OERs for Open Schools 

Open schools in six countries are developing new learning materials for 20 subjects through COL’s Open Educational Resources for Open Schools initiative. This two-year partnership between COL and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is focused on improving access to secondary education by developing open educational resources (OERs) and training “master teachers” in online materials development.

The six countries taking part are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Seychelles, Trinidad & Tobago and Zambia. Following training workshops on developing OERs in early 2009, the master teachers have been creating self-instructional learning materials. Country Management Committees are ensuring the materials comply with the country’s syllabi and will conduct peer reviews of materials developed in other partner countries. The completed OERs will be freely available for download, adaptation and use by open schools, creating a valuable new pool of quality learning resources. 

“This  is an exciting development, because we are building a library of quality OERs that can be freely used by open schools, while also developing the skills of educators to create more learning content,” said Ms. Frances Ferreira, COL Education Specialist, Open Schools. “This is a large-scale collaborative effort; we are pleased to have participation from more than 100 educators, government representatives, trainers and evaluators from across the Commonwealth.”

The first of two evaluation reports about the OERs for Open Schools project has been conducted by the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE). The Input Indicator Evaluation Report  examines two elements of the initiative: master teachers and their competence regarding material development, and the quality of training provided by consultants. The evaluation report found that while the teachers have considerable teaching experience, their background in materials development is generally more limited. As a result, Country Management Committees need to accommodate teachers with diverse experience. Satisfaction with the quality of workshops and facilitators is generally high, according to the report. The major issues were time constraints and, most importantly, access to reliable computer and Internet facilities.

The Input Indicator Evaluation Report includes information that may be of use for open schools, educators and others involved in developing OERs. It is available on the Open Schooling section of COL’s website, along with numerous other reports and resources.

October 2009