09. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 9 (PCF9), 2019

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Open Access
TESSA Open Education Resources: A Springboard for Kenya’s Competency Based Curriculum
(2019) Mutisya, Sammy M
Low availability and access to quality educational materials are some of the likely impediments to implementation of a curriculum. This study explored Open Education Practices (OEP) and in particular the use of TESSA Open Educational Resources (OER) for modeling pedagogies for Kenya’s learner centered Competency Based Curriculum. Eighty-six educators participated in the study. A literature review revealed that both CBC and TESSA OERs focus on the learner. The study revealed that some teachers had access to digital devices and Internet thus could easily access TESSA OERs. The majority (74.0%-100%) agreed that: TESSA OERs content was relevant, a core part of the curriculum, understandable and usable in teaching and modeling learner-centered pedagogy. Teachers also agreed that TESSA OERs promote students’ engagement in learning, enabled teachers’ account for learners’ prior knowledge and appropriate for effecting changes proposed in CBC. Teachers finally indicated they were willing to advocate use of TESSA OERs among their peers. The study recommends policy changes by Kenya’s Ministry of Education, Teacher Service Commission and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to open uptake of OEPs in the implementation of CBC and retraining of teacher educators to make meaningful change in teachers’ instructional methodology.// Paper ID 122
Open Access
A Study of Higher Education Students Awareness of MOOC (SWAYAM) Programme and Usefulness of a Teacher Education Course offered through SWAYAM
(2019) Sahoo, Pravat K; Sahoo, Namita; Devi, Usha
The objectives of the study were to study: 1. The awareness of university and college students about UGC MOOC programme in the context of level of higher education and stream of higher education, and 2. The usefulness of MOOC programme as perceived by the user student participants. Ex post facto design of research was employed. 400 sample students were chosen for objective 1 from University of Allahabad, 30 user students of MOOC course on Educational Administration, Management and Leadership were included in the sample for objective 2. Self made Awareness Test, Reaction Scale and Perception questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analysed using ‘t’ test and chi square tests. Below average level awareness of MOOC was noticed among students. The reaction of user students was found positive towards MOOC courses. The participants found MOOC programme very much useful. //Paper ID 117
Open Access
Understanding Digital Literacy and Open Education Through an Examination of Trust and Ignorance Online
(2019) Bhatt, Ibrar; Mackenzie, Alison
In this paper we examine digital literacy and open learning, and explicate how they relate to the study of trust and ignorance online. Using data from a study which explores the knowledge producing work of undergraduate students as they undertake course activities, we argue that a 'social practice' approach to digital literacy can help examine epistemologies of trust and ignorance when learning is ‘opened up’. We argue that the learning activities of students in open and online environments is supported and shaped by powerful historical, social, and economic forces, or ‘sponsors’ of digital technologies who, through their digital platforms and applications, offer users both opportunities to learn and the potential to constrain and suppress. A challenge for open education is to understand how, when education is 'opened up', particular forms of online practice pave the way for the construction of ignorance and that this is not predictable from person to person and location to location. Developing approaches to counter ignorance and foster critical thinking, therefore, is far from straightforward in the current age of informational abundance and ubiquitous connectivity.// Paper ID 17
Open Access
Learning Analytics: Analysing Trends in Online Learning Activities for Masters’ Students at Botswana Open University (BOU)
(2019) Tladi, Lekopanye L; Seretse, Tebogo E
As institutions of higher learning promote support, success and completion rate for their students, learning analytics has attracted attention as a process of providing data that could inform institutional processes on diversity of learning needs and student success. Botswana Open University (BOU) has online systems that generate a lot of student data, which has not been analysed. The purpose of the study was to investigate how Learning Analytics could be used to assist programme coordinators, tutors and support services to enhance teaching and learning at BOU. // Paper ID 112
Open Access
Speech at Canada House Reception for the Ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum
(2019-03-12) Kanwar, Asha
Delivered by Professor Asha Kanwar, President & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning, at the launch of the Ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum, 12 March 2019, Canada House, London, UK.
