COL In Action

SINGAPORE WORKSHOP DEVELOPS MORE VUSSC COURSES

Educators from 22 countries attended an intensive workshop at the National Institute of Education in Singapore in March 2007. Their focus: learning how to develop learning content for the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). The three-week session was hosted by COL and the Government of Singapore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with support from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).

The Singapore "boot camp" trained the 25 educators in technical skills that will enable them to create learning content online. Using the COL-supported WikiEducator website, the participants posted, collaborated and developed learning content focussed on professional development for educators. They will continue to work together after the workshop using WikiEducator with ongoing e-coaching and support from COL.

"As a result of attending this boot camp I have obtained a new understanding of open content and have improved my wiki skills as well as my knowledge of distance learning," reported Ms. Maria Woodside, who attended the Singapore workshop. "I believe that The Bahamas has all the equipment necessary for me to teach the skills learnt as well as present them. There will perhaps be endless benefits to the system because teachers will understand the open software and they can improve on their presentation skills."

This was COL's second VUSSC boot camp. The first, in Mauritius in August 2006, developed learning content for entrepreneurship and tourism skills. The next workshop in Trinidad & Tobago in June 2007 will focus on life skills, followed by a fourth workshop in Samoa in November that will develop learning materials for disaster management and climate change.

It's estimated that 80 educators will have participated in these VUSSC workshops by the end of 2007, creating a powerful diaspora for online learning around the globe. Each participant will continue to develop the learning materials initiated at the boot camps and train their colleagues. Once the courses are completed, they are freely available via the WikiEducator website for educational institutions to adapt and use.

The learning materials are not copyrighted. Rather, they carry the "Creative Commons BY-SA-3.0" license, which means anyone is legally allowed to download the materials, customise them and use them, so long as they acknowledge the source. COL and the VUSSC member countries are encouraging other countries to follow their example of creating and sharing learning content as free and open educational resources.

VUSSC is helping 28 of the smallest countries in the world to build development capacity and strengthen economies through improved education. It is facilitated by COL with financial support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and CFTC. VUSSC continues to actively seek funds to support course development and more content development workshops for educators from other small states of the Commonwealth. Development agencies and others that are interested in pursuing this social investment opportunity are encouraged to contact Mr. Paul West, COL's Director of Knowledge Management and Information Technology.

www.col.org/vussc
www.wikieducator.org
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

VUSSC LOOKS FOR QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS

The Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth has started the challenging task of creating a Transnational Qualifications Framework. This will merge all available qualification frameworks from small states. It will take into account good practice from other countries, while taking advantage of the more than ten years of experience that many countries have in this area. This Framework will help to facilitate transborder transfers of qualifications and courses, gaining recognition for the modern and mobile knowledge worker.

To help this process, VUSSC is looking for copies of all available qualifications frameworks. These will be studied by a team of experts and merged into a framework that will serve as a starting point for top-level government qualifications authority experts working in this area. Anyone with qualifications frameworks is asked to contact Mr. Paul West, COL's Director of Knowledge Management and Information Technology.

GROWING RECOGNITION FOR VUSSC

A recent commentary in the Times of Malta titled "Virtual learning, real results", praised VUSSC's approach of teaching educators to develop learning content online:

"The intensive workshops organised by the Commonwealth of Learning rapidly raise the ICT skills of participating educators, preparing them to use ICTs and work in an online database networking environment known as Web 2.0. This allows education professionals to collaborate 'virtually' on international projects without prohibitive travel and time costs.

"Let us hope that the Ministry of Education will make a contribution from its admittedly limited resources to the success of the Commonwealth of Learning to which it is a signatory."

COL PRESIDENT SIR JOHN DANIEL (LEFT) AND COMMONWEALTH DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL RANSFORD SMITH SIGN A ONE MILLION POUND GRANT TO SUPPORT VUSSC. THE FUNDING, WHICH WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR UNIVERSITIES IN SMALL STATES, IS BEING PROVIDED THROUGH THE COMMONWEALTH FUND FOR TECHNICAL COOPERATION.

SUPPORTING ICTs FOR DEVELOPMENT

COL recently undertook a review of information and communications technologies (ICTs) at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Ghana. The study was conducted by Mr. Nicholas Kimolo, a consultant from Kenya; Mr. Joshua Mallet, COL Education Specialist, Learning & Livelihoods; Mr. Dele Omueti, COL's IT Manager and Mr. Paul West, COL's Director of Knowledge Management and Information Technology. The team travelled to three UDS campuses to examine issues such as using computers in desert conditions, how to make limited ICTs available to learners and how to expand bandwidth in the face of high costs. Their recommendations are aimed at helping UDS make effective use of funding from development agencies, which will lead to better delivery of open and distance learning.

