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Co-Designing Open Educational Resources: A Design-Based Research Approach to Enhancing Teacher Educator Capacity in Africa
Abstract
This paper presents the origins, design, and implementation of a research-informed initiative aimed at capacitating African teacher educators in co-authoring Open Educational Resources (OER). It responds to the need to equip teacher educators with the competencies required to engage in and model open educational practices tailored to local educational contexts. Despite the global expansion of Open Educational Resources (OER), particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, their integration into African teacher education institutions remains limited. The project brings together five initial teacher education institutions from four African countries: Botswana, South Africa, Nigeria, and Rwanda, in a collaborative effort to strengthen OER development using a design-based research approach. The initiative commenced with a webinar designed to raise awareness among African teacher educators about the potential of OER. Following this, a baseline case study was conducted to assess existing competencies and inform targeted training strategies. Drawing on these insights, a workshop employing experiential learning methodologies was held to equip participants with the necessary skills for OER co-creation. The process culminated in the collaborative development of outlines for a generic OER module and two STEM and two non-STEM subject modules, guided by the principles of communities of practice. By integrating research-driven design with collaborative authoring, this project provides a model for sustainable capacity building in teacher education. The paper concludes by highlighting key lessons learned and proposing strategies for scaling similar initiatives to foster greater OER adoption and use across the African education landscape.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 4993
Country
Botswana, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda
Region
Africa
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Date
2025-09
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Publisher
Commonwealth of Learning (COL)