Open Access
Lesson Study: An Innovation for Inspiring Lifelong Learning among Basic Science Technology Teachers’ in Nigeria
(2019-09) Shuaibu, Zainab M
To enhance classroom teaching, every teacher ought to keep up with the latest trends in education and teaching practices. Teachers are required to adopt the mind-set of lifelong learning and one of the approaches is through the Lesson Study model. Lesson Study is a teaching improvement and knowledge building process; it has been propagated as an innovative and effective model of teacher professional development. The aim of the current study therefore, is to explore the effect of Lesson Study as an innovation for lifelong learning among basic science and technology teachers. To achieve this, a quasi experimental design was employed. Six classes including 6 teachers and 240 pupils were randomly assigned into experimental and control group. The data was collected by applying the two instruments Basic Science and Technology Achievement Test (BSTAT) and Classroom Lesson Observation Checklist (CLOC). The result indicates a significant improvement in lesson delivery skills of teachers exposed to Lesson Study model comparing to those in the control group. In addition, the pupils in the experimental group showed more commitment and higher achievement in learning science than the control group. Therefore, Lesson Study model is suggested to be adopted by head teachers and principals to improve basic science and technology teachers’ innovation and lifelong learning. // Paper ID 165
Open Access
Integration of Technology-Enabled Learning at Higher education in Developing Countries: A Case of Uganda Management Institute (UMI)
(2019-09) Kamya, Resty M; Otim, Julianne S
Globally, Higher Education Institutions have adapted Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) in their strategic plans so as to improve their learning outcomes as well as fit with the new trends of digitization. Uganda Management Institute (UMI) also followed suit, however, the feasibili ty of integrating TEL at UMI was still unknown. An institutional survey to establish UMI’s readiness to transform its pedagogical practices using TEL was therefore conducted on advisory of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). A target population of 827 out of 3514 learners and 47 out of 59 faculty were surveyed and; institutional ICT Infrastructure and Policies audit was conducted. The findings indicated that UMI was developing preparedness, as it possessed some aspects of a TEL system, policy, and infrastruc ture. There existed a robust ICT infrastructure, however not well optimized for teaching and learning as staff used the laptops and desktops basically for PowerPoint presentations. Students expressed TEL readiness however , there existed inadequate ICT ski lls mostly among the facilitators. TEL such as Moodle, social media, OER existed but utilization remind undocumented and not shared. UMI, also lacked a specialized unit to offer TEL support to both the academic staff and students. This survey recommended t hat UMI’s management provides continued support to the enactment of the TEL policy; establishes a TEL steering committee to guide the TEL integration; staff students TEL capacity development; designing and development of TEL content and; establishes an ins titutional research cluster on TEL practices. This would enable UMI benefit from increased engagements between the students , facilitators and content hence improved learning outcomes.// Paper ID 76
Open Access
Harvesting Metadata from Open Educational Resources for Semantic Annotation of Online Educational Content
(2019-09) Kushwaha, Vijendra; Prabhakar, T.V.
The massive and ever increasing amount of information on the web has made it difficult to perform a faster and more relevant "search and discovery" for educational content. The current keyword-based search model fails to take into consideration the relevance of an educational resource from various perspectives. Tagging the online educational resources with metadata allows much faster and more accurate searching. The Semantic Web community and the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative (LRMI) have come up with a list of properties suitable for tagging educational resources. However, the challenge is the absence of a vocabulary for possible values of LRMI-recommended properties. In this work, we propose a method for building an educational vocabulary for online learning resources such as OERs, by harvesting and collating metadata from multiple open educational contents. The novelty of this method, over other works, lies in using metadata from educational resources already tagged by education community, which is indicative of the usefulness of the metadata. We further propose a semi-automatic framework for tagging online educational resources with values for the LRMI-recommended properties. This provides an innovative tool that can be used by educators and students alike, for creating and consuming learning resources enhanced with metadata, for mass adoption of OER // Paper ID 140
Open Access
Evaluating Long-term MOOC Impact: A Case Study of TEL MOOC
(2019-09) Perryman, Leigh-Anne
Since the launch of the first massive open online course (MOOC) in 2008, numerous claims have been made about MOOCs’ power to ‘fix’ broken education systems, including those in the Global South. However, some (e.g. Altbach, 2014) argue that MOOCs are strengthening the dominant academic culture of the West, to the exclusion of alternative voices. Subsequently, there has been a growing call for the creation of more localised MOOCs in the Global South, in addition to demand for rigorous evaluation of MOOCs’ long term impact in order to ascertain whether individual courses are meeting their intended outcomes for learners and other stakeholders in diverse contexts. This paper outlines a new approach to investigating MOOCs’ long-term impact, developed in connection with a long-term impact evaluation of the ‘Introduction to Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) MOOC’ (https://www.telmooc.org/) - a collaboration between Athabasca University, Canada, and the Commonwealth of Learning. A ‘theory of change’ approach has been applied as the framework for the TEL MOOC evaluation, allowing for investigation of complex mechanisms of change and causality. The evaluation findings themselves will be shared at PCF9 and will be the focus of a subsequent report.// Paper ID 283
