ASIA:

COL-Singapore Joint Management Development Institute

The fifth presentation of the Joint Management Development Institute (MDI) for Directors and Principals of Teacher Training Colleges and Institutes in Commonwealth Sub-Saharan Africa organised by COL and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Singapore, was held in November 2005 in the National Institute of Education (NIE)'s Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Twenty heads of teacher education institutions from 12 Sub-Saharan countries participated in the Institute, which included workshop sessions, talks and visits to different institutions. The focus of the Institute is on innovations and good practices in education and teacher education, especially the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and open and distance learning (ODL) for teacher education.

Over the past five years, 95 teacher education administrators from all 19 African Commonwealth countries have participated in the Joint Management Development Institute. MFA, Singapore and COL intend to continue to host the Institute in coming years, but are looking forward to an evaluation and impact report, which will be available in March 2006.

Institute on Open Schooling at NIOS

COL facilitated a ten-day Institute for Officers of Open Learning at India's National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in September 2005. Open schooling representatives from Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka interacted with the various officers and divisions of the NIOS. They also visited regional and study centres in Rajasthan and several other open learning institutions in India, including Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

By providing open schooling leaders with exposure to the experience of India's institutions, COL is facilitating widespread capacity building.

Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice Chancellor of U.K. Open University (left) and Professor Surabhi Bannerjee, Vice Chancellor, Netaji Subhash Open University were among the speakers at the "Towards a Culture of Quality" international conference in Kolkata, India

Towards a Culture of Quality

Netaji Subhas Open University hosted an international conference, "Towards a Culture of Quality", in Kolkata, India in November. Organised in collaboration with COL and UNESCO, the three-day international conference covered a wide spectrum of issues related to quality assurance in distance education and cross border education. The event brought together government officials from India, open university officials, educational administrators, college principals and a broad representation from people involved in open and distance learning. Open and distance learning leaders from Canada, France, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the U.K. spoke at the conference.

The combination of growing connectivity and open educational resources has enormous potential for strengthening quality higher education, said COL President Sir John Daniel in his keynote address. He discussed the importance of institutional leadership in ensuring quality and why eLearning should be assessed using criteria already in use rather than new models and approaches.

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AFRICA:

Copyright Forum Conference

More than 120 experts in education, library and information science, law and technology from 16 Africa countries, Europe, India, North America and the United Kingdom attended the Africa Copyright Forum Conference in November 2005 in Kampala, Uganda. The pan-African event was jointly organised by the Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA) and the National Library of Uganda (NLU) and sponsored by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and COL.

Focussing on "Copyright and Access to Information", the conference explored the important connection between copyright and education, research, innovation, publishing and the creative arts, and protection of indigenous information. There was consensus that developing countries need more balanced and appropriate copyright laws. Conference participants agreed to form an Africa Copyright and Access to Information Alliance and an Interim Board was elected to start the process of addressing copyright and related issues in Africa, with particular reference to education, libraries and people with disabilities.

ASIA/PACIFIC:

Ms. Harvinder Kaur of the Open University of Malaysia presents her group's research proposal at the distance education research methodologies workshop 

Building Research Capacity in Malaysia

COL and the Open University of Malaysia recently hosted a five-day workshop on research methodology in distance education. Thirty-eight educators from 12 Malaysian institutions were trained in distance education research methodologies, and six project proposals were developed for further investigations. As a result of the workshop, participants are now equipped to carry out similar training independently, publish research reports and enhance the quality of research.

This event was the fourth in a series of research methodology workshops facilitated by COL. The others were held in India, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.

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PACIFIC:

COL's Helen Lentell (left) presents a Certificate of Attendance to Dr. Emma Kruse Vaai of Samoa Polytechnic at the "Open and Distance Learning as a Tool for Sustainable Development in the Australia Pacific Region" workshop

Exploring ODL and development

A group of 35 policy makers, educators and open and distance learning (ODL) practitioners from the Pacific region met in Adelaide in November 2005 to explore the development potential of open and distance education. The meeting was sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA) and facilitated by Mr. Marquis Bureau and Ms. Helen Lentell for COL. The workshop took place before, during and after ODLAA's biennial conference. This was the first time that aboriginal educators from Australia met with fellow educators from the Pacific Islands. Indeed participants rarely have the opportunity to meet given the large distances involved and the very real challenges travel poses.

Participants defined the form and issues of the workshop using "open space" and much experience and knowledge was shared and friendships built. As a result of the meeting, PRIDE - the Pacific Islands Association for Distance Education - was revitalised and a list of recommendations was drawn up. The recommendations, recognising the huge challenge of development and nation building faced in the region, saw that ODL is a primary tool for building the most important resource for economic development in the Pacific Islands - the people.

The recommendations covered networking, advocacy, sharing resources, the importance of technical/vocational education and training (TVET), professional development, research, quality provision, funding, technology and digital strategies. COL is working with colleagues in the region to take these recommendations forward.

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CARIBBEAN:

Sharing eLearning Expertise

The latest in COL's series of eLearning training workshops took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, in November 2005. Forty managers and academics took part in the three-day workshop held at the University of the West Indies' St. Augustine Campus. COL arranged for eLearning experts from Kenya and South Africa to take part, bringing African expertise to the Caribbean. The workshop focussed on providing the knowledge and tools needed to successfully implement eLearning at the University.

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Upcoming Events

5th International Conference on Web-based Learning
(ICWL 2006)
19 - 21 July 2006. Evergreen Laurel Hotel, Penang, Malaysi a. Co-hosted by the Hong Kong Web Society (HKWS); the School of Science & Technology, Open University of Hong Kong; and the Wawasan Open University College, Malaysia
Theme: Lifelong learning in a knowledge-based Society: the web way forward. http://www.icwl.net/

Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning
30 October - 3 November 2006. Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Theme: Achieving development goals: Innovation, learning, collaboration and foundations.
www.col.org/pcf4

16 ^th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM)
11-14 December 2006. Cape Town, South Africa
Theme: Access to Quality Education: For the Good of All