Summary of feedback forms from the Aug 27, 2013 workshop at University of Nairobi School of Public Health

1. African Health
OER Network
Summary of Workshop Feedback
from the Open Education as a Method to Increase Collaboration,
Flexibility, and Global Visibility – facilitated by University of Michigan
http://openmi.ch/uon-aug2013
University of Nairobi, School of Public Health
27th August 2013
Twelve people participated in this workshop, approximately half from the School of Public Health and
the rest from the national government (Ministry of Health and Center for Disease Control). One-time
feedback forms were collected at the end of the workshop from nine participants. Responses were
anonymous and were analyzed by a sociologist at Michigan who was not at the workshop.
Responses were quite positive, with the few complaints primarily that there was not enough time or
that the workshop should have been two days instead of one.
Respondents
All nine respondents completed every question on the feedback forms with the exception of one person
who did not offer additional comments or questions at the end of the survey.
Responses to specific questions
1. To what extent did today’s workshop meet your expectations?
Five people reported that the workshop exceeded their expectations and made remarks like these:
• To a greater extent I learnt more than I expected to have learnt
• Today's workshop was beyond my expectation. It was excellent in terms of
the mode of presentation and the content
One person reported that the workshop met their expectations “to a great extent”.
Three responses used this space to describe skills or knowledge they gained rather than whether their
expectations were met, so these answers are included in the next question below.
2. What, if any skills or knowledge did you gain from today’s workshop?
Some respondents named more than one gain. Three additional comments about gains made in the
question above are included here.
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2. Four responses named gains in skills or knowledge of OER with comments like these:
•
Recognition / awareness of open educational resources
•
How to access Open Educational Resources (2 responses)
•
[T]hat you can benefit from numerous resources and materials which are available for
free on OER
Two comments concerned knowledge gains regarding licensing:
•
•
Intellectual properties with regard to scientific writings, copyrights and how to handle
copyright licenses
Creative Commons licenses
Two responses were more general about gains made with regard to sharing resources:
•
Need to share knowledge with others and benefit from others’ knowledge;
•
[I]ntroduced me to new ways of sharing data through open access
There were three comments about gains in performing professional activities:
•
•
•
The need to network
Doing a literature review
Research methods
Two people mentioned the substantive content they gained in public health disaster management [from
the East Africa Health Alliance collection at http://openmi.ch/disaster-mgmt).
Three people volunteered positive evaluative statements like these:
•
Very useful information
•
Which shall be of great help to me
Finally, there is one unclassified comment.
•
I learned that there is a philanthropism in academics, i.e. Philanthroacademia.
3. What aspects of today’s workshop did you find most useful? Please provide examples.
Five responses indicate that the first most useful aspect of the workshop was OER:
•
Insight into open educational resources - existing materials and methods
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3. •
Matching material to sources and copyrights
•
How to tell what kind of literature one has and what rights there are
•
Re-energized me to embark on development of OER for Public Health
•
This [OER?] is a necessary platform to enhance learning
Three respondents found substantive and methodological information related to public health most
useful:
•
The materials on public health disaster management for districts
•
Public health emergency and planning
•
Research methods
Respondents valued the rich, scholarly and international character of the workshop:
•
The educational link between university of Michigan and other universities worldwide
•
Pulls together a great wealth of information
One respondent commented on the workshop presenter, who was “well prepared and delivered
learning materials well”.
4. What aspects of today’s workshop did you find least useful? Please provide examples.
Of nine, seven people responded “none”. One person said “licenses and exemptions not clear”, while
another commented “time was short”.
5. Based on today’s workshop, what would you suggest that we exclude, add or change in future
workshops?
Of nine responders, three felt the workshop could use more time. Of these, one suggested “at least a 2days workshop”.
Two people desired more participatory activities.
Two people asked for more specific content: one for “more about types of copyright licenses”, and the
other “more on patent of academic materials, in Africa zone”.
One suggested to “expand the scope of [participants] to involve more government officials”.
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4. One responded “none”.
6. Based on today’s workshop, what are your ideas for integrating open education (OE) into your
department?
