2006-2010
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PublicationThe 6th International Workshop of the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth( 2008-10-27)Transcript from Official Opening of The 6th International Workshop of the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth, held on Great Exuma of The Bahamas, 27 October 2008. By Paul West and Sir John Daniel. Delivered by Paul West. -
PublicationAccess and Success in Learning: Your Conclusions( 2010-11-28)In the next few minutes I shall share impressions of the conference. I have called this short intervention Access & Success in Learning: Your Conclusions. I say ‘your conclusions’ because although I have not spoken to all of you I have canvassed my COL colleagues, especially the four theme leaders. They are all sensitive and objective people and I hope that their impressions broadly correspond to your impressions. I have encapsulated some of my own thoughts about the conference in my daily blog.
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PublicationAccess and Success: Distance Learning at Massey University and its Impact on New Zealand Society( 2010-11-25)I was delighted to receive and accept the invitation from Sir John Daniel on behalf of the Commonwealth of Learning to speak at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning about distance learning at Massey University and its contribution to the development of New Zealand. We are celebrating fifty years of distance education at Massey this year.
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PublicationAccess and Success: What are the Links?( 2010-11-25)Our theme is Access & Success in Learning. This reflects our conviction that it is no longer enough – and it never was enough – to pride ourselves on the role of open and distance methods in widening access to learning. We must judge our efforts by the success of those who engage in the learning that we facilitate. I mean success not just in gaining the certification on offer, but in using their new skills and knowledge for the development of themselves and their communities.
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PublicationAccess to Learning for Development( 2007-05-17)Launch of the 5th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, University of London, 17 May 2007, Access to Learning for Development, Remarks by Sir John Daniel, Commonwealth of Learning // It is a great pleasure to be here with our colleagues from the University of London to participate in the launch of the 5th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning. I am particularly delighted that my former UNESCO colleague Dr Abdul Khan was able to give the keynote address. He and I were appointed Assistant Directors-General at UNESCO at the same time at the end of the year 2000 but our links go back longer than that. We have both led open universities, he in India, me in the UK, and we have both worked for the Commonwealth of Learning. Today UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning are working together to harness information, communications and educational technologies to development. I thank him for his inspiring words. // The Commonwealth of Learning is delighted to be working with the University of London to put on the 5th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning here in London in July next year. Let me begin with a few words about the Commonwealth of Learning before I talk about the Forum itself.
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PublicationAccess to Learning for Health, with Particular Reference to HIV/Aids: Some Ideas( 2008-07-16)Slides of presentation at the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open and Distance Learning (PCF5), London, UK, 16 July 2008. Presented by Professor Lídia Brito.
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PublicationAccess to Quality Learning for Development( 2008-07-14)Slides and video of a presentation at the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, London, UK, 14 July 2008. Presented by Mr. Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.
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PublicationAccess to Success( 2009-10-10)Remarks by Sir John Daniel, Commonwealth of Learning at the ceremony to launch preparations for the, 6th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Chennai, India, 10 October 2009 // The title we have chosen for PCF6 is Access and Success in Learning: Global Development Perspectives. We want to stress the importance of successful learning. We know now that with technology we can take learning to scale. We also know from examples that it is possible to take learning to scale with high quality. What we must do is achieve quality at scale consistently in the most cost-effective manner. That is where the global exchange of experience is invaluable. // The programme of PCF6, which will be developed under the able leadership of Dr Ramanujam, will aim for an integrated blend of themes and sessions, some originating in COL’s own programme of work, some in the papers submitted for presentation. This blend should not be difficult to achieve because COL’s programme of work for 2009-2012 was developed in the light of Commonwealth needs, contemporary trends, and government priorities – all in a perspective of global development.
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PublicationAchieving Education for All( 2010-01-22)She has asked me to talk about the book that I started writing a year ago as my New Year’s resolution for 2009. It is now in press and will be published by Routledge any day now.// Its title is Mega-Schools, Technology and Teachers: Achieving Education for All and its purpose is to support our work at COL with advocacy and proposals for new ways of tacking the educational challenges of the age.