Open Access
Effectiveness of Self learning material (SLM) on knowledge of Auxiliary Nurses and Midwifes (ANMs) regarding Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) related to Antenatal care
(2019-09) Laxmi, Laxmi; Devi, Reeta; Kapoor, Bimla
As per WHO Every year an estimated 2,87,000 women die worldwide from complications related to pregnancy, Behavior Change Communication (BCC) is one of the most cost effective ways of targeting the issues of maternal health . There is a need to sensitize the In service ANMs regarding the benefits of adopting a systematic BCC intervention . Objective: 1: : To develop self learning material on BCC for RCH care 2: To assess effectiveness of Self learning material on knowledge of ANMs regarding BCC for Antenatal care // Paper ID 150
Open Access
Ensuring Employability and Widening Access: The Case of the University of Eswatini
(2019-09) Meyers, Karen Ferreira-
The University of Eswatini (formerly known as the University of Swaziland) has an Institute of Distance Education since the mid nineteen nineties. The introduction of blended learning in 2017/2018 throughout the University means some of the mandates of the Institute have now been overtaken. Changing mandates, changing policy environment (an IDE Policy document is circulating as we speak, with possible adoption before the end of this year), changing world, changing Swazi society. In my contribution I aim to show how the Institute of Distance Education could transform and reposition itself in order to assist the nation with satisfying its educational and professional development needs, in particular when it comes to entrepreneurship, languages and related study areas. Enhanced stakeholder involvement is, in my view, one of the ways in which IDE can ensure that it responds to societal needs. One of the major developments is that through blended learning 'traditional' faculties may now be able to attract a higher number of students than in the past (when this was not possible, mainly due to infrastructural limitations). This constitutes a major 'threat' to the Institute. One way of counteracting this threat is to introduce training courses (short and long) that can be delivered online or in a blended manner (with limited face-to-face offerings in the students' workstations, if they are employed). Intensified stakeholder involvement is able to construct strategic partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders. It is necessary to research this new direction as it might change the face (and content) of what occurs in the Institute of Distance Education in the Kingdom of Eswatini. // Paper ID 253
Open Access
The Role of an Educator Mentor in a Technology-Enabled Community of Practice
(2019-09) Brainard, Prince Charles; Ogange, Betty; Junaid, Muhammad; Allela, Melisa
The focus of this paper is on the role of an educator mentor in the conduct of a technology-enabled Community of Practice (CoP) in Junior Secondary schools (JSS) in Sierra Leone. The project is supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning outcomes in JSS. The educator mentors are lecturers drawn from Freetown Teachers College (FTC). They play an instructional role in guiding and supporting school-based teachers in groups in pilot schools to collaborate around tasks and share responses with colleagues. “Bite-size” tasks are sent by the mentor to the teachers through WhatsApp. The tasks or questions are discussed among members in groups of teachers in a cluster until they arrive at a consensus answer to the question. This is then summarized and posted back to the mentor by the school champion in the group. The study explores the nature of support provided by the educator mentors in the Teacher Professional Development process in the CoP, as well as its effectiveness as perceived by the teachers. The design of the study is a mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The study sample comprised 149 JSS teachers from the 12 JSS pilot schools, 12 JSS school Champions, 12 JSS school principals and 12 FTC lecturers (Mentors). The findings of the study will contribute to a better understanding of educator mentor-teacher engagement, as well as an assessment of the level of support needed by teachers to construct knowledge collaboratively in a technology-enabled CoP for quality learning outcomes in their students at school. // Paper ID 257
Open Access
Serendipity in Northern Zambia: Developing Online Learning and Sustainable Energy Programs at the Zambian College of Open Learning
(2019-09) Aucoin, Robert; Mututa, Philip
During a tea break at the 2016, PCF8 conference in Malaysia, the authors had the fortune and pleasure of meeting. One author, the founder and president of t he Zambi a College for Open Learning which is based in Solwezi, Zambia. The other author, an educational consultant and university lecturer based in Canada. This serendipitous meeting led to a fruitful and long - term working and personal relationship that ha s resulted in the development of an online learning system aimed at pre - service and in - service teachers, the development of a series of professional development workshops aimed at upgrading the skills of ZAMCOL faculty and staff and partnerships with like - minded organisations including the Open University of Tanzania. Over the last two years we have launched over 100 online courses across six program areas including Business Studies, Technology Studies, Education, Science, Mathematics, Languages and Social Sciences. This paper takes the form of a case study to explore the challenges we have encountered along the way and the ways in which we have solved them. The emphasis isn’t simply on problem solving but on being open to embracing unusual challenges and th e serendipitous solutions that often result. As an example, a major challenge for our more rural students is poor access to electricity. Indeed, electrical shortages even at the main campus are common. Our solution was to work with a solar engineering comp any with offices in Zimbabwe and Canada to develop a small solar field that would produce enough power for the college and a surplus that the Zambian Electricity Supply Authority would purchase at market rates. The remainder of the case study provides reco mmendations for embracing ambiguity and serendipity in education and also discusses future challenges including transforming the college into a university and building research and teaching capacity among the ZAMCOL faculty members. Readers of the article and participants in the presentation are encouraged to consider what opportunities are available to them right now as well as which opportunities they may have missed either personally or professionally. // Paper ID 49
