Commonwealth Of Learning Research Articles

Exploring Offline e-Learning for Resilience: A Case Study

There are too few teachers and schools to meet the need for quality universal basic education. Therefore, alternative approaches to education provision need to be explored, such as open and distance learning methods and development and provision of curriculum-based Open Educational Resources (OER). However, distribution of printed materials is increasingly costly, and distribution of digital resources remains a challenge in areas with little or no connectivity. This case study explores the potential of using offline strategies to share digital OER. It suggests it is possible to provide access to digital learning resources even in the most remote areas by using appropriate technology, like the Commonwealth of Learning’s Aptus device.

Self-Talk: Musing on Distance Education. (2023)

Self-Talk: Musings on Distance Education is a compilation of blogs and a series of reflective writings written by the author on open and distance learning (ODL) and online learning, accounting for over three decades of his experience. The cornucopia of his ideas and anecdotes pertains to the key innovations that hallmarked developments in ODL and online learning. The book shares much-needed pathways to re-imagine compromised education in the post-pandemic world. At the time of writing this book, Dr. Sanjaya Mishra worked as the director of education at the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) in British Columbia, Canada. The book is primarily based on his prior trove of experiences as a distance educator at the sole centrally-funded open university in India, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The goal of this book is to understand the developments in distance education, including the changing roles of teachers and students, with critical discourse centred around IGNOU, based on lessons learned globally and specifically from engagements at the CoL. The book comprises six sections, encompassing 45 chapters.

Evaluation of the UPOU MOOC "Principles of Graphic Design" using Product Variable of Biggs' 3P Model

As Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are being recognized as a link between higher education and the increasing demand for employability, it is imperative to employ continuous evaluation for quality assurance. This research aimed to evaluate the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) MOOC “Principles of Graphic Design” in accordance with the MOOC Quality Guidelines developed by the Commonwealth of Learning. With Biggs’ 3P Model incorporated in the MOOC Quality Guidelines, this evaluation research focused on the product variables of the model: completion/retention and certification rates, and enjoyment and self-satisfaction. The completion and certification rates were computed using LMS analytics, while the enjoyment and self-satisfaction rates were evaluated using a survey instrument based on the learner ratings for the product variable in the Guidelines for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of MOOCs using a five-point Likert scale on outcomes perception, continuing education, employment opportunities, and socializing. With a total of 22,942 enrolled students, 7,620 managed to complete the course and receive certificates. Of these, a total of 7,239 agreed to be survey respondents. Results of the study showed high satisfaction rates, with 77.95% of the respondents giving "very satisfied" rates to the said MOOC. The mean scores for three out of the four learner ratings were above four (4.32 to 4.88), with the socializing component given a neutral rating (3.14 to 3.59). Overall, results showed high completion and certification rates, as well as enjoyment and self-satisfaction ratings for the MOOC.

The Impact of Educational Innovation on Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices: The Case of the ORELT Project in Kenya

This paper reports the findings of a pilot project, Open Resources for English Language Teaching (ORELT), that aimed to introduce open resources for teaching English in Kenyan junior secondary schools alongside the traditional textbooks that until now have been the only teaching resources available to teachers and learners. The ORELT materials, which consisted of open content in the form of DVDs, books, and online content were developed by the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL), Canada, for use throughout the Commonwealth of Nations. Before the rollout of these materials, English teachers from selected schools were enlisted for an in-service workshop where they were trained on the materials and the concept of open resources, and were given a hands-on familiarisation with the resources. Two ORELT workshops were conducted for four days each between 18–21 March 2013, and 6–9 May 2013 at the Kenyatta University Conference Centre (KUCC). Participants of the first workshop were drawn from secondary schools within the urban and peri-urban areas of Nairobi. Participants for the second workshop were drawn from rural schools. This article views the introduction of these open resources in Kenyan schools as an educational innovation and investigates the effects of such an innovation on teachers’ pedagogical practice. The study found that this innovation had a generally positive impact on the teachers’ pedagogical practice in terms of their pedagogical content knowledge and skills, teaching methodology, and professional growth.

Empowering Botswana’s Future: The Transformative Role of Open Schooling in Accessible Education

This study focuses on the transformative potential of open schooling in Botswana. It highlights its role in providing education to diverse learners by analyzing insights from Commonwealth of Learning, UNESCO, Rumble and Koul (2007), and Botswana’s Revised National Policy on Education (1994). The research emphasizes open schooling’s significance in addressing educational disparities and promoting national development. The paper underscores its role in creating an inclusive educational environment for societal advancement.Beyond emphasizing open schooling’s importance, the paper delves into effective implementation strategies. It aims to distill best practices that maximize open schooling’s positive impact on Botswana’s education by investigating key strategies.