MORE eLEARNING FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

COL's eLearning for International Organisations team: Ms. Angela Kwan, Ms. Carol Obure, Ms. Claire Carigi and Ms. Georgina Dowsett

COL is expanding its offering of eLearning programmes for international organisations with several new courses.

Editorial Skills for Editors in Sub-Saharan Africa. COL has been contracted by the World Bank's Office of the Publisher as part of their Africa Publishing Initiative to develop a self-study CD-ROM-based course in editorial skills. The objective is to build capacity among editors, especially those working in small to medium-sized local enterprises producing school texts in sub-Saharan Africa. The course will cover the key areas of text and instructional design, editing and layout. Learners will be supported by tutors through the World Bank's country offices, partner universities and organisations in the region, and the African Publishers Network. The World Bank hopes that a vibrant African publishing industry will provide valuable support for the Education for All initiative. The new Editorial Skills programme will be piloted later this year.
Reading for the Workplace. This self-directed learning CD-ROM that focuses on effective reading was developed in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The learning requires eight to ten hours of reading, practicing and quizzes. The programme is also available to other institutions who can replace or change the writing samples to suit the needs of their organisation. For information about licensing the Reading for the Workplace tutorial, contact Ms. Angela Kwan, COL's Learning Manager, International Organisations.
Operational Data Management. COL is partnering with UNHCR to offer a blended learning course to train the agency's managers in effective practices for collecting, organising, presenting and storing data for management information and results-based management. Thirty learners (mostly in Africa) are taking part in this programme, which involves distance learning, a workshop and project work. They are being supported by e-coaching from Dr. Mike Robertshaw in Wales and Dr. Gajendra Naidu in New Delhi.

COL continues to deliver its award-winning "Writing Effectively" eLearning programme around the globe, now customised for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Labour Organization, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNHCR, the World Bank and the World Health Organization. About 1,000 learners will take the course in 2007.

www.col.org/COLeIO

MEDIA EMPOWERMENT FOR EDUCATION AND HEALTH

COL 's Media Empowerment (COLME) programme has been working with Ministries of Education in small states of the Caribbean and the Pacific to increase their ability to use radio and television to provide education. Starting in The Bahamas, COL Education Specialist Mr. David Walker has led the provision of technology and training in media production, as well as help with staffing and scheduling. He has also assisted with the development of the Bahamas Learning Channel, a television channel that will provide educational content throughout the country by a local cable provider. This enables the Bahamas Ministry of Education to create and broadcast educational programming that meets the specific needs of Bahamians.

In Barbados, COL worked with the humanitarian organisation CARE to support the development of a FM radio station that will open in July 2007. It will be operated by the Ministry of Education, and several staff members have been trained in audio and video production. In Dominica and St. Kitts & Nevis, COL has been working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a media unit to broadcast important agricultural information to farmers. In both countries, COL also helped the Ministry of Education open a media unit, supported by staff at the Ministry of Agriculture who have already received training in media production.

COL continues to support health promotion efforts in a number of developing countries in partnership with the World Health Organization. COL provides training, technology and technology updates for projects that provide education about health issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health. To date, COL's health initiative has provided support to Barbados, The Gambia, Guyana, India, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland and Tanzania.

www.col.org/colme

EXPANDING THE REACH OF RADIO

Teacher training by distance learning in Nigeria received a boost recently when the federal government granted a radio license to the National Teachers Institute (NTI). COL donated a 100-watt portable FM radio station that enables NTI to broadcast teacher education and training to students. In addition to helping teachers upgrade their skills, the Institute helps in-service teachers who do not have minimum teaching qualifications to gain certification by distance learning.

In addition to providing the radio equipment and training in audio and video production, COL's advocacy for loosening licensing restrictions helped NTI gain their radio license. COL continues to work with governments in India and various African countries to encourage the granting of radio licenses for educational institutions and community groups. Regulations are often onerous, which deters groups from broadcasting and limits access to information and education in developing countries.

EVALUATING OPEN SCHOOLING BEYOND PRIMARY EDUCATION

COL has commissioned a study on open schooling for secondary and higher secondary education. The drive for Universal Primary Education among developing countries has led to increased demand for secondary education, which usually can't be met with conventional schools due to the cost and a lack of teachers. While open schooling is increasingly seen as a solution for this need for universal secondary education, there has been little documentation of the successes and challenges of non-conventional methods of learning.