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PublicationAchieving Quality in Distance Education( 2008-04-04)Today we want to launch our interactive session with some brief and simple remarks about achieving quality in distance education.
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PublicationAddressing the Teacher Gap through Open and Distance Learning: the Work of the Commonwealth of Learning( 2009-06-22)Meeting of the International Task Force on ‘Teachers for Education for All’, UNESCO HQ, Paris, 22 June 2009, Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić (UNESCO), Abdurrahman Umar & Sir John Daniel (COL) // In its Teacher Education work COL starts from the challenge of the desperate shortage of teachers in both developing and developed countries. Many millions of teachers need training or retraining. This is a challenge of scale that, in COL’s view, can only be addressed by using technology, particularly the technologies of open and distance learning, ODL.
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PublicationAdventures of a Former Open University Vice-Chancellor in International Development( 2009-12-05)Association of Open University Graduates, London, 5 December 2009, By Sir John Daniel, Commonwealth of Learning // Thank you so much for this invitation. During my time as Vice-Chancellor I very much appreciated the existence and work of the AOUG. Those were the days when the OU put in place the University-run alumni operation. That serves an important purpose but it seemed to me important to encourage AOUG, as an independent association to continue its work, which has – or had in my day as VC – a stronger academic focus with a journal and meetings such as this. /// However, I am not going to give you an academic lecture. My title is Adventures of a former OU Vice-Chancellor in International Development and these remarks will be by turns autobiographical, anecdotal and analytical. // There is life after being Vice-Chancellor of the Open University! Looking back my eleven years at the OU were undoubtedly the high point of my career for both achievement and enjoyment. It was also my longest tenure in any job. The OU is an extraordinary institution and serving it was a huge privilege. Before I came to the OU I had been associated, either as student or staff member, with half a dozen universities in Canada, France and the UK. None of them came close to the OU in idealism, student centeredness and intellectual rigour in both teaching and administration. Nor did any give students such a large role in the running of the university. // Another very rewarding feature of the OU was the longevity of its students. In other universities students are there for three or four years. Some become active in student and university affairs in their second year but then focus on other things in their final year, so you are dealing with students who know little about how the committees work and have no institutional memory. Contrast this to the OU where OUSA has a better institutional memory than most of the staff! This not only gives more maturity and a greater sense of common purpose to debates in Senate and Council, but also allows OU staff to get to know well some of the student and graduate representatives on these bodies.
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PublicationAsa Briggs Lecture: Educate Girls( 2010-11-27)Asa Briggs Lecture presented by Dr Shashi Tharoor, M.P., Author, peace-keeper, refugee worker, human rights activist, a former Minister of State for External Affairs, member of the Indian Parliament from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala, at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, 24 November 2010, Hotel LeMeridien, Kochi, India.
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PublicationBackground to the Transnational Qualifications Framework( 2008-02-25)If international online courses are to play a significant role in the expansion of education they must be placed within a global framework of quality assurance and qualifications recognition that inspires confidence.
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PublicationBlending for Success in Open and Distance Education: Public/Private Partnerships; Human and Social Capital; Free and Copyrighted Content; Mixing the Media.( 2007-10-30)ASIAN ASSOCIATION OF OPEN UNIVERSITIES, Theme Empowering Asia through Partnerships in Open and Distance Education, Annual Conference 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 30 - November 1, Blending for Success in Open and Distance Education: Public/Private Partnerships; Human and Social Capital; Free and Copyrighted Content; Mixing the Media. By Sir John Daniel // Your theme is Empowering Asia through Partnerships in Open and Distance Education. The explanation that accompanies it states that the time has come to take stock of the collective wisdom of Asian communities, and to leverage on the educational resources and experiences available in the region. It goes on to express the aspiration that the conference will forge meaningful partnerships that will serve to empower Asia, now and in the future. // I shall talk to you within that framework. I have entitled this address Blending for Success in Open and Distance Education. My subtitle identifies the areas in which I shall talk about blending namely: Public/Private Partnerships; Human and Social Capital; Free and Copyrighted Content; Mixing the Media.
