05. Conference Proceedings & Working Papers
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Browsing 05. Conference Proceedings & Working Papers by Document Type "Report"
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PublicationBarriers to Information and Communication Technologies Encountered by Women: Country Presentations( 1998)Education and training opportunities provided through distance and open learning are one of the few educational areas in which women in the developing world are well represented. Open and distance learning helps to overcome some of the challenges that women and girls face when the only other opportunities for education are provided through conventional means. However with the increased use of the new information and communications technologies (ICTs) to deliver open and distance learning, it is feared that this trend may be reversed and women may become marginalised due to issues relating to the access to, and their confidence and ability to use these new technologies. -
PublicationBarriers to Information and Communication Technologies Encountered by Women: Summary Report( 1998-11)Commonwealth of Learning Abstract: Regional expert meetings convened by Commonwealth of Learning (COL) - COL and its network are continuing work in addressing gender barriers, such as those encountered by women, to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education and training, and especially for open and distance learning. From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education based on gender differences. Reports from these meetings are available here, in Acrobat PDF format. The symposiums have been held in India, Barbados, Tanzania and New Zealand and relate to the discussions around the "digital divide", which have identified a particular need to address the implications of the ICT revolution for women, especially if they are not to be deprived of the opportunity to participate fully in the emerging economy likely to shape the 21st century.
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PublicationCaribbean Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Open Educational Resources (OER): Policies and Practices( 2020-01-29)A regional capacity building workshop on ‘Open Educational Resources: Policies and Practices’ was organised by COL in collaboration with UNESCO, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia on 29-30 January 2020.
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PublicationCOL Quality Assurance Workshop Report( 2008)This document is a report of the Commonwealth of Learning workshop that was run by the South African Institute for Distance Education ((SAIDE) for Open Schools within Commonwealth countries. The workshop took place at Kopanong Hotel in East Rand, Johannesburg from 8 ‐ 12th September 2008 and it focused on quality assurance in open schools. The rationale of the week‐long workshop was two‐fold: (i) to promote understanding of the salient quality assurance issues and concepts amongst the workshop participants and (ii) to provide delegates an opportunity to participate in the initial stages of the development of a quality assurance toolkit that is relevant and adaptable to open schools in different contexts within Commonwealth countries. Such a participatory approach was deemed to be important as it would not only enrich the toolkit through sharing of ideas on open schooling and quality assurance, it would also enhance ownership of the end product by the participants who are the end users of the toolkit.
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PublicationCOL-AVU eLearning Workshop: Evaluation Report( 2004)The main objectives of the Workshop were to present and explore issues around eLearning and online educational applications relevant to Universities in Africa. The initial two days were spent in plenary sessions bringing together policy-makers and practitioners to discuss examples of technologies, policies, capacity development, online resources, and steps in the process of creating eLearning content. The participants created a draft Institutional Policy templete for eLearning and a Statement of Intent to implement good eLearning practices in their institutions and countries. After the initial two days in plenary sessions, the participants were organized into two groups: institutional decisionmakers/policy-makers (Track 1) and eLearning practitioners (Track 2). The Track 1 group participated further in a two-day workshop focusing on decision-making support tools, institutional implications, and a group action plan. The Track 2 group met for another 8 days in the form of a lab on eLearning focusing on open source learning management systems (LMS) and tools to nurture online learning. An eLearning Community of Practice for Africa (online discussion board) was also set up for participants
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PublicationCommonwealth of Learning Capacity Building Workshop: Developing Digital Content( 2007)This research evaluated a capacity building workshop offered by Mindset Network, South Africa, and initiated by Frances Ferreira of the Commonwealth of Learning. The objectives of the workshop were to build capacity in the area of digital content, including input into video, multimedia and print as well as the integration of media. The purpose of the workshop was to build confidence, exposure, knowledge, skills and values around the area of ICT in participants from countries that are developing these areas or would like to develop these skills in their institutions
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PublicationEducation Technology 2000 : A Global Vision for Open and Distance Learning( 1997)Educational Technology 2000: A Global Vision for Open and Distance Learning, held in August 1996, was an opportunity for nearly 200 educators and technologists from 38 countries to gather in Singapore to share, discuss and debate many of the important issues in open and distance learning. This collection of keynote addresses and conference papers is rich in diversity, containing thoughtful analyses and challenges for the future.
