Browsing by Author "Naidu, Som"

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    Open Access
    Access to ICT Infrastructure and Devices in the South Pacific
    (2022-09) Naidu, Som; Bhartu, Dhiraj; Mays, Tony
    PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations // The South Pacific region spreads over more than 30 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. The region comprises more than a dozen island nations ranging from small volcanic islands to even smaller coral atolls. Population masses in the island nations vary from around 2,000 in Tokelau to a little more than 800,000 in the Republic of Fiji. Access to information and communications technologies and internet connectivity in the region is varied. This project involves the design and conduct of a desktop study into access to ICT infrastructure, connectivity and devices and their use by students and teachers in the Pacific. Outcomes of this study will enable COL to make informed decisions about what access and delivery technologies to employ in the Partnership for Open Distance and Flexible Learning project in the Pacific. The study will address issues of access to hardware, software, connectivity and skills, as well as examples of ways in which teachers, institutions or Ministries have found ways to address the challenges in low bandwidth/limited access environments, especially in the nine developing countries of the Commonwealth in the region. // Paper ID 3503
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    Capacity building of academic staff in the integration of ICT and OER in teacher education programs at the Open University of Sri Lanka
    (2013-11) Karunanayaka, Shironica P; Naidu, Som
    Growing interest in promoting Education for All (Dakar, 2000), open access to educational resources, and the economic imperatives for adopting greater use of open educational resources (OER) (UNESCO 2012 declaration) is necessitating the need for educators to refocus their attention on the integration of OER and ICTs in learning and teaching. ICTs enable educators gain access to a wide variety of teaching-learning materials available as OER that can be freely accessed, reused, revised, re-mixed and re-distributed (UNESCO, 2012). While ICT can be used to harness the benefits of OER more efficiently, effective use of OER can be best realized through systematic course design and integrating appropriate OER in the learning and teaching transactions. // A comprehensive program of work is being undertaken in the Faculty of Education at the Open University of Sri Lanka, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning to build the capacity of its teaching staff. During a period of six months in 2013, thirty teacher educators have been engaged in designing five teacher education courses, with ICT and OER integration. This paper describes this work including reporting on what kind of capacity has been built in individuals and to what extent; what factors facilitated this kind and level of capacity building; what challenges were faced and how these can be addressed; and what are the impacts of this capacity building on their professional development. // Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used as the methodology for examining participants’ ‘lived experiences’ during this process. This method explores in great detail how participants are making sense of their personal and social world (Smith & Osborne, 2007). Qualitative data is gathered through a series of concept mapping exercises and studying the changes over time, combined with individual narratives and focus group interviews. // Preliminary analysis of data revealed significant changes in participants’ development of understanding around key concepts on OER and their relationships, remarkable capacity building in ‘learning-centered’ course design, identifying and integrating OER, and confidence in applying their new knowledge and skills. The ‘compulsion’ induced by the project activities with targets, continuous facilitation, team work, motivation and satisfaction were clearly the facilitating factors. Even though challenges such as selecting relevant and quality OER and effective integration, technical skill limitations and time constraints were present, the participants’ motivation in finding solutions to overcome these were prominent. This capacity building experience has visibly impacted on participants’ professional development as teacher educators and their ability and confidence in the effective integration of ICT and OER in future course design activities, in a ‘learning-centered’ manner. // Paper ID: 77
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    Open Access
    Consultancy for Conducting Workshop with IGNOU and Editing the Modules Developed in the Workshop
    (2008) Naidu, Som
    Final report on Contract Ref:C08-111. Includes: Statement of Work, Report on Activity, Evaluation of Impact, Ongoing Plans and Directions
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    A Critical Systemic Analysis of an On-line Teacher Education Program of ICONSENT, India: An Experiment of e-Learning in Teacher Education
    (2010-11) Deshmukh, Veena; Chougule, Sadashiv; Naidu, Som; Deshmukh, Martand N; Takwale, Ram
    Rapid advances in information communication technology (ICT) and their applications in education have greatly influenced and changed the learning environment. The content development and the processes of learning today show a growing orientation to ICT. E-Learning is gaining prominence in satisfying the demands of emerging sophisticated global knowledge society, and also in satisfying the need for accessible, affordable quality education for all. Especially, in a country like India, where “access to quality education for all” is an issue that is being addressed to on priority, e-learning shows great promise. An alternative innovative schooling has become a need of the times and for facilitation of the new processes of learning, suitable for new generation of learners, there arises a need to have teachers who are well versed with the dynamics of facilitating learning in an online environment. // It was realized at the very beginning that educational transformation is not possible unless teacher education programs are transformed to prepare the teachers to play their pivotal role in this process of change. Indian Consortium for Educational Transformation (I-CONSENT), a voluntary organization, established by educationists and educators, not happy with the present qualitative and quantitative condition of education in India, particularly in the context of globalization and mass personalization of education, possible due to advent and applications of ICT in the field of education, has undertaken the programs and activities to form, reform and transform educational objectives and practices in this country. I-CONSENT began with the Teacher Education Program.