COL has commissioned two experts in the field, Professor Badri N Koul of India and Professor Greville Rumble of the United Kingdom to conduct this study. Focussing on the National Institute of Opening Schooling (NIOS) in India and the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL), they will examine issues such as:

The cost efficiency, cost effectiveness and cost benefit of open schools,
The student profile,
How open schools can best complement the formal system,
Learner success,
The nature and types of courses offered,
Course development, learner support and learner assessment systems,
Planning and management systems, including monitoring and evaluation, and
Quality assurance.

The study will be completed in late 2007. Professor Koul is also a contributor to this issue of Connections - see Safeguarding Quality in ODL.

BUILDING CAPACITY IN LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING

Developing government legislation is an important skill that requires good writing ability, a solid grounding in law and understanding of the legislative process. In many parts of the Commonwealth, government staff receive little or no training in legislative drafting, which can lead to difficulty in having new laws drafted, passed or enforced. COL's Professional Diploma in Legislative Drafting provides this training through open and distance learning in several regions of the Commonwealth.

Developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division, the legislative drafting programme is based on Commonwealth legal practice. The guided independent study course uses print materials and audio tapes, often supplemented by local mentor support. Learners gain practical skills in translating government policies into effective laws that can be understood and applied by a variety of stakeholders.

The legislative drafting programme is currently offered by the National Open University of Nigeria, the University of the West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago) and the University of the South Pacific. Athabasca University in Canada plans to offer the programme soon. In addition to legislative drafters, graduates have included a high court registrar, a police commissioner and a Member of Parliament. The cost is approximately half that of full-time overseas training.

Institutions interested in becoming licensed to offer the Professional Diploma in Legislative Drafting should contact Ms. Ruvani Ameresekere, Programme Assistant at info@col.org.

HR ISSUES FOR OPEN UNIVERSITIES

Open universities face challenges in managing their human resources that are unique in their own way. While some of the challenges are similar to those faced by conventional universities, others stem from the different nature of the role of academics at open universities. These issues are explored in an in-depth article in the March 2007 issue EduComm Asia, published by the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia. To read this, as well as interesting articles about community radio in India and other initiatives in Asia, go to www.cemca.org.

CEMBA/MPA PROGRAMMES EXPAND

The Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and Public Administration (CEMBA/MPA) programmes are now being offered in Ghana. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has signed on as a new partner university to offer the two executive degree programmes. More than 100 students are expected to enroll for the first intake, beginning in July 2007.

"The CEMBA/MPA programmes provide valuable learning opportunities for Ghana's business leaders and working professionals," said Professor Keshaw Singh of KNUST's Department of Business Administration. Designed for senior and middle managers working in developing Commonwealth countries, the programmes are delivered through open and distance learning (ODL).

The CEMBA/MPA programmes will soon also be available online. COL is working with Allama Iqbal Open University (Pakistan), Bangladesh Open University and Wawasan Open University (Malaysia) to convert existing CEMBA/MPA courses into a suitable format for online delivery. The partner universities will decide on a common technology platform, roles and responsibilities for converting content, how to support learners and a timeline for further action.

www.col.org/cemba

LEARNING FOR LIVELIHOODS IN AFRICA

COL is working in partnership with the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) to promote technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Africa, particularly through the use of open and distance learning (ODL). COL and CAPA co-sponsored a policy awareness seminar on integrating information and communications technologies (ICTs) and eLearning into TVET in Freetown, Sierra Leone in May 2007. Representatives from 120 TVET institutions from 17 African countries attended the seminar, gaining valuable information about the potential for using ODL to improve livelihoods.

COL and UNESCO-UNEVOChosted a TVETAfrica Summit as a prelude to the eLearning Africa Conference in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2007. The summit focussed on how ICTs can be applied in TVETin Africa. Read more about the eLearning Africa Conference in the upcoming October 2007 issue of Connections.

SURVEY OF ICTsIN EDUCATION IN AFRICA

COL is partnering with the Information for Development Program ( infoDev) to conduct a comprehensive survey of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education initiatives in Africa. The study of primary, secondary, higher and vocational education in all countries on the African continent is exploring:

How ICTs are currently being used, and the strategies and policies related to this use,
The common challenges and constraints, and
What is actually happening on the ground and to what extent donors are involved.

