BUILDING ODL CAPACITY
COL partnered with the International Extension College (IEC) and Kyambogo University (KYU) in Kampala, Uganda to host a meeting in March 2006 of staff from ODL institutions in six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Tanzania) to examine the IEC-developed programme for training staff working in ODL institutions. KYU is offering the programme to their staff for the third time and is offering its course materials and expertise to institutions in Africa that would like to offer the programme locally.
The U.K. Open University (UKOU) is a university that goes to its students - normally, that is. But in March 2006 the UKOU ran a two-week Senior Management Workshop in open and distance learning (ODL) at its headquarters in Milton Keynes. The workshop was a capacity building experience for senior managers from four African countries. It was designed and directed by Ms. Helen Lentell from COL and Professor Ann Floyd from the UKOU.
The 12 invited delegates came from ACIPOL, the police training college in Mozambique, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), the University of Swaziland and the University of Zambia.
Senior UKOU staff, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brenda Gourley, set up an interactive dialogue to develop strategic options for participating managers' own institutions and initial plans for taking these forward. The objective was to reach an overall understanding of the principles underlying key aspects of ODL management systems and their relevance to participating institutions. Discussions aimed to build an enhanced view of major ODL issues for the 21st century, with particular reference to Africa.
The outcome was an enriching experience for the OU, COL and the participating universities and, most important, a shared framework for further mutual support.
COL sponsored travel and visa arrangements; the UKOU provided accommodation and subsistence. The workshop was conceived as part of the UKOU's newly-launched International Fellowships programme, funded by the OU Foundation.
www.open.ac.uk/international-fellowships
LITERACY AND LIVELIHOODS CONSULTATION
Functional literacy training was the focus of a three-day consultative meeting hosted by COL and the Pacific Association of Technical Vocational Education and Training (PATVET) in March 2006. Seventeen delegates representing educational institutions, development initiatives and government from 11 Pacific Islands nations attended the meeting in Lami, Fiji, which was supported by COL and New Zealand's international aid and development agency, NZAID.
Through presentations and group discussions, the Fiji meeting explored literacy needs in Pacific Island states and how to use open and distance learning (ODL) effectively for vocational training. There was a consensus that ODL should be used to promote functional literacy - practical competencies that contribute to a productive life. Meeting participants agreed on a number of actions including studying the feasibility of using existing information and communications technologies (ICTs) to support functional literacy, using ODL to improve teacher/tutor training in functional literacy and raising awareness of the problems associated with the lack of functional literacy.
The potential of using OSL for literacy and skills development was the focus of a Literacy and Livelihoods Experts Meeting in Vancouver, Canada in November 2004 followed by regional meetings in Southern Africa in April 2005, South Asia in September 2005 and the South Pacific meeting in March 2006. A meeting for West Africa was held in Abuja, Nigeria, in May 2006.
www.col.org/literacyandlivelihoods
TVET THROUGH OPEN SCHOOLING
Nearly 100 people representing educational institutions, trade and industry, ministries, vocational education and open learning took part in the three-day International Conference on Vocational Education and Training through Open Schooling in Kovalam, Kerala, India in February 2006. Organised by COL and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in India, the conference drew presenters and participants from Bangladesh, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The conference focused on specific aspects of vocational education and training including access for marginalised groups, quality issues and possibilities offered by open learning systems. Conference participants adopted 20 recommendations that outline proposed roles for government, educational institutions, private enterprise and international agencies in promoting vocational education and training through open schooling.
www.nios.ac.in
Despite the exponential growth of open and distance learning (ODL) in the Asian region, when a new institution is started, it seems to face similar problems and to commit mistakes as its predecessors as a result of uninformed decision making. Current literature in the field reflects largely on policy dimensions and generalities. Only rarely do articles talk about practicalities such as the basis for structuring a budget in ODL or the fact that there is no longer a need to build or develop huge production facilities for content generation.