Open Access
Deaf education and Language-Based Curriculum: The case of the Buea School for the Deaf
(2019-09) Atindogbe, Gratien G
The big deaf community at school age in Cameroon is accommodated by more than 30 schools for deaf. Deaf and hearing students follow a common language-based curriculum, which aims at developing the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills of young Cameroonians in both official languages, English and French. Regrettably, the language-based curriculum of Cameroon gives no place to sign language, the tool of communication of deaf learners. Therefore, the exclusive nature of this curriculum is a serious disadvantage to deaf students. Evidence of this contention is found in their results. Statistics obtained from exams centres reveal that no schools for the deaf ever went beyond 20% of pass in official exams. This is not surprising as they are taught like hearing learners. Using the ethnographic approach, we observed class proceedings in the Buea school for the deaf (BSD) during three months. We focused on Form 3, 4, and 5 students who were getting prepared to write the Cameroon General Certificate of Education for Ordinary Level. Regardless of the efforts of teachers and school administrators, deaf students experience reading and writing difficulties in both official languages. The exclusive nature of the curriculum complicates learning because deaf students need an alternative curriculum to develop reading and writing skills through sign language. The concept of linguistic accessibility was also discussed, since Cameroon Sign Language (CSL) is not yet well developed and has no official status. Presently, there are more than three sign languages co-existing in Cameroon. // Paper ID 75
Open Access
Meta-Profiles to Enhance Competence Based Training, Case-Study of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA) Dschang Cameroon
(2019-09) Tankou, Christopher
Nowadays universities are faced with the challenge of implementing continuous change and improvement of courses to develop a better educational offer for students. A core issue concerns the learner having a central position within the process. Expected learning outcomes concern knowledge as well as skills of both subject specific and generic competencies to equip the graduate for the job market. This paper focuses on the Tuning Africa methodology which is a student-centered approach to improve higher education institutions in Africa and worldwide. It aims at providing an overview on the development of meta-profile in the domain of Agriculture through the combination of appropriate competencies. The meta-profile is a useful tool for improving student-centered education. The empirical data for the development of the meta-profile were drawn from a qualitative questionnaire with open questions filled-in by the different stakeholders: students, lecturers, graduates and employers. The first degree program currently used in the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, Dschang, Cameroon (hereafter referred to as our local institution) has some similarities and differences in the subject specific and generic competencies respectively, with respect to the meta-profile proposed by the Agricultural team of Tuning Africa in design and content. The results of this study describe areas to rethink and restructure in the teaching and learning for a more efficient professional development of our local institution and other institutions of Higher Education in the continent taking into consideration the specificity of the systems approach. The findings have the potential to reshape undergraduate education in our local institution to facilitate transferability of degrees and facilitate international mobility of students as proposed by the Agriculture subject area of the Tuning Africa team. //Paper ID 21
Open Access
When the Trainer is Untrained: Stakeholder Incapacitation in Implementation and Utilisation of Open Educational Resources in Kenya
(2019-09) Kinyua, Ann H
Open Education Resources (OER) are geared towards promoting accessibility to education and to help overcome certain constraints to education associated with traditional ways of learning. However, these OERs can only be successfully rolled out and utilised in environments already enjoying certain infrastructural empowerments, including teacher-preparedness, availability of equipment to allow use of OERs and learner exposure and knowhow. This poses a major hurdle in many public and private schools in Kenya, which are in far-flung areas without electricity, mobile-phone connectivity, internet services and serviceable roads that allow movement to a cyber cafe where internet services may be accessed at a fee. These difficulties are encountered by both teachers and their learners. This paper seeks to discuss the challenges faced in implementation of OERs especially by the teachers who are expected to sensitise learners on the availability and utilisation of the OERs, while they themselves are either unaware of them, poorly trained to handle them or are under-facilitated to carry out their mandate. The study was carried out in Tharaka- Nithi County, Kenya. The County was chosen because challenges related to OER have been reported there. The county has 104 secondary schools. A sample size of 45 representing 20% of the respondents was considered sufficient for the study. A questionnaire was used to obtain data on the teacher ICT competencies, their awareness of and attitudes towards OER and the challenges they teachers faced in implementation of OER. The study found that utilisation of OER stands at about 3% as a result of ignorance regarding OER or a negative attitude towards them, poor ICT skills amongst the teachers and poor or inadequate resources within and around the schools. // Paper ID 137
