Books

Permanent URI for this collection

http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/8

Browse

Browsing Books by Title

Now showing 1 - 20 of 149
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Addressing the Learning Needs of Out-of-School Children and Youths through the Expansion of Open Schooling
    (2020-12) Mays, Tony; Singh, Rajiv Kumar
    At any one time, about 300 million children of school going age are not in school. Experience indicates that when schooling is disrupted, whether by a pandemic, a natural disaster or other reasons, not all children return to the classroom. In addition, most countries have growing numbers of young people who have not completed schooling, or not well enough to progress, and who find themselves neither in employment nor in further education and training. Open schooling can create learning opportunities for those not in school, those who left school and those who are in school but not learning effectively. // There is no single model for open schooling provision which might offer a complementary or alternative curriculum, or both. However, all models can benefit from greater use of open educational resources; open, distance and flexible methods and open educational practices. In this way it is possible to address issues of access, quality and affordability in a sustainable way. // Addressing the Learning Needs of Out-of-School Children and Youths through the Expansion of Open Schooling makes a case for open schooling to be an integral part of future-looking education systems that will be more resilient to changing contexts and needs. // The nine chapters in Part A of the book explore the need for and nature of open schooling as well as cross-cutting issues related to curriculum, open educational resources, technology enabled learning, monitoring and evaluation, finance, open and distance learning methods and open educational practices, as well as gender and policy. The first four chapters in Part B then explore open schooling practice in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. In the final chapter, the editors summarise the key issues which policy and practice need to address. // This book offers guidelines and examples that will be of use to teachers, managers, policy-makers and education leaders interested to ensure that the education system meets the needs of all children and youths.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Administrative Structures for Distance Education
    (1991) Perraton, Hilary
    The purpose of this book is to help anyone considering the use of distance education and trying to decide how it should be organised. The acclaimed success of the world's 25+ open universities gives the impression that learning at a distance demands the establishment of an open university. But, in practice, there are many different ways in which governments, universities, or private bodies can teach students at a distance. The book explores and compares the options that may be possible.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An Anthology of "Best Practices" in Teacher Education
    (2007-08) Lakshmi, T K S; Rama, K; Hendrikz, Johan
    Quality Assurance in the education sector is one of the major initiatives of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in its Three-Year Plan for 2006-09. To achieve the outcome of enhanced quality at all levels of education, COL has been focusing its attention on quality assurance in higher education and teacher education. We are proud of our association with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of India in recent years, which has built capacity in quality assurance among personnel at all levels of the system. The partnership has also led to development of a quality assurance framework and resource materials for assessing and assuring the quality of higher education and teacher education institutions.Lakshmi, T. K. S. Rama, K. Hendrikz, Johan
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Audio for Distance Education and Open Learning: A Practical Guide for Planners and Producers
    (2001) Thomas, John
    Written by John Thomas, who has worked with and produced audio support for education systems over 30 years, this handbook sets out good professional practice in the design, development and delivery of audio materials - radio, audio cassettes and audio-vision - for open and distance learning. The handbook is intended for all those who are involved in the design, development, production and use of audio materials in distance education and open learning, including policy makers, managers, tutors/facilitators and trainers. The approach adopted is appropriate to both industrialised and developing countries. However, it has been designed to be particularly relevant to those working in institutions and projects with limited access to resources.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Metadata only
    Basic Education at a Distance
    (2000) Bradley, Jo; Yates, Chris
    Open and distance learning has been used in many ways in the recent past to provide both primary education and adult education. The Commonwealth of Learning works with governments, schools and universities with the aim of strengthening the capacities of Commonwealth member countries in developing human resources required for their economic and social development. Many existing policy documents link distance education with new information and communication technologies, portraying them as a promising universal access and exponential growth of learning. This book answers the key questions to these issues and assesses the impact and effect of the experience of basic education at a distance all over the world and in a wide variety of forms. This is the first major overview of this topic for twenty years.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)
    (2015) Butcher, Neil; Kanwar, Asha; Uvalić-Trumbić, Stamenka
    Its purpose is to provide readers with a quick and user-friendly introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and some of the key issues to think about when exploring how to use OER most effectively. The second section is a more comprehensive analysis of these issues, presented in the form of a traditional research paper. For those who have a deeper interest in OER, this section will assist with making the case for OER more substantively. The third section is a set of appendices, containing more detailed information about specific areas of relevance to OER. These are aimed at people who are looking for substantive information regarding a specific area of interest. Originally published 2011; Revised 2015.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Best Practices in Open and Distance Education: Case Studies from Commonwealth Countries
    (2021) Panigrahi, Manas Ranjan; Mishra, Sudarshan
