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Communities of Practice in Algorithmic Mobile Learning: Farmers' Knowledge Co-creation and Critical Engagement
No full text[POSTER] Digital platforms can shape learners' actions and subjectivities (Williamson, 2015) through algorithmic content curation (Smythe et al., 2022). As farmers increasingly rely on mobile phones for informal, self-directed learning, AI-driven algorithms may push unverified or conflicting information, raising concerns about misinformation. This qualitative study applies Actor-Network Theory to examine how mobile phones and algorithmic content influence farmers' learning within communities of practice, focusing on how they make sense of and co-create knowledge from 'pushed' content. Through interviews and focus groups with 18 farmers and 8 extension staff in St. Andrew's, Jamaica, we explore farmers' agentic engagement in mobile learning through communities of practice. While extension staff highlight challenges posed by overwhelming-and sometimes inaccurate-online information, farmers also engage in collective sense-making, validating algorithmic content through traditional knowledge, experimentation, and peer consultations. These interactions reflect the role of communities of learning and practice in strengthening digital literacy and knowledge co-creation. Findings emphasize the importance of community-driven approaches to critical engagement with AI-driven content. Supporting farmers and extension staff in navigating algorithmic learning through collaborative learning strategies is essential for lifelong learning and resilient agricultural knowledge systems.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 147
Repositioning Examination Mode Through Virtual Platform with Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in National Open University of Nigeria: An Expository Study
No full textThe increase in the use of technology devices and development of various software applications the world over has enabled identifiable solutions to various human problems that looked like Herculean tasks in the past. In the ODL mode of education, as leaners juggle study, work and the responsibility that family life entails, the flexibility characteristic of ODL is paving way for the expected continuity in the teaching and learning process through technology. These include examinations and evaluation processes. Educational institutions in Nigeria before now, based only on traditional methods of learning, that is, they follow the traditional set up of face-to-face lectures including term or semester examinations in a classroom. With the advent of distance learning mode, many universities running dual mode of education along with the only single mode university available in the West African coast - the National Open University of Nigeria, have started blended learning. Although many of the existing colleges and universities are stuck with old procedures of teaching in various ways, the narrative changed when the deadly disease called Covid-19 caused by a Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) shook the entire world. Part of the challenges brought about by this World Health Organization declared pandemic was how to ensure continuity in the process of teaching and learning. It is against this background that exigency of time have made it mandatory for institutions of learning to fully turn to technology for solutions to examinations and evaluation process, hence, the reason for virtual examinations which made students to face the screen instead of the traditional assessment system facilitated through the face-to-face classroom environment. Very many conventional institutions of learning which were reluctant to change their pedagogical approach along with the technologically inclined institutions such as NOUN took the advantage of the situation to introduce virtual examinations which points to the fact that students must face the screen if they were to be evaluated. The aim of this paper is to share the experience this mode of examinations entails in the developing countries of West Africa for the purpose of improvement and enabling students outside the shores of the locations of various institutions the opportunity it portend for access to education and be examined for the purpose of certification.
PCF11 Plus: Beyond the Forum
Sub-Theme: Gender, technology and innovation in open education
Paper ID: 562
Girls' Access to Quality Education in Rural Communities in North-central Nigeria: Challenges and Pathways to Change.
No full textStudies have shown that more than 50 per cent of young women between the ages of 15 and 24 in many states in northern Nigeria have not experienced formal education. This is due to a complex interplay of socioeconomic, infrastructural, cultural, and religious factors, including inadequate and insufficient infrastructure, inadequate educational resources and unqualified teaching personnel. Socioeconomic barriers, include pervasive poverty, high child labor rates, prioritization of family subsistence over schooling, Cultural norms and gender disparities. Entrenched beliefs and practices such as early marriage and the brazen extremism of the Boko Haram sect that want to relegate women exclusively to the household further intensify educational exclusion, for girls in Northern Nigeria. This qualitative study explored these multifaceted obstacles through comprehensive interviews and focus group discussions involving educators, community leaders, parents, and in and out-of-school girls. Two rural communities in two states in North-Central Nigeria were used with a purposively selected sample size of 40 participants.