Book Review: Participant Experience in an Inquiry-Based Massive Open Online Course, authored by Nathaniel Ostashewski and Martha Cleveland-Innes (Commonwealth of Learning, 2022)



Evaluation of Moodle OER for Junior Course Business Subjects Students at Botswana Open University’s Centre for Open Schooling

The paper shares some of the challenges and lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana and how Botswana Open University stayed resiliently. Our focus is on various aspects of ODeL (students and tutors).The paper discuses MOOODLE portal which was piloted at Botswana Open University’s Centre for Open Schooling in 2021 for Junior Secondary School students of business subjects comprising Commerce, Accounting and Office Procedures. This paper drew inspiration from the fact that MOODLE OERs portal is a niche in Open Schools and the that Commonwealth of Learning (COL), among other objectives offers guidance on use of OER in Open Schools. A total of 50 students were selected randomly from BOU’s five regions and one class of 30 students from a conventional Junior School participated in the pilot which ran for six months from April 2021 September 2021. The portal assisted students to keep learning ongoing, as University needed response to Covid19. There was need and urgency at BOU to address the desperate situation Open Schooling found itself in without tangible eLearning infrastructure. The paper is based on the experiences of the piloting students and tutors, their observations, as well as the literature review and draws recommendations from aforesaid.

From Modernisation, Dependency and Soft Power Toward a Commonwealth of Learning

This article reflects on some influential theories, concepts and institutions that have shaped the nature and substance of international development since the mid-20th century. In particular, theories of modernisation and dependency are deployed to reflect on the ways in which the International Financial Institutions, such as, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have adopted a ‘Washington Consensus’ concerning the social and economic development of ‘developing’ nations. ‘Soft power’ national agencies, such as, the British Council and USAID are brought into consideration, especially, for their interests and influences over matters of learning for development. The multi-national Commonwealth of Learning’s particular contribution to learning for development is discussed with suggestions made for developing member nations’ capacities to produce new local knowledge and to bring their existing local knowledge to the fore to share as part of a (Lockean) ‘commonwealth of learning’.

Developing Partnerships to Acquire Impact: The Role of Three Regional Centres’ Capacity Building Efforts for ODL Adoption in the Emerging World

Partnerships are central to the awareness, implementation and development of open and distance learning (ODL). It is an attribute that is distinct in the higher education sector, where ODL has made a large footprint by dispelling the notion that university enrolment is reserved for a narrow and elite demographic. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) operates to advance the uptake of ODL amongst the 54 member states of the Commonwealth. COL leverages its work through various channels, and the COL Regional Centres play a pivotal role as partners to COL and, in turn, to acquire new partners that may benefit from COL’s technical expertise. The Regional Centres, strategically located across the Commonwealth, engage primarily in capacity building for ODL. Their constituents include governments, institutions, and individual learners. This paper explores the role of COL Regional Centres to grow existing partnerships and to form new ones in the pursuit of ODL expansion. The formation of partnerships is understudied in the ODL space, yet it has been pivotal in augmenting the visibility and importance of ODL around the world. Drawing on data from an evaluation of three COL Regional Centres conducted at the end of 2019, and reporting on follow-up activities to the mid-point of 2021, this paper highlights how the RCs are achieving their mandate to engage partners and, in the process, have achieved short- and long-term outcomes since 2018. Findings provide insight into the effectiveness of RC activities, relative to the number of institutions and individuals reached, complemented with inputs from RC stakeholders, mostly comprised of RC staff. Recommendations are offered, with the paper positing that the role of the Regional Centres should continue and expand to other areas of the Commonwealth premised on their ability to build and sustain partnerships through capacity building efforts.

Pre- and Post-COVID-19: Exploring Issues of Access in Higher Education in Botswana and Ghana

Against the background of the arrival of COVID 19 and its challenges, this paper explors the effect of the pandemic on access provisions in higher education in Botswana and Ghana. Relying on policy documents and secondary data, the paper examines trends in tertiary enrollment, and probes into the future of higher education in these countries. It analyzes the socio-economic backgrounds of both countries, as well as the state of higher education access pre-COVID 19, during the pandemic, and the post COVID-19 periods. While both countries differ in population and human development indices, they have high literacy rates, good technological platforms, and a growing culture of online learning. This culture, further enhanced by the growth of distance education systems, is enabled by national ICT policy platforms. The countries' commonality of colonial history, and long-held desires for educational access was noted. In the context of COVID-19, both are continually adopting online teaching and learning strategies in higher education. Overall, a gradual growth is observed in tertiary access provisions and the exploration of alternative pathways to learning. Notably, the Commonwealth of Learning and Coursera initiatives are enhancing access in higher education. The paper recommends, in line with Adarkwah (2020), that the fostering of collaborative eLearning, researching learner preferences, promoting digital literacy, and enhancing infrastructural support will go a long way into mitigating the effects of COVID-19 in the future. Similarly, removing barriers to access and increasing gross enrollment ratios are vital to promoting access in tertiary education provisions [End Page 125] in both countries.