    The diversity of population with respect to age, qualifi cations, locality and social and economic status cannot be addressed through a single and traditional mode of education. Secondly, growing need for continuous upgradation of knowledge and skills and technological advances mean that traditional ways of organising education and learning systems need to be augmented with innovative, fl exible and technology-driven methods, so as to universalise education as a fundamental right of all people. It is well accepted that Open and Distance Learning is an indispensable part of mainstream education both in developed and developing countries due to widespread use of web-based multimedia technologies. It has become a powerful force for social and economic development. // During the last two decades, many institutions have undergone profound changes in their organisational structures, governance and modes of operation. ICT has been used in every sphere of institutional and teaching learning activities. Traditional universities are transforming themselves to dual mode universities and providing students with the best possible learning resources. More and more open universities and dual mode institutions are being established across the world.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Best Practices of Community Radio and Sustainable Development Goals: A Handbook
    (2021) Vemraju, D Rukmini
    Community radios as a third tier of broadcasting in addition to commercial and public radios, cover relatively smaller geographic areas but cater to a wider range of communities of interest. The hyper local and participatory nature of content creation in community radio has great potential to reduce the gap between the content creators and listeners making communities - especially the marginalized and vulnerable – active partners in the development process. Thus, community radios are well suited for providing new and unexplored opportunities for more inclusive sustainable development. In the time of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, community radio stations (CRS) have once again proved their mettle as sources of timely and dependable information and guidance, increased their listenership, and grown in stature as a valuable community asset. Time and again, the role of community radios has been lauded in making critical public information accessible to people be it about various government provisions that they can benefit from, national campaigns on health, mobilizing people to participate in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote, or providing life and livelihood saving information in times of disasters and natural calamities. That community radios can, and do, play a vital role in engaging people in the development process is no longer in doubt, even if this is in small numbers in pockets of their immediate reach. Hence, community radios can be an integral part of the task force of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all socially, economically, and environmentally.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Boys' Underachievement in Education: An Exploration in Selected Commonwealth Countries
    (2006) Jha, Jyotsna; Kelleher, Fatimah; Johnson, Tina
    Gender disparity in education has usually been experienced as disadvantaging girls. Although this continues to be the case in many places, the phenomenon of boys' underachievement - both in terms of participation and performance - has also become an issue in a number of countries. This book reviews the research on boys' underachievement and presents the arguments that have been put forward to understand its causes. The authors also present new studies from Australia, Jamaica, Lesotho and Samoa; and they use both the research and the evidence from the case studies to explore the causes and policy implications of this trend - the first time a truly cross-regional approach has been applied to the issue. Dr. Tony Sewell conducted the studies in the selected Commonwealth countries. This research was part of the 15th triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (15CCEM, 2003) agenda and reports to 16CCEM (2006) on how open and distance learning methodologies can alleviate the problem of boys' education in circumstances where under-achievement is evident. This book will interest all education policy makers and analysts concerned to ensure gender equality in school education.
  • Item
    Open Access
    Brave New Women of Asia: How Distance Education Changed Their Lives
    (2001) Kanwar, Asha; Taplin, Margaret
    The aim of this book of case studies is to inspire and encourage women to participate in open and distance learning. Going through the case studies, potential women learners will see that most of their reservations and fears are unfounded. Other questions in their minds about how to cope with studies after a long gap, at a mature age or without regular tutorials will be answered as they read about the experiences of other women like themselves.
  • Item
    Open Access
    Case Studies of Non-Formal Education by Distance and Open Learning
    (2000) Siaciwena, Richard
    This research report will be useful to people involved or interested in the planning, development and implementation of non-formal education programmes because of the useful lessons it offers. The case studies in this report demonstrate the potential and importance of distance learning approaches in enhancing the contribution of non-formal education to socio-economic development in Africa. For example, the Zambia Radio Farm Forum programme enables the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries to reach larger numbers of peasant farmers than is possible through other extension services. The Radio Farm Forum programme helps over 21,000 small-scale farmers/peasants in rural areas, who listen and participate in the programme, to learn new knowledge and develop new skills. In the Ghanaian case study, the use of radio strengthened the coverage, by the literacy programme, of the functional and developmental themes. Another important lesson is that distance learning approaches can be effective in changing people's attitudes/behaviour and in motivating rural communities to undertake action leading to the improvement of their socio-economic conditions. The Zambian and Ghanaian case studies again provide good examples. In Zambia, there was evidence of changes resulting from the Radio Farm Forum programmes, which included changes in attitudes to slash and burn shifting cultivation and to certain crops which were previously seen as women's crops. In Ghana, radio changed, among many things, people's attitudes towards family planning and contributed to the establishment of income-generating ventures
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Case Studies on OER-based eLearning
    (2014) Naidu, Som; Mishra, Sanjaya