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    Distance Education : Past, Present & Future
    (2011) Forster, Anne; Naidu, Som
    Prof. Anne Forster, COL Consultant in conversation with Prof. Som Naidu, Charles Sturt University at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6), Kochi, India, November 2010. Ten video conversations conducted by CEMCA at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, November 2010, Kochi, India. www.cemca.org. Duration:16:12.
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    Distance Education Today: Reflections and Perceptions
    (2011) Tynan, Belinda; Naidu, Som
    Prof. Belinda Tynan, University of New England in conversation with Prof. Som Naidu, Charles Sturt University at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6), Kochi, India, November 2010. Ten video conversations conducted by CEMCA at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, November 2010, Kochi, India. www.cemca.org. Duration:15:38.
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    Open Access
    E-Learning: A Guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices
    (2006) Naidu, Som
    This guidebook will help readers to systematically approach their engagement with e-learning, irrespective of the educational sector or level within which they may be working. The content of this guidebook has been carefully selected to enable readers to consider all the issues in relation to e-learning. Besides the great deal of resources that are included in this guidebook, its unique feature is the opportunity it provides readers to “tell us a story” about their experiences in relation to the issue or subject under discussion. Telling a story requires readers to pause, slow down, reflect, learn, access and share their experiences or connect in a meaningful way with others. These are opportunities designed to remind readers of relevant experiences, which will enable them to reflect upon their experiences and those of other colleagues. These will enable readers to make better sense of what this guidebook recommends.
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    Open Access
    E-learning: A Guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices
    (2006-04) Naidu, Som
    E-learning: A Guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices, published by Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), April 2006.
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    Open Access
    Evaluation and Lessons Learned from Professionalising Youth Work Micro-credentials in Fiji and the Bahamas: A Comparative Analysis
    (2022-09) Perris, Kirk; Naidu, Som; Pluim, Gary; Johnson, Janelle; Newman, Mairette; Bhartu, Deepak; Semeniuk, Jana
    PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations [PRESENTATION] // Since 2019, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has worked with partners to develop micro-credentials aimed at professionalising youth workers, or aspiring youth workers. Youth workers are individuals on the front lines who engage directly with youth, mainly through government, non-government and civil society organisations. // COL, with research and capacity-building support from Lakehead University in Canada, developed two online, facilitated micro-credentials, each comprised of six courses; in the Pacific in 2020-21 and then in the Bahamas in 2021. In the Pacific, course delivery was facilitated by the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development, located at the University of the South Pacific. In the Caribbean, course delivery was facilitated by the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute. Data collected in the Pacific initiative included participation data from 2,503 registered learners, and pre- and post-course experience surveys. Data collected in the Bahamas, which is at an earlier stage of implementation, included data from 6 interview and focus groups of ministry and post-secondary education professionals. // In this workshop we will focus on two halves. In the first half, we will offer a description of each project including youth issues, selection of stakeholders, and contextualisation. In the second half, we will engage participants to reflect on the first half presentation and then be organized into small groups to engage in varying activities that will also be informed by their own experiences in multi stakeholder projects. The workshop will close with an open discussion in plenary. // The outcomes of the workshop are to: Advance understanding on mechanisms that may enable fruitful engagement across international and cultural boundaries; the centrality and value of co-development in such activities; and problematizing international partnerships in the context of project management and participatory action research with a view to forming some generalizations to the benefit of all attendees. // Paper ID 8625
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    Future Proofing Higher Education in the Pacific with Open and Flexible Learning
    (2018-12) Naidu, Som; Roberts, Keith J; Gaskell, Anne
    Affordable access to higher education is a major challenge for small Pacific island nations. The University of the South Pacific which is owned and governed by twelve island nations in this region plays a special role in meeting this challenge. In its fiftieth year, a few recent developments at USP provide a useful case study for how this challenge can be addressed to provide affordable access to educational opportunity for residents of twelve Pacific Island nations in various stages of development. // The island nations served by the University of the South Pacific are spread over 33 million square kilometers of the Pacific, with several official languages and many more indigenous languages, and use seven distinct currencies. As USP celebrates its fiftieth year in 2018, it has embarked upon two specific initiatives that will enable the university to map out a pathway for the future of education for the next generation and within the context of current and new strategies for the design and implementation of meaningful education throughout the member nations. // These initiatives are the development of a flexible learning policy and an Open Education Resources policy. Taking pages from the fields of Technology, Education (Learning and Teaching), and Design, these two USP policies seek to “future proof” the university for the next generation and others after that. Being future proofed means being able to stand the test of time in the face of changing contexts and challenges. University policies are most effective when they are designed to withstand and accommodate prospective changes in the educational landscape. These policies reflect agreed-upon principles that will withstand social and political changes. This paper is a commentary on the content of these policy initiatives around flexible learning and open education practices, their values and principles.
