Book Chapters

In the last decade, a number of OER initiatives in African higher education have sought to address challenges related to the access, supply and contextualisation of educational materials. However, limited information is available on the effectiveness of such initiatives. To gain deeper insight into this, OER Africa conducted research between September 2019 and February 2022. The project analysed the effectiveness of eleven key African OER initiatives in higher education and their influence on developing and supporting effective OER practices. The research team used a mixed-methods approach which included a short survey, desktop research and in-depth online interviews with initiative representatives to develop eleven case studies (one for each initiative). They also developed an analytical summary report which drew key findings across the case studies together. Three significant themes emerged from the research, which are explored in this chapter. First, the research highlighted the impact that OER localisation had on improving the number of contextually relevant educational materials. Second, it identified successes and challenges of OER advocacy. Third, it contributed insights about sustainability efforts for the initiatives, including funding, inter-institutional support, and champions to advocate for OER. This chapter explores these themes using the case studies and the accompanying report findings.

Governments across the world are increasing the openness and transparency of their services, a move also taking place in the education sector in some countries, signifying commitment to openness and ensuring that adequate attention and funding is paid to open educational resources (OER). This chapter assesses the extent to which policies are being developed and/or modified to support effective use of open educational resources. However, despite the growth of OER at many institutions, surprisingly few have developed and implemented formal OER policies. Those with policies have most commonly established them in a context of having implemented OER projects, thereafter recognising the need for policy to inform initiatives or to institutionalise OER formally. Others have developed OER policies as they began exploring the use of OER. Evidence suggests the vital role of leadership support and champions in encouraging and driving OER policies.

Several institutions have developed practices or procedures that support OER and which contribute towards institutionalising OER, even though there may not be a formal policy. A review of available policies reveals that they do not typically cover all aspects related to OER creation and adaptation, with most institutions focusing primarily on managing intellectual property rights and releasing materials using a Creative Commons license. In some instances, policy has been created, but with little evidence of consistency between policy and practice, highlighting that policy fulfils a limited function and that issues such as sustainability and faculty buy-in and involvement are of equal importance. This chapter concludes with recommendations to accelerate the development and adoption of open licensing frameworks for governments, institutions and faculty.

This chapter focuses on online teaching but is relevant for all modes of instruction. Topics covered include microlearning and microcontent, text content, video content, and locating OER, along with five references. It is a valuable resource for academics to learn about ‘chunking’ content into manageable amounts, developing and presenting text, using, and hosting video content, and effectively presenting content in their courses.

Ideas for CPD Interventions
Useful for CPD where the focus is on selecting content for use in a course.

The resource champions using a teaching methodology with ‘hands-on activities’ to encourage higher order thinking skills to supplement lectures.

Ideas for CPD Interventions
This Pressbooks chapter is useful when compiling CPD that attempts to encourage lecturers to embrace varied teaching methodologies over and above the lecture. The strategy is to incorporate into a series of lectures opportunities for students to engage with the content in an active fashion. This method could be offered as part of a suggested list of things to try out in class shared among the academic staff, followed by an opportunity to discuss the effectiveness of these hands-on activities.

A good introduction to understand what role technology must play in supporting the common modes of delivery: asynchronous, synchronous, in person with facilitator, remote learning, blended, and hybrid. Once the modes of delivery are understood then the selection of technology is easier.

Ideas for CPD Interventions
The CPD intervention might be to develop a tool, and criteria, to determine if student or staff access to technology is sufficient to support a specific mode at an institution.

This is a book chapter with practical examples of how to curate digital resources. It would lead librarians into understanding the difference between collecting and curating digital resources.

The ebook provides background knowledge on institutional repositories – the content, access points and relevant stakeholders for the successful operations of IRs. 

Digital content refers to any type of material that exists in digital format, whether the material is born-digital or converted using scanning and digitization. Digital content has increased in recent years because of modern and innovative technologies, such as social media, enterprise applications, digital publishing, smart cities applications, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and mobiles devices, such as smartphones with enhanced digital capture capabilities. The shift toward open access makes it easier and more affordable for libraries to provide access to curated digital collections. The role and nature of the librarian and information professional's job are also changing. Some existing jobs are being reinvented or expanded, and many new jobs are being created.