The prioritisation of goals, objectives, targets, fund allocation and timelines within a new ODL establishment is tricky. Experience shows that there are any number of dual-mode institutions that have set up distance education units without taking into account the different divisions and human resources that are needed for effective functioning. Today's new realities require new goals, modes and methods of organisation and delivery of learning. To do this, one has to look at past experience while addressing future challenges and issues.
It is with this objective of capturing the voices of Asian experience of three decades that the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), a regional agency of COL, and Wawasan Open University College brought together some of the best minds of ODL experience to brainstorm and debate every aspect of planning and managing a new ODL institution. The five-day forum in Penang, Malaysia in February 2006 covered all the core aspects of ODL planning including organisational structure, managing human resources, academic aspects and quality assurance. Each session had a lead paper followed by extensive group discussions. As a result of the round table, CEMCA plans to create a source book that will draw upon the rich expertise of ODL pioneers to guide the establishment of new institutions in the region.
http://www.cemca.org/
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, based in Rajasthan, India, organised a National Seminar on "Quality Distance Education and Establishment of a Learning Society with special reference to Rajasthan" in collaboration with COL and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in March 2006 at HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration, Jaipur. The two-day national seminar covered a wide spectrum of issues related to quality in distance education and establishment of a learning society.
The event, which was organised by Professor M.K. Ghadoliya, Director of V.M. Open University's Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education, brought together vice-chancellors of open universities in India, officials, college principals, teachers, administrators, politicians and Board representation from people involved in open and distance learning. Seminar participants agreed on six recommendations for educational institutions and governments to enhance quality assurance in distance education.
For an interesting discussion of quality assurance in open and distance learning (ODL) institutions, see the March 2006 issue of EduComm Asia, the newsletter of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (www.cemca.org). In the Guest Column, Professor Badri N. Koul offers insights into quality assurance issues, approaches, international practices, quality assurance mechanisms and measuring quality in ODL. An Honorary Fellow of COL and a globally acknowledged ODL expert, Professor Koul provides a helpful examination of this important issue.
USHA REDDI (RIGHT), DIRECTOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH EDUCATIONAL MEDIA CENTRE FOR ASIA WELCOMES WORKSHOP LEADER CLAYTON WRIGHT (FAR LEFT) AND M.C. PANT, CHAIRMAN OF INDIA'S NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OPEN SCHOOLING (NIOS) AT THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN WORKSHOP AT NIOS. COL RECENTLY SPONSORED WORKSHOPS FOR STAFF AT NIOS, THE OPEN SCHOOL OF BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY AND THE OPEN SCHOOL OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION IN SRI LANKA TO ASSIST IN BUILDING CAPACITY FOR CREATING QUALITY DISTANCE LEARNING MATERIALS.
ATTENDEES AT A RECENT WORKSHOP IN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN SUPPORTED BY COL AND HOSTED BY THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES COMMUNITY COLLEGE (KINGSTOWN)
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COL AND THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (NAAC) HOSTED A THREE-DAY WORKSHOP, "MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION", IN BANGALORE, INDIA IN FEBRUARY 2006. PARTICIPANTS FROM 15 COUNTRIES, MAINLY FROM SOUTH ASIA AND AFRICA, SHARED BEST PRACTICES IN TEACHER EDUCATION.
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MANAGING CHANGE IN A GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
20-26 AUGUST 2006
UNIVERSITY OF ABERTAY DUNDEE, SCOTLAND
DELEGATES AT VICE-CHANCELLOR OR DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR LEVEL, FROM HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH, WILL PARTICIPATE IN A WEEK OF WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS ON THEMES RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE IN A GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY.
WWW.COL.ORG/PROGRAMMES/CONFERENCES/OTHER.HTM
PAN-COMMONWEALTH FORUM ON OPEN LEARNING
30 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2006
OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA
THEME: ACHIEVING DEVELOPMENT GOALS: INNOVATION, LEARNING, COLLABORATION & FOUNDATIONS. WWW.COL.ORG/PCF4
16TH CONFERENCE OF COMMONWEALTH EDUCATION MINISTERS (CCEM)
11-14 DECEMBER 2006
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
THEME: ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION: FOR THE GOOD OF ALL