROLE OF ERs AND OERs By Tolly .S.A. Mbwette and Uswege M. Minga Open University of Tanzania Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE).

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COLLABORATION AMONG AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES: ROLE OF ERs AND OERs

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  1. COLLABORATION AMONG AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES: ROLE OF ERs AND OERs By Tolly .S.A. Mbwette and Uswege M. Minga Open University of Tanzania Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

  2. The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) • ACDE is a continental educational organization comprising African Universities and other higher learning higher educational institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) including e-learning. It is an international non-profit making organisation whose headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya. ACDE was formally launched in January, 2004. In Nov.2010, it was formally recognised to have an observer status within the AU and an MoU is due to be signed soon. ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  3. ACDE Contd…….. ACDE has six Projects/Programmes, mostly drawn from its Strategic Plan: • ACDE-Technical Committee on Collaboration (ACDE-TCC) whose secretariat is at OUT, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. • ACDE- Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency whose secretariat is based at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Lagos, Nigeria. • ACDE-ODL Database project which is based at the University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa. ACDETCC TAS - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  4. ACDE Contd…. • ACDE-Information and Communication Technology Project (ACDE-ICTP) whose secretariat is based at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. • ACDE-Journal whose Editor in Chief is the ACDE Executive Director and is based in Nairobi, Kenya • ACDE-Scholarship programme based at the ACDE Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya ACDETCC TAS -UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  5. ACDE-TCC AND COLLABORATION ACDE-TCC PROVIDES A FOCAL POINT FOR SYNCHRONIZING ODL INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES IN AFRICA AND PROMOTES COLLABORATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR COLLABORATION ARE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (ERs) ESPECIALLY THE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OERs) ACDETCC TSAM- UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  6. ACDETCC: OBJECTIVES MAIN OBJECTIVE OF ACDE-TCC: • ACDE-TCC Serves to promote collaboration and ensures that: • 1. There is no duplication of efforts in development of materials, • 2. ODL is more Cost effective; • 3. It is a focal point for synchronizing ODL initiatives and activities in Africa; • 4. It Helps stimulate production of materials by African academicians; • 5. It Develops institutional capacity to produce high quality ODL courses and programmes; ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  7. TORs FOR ACDE-TCC (7 OBJECTIVES) • i) Facilitate the development and/or sharing of educational resources, underpinned by effective research, by ACDE member institutions; • (ii) Facilitate collaborative development of academic programmes by ACDE member institutions; • (iii) Coordinate the creation and implementation of joint qualifications involving ACDE member institutions, and to promote joint offering of programmes, student mobility and portability of credits between and among institutions and programmes; ACDETCC TSAM -UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  8. TORs OF ACDE-TCC Contd….. • (iv) Determine, and institutionalize within ACDE members, appropriate policies and parameters by which resources, programmes, and qualifications shall be collaboratively developed and shared without compromising the strategic interests of the participating institutions; • (v) Develop institutional capacity to deliver high quality open and distance learning (ODL) programmes; ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  9. TORs FOR ACDE-TCC Contd…. • (vi) Explore ways to ensure that collaborative activities contribute directly to enhancing the marketability, financial viability, and sustainability of distance education in Africa ; • (vii) Conduct and/or commission research which informs the practice and activities of the TCC and ACDE members. ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  10. Operational Assumptions of ACDE-TCC • Interested ACDE member University or a HEI is expected to write to the Secretariat in Dar to express interest to join ACDE-TCC activities. • Thereafter the VC has to appoint a contact person who is either a DVC Academic or a Director for Distance Education. • The University is expected to meet the full costs of the participation of the contact person in ACDE-TCC activities except where secretariat has funding. • VC OUT is the Chairperson of the ACDE-TCC Steering Committee. ACDETCC TAS UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  11. ROLE OF ERs AND OERs AS TOOLS IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION • OERs are Educational Resources (ERs) which are open for sharing under the open license (Creative Commons License) with some conditions. • ACDE-TCC Objectives and TORs emphasize the Role of Human and Educational Resources as tools for promoting Collaboration. • Central to ODL are Ed. Resources (Study Materials) which serves as Tutors for ODL students. • Human resources are another resource which is/can/should be shared whether physically or electronically. ACDETCC TSAM UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  12. ROLE OF ERs AND OERs AS TOOLS IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION Contd……. • Many ODL member University are not self sufficient in Educational resources, expertise or programmes, this calls for collaboration and sharing. • In order to collaborate, pooling of resources (Study materials and Humanpower), joint programmes and qualifications are paramount and cost effective: To get the critical mass of experts and Materials. • Its easier to share Educational Resources as OERs than Human resources because of logistics of mobility. ACDETCC TSAM UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  13. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION The above are in line with the Objectives and TORs of ACDE-TCC, thus: • ACDE-TCC Objectives (Three Items on Educational resources – ERs and OERs) are supportive: Thus: • 1. Development of Materials: No Duplication of efforts, • 2. Stimulation of production of materials by African academicians; • 3. Development of institutional capacity to produce high quality ODL courses and programmes; This includes Educational Resources (ERs) ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  14. