OLE Program Officer Writes on OER Potential
OLE Senior Program Officer Shannon Taylor examined the potential of Open Educational Resources (OER) to deliver quality education in the developing world – and, in particular, in Namibia – in her recent thesis for a master’s degree in sustainable international development from Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management. Taylor has been coordinating a related feasibility study that UNESCO commissioned to OLE in Namibia. She received her degree in May.
In her thesis, Taylor concluded:
“… An OER approach exhibits great potential in addressing the challenges to quality of education in developing countries. However, further research is needed to determine if it will have the desired outcomes on student achievement and teacher development. While many enabling factors exist in Namibia to promote implementation of this approach, Namibia and other developing countries still face significant constraints in implementing such approaches such as equity of technology, internet access, reliability and speed, the culture of teaching and learning, and questions of sustainability and funding.
To implement such approaches successfully, significant attention must be paid to cultivating a participatory education system and new approaches to teaching and learning that move away from the top down method where the teacher is viewed as a deliverer of knowledge and the student as the recipient. Many countries at a policy level promote a learner centered approach. However, this does not often translate to actual practice in the classroom.
Furthermore, much more needs to be done to incorporate teachers in the decision making and building of the education process. Both of these are significant undertakings that will require substantial time and investment; however, countries like Namibia with large educational challenges in terms of equity and quality but with a strong commitment to innovation exhibit great potential for adopting and implementing and OER approach to education to address these challenges.”