Several researchers have developed reports for each country in their region. These draft country reports have been posted on WikiEducator, and comments are invited at:
www.wikieducator.org/ICT4AfricaEd/Country_Reports

The final report on ICTS in Education in Africa is expected later in 2007.

www.col.org/ICT4AfricaEd
www.infodev.org/en/Project.7.html

EXCELLENCE IN DISTANCE AWARDS

COL is seeking submissions for the 2007-2008 Excellence in Distance Education Awards. These awards, which will be presented at the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in London from 13-17 July 2008, recognise excellence in four categories: the overall institutional level, the development of learning materials, a lifetime's work as an educator and student accomplishment. The deadline for submissions is 31 October 2007.

www.col.org/edea

MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Recognising that global warming and climate change will have far-reaching impacts on development, COL is focussing on this enormous challenge in several ways.

A report on green issues is being prepared for the next COL Board of Governors meeting,
The organising committee for the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF5) is exploring how to make the forum as "green" as possible.
The next VUSSCboot camp in November 2007 will focus on developing learning content related to disaster management and climate change.
COL works with many of the countries that could be most affected by climate change. There is now a conscious effort to use education to help people prepare for and adapt to these changes.
WikiEducator has set up an online space to help educators collect information on climate change for use in classrooms. The aim is to teach people about the risks and provide ideas about how to prepare for the changes and adapt before they have to leave as climate change refugees. This site is the place to post course materials and ideas on teaching about climate change. It will build a better understanding of what works and will share the information with the people most affected.

www.wikieducator.org/Climatechange

DIARY OF A NEW RECRUIT

Working the zones: Beyond the knowledge worker

Dr. Willie Clarke-Okah joined COL last year as Education Specialist, Higher Education and Policy Development. This is the second instalment of his diary that shares his impressions of his first year with COL.

After seven months on the job, I can say that I feel like an old hand and a new hand at the same time as I try to unravel the organic phenomena inherent in the ways and means of COL. I have travelled extensively - close to 43% of my time has been spent on the road. I have worked globally, discovering in the process that I'm no longer a spring chicken.

The elemental primordialisms of the COL post-knowledge worker are such that there's no simple answer to such speculative questioning. But we can perhaps find an answer in the singing journalism of Jamaica. Take the reggae legend, Bob Marley. He once bellowed: those who know can feel it! Something along those lines.

The COL Education Specialist is all about virtual work. We appear to have the supernatural feat of being at several places at the same time. How else could we be away for weeks at a time and no one even suspects that we are not in our offices?!

This has helped to solve one major problem that has puzzled donor agencies for what now seems like a century of angst - on both sides of the aid business. I'm here referring to the practice of SWAPing for dollars that host country partners are encouraged to embrace in the hope that ownership of the development process would reside with the host countries, thus ensuring sustainability.

But the predicament of ownership persists as sustainability is tagged with a results-based management mantra that is too rule-based and comes unwittingly with prayerful inshallahs. Good but not enough.

COL enjoys the confidence of governments that know that they are in control. They trust COL to deliver quality products and JITtily too, that is to say, just in time. The COL stamp of approval is, therefore, becoming a fungible currency sought after by institutions as I travel across the Commonwealth. Very gratifying. And it means working the zones even harder to continue to respond timely and qualitatively to our clients. Such response ability is scaffolded by a spirit of strong co-operation in which COL acknowledges that the primacy of decision-making and ownership rests with our clients.

The COL Education Specialist, more like a development anthropologist, is constantly on the road, keeping in touch with the realities on the ground - picking up the latest intelligence on the ODL circuit, liaising with our focal points, confirming the status of project ideas, monitoring projects, proffering and professing advice, meeting with government reps, working a workshop, presenting a presentation, et al. All of this is designed to engender meaningful partnerships.

The point is that the COL Education Specialist is always in touch and responsive to the needs of his/her clients - institutions and governments alike, even individuals. But the safaris have their downsides as half the roster of specialists could sometimes be away from the office! That problem seems to have been solved. There are No Travel Weeks in which all staff members are required to be at the Vancouver office for consultations, meetings and program updates. The NTWs consist of three weeks in the month and are scheduled four times per year - in January, April, July and October.

When governments and institutions can count on you to not only listen but act in accordance with a shared vision and objective, it is easier for them to take ownership of, and drive, their development processes. It's a win-win situation.

But our work is not without challenges. One clear challenge lies in the possible risk of creating too high an expectation without the requisite resources to meet those expectations in a satisfactory and timely fashion. Demand on and for our services is very high. And here we count on timely disbursements of funding commitments by governments. When these lag, our plans drag, decisions are staggered, reminders are flagged, development stalls and our clients are perplexed. Needless to say, at times like that, we feel their pain. And we can only hope by simply keeping hope alive.