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.
04 April 2019
Simple, short tutorial to acquire the skills necessary to search for open content, decipher Creative Commons rights and permissions and evaluate the usefulness of OER for new purposes.
14 March 2019
OER Africa would like to congratulate Associate Professor Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams on her appointment as a UNESCO Chair in Open Education and Social Justice. The UNESCO Chairs Programme serves as a think tank and bridge-builder between academia, civil society and local communities, as well as researchers and policymakers.
25 January 2019
This free online course on OER from the Commonwealth of Learning has recently been updated. It is interactive and on completion you can download a certificate of participation.
12 October 2018
Participant Experiences and Financial Impacts: Findings from Year 2 of Achieving the Dream’s OER Degree Initiative.
27 September 2018
As the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) 14-strong portfolio of open online courses continues impacting internationally, six have been singled out as world class by global MOOC monitoring website Class Central, based on participants’ reviews.