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    Gamified and Digitised Technology to Help Empower Minority and under Resourced Groups to Fuel their Advancement and Rise
    (2022-09) Sguario, Renata; Singh, Mahendra; Naidu, Som
    PCF10 Sub-theme: Fostering Lifelong Learning // The issues and challenges confronting the changing face of the global workforce, like automation, technology advances and a global shortage of skilled labour, are expediting the need for business and economies, to quickly adapt and drive the necessary upskill/reskill of employees to be ready. The need is global, and just as acute in disadvantaged countries. Economies, and their leaders, who think beyond technical skills and seek to avail themselves of market leading solutions, and help their people invest in human skill development will thrive. // Paper ID 1116
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    Generating Mass Movement for Creating Quality School Education for All
    (2008) Takwale, Ram; Deshmukh, Martand; Sawant, Vivek; Menon, Mohan; Naidu, Som
    This paper reports an initiative by a group of institutions and individuals who have worked together to develop school and teacher education programs on e-Platform developed by MKCL. Its goal has been to develop a new paradigm of education for large numbers with connectedness for offering Quality School Education for All, and for sustainable development of local situations, that is, classrooms, schools and local community by linking them to the global context. The two programs that are part of this initiative are an online B. e-Ed. and Virtual School and Learning Homes (VSLH). These two programs enable an experimental and exploratory way of learning and preparing teachers for exploratory learning using situated learning designs based on constructivist pedagogy. It also aims to develop a mass Olympiad movement to support multi-level, multi-stage nurturing and assessment of learning. Quality of education in teaching and learning is considered at three levels - content, processes and systems. A program of developing mechanisms, sharable and common wealth is undertaken to support quality in a distributed e-education system. A model of management for working, learning and developing together on an eplatform that offers a level playing field for all is being developed in order to address Indian problems of large numbers, disparities and divides. // Paper ID 566
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    Getting Published in High Impact ODL Journals (Researching & Writing Panel Discussion)
    (2022-09) Naidu, Som; McGreal, Rory; Panda, Santosh
    PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations [PRESENTATION] // Prof Som Naidu will talk to the following: Open, flexible and distance education draws its foundations from an eclectic knowledge base. While this provides scope for multiple perspectives, it also poses serious challenges for writing, researching and getting published in the field. Key issues among these are 1) a lack of awareness of the basic principles of open and distance learning; 2) lack of awareness of lessons already learned, and 3) lack of methodological rigour. This discussion will engage participants with a critical examination of these issues and challenges and how best to approach them. // Prof Rory McGreal will talk to the following: This session will provide prospective authors of scholarly articles with useful information on how to write a paper to increase the chances of acceptance. An adapted version of Reyes guidelines for scholarly articles will be used to provoke questions, comments and suggestions from the audience. Descriptions of journals that are accepting articles specifically on open and distance education research will be provided. The OER Knowledge Cloud will be introduced along with an explanation of how it can best be used for research. // Information will also be provided on the landscape of scholarly journals relevant to open and distance education research, including explanations of impact factors, h-index, ESCI (Emerging Sources Citation Index) and citation rankings. A description of the open access publishing environment will aim to enlighten participants on the main issues regarding what is wrong with academic publishing. The different types of openness (green, gold, etc.) will be discussed. // Prof Santosh Panda will talk to the following: The Journal of Learning for Development provides a forum for the publication of research with a focus on innovation in learning, in particular but not exclusively open and distance learning, and its contribution to development. Content includes interventions that change social and/or economic relations, especially in terms of improving equity. // JL4D publishes research articles, book reviews and reports from the field from researchers, scholars and practitioners, and seeks to engage a broad audience across that spectrum. It aims to encourage contributors starting their careers, as well as to publish the work of established and senior scholars from the Commonwealth and beyond. // Paper ID 7880