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION Contd…….. ACDE-TCC TORs {Six TORs (i to vi) related to ERs} • i. Sharing of educational resources, • ii. Development of joint academic programmes • iii. Creation and implementation of joint qualifications • iv. Institutionalization of appropriate policies for development and sharing of resources, programmes, and qualifications • v. Development of institutional capacity for high quality ODL programmes; ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  15. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION • There are many advantages of sharing ERs and OERs, Thus: • 1. Economies of scale • 2. Joint Programmes, Joint Authorship by African Academicians, Joint Qualifications, Mutual recognition of Qualifications and Student and Staff mobility, all made easy • 3. Quality (due to peer reviewing) and facilitation of mutual accreditation is possible ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  16. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION Contd….. • 4. Accessibility as Digital copies (On-line) or hard printed copies • 5. Saves time for authoring ERs and hence Universities have time to concentrate more on Assisting students to learn and Assess students better and improve quality of product • 6.(Refer to Neil’s paper in Proceedings of First VC’s Workshop, 22nd August, 2009 for more info) ACDETCC TSAM UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  17. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION • Academicians and Students in Africa are already benefitting from OERs found online and as hard copies (The world expects contribution from Africa in retrun) • Ex. OUT requested and has been given Educational materials from Sister Institutions for free & vice versa e.g. NOUN, IGNOU and some for pay, e.g. UoN (Kikuyu campus) • The quality and relevance of the current OERs for professional disciplines have to be ascertained before acceptance and use • Ex. At OUT, Many ERs have been produced by Academicians and are not OERs but are owned by OUT. Production of ERs are based on references from ERs, Published papers and OERs and hence Original with some illustrations taken from published books and acknowledged: It is a truism the world over • Many papers have been published by OUT staff and many are OERs depending on the Publisher. University of Pretoria has shown the way ACDETCC TSAM UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  18. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION • Ex. OUT recruits only academic staff who attained upper second and above: That is high GPAs (> or = 3.5) and hence majority are academically capable, therefore are competent to author ERs : Same criteria are used by Universities in East Africa for recruiting academic staff • Some OUT ERs, eg. Law, OFC,ICT, ES, Journalism are very popular in many Universities in Tanzania and outside and are illegaly sold and not for free. ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  19. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION • Constraints to producing all required ERs at OUT: • OUT does not have a critical mass of experts in all disciplines, only in some • OUT use of staff other Universities to assist (ERs and Examinations): but Expensive. • Shortage of staff in a number of disciplines and hence too busy with student assessments • Limited of funds to pay staff for authoring ERs • There is no policy on OERs as yet. May come after ACDE Ex Board approval of the Collaboration framework • Bandwidth needs to be increased for OERs to be accessible online, but OK as hard copies ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  20. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION Contd….. • OERs Sustainability in Africa: • Commitment to collaborate by all or majority of ACDE members is a pre-requisite • Need for Joint programmes, joint qualifications will require use of same or similar ERs, hence joint development of contents and thus OERs for collaborating Universities and possibly beyond; a prerequisite • Positive Experience from above will encourage more OERs to be available and shared • Pooled human resources will ensure production of quality Resources relevant to Africa but institutions are free to pool only a few first! ACDETCC TSAM- UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  21. ACDE-TCC: ROLE OF ERs and OERs IN PROMOTING COLLABORATION Contd……. • Quality ERs would then be available as OERs • Quality ERs would make Africa not just a consumer of knowledge from outside but a creator and a significant contributor to world knowledge of relevance to Africa and the world • The above argues for the importance of ERs as OERs and once that importance is realized by all ACDE stakeholders, OERs are assured a permanent place among ACDE members and the world • Will require Institutional support (Policies or Guidelines) need funding (Locally and Internationally e.g. UNESCO) ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  22. Institutions that are Active Members of the ACDE-TCC • Open University of Tanzania (OUT) • National Open University of Tanzania (NOUN) • University of South Africa (UNISA) • Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) • University of Pretoria • Egerton University • University of Abuja • Open University of Sudan • University of Nairobi ACDETCC TAS UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  23. Institutions that are Active Members of the ACDE-TCC Contd… • Kenyatta University • Maseno University • Copperbelt University • Zambia Open University • Kigali Institute of Education • University of Namibia • Moi University • University of Zambia • Strathmore University • North West University ACDETCC TAS UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  24. 3RD ACDE CONFERENCE & GENERAL ASSEMBLY 12-15TH JULY 2011 • Theme: BRIDGING THE DEVELOPMENT GAP IN AFRICA THROUGH OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING • Venue: Mlimani City Conference Centre • Conference e-mail: acde.conference@out.ac.tz • Conference Website: http://www.out.ac.tz/acde/ • Registration Deadline: See the website. • Special Rates for Accommodation end on:15th-30th June 2011. ACDETCC TAS UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  25. How to Contact ACDE-TCC • Contact e-mail for Director: acdetcc-dir@out.ac.tz • ACDE-TCC Website: http://www.out.ac.tz/acdetcc1/ • Physical Location in Dar-es-Salaam: Kinondoni, Victoria, Green Acres Building, 1st Floor. ACDETCC TAS UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

  26. THANK YOU ALL AHSANTE ACDETCC TSAM - UMM Paper OER Mtg Nairobi 16 to 18 May 2011

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