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PublicationEvaluation report on the Sri Lanka University Grants Commission External Degrees Retreat( 2004)In 2001 preliminary discussions took place between Professor B.R.R.N. Mendis, Chairman of the UGC of Sri Lanka, and Professor G. Dhanarajan, President of COL, about the status of external degree provision in Sri Lankan universities. As a result, COL was requested to provide technical advice to the UGC on what measures could be taken to improve the quality and efficiency of external degree provision in Sri Lanka through the use of Open and Distance Learning as part of a larger government initiative to increase access to quality higher education in the country. It was agreed that COL would provide an expert consultant to investigate the current situation of external degrees provision in Sri Lankan universities and to report to the UGC so that they might identify where intervention on their part would be the most useful. After production of the consultant’s report, COL would organize and run a retreat/workshop for the Vice-Chancellors of the relevant universities and their chief administrators of external studies to discuss key issues pertaining to off-campus education and to consider organizational/institutional changes needed to provide an improved service to students
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PublicationForum on Flexible Education: Reaching Nomadic Populations in Africa( 2007)The Forum was held in Garissa, Kenya, from 20-23 June 2006. It was hosted by the Kenyan Ministry of Education and UNICEF, and funded by the Commonwealth of Learning and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The objectives of the Forum were to share experiences and best practices, create linkages and encourage collaboration in order to make education more accessible to nomadic communities. The Forum's five main sessions, which included presentations and group discussions, were Ensuring Basic Education for All, Girls and Women, Teacher/Facilitator Training, Skills Training and Government Policy.
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PublicationForum on Open Schooling for Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa( 2004)In response to the growing demand and commitment to primary education, there has been an increase in the number of children who complete primary school throughout subSaharan Africa. The success in increasing completion of primary schooling is leading to a significant pressure on the places in junior and senior secondary schools. As a direct result of this, another hurdle emerges - how do we cope with this demand and provide secondary education to those who have completed primary school? As educational statistics show, in most countries access to secondary education remains the preserve of a selected minority. Therefore, a significant question we explored at the forum was: • Can open schooling at the secondary level respond to the need created by the EFA and MDG targets?
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PublicationFostering Governmental Support for OER Internationally (FGSOERI): Caribbean( 2012-01)As part of the project Fostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI), six regional policy forums will be held, one in each UNESCO region, between January and May 2012. The objectives of these forums are to reach a worldwide audience of government policy-makers in order to: 1) give Member States more ownership of the project; 2) raise awareness about the transformative potential of OER for education; 3) enrich the information Member States provided in response to the COL/UNESCO questionnaire survey on OER policy; and 4) provide input to the draft Declaration that will be debated at the UNESCO World OER Congress in June 2012. Report that details the meeting of Regional Policy Forum for FGSOERI in the Caribbean. 25-26 January 2012
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PublicationFostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI): Africa( 2012-02)As part of the project Fostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI), six regional policy forums will be held, one in each UNESCO region, between January and May 2012. The objectives of these forums are to reach a worldwide audience of government policy-makers in order to: 1) give Member States more ownership of the project; 2) raise awareness about the transformative potential of OER for education; 3) enrich the information Member States provided in response to the COL/UNESCO questionnaire survey on OER policy; and 4) provide input to the draft Declaration that will be debated at the UNESCO World OER Congress in June 2012. This is a summary report of the regional meeting in Africa.