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    Global Advocacy for Educational Resilience – How to Build a National or Regional Advocacy Campaign for Open, Flexible and Distance Learning
    (2022-09) Oliveira, Carlos; Pena-Bandalaria, Melinda Dela; Fassina, Neil; Gjelsvik, Torunn; Naidu, Som; Nichols, Mark; Ossiannilsson, Ebba
    PCF10 Sub-theme: Building Resilience [PRESENTATION] // Two years of oscillating school closures globally has underscored the vulnerability of campus-based in-person learning and, in turn, exposed the vulnerability of equitable and open access points to education. To support millions of displaced learners, institutions and systems alike rapidly adopted alternative off-campus approaches, as an emergency response to teaching and learning. Advocates of Open, Flexible, and Distance Learning (OFDL) environments have been building resilient education systems that enable equitable and inclusive access for decades. These efforts, however, have regularly faced significant stigma stemming from the false assumption that OFDL environments are inferior to in-person educational environments. Despite exponential growth over the last two years, scalable and resilient OFDL environments continue to face systemic barriers in public policy, academic and operational practice, and government support. These systemic barriers limit the ultimate potential for educators to truly transform lives and communities. Regrettably, many of the barriers standing in the way are beyond the control of any one institution or educational system, thereby necessitating strong advocacy efforts to influence change. // The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) aims to change the narrative regarding OFDL policy and practice through advocacy as a global community. The ICDE is actively working to strengthen global advocacy efforts regarding OFDL and enable greater regional and national influence through members and partners. Originally developed during a series of Leadership Summits and President Forums involving OFDL experts from across the globe, the ICDE has created an advocacy toolkit that can be used as a framework to promote OFDL at the national and regional levels. // In this workshop will introduce the ICDE Advocacy Campaign and toolkit (https://www.icde.org/global-advocacy-campaign). This toolkit seeks to help attendees plan and prepare how to participate or lead a regional or national advocacy intervention suitable for their home country drawing on the open licensed materials developed by the ICDE, the advocacy messages for dissemination, and a campaign leaflet. By the conclusion of the workshop attendees will have identified key stakeholders, tailored relevant messages, and identified key resources and partners in support of their advocacy efforts. // Together, we can systematically dismantle the conscious or subconscious barriers that stand between learners and their future potential by advocating for change to public policy, practice, and resources that are necessary to improve open and equitable access to resilient education systems, nationally and globally. // Paper ID 5072
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    Learning Design as an Indicator of Quality in Teacher Education
    (2004-07) Naidu, Som
    PCF3 // This paper suggests that a rich and resourceful learning experience, along with sound administrative processes, is and ought to be seen as a core indicator of quality assurance processes. Focusing attention on learning design comprises orchestrating the entire learning experience of the students to ensure that their learning is meanigful and motivating. It means modelling the learning experiences of students to reflect authentic and real-life situations, and the kinds of situations that they are most likely to encounter in their workplace. This paper argues, that educational systems cannot claim to have taken seriously their attempts at quality assurance without careful consideration of what their learners will do in any educational program, and how their progress with learning is going to be monitored and assessed.
