OAsis
COL’s Open Access Institutional Repository
Welcome to OAsis, the Commonwealth of Learning's repository for publications and learning resources. Publications found here are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International and can be freely downloaded for reuse and adaptation with attribution to COL, except where indicated.
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Publication Impact of Virtual Laboratory-Assisted Microlearning on Students' Motivation, Engagement, and Academic Success(2025-03-24)Open and distance learning (ODL) often faces challenges in increasing student motivation and engagement. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a virtual laboratory-assisted microlearning platform in alleviating the identified challenges. Using a quasi-experimental methodology, 52 students from higher education institutions in Indonesia were divided into two different groups: the experimental group received a virtual laboratory-assisted microlearning treatment, while the control group utilized a conventional microlearning platform. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that the experimental group achieved mean motivation and engagement score of 187.00 (SD = 3.82213), in contrast to the control group, which recorded a lower mean score of 167.8929 (SD = 6.03287). A statistically significant difference between the two groups was demonstrated through a t-test (t = 13.375, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the N-Gain analysis proved the superior effectiveness of the experimental group, resulting in a score of 0.7243 (high category) compared to the control group's score of 0.4697 (moderate category). This finding confirms that the integration of virtual laboratory in microlearning not only increases motivation and engagement, but also contributes to students' academic success in ODL, making it an effective alternative for teaching in the digital era.Publication Empowering Women and Girls Project: Annual Report 2024(2025-04)Achieving Gender Equality and increasing women’s and girls’ empowerment are core components of the Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) mission, and the Empowering Women and Girls (EWG) project plays a pivotal role in advancing these goals. Funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) as part of the Canadian Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), which prioritises women and girls in its international development efforts, this initiative is being implemented by COL in collaboration with eight local organisations across Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The EWG project is now in its second year of implementation, and it has contributed to significant changes at the village, community and national levels. These changes are particularly evident across the project’s three key pathways of change, reinforcing its holistic approach to enhancing education and skills development, strengthening economic participation and improving health outcomes. By fostering sustainable social transformation, this initiative is actively contributing to the creation of a more equitable and inclusive society. This report provides an analysis of the progress towards achieving the outcomes during the second year of the EWG project, which builds on the significant groundwork laid in its first year.Publication Blended Learning Course Experiences in Higher Education Institutions in Mauritius(2025-05)This report evaluates the implementation and impact of technology-enabled learning (TEL) across six public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Mauritius, supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and coordinated by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Mauritius. As part of the intervention, COL organised three intensive five-day workshops and two online training programmes, equipping over 100 faculty members to develop and deliver 88 blended courses. This report assessed the outcomes of these efforts through a mixed-methods approach involving 617 student participants as well as faculty focus group discussions. It explored students’ digital literacy, motivation, blended learning experience, and learning attitudes while examining gender and institutional differences. The study demonstrates that well-structured TEL interventions can enhance student engagement, motivation, and satisfaction in blended learning contexts. However, continued investment in digital infrastructure, localised faculty training, and systemic institutional support is essential for sustaining TEL practices and achieving long-term educational transformation in Mauritius.Publication Outcomes Report: The Workshop on ‘Resilient Skills and Livelihood for Women in the Small States of the Pacific’(2025-04)This report presents the activities and outcomes of the regional workshop in the Pacific organized by GIRLS Inspire Initiative in collaboration with the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning in the Pacific (PACFOLD) under Workstream 2.2. Workstream 2.2. aims to build the capacity of NGOs to develop structures and strategies to deliver leadership/vocational courses using diverse Open and Distance learning methodologies. The goal is to contribute to more equitable access to training and learning opportunities in the region by supporting marginalized learners and improving the knowledge and skills of youth for improved lives and livelihoods.Publication Editorial: Reflections on the Increasing Role of TEL in Learning for Development(2025-03-24)In the ‘Editorial’ to the last issue of our journal JL4D, we had noted that “For effective implementation of TEL, Panda and Mishra (2020) underlined that while ‘policy-capacity-technology’ could act as a theory of change model, open and distance institutions need to invest in our collective understanding of ‘learning’ in a ‘networked society’ and work toward implementation of TEL in relation to contextual socio-cultural and educational ecologies” (Panda, 2024, p. i). Deriving from this, it may be underlined that context and contextual understanding become very important insofar as technology deployment and application in ‘learning for development’ are concerned. ‘Learning for development’ (LfD) covers a wide range of themes, levels, and strategies, and these are also transforming in contemporary times. Research has been leading this transformation, and research on technology-enabled learning (TEL) contributing to and facilitating LfD should not only be contextual but, more importantly, look into the critical role of technology for community-based socio-economic development (Selwyn, 2023; Selwyn et al., 2020). Based on these formulations, we have selected and included 17 items (nine research papers, seven case studies, and one book review) in this issue of the Journal.
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