Implementing Multimedia Content Development Strategy in Open Schooling: The Experience of the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL)

Abstract

This manual was produced as a direct outcome of a Commonwealth of Learning (COL) funded project on capacity building in the production of multimedia learning resources in the context of open schooling. NAMCOL’s interest in the project stems from its mission statement, i.e., “…to provide wider access to quality educational services for our learners and other customers using a variety of open learning methods.” In pursuit of this mission, the College has adopted an innovative approach whereby Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are employed to add value to the existing print‐based materials provided to learners. It has been established through institutional research that by adopting an appropriate strategy where ICTs are used more effectively, NAMCOL learners as well as learners and teachers from the formal education system could benefit tremendously from these programmes at secondary school level. Similarly, the broader Namibian public would be able to access and benefit from multimedia learning resources produced for NAMCOL’s professional programmes.