Thematic analysis revealed five core barriers as socioeconomic hardship and domestic labor, entrenched cultural and gender norms, inadequate educational infrastructure, insecurity and psychological fear, and weak governmental support coupled with limited technological integration. Findings underscore the intersectionality of these barriers and highlight the urgent need for localized, culturally sensitive, and economically viable strategies to support girls’ education. The study recommends comprehensive interventions including economic support for families, improved school infrastructure, community sensitization, and the incorporation of technology and female teachers to create safe, inclusive, and enabling learning environments. These insights contribute to policy development and programmatic action aimed at achieving gender equity in education within rural sub-Saharan African contexts.
PCF11 Plus: Beyond the Forum
Sub-Theme: Changing mindsets for inclusive open education
Paper ID: 736
Mainstreaming Technology-Enabled Learning: Strategies from UMS
No full textThis case study presents the strategies adopted by Universiti Malaysia Sabah in implementing COL’s model of technology-enabled learning from 2018-2025. The case study presents the support received from COL, project outputs and outcomes, and lessons learned that could be useful for any similar institution
Open Distance and Flexible Learning for Resilience in Higher Education - Tonga National University as a Case Study
No full textAmidst pandemic, tsunamis and volcano, and unsustainable economic dependence on donors and remittances, Tonga continues to grapple with the resilience of its education systems. Open Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) has emerged as a lifeline for ensuring educational continuity. Our paper explores how ODFL enhances resilience in the higher education sector using Tonga National University as a case study. It explores stakeholders’ perceptions, current ODFL initiatives and practices, challenges and opportunities for strengthening its educational systems and processes. It employs a mixed-methods approach comprising survey and desktop documentary analysis and/or institutional data analysis as well as authors’ reflection from two workshops. Coupled with the demographic, focus areas include ‘perception of ODFL, ‘institutional readiness and support’, ‘technology and infrastructure’ and ‘future perspectives. The paper will present best practices and evaluate the role of ODFL highlighting context-appropriate practices and strategies for education actors in Tonga to enhance education system resilience. It will contribute to the broader discourse as well as inform educators, institutions, policy makers, donors and commonwealth governments on adaptive learning models in the region.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 309
Migration Online of Open/Innovative Schooling in Papua New Guinea: Case Study Research
No full textFlexible, Open and Distance Education (FODE) operates under the FODE and Inclusive Education Division of the National Department of Education (NDOE) in Papua New Guinea. As an integral component of the National Education System, FODE provides flexible and equitable learning opportunities, particularly for learners who face geographical, financial, or social barriers to accessing conventional schooling. FODE also accommodates students who are displaced or excluded from conventional schools, ensuring they have an alternative pathway to continue their education. The current and ongoing collaborative efforts with Commonwealth of Learning (COL) started in 2021 as a journey towards initiating, building, establishing and supporting an online learning alternative for FODE courses particularly focusing with its Upper Secondary courses (Grades 11-12). This case study identifies and addresses key questions.
PCF11 Plus: Beyond the Forum
Sub-Theme: Gender, technology and innovation in open education
Paper ID: 626
Architecture for Building Open and Flexible Learning Platforms
No full textDigital learning platforms for Universities need to be open and portable, open to extensions and adaptable across Universities. In this work, we describe Namaste BHU, a University companion built to address this issue. Namaste BHU contains a set of services called University Middleware, addressing what every university will need, such as messaging, reporting, and authentication. On top of this layer of services are the universityspecific services, which are tailored to a particular University with university-specific vocabulary and workflow. The University middleware, in turn, is served by technology middleware, such as database engines and workflow engines. Thus, the software is organised into three horizontally stacked layers, accompanied by a vertically integrated data layer. A distinct vertical Data Layer manages University-specific data like students, faculty, and courses.