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    ODL for Skills Development
    (2011) Seelig, Caroline; Naidu, Som
    Dr. Caroline Seeling in conversation with Prof. Som Naidu, Charles Sturt University at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6), Kochi, India, November 2010.Ten video conversations conducted by CEMCA at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum. www.cemca.org. (Duration:17:57)
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    Orchestrating Knowledge Construction in Peer-facilitated Online Discussion Forums
    (2019-09) de Zoysa, M N K; Hettiarachchi, S R; Karunanayaka, S P; Naidu, Som
    The Open University of Sri Lanka implemented four MOOCs for continuing professional development of practitioners on the adoption of OER and OEP. These CPDMOOCs adopted a scenario-based approach to learning within the social-constructivist pedagogy. Learners in this context were presented with real life situations that engaged them in three inter-connected learning tasks. These were: creation of an artefact as a solution to the challenge they faced in the scenario; sharing of their creations in the discussion forum, and reflecting on the learning process. Engagement in peer-facilitated discussion forum was a key learning activity in each CPDMOOC. This was designed to promote collaborative learning and to facilitate co-construction of knowledge among the learners. This was also an assessment task, where learners were required to share their creations in the discussion forum and provide constructive feedback to each other. This case study investigated how and to what extent, interactions among peers in the discussion forum have supported knowledge construction, in the CPDMOOC on “Understanding OER”. Collection and analysis of data in this qualitative study was guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2001). Critical prerequisites for successful online learning are the promotion of cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence. An in-depth examination of the online interactions was conducted via content analysis of a total of 430 messages that were posted by 68 participants in 76 threaded discussions using coding and categorizing. The findings indicated active engagement of learners in the discussion forum in different ways according to the three types of presences, which has promoted knowledge construction through peer learning. The presentation will engage the audience in identifying various patterns of peer interactions supporting knowledge construction, and their implications for the design of peer-facilitated discussion forums in CPDMOOCs. // Paper ID 241
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    Practitioner Experiences with Technology Enhanced Teaching
    (2002-07) Naidu, Som; Cunnington, David; Jasen, Carol
    PCF2 // This paper describes a research project, which seeks to showcase the experience of educators with technology-enhanced teaching and learning. A particular focus of this investigation is on how the use of information and communications technology is influencing teaching practices and students' approaches to learning at the University of Melbourne. As such it comprises a naturalistic inquiry into the experience base of practitioners who have been engaged in technology-enhanced teaching and learning. Our goal is to look beyond objective data and examine closely how information and communications technology is fundamentally influencing the nature of the teaching and learning transactions. As such we are interested in the "untold" stories of practitioners and participants in this work. Data that is collected is archived on a website, and used in a variety of ways for faculty development. //
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    Promoting Learner Autonomy with Scenario-Based Learning: Experiences from an Innovative Teacher Education Programme in India
    (2010-11) Bawane, Jyoti; Takwale, Ram; Naidu, Som
    Online education is gradually gaining momentum in India, especially at the higher education level, and educational Institutions are undertaking several initiatives to explore and adopt different approaches to ensure their quality. One such initiative is the development of a Bachelor of e-Education program under the aegis of I-CONSENT, implemented by Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL), Pune and Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik. This programme adopts the scenario-based learning approach to develop the desired roles and competencies among the teachers. As the developers of this programme envisaged six facets for an effective on-line teacher, each of these facets were developed as an individual course. Each course focused on its related roles and competencies. On the whole, this programme aimed at preparing a reflective teacher, who is capable of undertaking multiple roles, keeping in view their local context. // This paper attempts to explore the efficiency of a scenario based design in terms of providing the scope to the learner to choose, create and implement learning experiences based on ground realities. The Learning assignments, resources and artifacts prepared by the learners for a selected course entitled: “Teacher as a networker and change agent” would be shared to illustrate how learner autonomy was reflected in this programme. In this course efforts were made to equip the learners to work in a networked environment and also operate as an agent for social change. Based on the learning outcomes derived from the learners, it was noticed that the learners chose different learning paths and had customized their outcomes based on the requirements of their living context. This implied that the approach of scenario based learning design had wide relevance to Indian context, especially keeping in view its cultural diversity.
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    Promoting Scenario- Based e- Learning at IGNOU: Faculty Experiences
    (2008-09) Kanjilal, Uma; Khare, Pankaj; Naidu, Som; Menon, Mohan
    PCF5 Sub-theme: Livelihoods // The Open and Distance Education System has proved its capabilities in addressing the needs of knowledge seekers and opportunities for continuing education. With advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the delivery of educational programmes has witnessed a paradigm shift from print based teaching- learning to elearning. The learners having access to the internet and who have adapted to learning through screen have shown their preference for e- learning over print. E- learning has also witnessed dynamic changes and practitioners of ODL have initiated new models of online delivery by incorporating problem- based content software. The focuses of efforts are targeted towards the learner in the core and, the learning context and community within which learners live and work in the periphery. A model of learning and teaching, called scenario- based e- learning, has been devised and well tested universally. // Scenario- based e- learning (SBeL) is situated in a real context and is based on the idea that knowledge cannot be known and fully understood independent of its context. (Kindley, 2002) This paper describes the experience of preparing IGNOU faculty to design scenariobased e- learning instructions. Two workshops were conducted to train the faculty in developing scenarios for the already existing courses. A special e- platform for the workshop was developed to give them first hand experience. The participants comprised faculty members from different Schools of Study involved in professional programmes like medicine, engineering, education, management, law, etc. Each group developed a learning scenario in their respective discipline on a specific topic cantered on a story, challenging learners to reflect, solve problems and involve in learning activity that provide a meaningful learning environment. // Paper ID 773