Explore the dynamic world of Open Educational Resources and discover how OER Africa is driving the movement forward. This page is divided into two sections:
Articles: Our articles aim to deliver insights on OER-related themes that inform, spark conversation, and engage with the developing open education landscape, with a particular focus on Africa.
Updates: Below, the articles, you'll find updates on OER Africa’s latest initiatives, activities, and contributions to the OER community.
Articles
This section features targeted articles crafted specifically for educators, students, and the global Open Educational Resources (OER) community. The articles examine themes related to OER, offering insightful perspectives and information. The content seeks to inform, prompt discussion, and actively engage with the dynamic landscape of open education, particularly within the African context.
20 June 2025
The Botswana Open University (BOU) wanted to give lecturers and tutors at BOU an opportunity to gain skills for facilitating online learning. OER Africa adapted the OER Africa online tutorial for Facilitating Online Learning (FOL) for the context of staff development at BOU. When students arrive in a face to face class, when a lecturer or tutor arrives to teach them, there is an immediate connection, a presence. Online, we can lose the connections that allow us to learn with and from each other. The art of online facilitation helps to re-create those connections, to create a presence.
06 May 2025
Are you in search of podcasts that discuss or relate to open education (OE)? The podcasts in this list engage with themes closely aligned to OE, including how to apply OE practices, enabling equitable access to knowledge, and promoting the use of personalized learning. While not always explicitly framed within the OE movement, they offer valuable perspectives that challenge traditional models and broaden our understanding of openness in educational contexts.
02 March 2025
With the focus on open education and open technologies during Open Education Week, which runs from 3 to 7 March 2025, let’s explore some ways in which open content is being harnessed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to deliver quality education to some of Africa’s youth.
08 December 2024
In a world filled with competing distractions, apps, and social media, students' attention is constantly being pulled in different directions. The adaptability and flexibility of Open Educational Resources allow educators to create engaging lessons. Encouraging students to use and modify these resources can enhance their knowledge retention and encourage social interactions among the peers.
08 October 2024
As we get older, we often develop the misconception that learning has to be serious and that we must be disciplined in our studies. As a result, we might take ourselves as educators too seriously. Discipline has become a synonym for teaching. We forget that, as children, where our most fundamental learning takes place, we learn through play.
27 May 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has assumed a leadership role in discussions about education. Neil Butcher’s blog on AI’s false promises in education lays out major issues and pinpoints the easy assumptions on AI’s importance to educational systems.[1]
Updates
This section provides updates on OER Africa’s initiatives and activities. Stay informed about our contributions to the OER community and how we are driving the open education movement forward.
20 May 2025
UNESCO recently launched the OER Dynamic Coalition Portal, a collaborative hub that will support the growth of the global Open Educational Resources movement. This new platform serves as a space where various OER stakeholders – educators, policymakers, researchers, and OER advocates – can connect and share news, resources, and upcoming events.
24 March 2025
As the knowledge landscape rapidly evolves due to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and open access initiatives, academic and research librarians must continuously enhance their skills to remain effective. To support this need, OER Africa and the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions have developed a Continuous Professional Development Framework for Academic and Research Librarians, designed to provide structured and ongoing professional learning opportunities.
28 January 2025
As Open Educational Resources (OER) continue to gain traction around the world, Africa remains a region that is brimming with opportunities to harness their potential.
Here is a snapshot of just a few items of 2024's OER-related news from across Africa.
07 November 2024
Are you looking to enhance your professional development or support it within your department or institution? Visit our new Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework space to explore CPD resources that have been curated specifically for the CPD framework for academics.
25 September 2024
The Publishing Cooperative Advisory Group of the Open Education Network recently announced its revisions to its Publishing Toolkit, expanding the content into two new openly licensed toolkits – the OER Publishing Project Toolkit and the OER Publishing Program Toolkit.