Four people’s ideas for integrating OE into their department centered on developing materials:
•
To develop materials that can be posted on open access for learning and modification
•
Put students/teaching materials online. Come up with Open Learning Courses
•
Development of training modules - the steps, procedures
•
Develop resource center which can be available for use for free
Two people highlighted the opportunity to access materials for integration into their departments:
•
A lot of introduction to do but materials available online
•
Open education shall help in accessing reference materials, purchase of textbooks is
expensive, hence open education shall be a better option
One person made a comment about the strategy to integrate OE into their department “Involve all
stakeholders”.
One person had an idea about integrating OE “In research methods - using available assignment”.
One person made a positive but vague statement “It is an idea whose time has come and given the
opportunity, we will integrate [? illegible word] open education in our department”.
As part of a comment on developing materials, one person noted that “In veterinary medicine, [this is] a
very new area”.
7. Additional comments or questions
There were eight responses to this question. Four respondents praised the presentation:
•
Good work (2 responses)
•
Keep it up
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5. •
The presentation was excellent and the content was very relevant for our country's
situation
Two people asked for more content on a specific area:
•
More resource materials on epidemiology and zoonotic disease
•
Can we have public health nutrition material too [?]
One person requested help with the process of making materials usable as OER resources: “Assist us to
convert materials into OER”.
Perhaps referring to their department, another person said “Need to put more emphasis on
strengthening this model of learning”.
One person remarked more generally that they “need more seminars”.
Summary
Despite the small number of responses (9), there was considerable heterogeneity in answers to
most questions. For example, people gained skills or knowledge about OER and licensing in particular,
but they also made gains in sharing resources generally and in professionalization. Respondents felt the
workshop contributed to professional learning about research methods, how to do a literature review,
and the need to network.
Feedback indicated that the most useful aspect of the workshop was what respondents learned
about OER, but again, participants also indicated they found the substantive materials on public health
and disaster management, and ways the University of Michigan is connected to other universities
worldwide, were useful as well.
Respondents found all aspects of the workshop useful, though one person remarked that they
were still not clear about exemptions and licenses. Two people asked for more content on copyright
licenses; one asked for resources on epidemiology and zoonotic disease (disease that causes sickness in
animals and can be spread to cause sickness in humans); another person asked for materials on public
health nutrition.
Participants had ideas for integrating OER into their department, chiefly by developing materials
themselves and by accessing educational materials online, but one remarked on the importance of
including all stakeholders when integrating OER into their department. This indicates that respondents
learned about inclusive strategies in education that may enhance the impact of their efforts to adopt
educational innovations like OE.
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6. •
The presentation was excellent and the content was very relevant for our country's
situation
Two people asked for more content on a specific area:
•
More resource materials on epidemiology and zoonotic disease
•
Can we have public health nutrition material too [?]
One person requested help with the process of making materials usable as OER resources: “Assist us to
convert materials into OER”.
Perhaps referring to their department, another person said “Need to put more emphasis on
strengthening this model of learning”.
One person remarked more generally that they “need more seminars”.
Summary
Despite the small number of responses (9), there was considerable heterogeneity in answers to
most questions. For example, people gained skills or knowledge about OER and licensing in particular,
but they also made gains in sharing resources generally and in professionalization. Respondents felt the
workshop contributed to professional learning about research methods, how to do a literature review,
and the need to network.
Feedback indicated that the most useful aspect of the workshop was what respondents learned
about OER, but again, participants also indicated they found the substantive materials on public health
and disaster management, and ways the University of Michigan is connected to other universities
worldwide, were useful as well.
Respondents found all aspects of the workshop useful, though one person remarked that they
were still not clear about exemptions and licenses. Two people asked for more content on copyright
licenses; one asked for resources on epidemiology and zoonotic disease (disease that causes sickness in
animals and can be spread to cause sickness in humans); another person asked for materials on public
health nutrition.
Participants had ideas for integrating OER into their department, chiefly by developing materials
themselves and by accessing educational materials online, but one remarked on the importance of
including all stakeholders when integrating OER into their department. This indicates that respondents
learned about inclusive strategies in education that may enhance the impact of their efforts to adopt
educational innovations like OE.
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