This resource provides historical and contextual information as well as trends and tools for management of digital content. 

The resource lists risks that data may face, and how policies, procedures, and standards can be put in place for effective management and use of data. 

These are short case studies built around selected specimens in the UCT pathology teaching collection, intended to support learning around common pathological conditions in Southern Africa.  The student cases form part of the UCT Digital Pathology online collection (www.digitalpathology.uct.ac.za), which catalogues thousands of pathology specimens used for teaching and learning.

This website, shared through Creative Commons, gives electronic access to several thousand pathology specimens in our pathology teaching collection. It is intended for use by undergraduate and postgraduate students in the health sciences. There are currently three main catalogues for (1) the anatomical pathology collection (2) the forensic pathology collection and (3) the obstetrics and gynaecology collection. (A paediatric pathology section is in the pipeline).

This is an historical collection (begun in the 1920’s) so the cataloguing is rather old fashioned. The specimens are catalogued by organ or system e.g. “kidneys” and then by broad pathological category e.g. “neoplasms”. Each specimen has a brief description and commentary along with good quality photographs. The emphasis is on macroscopic pathology; we are aiming to include more radiographic imaging and also microscopy going forward.

The website is a work in progress so much of our material is still in the process of being reviewed and uploaded. For all that use the website, please be respectful of all the specimens and their images. Although anonymous now, they originate from real patients whose diseases were often distressing, painful and fatal.

Funded by: Department of Education, South Africa 

This case study focuses on the multiple factors which feed into under 5 malnutrition (including the social determinants of disease). It is set in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in 2002. The UNICEF Conceptual Framework is used as a tool for analysis.

The case is structured as a short narrative case study followed by an introduction to the UNICEF Conceptual Framework. In addition, contextual information is supplied and could be supplemented, using links to further sources of information, plus some tables and photographs. Also included are links to journal articles outlining possible responses to this situation.

This case study resource has been developed at the School of Public Health (SOPH), University of the Western Cape (UWC) and used in our teaching. It is based on a research project undertaken over 12 years in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa by Emeritus Prof David Sanders and Prof Thandi Puoane of the SOPH, UWC with Prof Ann Ashworth from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The case concerns an informal settlement with a high prevalence of diarrheal disease in sub-Saharan Africa, and the factors that feed into this situation. The learning aim is to apply a model for intervention – the Public Health Action Cycle, which is based on UNICEF’s Triple A Cycle for nutrition improvement.

This case study explores progress made, lessons learned and possibilities for the future in harnessing Open Educational Resources (OER) in support of the vision and mission of Africa Nazarene University to open learning opportunities in higher education. We begin by providing a context for the work that has been undertaken to date.

Paul Mumba, Principal of LEAP Science and Maths School in Diepsloot joins the panel to talk about his experience of leading a school in a township context. He also talks about the South African Extraordinary Schools Coalition (the community of practice he belongs to) and what it has meant to him to be part of that collaborative platform.

Find more podcasts on Leadership in Education on the BRIDGE Knowledge Hub or on CliffCentral.com.

A team of key players from BRIDGE’s National ECD Community of Practice (ECD CoP) and the National ECD Alliance (NECDA) met in dialogue to focus on key challenges facing the ECD sector, the specific strengths and challenges of each structure and the potential for collaboration.

Through the dialogue, participants identified and agreed on opportunities for strategic collaboration to further the agenda of civil society organisations working in ECD in South Africa.

BRIDGE’s focus on ICTs as a cross-cutting theme in education has recently taken centre stage in several contexts. An important concern is to make sure that the device is not the goal; technology must support teaching and learning rather than overwhelming it.

We were joined by the first two principals in Gauteng to be part of the controversial school-twinning process.  They discussed how they have worked through the process and dispelled some of the myths.

In this video, Melissa King of BRIDGE, provides an update on the progress of the development of the ECD CoP’s ECD Quality Reflective Toolkit. The purpose reflection tool is to help practitioners (including care-givers, trainers and other stakeholders) think about quality in ECD and reflect on: “What is quality ECD provision in practice?”