It is recognised that more than ‘literacy’ is needed in today’s HE academic environment in order to take full advantage of the affordances of using ICTs for the full range of teaching and learning, research, and administrative duties and blended modes of provision. In order to address this issue, OUT, in collaboration with Saide’s OER Africa initiative, has conceptualised a course on ‘Digital Fluency’ to be provided as an Open Educational Resource (OER) and made available for OdeL provision.

1. Moving from Literacy to Fluency
– an Academic approach
BRENDA MALLINSON
8th eLearning Update
Emperor’s Palace, Gauteng
5-7 August 2015

2. Problem Identification
 OER Africa support for Open University Tanzania (OUT)
 Aug 2013: took stock of progress & identified current needs
 Participatory Action Research Study - Hewlett Grant
 Question: How can OER practices support transformation in teaching
and learning?
 Areas requiring support identified:
1. Review and update of a variety of OUT OER-related policies
2. Further enhancement of the OUT Digital Library Portal
3. Address challenges for academic staff in moving from print based
to digital culture with the ODL context

3. Solution Objectives
Guidance / Capacity Development for Academic Staff
 Advancing General Digital Competencies
 Developing Specific Digital Competencies in a range of areas to be identified
In order to facilitate:
 Guidance to students to access and use supplementary materials
 Enhancement of blended and online teaching and learning
 Promotion of student engagement and interaction in the Distance Education context
 Efficiencies in working with the new OUT administrative paperless environment
 Working with Open Educational Resources to change pedagogical practices

4. Design and Development
Artefact to be produced:
 ‘Digital Fluency’ course for Academics
How?
 Model shared educational beliefs in conceptualising, designing,
developing, piloting and implementing the course
 Used Learning Design 7C’s OERs (UL & OU UK) to workshop the
modules’ design
 Participatory process

5. Mod 1: Digital Fundamentals
 Basic Computer Concepts
 Digital Editing
 Internet Fundamentals
 Virtual Learning Environments
 Multimedia Fundamentals

6. Mod 2: Working with OER
 OER Concepts
 Creative Commons Licensing
 Mixing, Adapting and Reusing OER
 OER Production

7. Mod 3: Learning Design & Development
for Online Provision
 Models, Frameworks and Processes
 Learning Design
 Learning Development
 Modes of Delivery
 Learning Analytics

8. Mod 4: Academic Integrity in a Digital
Age
 Introduction to Academic Integrity
 Intellectual Property
 Promoting Academic Integrity
 Data and Information Privacy

9. Mod 5: Storage and Access of Digital
Resources
 The Nature of Digital Resources
 Storage of Digital Resources
 Access to Digital Resources
 Content management Systems

10. Demonstration
Wider
propagation
Regional
Dissemination
Internal to
OUT
Academics
Internal to
IEMT

11. Evaluation of:
 Establish needs of academics
 Developers experience
 Lessons so far:
 Time to produce an OER should not
be underestimated.
 Various iterative reviews required.
 The content, nature, and deployment
environment of the OER is important.
Process Modules
 Feedback after viewing from:
 Participants
 Facilitators
 Revision in response to feedback
Next steps: Communication & Dissemination
 Pilot in region
 Further review & revision
 Publish as OER
 Possible ACDE MOOC

12. Current Status
 Modules open for viewing by ACDE member institutions
 Quality improvement process ongoing
 By end 2015:
 Publication of revised modules as an OER under CC license.
 Provide a course for African academics to enhance ICT skills
 Encourage further OER use by African institutions
OER will be reused if they are deemed to be contextually relevant
Take ownership of OER Adoption in Africa

13. Thank You
BRENDA MALLINSON
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