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Teacher Training through Open, Distance and Technology-Enabled Learning in Rwanda
No full textThis baseline study focuses on analyzing policies and practices related to open and distance learning (ODL) and technology-enabled learning (TEL) in teacher education in Rwanda. The research, adopting a descriptive survey design, examines the status of ODL and TEL for teacher training, identifies challenges in policy practices, and proposes mitigating strategies. The findings underscore the Rwandan government's commitment to enhancing the teaching profession, with a significant increase in teaching staff across all educational levels. However, despite improvements, pupil-to-teacher ratios remain higher than Sub-Saharan Africa averages, signaling the need for increased efforts to train more teachers. The study highlights the historical emphasis on leveraging ODL and TEL in education, particularly after the 1994 genocide. Various ICT-related policies advocate for integrating technology into teacher training, but several key policies and strategies remain in draft form, indicating a gap in formal approval. Regarding ICT penetration in schools, the government has adopted smart classrooms and increased connectivity, yet challenges like maintenance and server capacity affect learning platforms' reliability. The University of Rwanda's College of Education offers blended learning, but the roadmap for ODL is unclear. The study recommends leveraging ODL/TEL as a cost-effective pathway to address the shortage of qualified teachers. It emphasises the importance of clear strategies, guidelines, and the use of MOOCs and OER for flexible continuing professional development and academic teacher education programmes. The Ministry of Education is encouraged to establish an open access repository for OER and formulate a comprehensive strategy for harnessing ODL/TEL for teacher education and professional development
Machine Learning for Everyone
No full textThis course introduces Machine Learning to everyone. Machine learning is a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that enables computer systems to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. It is done by developing computer programs that can access data and use it to learn for themselves. With the appropriate machine learning models, organisations can use these systems to continually observe changes in their business to predict what may be coming next. In this micro course, you will learn about machine learning, its techniques, and why it is important for all of us. This micro course presents machine learning concepts and techniques and the relation of machine learning to our everyday life in a way that anyone can understand. This course skips confusing academic jargon and offers clear explanations that require only basic mathematics. The online interactive version of the course is at https://colcommons.org
Guide to QA of ODFL Provision in the Pacific
No full textThis guide to quality assurance of Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) provision is intended to support Ministry of Education officials and teachers in the Pacific to roll out high quality distance education in their own contexts. Whilst expansion of ODFL has significantly increased participation in education, upholding the quality of provision cannot be overemphasised. The guide contains six units: (1) Understanding quality and quality assurance in ODFL; (2) Key components of quality in ODFL; (3) Implementing quality in ODFL; (4) Enhancing quality through policy; (5) ICT infrastructure and quality; and (6) optional readings. This guide was developed as part of the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning in the Pacific Project, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand
Gender Profile 2023: Cyprus
No full textThe Gender Country Profile outlines a country’s available data and rankings regarding gender equality. The profile is first a summary of the country’s demographic overview and rankings within established global indices for sustainable development and gender equity. The profile then follows the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index framework to provide statistics on each country in detail
Higher Education
Get PDFPromotional brochure for the Higher Education initiative. Commonwealth countries are seeking new ways to improve access to quality higher education for all. The key challenges in this context include growing demand for higher education, limited resources and relevance to contemporary needs. Open universities, online and blended approaches are viable options for increasing access and equity, improving quality and cutting education costs. Governments and institutions need support to develop policies and strategies to transform the higher education sector and adopt open and distance learning (ODL), including online and dual-mode opportunities
Democratising Digital Educational Game Design for Social Change
No full textDigital games can be used as educational tools for tackling structural inequalities and promoting social justice. Designing games with these purposes is often a complex task that requires a myriad of combined expertise, including games’ mechanics, software development, educational game design, pedagogy, and knowledge of the educational topic (which can target very specific social issues). Democratising the design of educational games is used to increase the agency and participation of diverse and novice groups throughout design processes - and can be used to improve the efficiency of such games as it directly leads to the inclusion of broad voices, knowledge, experiences and perspectives. This research adopted a Design-Based Research methodology to create, evaluate and validate 13 design principles to democratise the design of educational games for social change. Three research phases were implemented in turn: a preliminary research, prototyping and evaluation phase. The preliminary research phase was based on creating these principles by grounding them on fundamentals of Critical Pedagogy, a theory of education which presents pedagogical techniques to accelerate learning, engagement and social change. The prototyping phase was based on conducting semi-structured interviews to assess and improve these principles with educational and game design experts. During the evaluation phase, these principles were applied and evaluated during two weekend-long game design events, which were mostly attended by diverse groups who had never designed a digital game before. This research presents theoretical and practical contributions related to how to democratise educational game design for social change. It evidenced the relevance of facilitating design principles that addresses what could be done to trigger learning in games by presenting design principles; why this learning could be facilitated, from both educational and gaming perspectives; and how to implement these principles into an educational game
Book Review: The Encyclopedia of Female Pioneers in Online Learning
Get PDFThe encyclopedia of female pioneers in online learning is a fascinating compilation about the work of thirty leading educational experts who have lived and worked in eighteen countries across the globe. Their knowledge and contribution to the field has shaped and improved how people learn online. The women in this book were some of the first to introduce new ideas, concepts and applications in distance education and online learning, and they continue to contribute to Distance Education, e-learning and Open and Distance Learning. As strong proponents for phenomenology, the authors, Bainbridge and Wark, have given these women a platform to share their subjective interpretation of experiences as pioneers in online learning
Self-directed Learning for Higher Education MOOC
No full textPromotional brochure for the Self-directed Learning for Higher Education MOOC
Regional Focal Points Meeting- Caribbean: Day 1 Recap
No full textPresented by Professor Wale Adekunle, COL Adviser: Lifelong Learning for Farmers at the Regional Focal Points Meeting – CARIBBEAN held in Jamaica, 30-31 January 2023
Commonwealth Executive MBA & MPA Programmes (CEMBA/CEMPA)
No full textPromotional brochure for the Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and (CEMBA) Commonwealth Executive Master of Public Administration (CEMPA) programmes