    Preface Case Studies: Open University of Sri Lanka Integrating OER in a Teacher Education Course by Shironica Karunanayaka Indira Gandhi National Open University OER-based Post Graduate Diploma in e-Learning by G. Mythili National Institute of Open Schooling Open Educational Resource Initiative by S.K. Prasad Wawasan Open University Developing a Fully OER-based Course by Mohan B. Menon References Brief Profile of the Editors and Authors
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The Changing Faces of Virtual Education
    (2001) Farrell, Glen M
    This study is a report on some of the major developments that are influencing the evolution of virtual education. It examines not only the nature of these developments, but also the implications for the use of virtual education models, particularly in developing countries. It follows up on our first volume The Development of Virtual Education: A Global Perspective. Since the release of that report in 1999, numerous other publications have made their appearance, each contributing in a significant way to the increased level of activity in the field. This second volume is not an attempt to describe what is happening in the world of virtual education, but more about where, why and how virtual education is happening. By continuing to monitor developments, we hope to capture major trends, identify critical challenges and consider emerging opportunities as technologies improve, access to those technologies increase and skills to apply them are enhanced
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Compendium 2011: Community Radio Stations in India
    (2011-06) Chittoor, Jayalakshmi
    Compendium 2011: Community Radio Stations in India published by Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, June 2011.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Compendium 2012: Community Radio Stations in India
    (2012-02) Chittoor, Jayalakshmi
    Compendium 2012: Community Radio Stations in India published by Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, February 2012
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Comprehensive Study of OER in NSOU and OSOU
    (2018) Mukhopadhyay, Marmar; Chander, Subash; Kumar, Rajesh
    Education in India has experienced some major policy shifts in recent years. These policy shifts have been inspired by the government's commitment for equity in quality education for all. Instead of the traditional concept of quality after equity, the new agenda is quality education for all (equity). This is true not only for elementary education but for higher education as well - expansion with quality. In the case of higher education, there are twin challenges. These are (a) creating leaders in all walks of the economic, social and political life of the nation and (b) strengthening India and translating her ambition for global leadership. Higher education is critically important for developing in-country and global leadership.
  • Item
    Open Access
    Copyright and Distance Education: Trainers' Kit
    (2000) Swales, Christine
    This toolkit provides a variety of resources designed to assist you in preparing and offering a workshop that introduces participants to copyright as it relates to distance education. It describes the basic features of copyright, identifies institutional issues and concerns, and outlines ways to deal with them. It is appropriate for: - academic staff involved in writing and presenting course materials; - administrative staff involved in publishing, purchasing, selling, and presenting courses and course materials; and - institutional staff involved in setting up procedures and policies on courses and course materials through central administration, the library, or a learning resources centre
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Costs and Financing in Open Schools
    (2008) Du Vivier, Ed
    These self-instructional resources have their origins in a workshop on the Costs and Financing of Open & Distance Learning which took place from 6-10 August 2007 in Gabarone, Botswana. The workshop was sponsored by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) with the overall aim of building capacity to plan, negotiate and manage appropriate financial arrangements for the development and maintenance of ODL in member states
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Creating Learning Materials for Open and Distance Learning: A Handbook for Authors and Instructional Designers
    (2005) Freeman, Richard; Commonwealth of Learning
    This handbook has been written for anyone who plans and writes learning materials for use in open and distance learning (ODL). Anyone who is interested in producing better ODL materials will find something of value in this handbook, but the three main target audiences are: • teachers • instructional designers • writers. ODL materials are sometimes prepared by individuals, but more often by small teams made up of people with skills such as curriculum design, instructional design, tutorial support and print or web design skills. This handbook focuses on the instructional design part of the process, although some of the other aspects are dealt with in part. There are four principal ways in which learning materials are produced: • by an instructional designer who is the content-provider and the writer; • by an instructional designer who commissions freelance content-providers to write the materials; • by an instructional designer who converts text provided by a teacher; or • by a team of people, including content-providers, instructional designers and specialists such as audio and video producers. For simplicity, this handbook addresses primarily the first approach – that in which a single writer is both content-provider and instructional designer. If, however, you are an in-house instructional designer who is commissioning content and expertise from others, then you will need to pass on the advice in this handbook to them. In these circumstances, you are likely to be the only person who specialises in instructional design and you will need to guide the other specialists in applying best practice in instructional design.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Designing Materials for Open and Distance Learning: Trainers' Kit 002
    (1999) Commonwealth of Learning; Asian Development Bank; International Extension College
    The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are pleased to provide this toolkit for your use and we sincerely hope that it will be a valuable resource for anyone planning and conducting training in the practice of open and distance learning. The development of this toolkit and others, in various topics related to open and distance learning, has involved the time and dedication of a number of organisations and individuals. The impetus and financial support which enable COL to embark on this undertaking came from the Asian Development Bank. Under the terms and conditions of the ADB Regional Technical Assistance Project for Capacity Building in Distance Education for Primary Teacher Training, COL was commissioned to prepare training materials for use in three training workshops in the Asian region.