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PublicationBlue-Sky Thinking for Small States: VUSSC Futures( 2006-11-09)Paul West and I have worked up this presentation, which we are calling Blue-Sky Thinking for Small States: VUSSC Futures. We shall look first at three trends, then suggest some indicators of possible futures for VUSSC and end by asking about long-term goals for the VUSSC network.
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PublicationBreaking New Ground in Open Learning( 2006-04-10)Transcript and slides of closing remarks at the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, 2nd Strategy Meeting for Interlocutors and Institutional Managers, Singapore, 10-13 April 2006. Presented by Sir John Daniel, President & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning.
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PublicationBridging the Last Mile( 2007-06-04)Commonwealth of Learning, Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, Third Course Development Boot Camp, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 4 June 2007, Bridging the Last Mile, Opening Remarks, Sir John Daniel // This is our first course development boot camp in the Caribbean and it is particularly appropriate that it is being held in Trinidad and Tobago. That is because the subject area that we are opening up at this event is Life Skills, an area in which Trinidad & Tobago has developed a special reputation for strong programmes. Through this event and what follows we hope that all the small states of the Commonwealth will be able to benefit from the expertise that is here. // My task this morning is fourfold. I shall explain why the Commonwealth in general, and COL in particular, works closely with small states; I shall give you some background on the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth; I shall explain why what you are doing here is unique; and I shall suggest some priorities for you when you return home to your countries.
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PublicationBuilding a Community For Developing OERs( 2010-11-25)The transition to lower secondary education is now at the centre of the Education for All agenda in many countries. As more children are progressing through primary school the demand for secondary school places is growing. However, the demand for places in the school is not the only challenge governments are facing for sustained improvement in quality education. One of the most important requirements is an improved learning environment, which includes the provision of learning materials (UNESCO, 2010). While access to learning materials is a significant barrier in many countries, tremendous progress has been made with the development of OERs (stimulated by benefactors such as the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and UNESCO) and educational content has been provided freely to institutions and learners across the world (Sclater, 2010). The Commonwealth of Learning, in collaboration with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation initiated the Open Educational Resources for Open Schools to address the challenge of access to quality educational resources while at the same time enhancing the capacity of teachers in writing distance education materials using new technologies. When embarking on a large scale project, such as developing open educational resources, it is important to involve the right people to commence and complete the project successfully. It is essential to choose educators with ample experience in their field of teaching in order to ensure that the end product will be of a high standard and, of course, on an appropriate level for the target users. This paper will explore the challenges experienced by the teachers involved in this project. This includes the relationships between the different partners, technological, cultural as well as work related challenges. It will also explore the different support mechanisms which allowed the teachers to deal with the challenges in building a supportive community which lead to the success of the project. Developing open educational resources is not an easy task. It demands high level of motivation and courage of those involved to overcome the challenges they face to make the changes to succeed. // Related working paper: http://hdl.handle.net/11599/2049
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PublicationBuilding Bridges between Educators in Small and Island States( 2007-11-12)Building Bridges between Educators in Small and Island States, Commonwealth of Learning, Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, Fourth International Training and Course Development Workshop, Apia, Samoa, 12 November 2007, Opening Remarks Paul West and Sir John Daniel // This is the fourth of these events; previous workshops have been held in Mauritius, Singapore, and Trinidad & Tobago. Your team leaders visited Vancouver a month ago for an intensive few days of preparation and will now help you get started over the next day or so. While you are here and when you return home in a few weeks, I invite you to make contact with colleagues who have participated in previous workshops. It is important that 'VUSSC workshop alumni' in each of your countries now begin to collaborate and train more colleagues. These workshops will come to an end in a few years and your Ministries of Education expect that you and your institutions will have built the expertise needed to continue this process without external intervention.