Open Access
Converting a Course from Traditional Teaching to Online Learning for a Blended Programme
(2019-09) Udugama, L S K; Perera, Suresha N
In this paper, we discuss a methodology of converting a course to an online course without changing the outcomes of a traditional face to face (F2F) course. Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC) has been offering approved engineering degree programmes since 2016. According to the requests, there is a demand for these programmes among working people. Therefore, SLTC has decided to offer the same programme as a blended programme for working people as a part-time degree. In line with the decision, only a part of the programme will be offered online. Taking this into consideration, the existing content and the different learning activities in courses are analysed in this paper. Furthermore, possibilities and difficulties were identified when converting the activities to online and some solutions to overcome them were suggested. Subsequently, a methodology was developed for converting a course to online mode. The proposed methodology can be used for converting a F2F course to an online course. Consequently, it opens another path for working people to follow an engineering degree. // Paper ID 243
Open Access
The “New” Net Generation: Writing Development of Creole-Influenced Adult Learners within a Virtual Learning Environment
(2019-09) Moore, Schontal
Historically, the term “net generation” refers to a younger group of individuals who grew up exposed to computerbased technology (Tapscott, 2008). Realistically, increasingly more adult/mature learners today are turning to the net, and growing up with it, in their pursuit of professional development (Allen & Seaman, 2014). Therefore, the digital space is no longer just for the young; adult learners are developing an ease and dexterity with it in their bid at educational advancement. However, given the hectic lifestyles of so many of today’s adults, those who wish to engage in further studies are finding it rather difficult or inconvenient to go to a physical brick and mortar location for classes. As such, easier access to higher education via virtual learning environments (VLEs) is becoming more attractive, especially to adult learners within the Anglophone Caribbean. The downside, however, is that English, the language of academic currency, poses a challenge to a majority of adult learners, who are themselves predominantly Creole speakers (Moore & Lewis-Fokum, 2016). Furthermore, upon acceptance to a higher educational institution these adult learners struggle with academic writing, which prevents them from actualizing their potential. Given this context, in this paper I use a case study approach to examine the writing development of selected graduate students from the School of Education, UWI, Mona, who engaged with a VLE to improve their writing and to meet the writing expectations of the institution’s academic discourse community. By tracing the learners’ stories – from interviews and archived documents – findings suggested that they experienced degrees of transformation as writers within a VLE. These findings, upon analysis, indicated relevance for policy, practice and theory for higher educational institutions within the Anglophone Caribbean. Further, this paper adds to an underexplored area, writing transformations of online graduate students operating within Creoleinfluenced contexts and VLEs. // Paper ID 266
Open Access
The Effect of Innovative Pedagogy on learning performances of TVET students in Technical Colleges in Lagos State, Nigeria
(2019-09) Doherty, Funmilayo; Aneyo, Adowu
The functionality of the teaching and learning methods of Technical and Vocational Education and T raining (TVET) plays an important role in determining it’s quality. In this study inno vative pedagogy is desi gned for use by TVET teachers at secondary level of education in La gos . Innovative pedagogy (IP) designed were facilitated peer tutoring and industry based method for classroom teaching . The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the IP on student learning outcome . The sample for this study consisted of 409 technical students in seven C olleges. The instruments for the quasi experimental study are three respective achievement test designed for each of the three subjects : Electrical Installation Maintenance, Computer Craft Practices and Catering Craft Practices . Capacity building workshop (induction) was organized for teachers with focus of concept of innovative pedagogy integration in classroom. The researchers and teachers developed steps for im plementation and lesson plan s for the combination of these teaching methods : facilitated peer tutoring + discussion/demonstration methods and Industry based method + discussion/demonstration methods for the three subjects . This paper explains the steps th at can be taken by a teacher in implementing Innovative pedagogy. Complete randomized pre - test and post - test design was adopted for the study and t he performance of the students were measured by the pre - test and post - test. The findings of the study revealed that learning of the three technical subjects using facilitated peer tutoring and the modified industry based approach in classroom teaching had a positive influence on student performance than learning using the conventi onal discussion/demonstration method alone . In conclusion, TVET teachers should apply existing teaching methods in a creative way by combining methods that would meet learners ’ needs and improve the ir p erformance.// Paper ID 6
Open Access
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