Interview with Professor Belinda Tynan: A journey through distance education

For this special issue, we have had the privilege to speak to Professor Belinda Tynan. She is the vice-President of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), has held the post of Vice-Chancellor at the Open University of the United Kingdom and represents Australia at the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors. She has been the Executive Committee President of the European Distance Education Network (EDEN) and in FutureLearn, the MOOC platform at the Open University as wel...

АНАЛІЗ СТАНДАРТИЗОВАНОГО ПСИХОДІАГНОСТИЧНОГО ІНСТРУМЕНТАРІЮ У СФЕРІ ГЕНДЕРНИХ ДОСЛІДЖЕНЬ

Статтю присвячено аналізу методичного інструментарію, який використовується у сфері гендерних досліджень. Проведено теоретичний аналіз можливостей використання методів та методик, що використовуються у західній психології. Зокрема, представлені основніметодики, які на сьогодні застосовуються у психології гендерних досліджень: Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), Implicit Association Test (IAT), Gender Bias Quiz. Підкреслено, що при дослідженні гендерно чутливих питань (гендерна нерівність, гендерна дискримінація, гендерний дисбаланс тощо) варто поєднувати експліцитні методи дослідження (прямі запитання, пряме шкалування, пряме оцінювання) із використанням імпліцитних (використовують опосередкований механізм для вимірювання не усвідомлених установок). Серед проаналізованих у роботі методик, до експліцитних належать Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), Gender Bias Quiz; до імпліцитних – ImplicitAssociation Test (IAT). Особливого значення при дослідженні ставлення особистості до гендерної проблематики (зокрема, до гендерної нерівності) набувають методичні прийоми і техніки, які дозволяють отримати інформацію, яку надає людина поза межами ефекту соціального схвалення. Зазначено, що процедура такого дослідження є більш складною та потребує від науковця вміння провадити якісний аналіз, що дозволяє виявляти часто приховані чинники поведінкових проявів. Проведений науковий пошук показав, що при дослідженні гендерної проблематики (гендерні стереотипи, ставлення до гендерної нерівності, гендерного дисбалансу тощо) важливо поєднувати методи, що дозволяють отримати як кількісні показники (наприклад, рівень прояву гендерних упереджень), так і якісні, щоможуть бути отримані за допомогою інших методів, наприклад, методу контент-аналізу.

OER Mainstreaming in Tonga

In the race towards achieving the Education 2030 agenda, open educational resources (OER) act as a key enabler for sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4). Leading to the 2014 Regional Focal Points Meeting, Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) Focal Point for Tonga had identified top priorities for the country where COL can further support the national agenda till 2021. Based on these needs, the Strategic OER Implementation Project in Tonga was initiated by COL in response to a request by the Ministry of Education and Training (MET) of Tonga. The project aims to assist MET in (a) developing a framework for fully utilizing the new fiber optic network infrastructure to deliver online learning to Tongans distributed in the 45 islands; and (b) improve the chances of sustainable livelihoods for Tongan youth by training them in life skills tailored to higher education and employment opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. This paper details the use of the horizontal framework for OER mainstreaming and the OER mainstreaming checklist within this project. The novelty of this project is its approach to mainstreaming OER at an institution in a systemic manner. The contribution this paper makes is to provide a proven plan for sustainable OER mainstreaming in a development setting.

MooKIT – A MOOC Platform for Developing Countries

IIT Kanpur (IITK) and Commonwealth of Learning (COL) have been working on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) since 2012. During this collaboration we developed a MOOC Management system and delivered close to 30 courses to about 200 000 users in over 100 countries. Our understanding of what features a MOOC Management System should have and how to engage the students in a course has also evolved. In this paper we describe our experiences and trace how some of our software features have evolved. One of the core features is the development and integration of an advanced analytics module. We also discuss how to reduce dropouts from an open online course, a common concern for all MOOCs.