A further design principle that is adopted is to automatically onboard every stakeholder of the University. As soon as a student or staff member is enrolled in the University, they do not need to register in the app; they can directly log in using the phone number provided at the time of admission. Then, with all stakeholders already onboard and authenticated, adding new functional requirements becomes easy.
This model enables rapid service deployment, easy extension through middleware, and seamless adaptation to other institutions by modifying only the data layer.
PCF11 Plus: Beyond the Forum
Sub-Theme: Gender, technology and innovation in open education
Paper ID: 407
SWAYAM and SWAYAM Plus: Catalysts for Inclusive Education in India
No full textIndia is planning to deliver universal school education by 2030 and a 50% higher education enrollment rate by 2035, using technological innovation to enhance inclusivity and quality in education. The flagship MOOC platform of India, SWAYAM, plans to empower students from disadvantaged groups through free courses, and SWAYAM Plus targets employability through industry-agnostic professional development. The current study assessed their impact on technical architecture and functionalities using descriptive survey design with quantitative questionnaires, web user and course team analytics. The results indicate improved access and skill building for students but also indicate challenges like the digital divide and poor course completion rates. Solution proposals for enhancing accessibility and participation are presented, highlighting the platforms' capability to democratize education and sustainable development.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Changing Mindsets for Inclusive Open Education
Paper ID: 991
Building a Sustainable Community of Practice for ODDL to Support Curriculum Co-creation Between The Open University (UK) and Indira Gandhi National Open University, India
No full textThere is an urgent requirement for Online, Distance and Digitally Delivered Learning (ODDL) capacity building in India and South Asia, where supporting equitable participation in quality education, in line with UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal 4, is a huge challenge. Recent research indicates that ODDL quality is variable and that there is a similarly urgent requirement for training supporting educators in designing and delivering ODDL that meets diverse learners’ needs and implements pedagogical and technological innovations appropriate to local contexts.
This paper, in its current form, outlines the activities and aims of a British Council India-funded collaboration between The Open University (UK) (OU UK) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India - the ‘Co-Create ODDL’ project. The project is intended to support ODDL capacity-building by scoping and cocreating the structure for a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Education, for delivery by IGNOU in India and South Asia, and by establishing and nurturing a sustainable, transnational online community of practice offering educators and related professionals opportunities for knowledge exchange, practice sharing and peer support.
The Co-Create ODDL project is still in its early stages at time of writing the current version of this paper, which identifies relevant literature, details the project research strategy, and offers a summary of emergent findings from a needs analysis and technological readiness-focused survey of educators in India and South Asia. Prior to PCF11, the paper will be updated to report the findings of each stage of the project’s mixed methods research strategy an exploration of the ways in which the UK-India community of practice has been operated, and discussion of how the project’s co-creation approach has been enacted to involve a wide range of stakeholder voices, offering a model for international, cross-institutional curriculum co-creation.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 974
Effectiveness of Digital Gamification in Biology Concept Comprehension and Learner Motivation in Secondary Schools
No full textDigital technology has increasingly transformed the landscape of science education, positioning gamification as a powerful pedagogical tool to enhance learner engagement and comprehension. This study investigated the application of digital gamification using Kahoot! to enhance comprehension of biology subject content among secondary school students. The study seeks to determine the effectiveness of digital gamification in reinforcing students’ understanding of cell organelles; examine learners’ motivation during the gamified learning process; and evaluate the effect of a digital gamification intervention through pre- and post-intervention assessments. A quasi-experimental design was employed involving two groups: an experimental group using Kahoot!-based digital quizzes and learning content, and a control group exposed to traditional teaching methods. The study targeted Form Two biology students, with gamified content aligned to the cell organelles topic in the Kenyan secondary school curriculum. Data was collected using comprehension biology tests. Quantitative analysis through t-test revealed statistically significant improvements in comprehension, motivation, and engagement levels among students in the experimental group compared to the control group. The findings demonstrate that digital gamification fosters deeper understanding, enhances motivation, and promotes active participation in biology lessons. The study recommends the integration of digital gamification tools like Kahoot! into science instruction to foster a more interactive and learner-centred environment