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PublicationFostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI): Europe( 2012-04)As part of the project Fostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI), six regional policy forums will be held, one in each UNESCO region, between January and May 2012. The objectives of these forums are to reach a worldwide audience of government policy-makers in order to: 1) give Member States more ownership of the project; 2) raise awareness about the transformative potential of OER for education; 3) enrich the information Member States provided in response to the COL/UNESCO questionnaire survey on OER policy; and 4) provide input to the draft Declaration that will be debated at the UNESCO World OER Congress in June 2012. This is a summary report of the regional meeting in Europe.
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PublicationFostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI): Latin America( 2012-03)As part of the project Fostering Governmental Support for Open Educational Resources Internationally (FGSOERI), six regional policy forums will be held, one in each UNESCO region, between January and May 2012. The objectives of these forums are to reach a worldwide audience of government policy-makers in order to: 1) give Member States more ownership of the project; 2) raise awareness about the transformative potential of OER for education; 3) enrich the information Member States provided in response to the COL/UNESCO questionnaire survey on OER policy; and 4) provide input to the draft Declaration that will be debated at the UNESCO World OER Congress in June 2012. This is a summary report of the regional meeting in Latin America.
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PublicationGender issues and barriers to information and communications technologies( 2002)An invitational meeting for regional representatives from the developing parts of the Commonwealth was held in Ottawa in June 2002, in partnership with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Participants reviewed outcomes from four regional meetings held earlier to examine the issues
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PublicationGender issues and barriers to information and communications technologies:summary report( 2002)An invitational meeting for regional representatives from the developing parts of the Commonwealth was held in Ottawa in June 2002, in partnership with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Participants reviewed outcomes from four regional meetings held earlier to examine the issues.
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PublicationIdentifying Barriers Encountered by Women in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Open and Distance Learning in Africa: Country Presentations( 2000-03)Regional expert meetings convened by Commonwealth of Learning (COL) - COL and its network are continuing work in addressing gender barriers, such as those encountered by women, to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education and training, and especially for open and distance learning. From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education based on gender differences. Reports from these meetings are available here, in Acrobat PDF format. The symposiums have been held in India, Barbados, Tanzania and New Zealand and relate to the discussions around the "digital divide", which have identified a particular need to address the implications of the ICT revolution for women, especially if they are not to be deprived of the opportunity to participate fully in the emerging economy likely to shape the 21st century.
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PublicationIdentifying Barriers Encountered by Women in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Open and Distance Learning in Africa: Summary Report( 2000)Regional expert meetings convened by Commonwealth of Learning (COL). COL and its network are continuing work in addressing gender barriers, such as those encountered by women, to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education and training, and especially for open and distance learning. From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education based on gender differences. The symposiums have been held in India, Barbados, Tanzania and New Zealand and relate to the discussions around the "digital divide", which have identified a particular need to address the implications of the ICT revolution for women, especially if they are not to be deprived of the opportunity to participate fully in the emerging economy likely to shape the 21st century.
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PublicationIdentifying Barriers Encountered by Women in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Open and Distance Learning in the Caribbean: Summary Report( 1999)Open and distance learning methodologies help girls and women overcome some of the challenges they face in attaining education when the only opportunities available to them are provided through conventional means. With the onslaught of the new information and communications technologies (ICTs) to deliver open and distance learning, however, it is feared that this trend may be reversed and that women may become marginalised in accessing distance education due to issues relating to the use of these technologies. Further, the influx of the new technologies may have an impact on the staff employed to work in distance learning environments. If women are disadvantaged in accessing and using the new technologies, this may influence the type of positions for which they are employed
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PublicationIdentifying Barriers Encountered by Women in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Open and Distance Learning in the South Pacific: Country Presentations( 2001-05)Regional expert meetings convened by Commonwealth of Learning (COL). COL and its network are continuing work in addressing gender barriers, such as those encountered by women, to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education and training, and especially for open and distance learning. From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education based on gender differences. The symposiums have been held in India, Barbados, Tanzania and New Zealand and relate to the discussions around the "digital divide", which have identified a particular need to address the implications of the ICT revolution for women, especially if they are not to be deprived of the opportunity to participate fully in the emerging economy likely to shape the 21st century.