Clinical Research and Medical Journal

Clinical Research and Medical Journal

Challenges of Adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) in Kenyan Secondary Schools: The Case of Open Resources for English Language Teaching (ORELT)

Kenya, like many African countries, has faced enormous challenges in the production of and access to quality relevant teaching and learning materials and resources in her primary and secondary school classrooms. This has been occasioned by a plethora of factors which include, but are not limited to a lack of finances, tradition, competence, and experience to develop such resources. Such a situation has persisted despite the existence and availability of many Open Educational Resources (OERs) that have been developed by many education stakeholders at enormous costs. Such freely available resources could potentially improve the quality of existing resources or help to develop new courses. Yet, their uptake and reuse in secondary and primary schools in Kenya continues to be very low. This paper reports the findings of a study in which Open Resources for English Language Teaching (ORELT) developed by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada, were piloted in sampled fifty (50) Kenyan secondary schools. The study applied the Model 1 – Distance and Dependence (Zhao et al 2002) model to investigate the challenges that hinder instructors to adopt and use ORELT materials. The study reported that poor infrastructure, negative attitudes, lack of ICT competencies, and other skill gaps among teachers and lack of administrative support are some of the implementation challenges that have continued to dog the implementation, adoption and use of OERs in Kenyan schools. The findings of the present study will go a long way in providing useful insights to the developers of OERs and Kenyan education stakeholders in devising strategies of maximum utilisation of OERs in the Kenyan school system.

The Commonwealth of Learning

In the forward to this collection of twenty-three of his articles and lectures on education authored over the past seventeen years, Professor Commager claims that much of what he has advocated in educational reform continues to be prophetic of current upheavals in American education. The accuracy of his remark will become readily apparent to the reader of this most welcome selection of essays, edited by Professor Commager's son, Professor Steele Commager.

A Collaborative Approach to OER Policy and Guidelines Development in the Commonwealth: The Case of Botswana, Cameroon, and Sri Lanka

Access to relevant learning resources is an important aspect in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all as outlined in the sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4). The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has identified the development of open educational resources (OER) as a potential answer to these challenges. A total of 29 provincial/regional OER policies and guidelines were developed in Sri Lanka, Botswana, and Cameroon closely involving 608 provincial/regional policymakers from the general education system. The innovation of this project lies in the collaborative approach adopted for OER policy/guideline development where a maximum number of policymakers at the provincial/regional level have been included in the policy development process. Key applications of the approach are mass-sensitization of policymakers, identification of champions in each province or region to drive the OER agenda forward, and the development of policies/guidelines tailored to the specific needs of a particular jurisdiction. The paper will also highlight the success factors, challenges, and the follow-up activities of the project.

Print2Screen Mobile App: Embedding Multimedia in Printed ODL Course Materials using QR Codes

With the rise of OER and multimedia such as YouTube videos, many academic institutions are becoming mindful of the richness they bring into the teaching and learning process. Given that multimedia resources cannot be directly integrated into printed material, the only available alternative is to print hyperlinks, which teachers and learners can manually type into a web browser. This method becomes ridiculously ineffective as the length of the URL increases. To address this limitation with a special focus on print based ODL course materials, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), which is a regional center of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), developed an innovative solution to seamlessly integrate multimedia into printed material using Quick Response Codes (QR codes) or 2D barcodes and an Android mobile application named “Print2Screen”. This paper highlights the rationale behind Print2Screen, the development process, how the solution is implemented in a real world scenario and the benefits it will bring to the ODL community especially in rural and developing parts of the world where stable access to technology is still a costly commodity.

Understanding the Profile, Motivations and Current Status of Academic Graduates through Open and Distance Schooling in India

In India, Open and Distance Learning for secondary and higher secondary level is mainly provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Secondary education in India pertains to class 9 and 10 catering to the age group of 15 to 16. Similarly, higher secondary education refers to class 11 and 12 catering to the age group of 17 to 18. Based on research supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) this paper discusses the results from a telephone survey of close to 1000 learners who were enrolled with NIOS and completed secondary and higher secondary education during 2008-2012 in selected states. It emerged that nearly 81 per cent of respondents were gainfully employed and NIOS helped them look for better jobs, widen their job search, and gain more stable (permanent) and secure (government) jobs. NIOS has successfully enabled a good proportion of learners to continue with their higher education. Flexibility offered by open schooling is the main motivation to join NIOS; individuals facing various constraints in accessing regular secondary education have opted for this option. It appears that two different kinds of learners join NIOS at these two levels; the secondary level seems to have a bigger representation from lower socio-economic strata. The role of open schooling in reducing the gender gap at secondary level of schooling remains mixed.