ERIC Number: EJ861321
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1492-3831
EISSN: N/A
Harnessing Open Educational Resources to the Challenges of Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Thakrar, Jayshree; Zinn, Denise; Wolfenden, Freda
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, v10 n4 Sep 2009
The challenges to teacher educators in sub-Saharan Africa are acute. This paper describes how the Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) consortium is working within institutional and national policy systems to support school-based teacher professional development. The TESSA consortium (13 African institutions and 5 international organisations delivering teacher education across 9 countries) designed and produced a bank of open educational resources (OERs) to guide teachers' classroom practices in school-based teacher education. Drawing on examples from the TESSA consortium and from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, the authors categorize the forms of TESSA OER integration as highly structured, loosely structured, or guided use. The paper concludes by outlining success factors for the integration of OERs: accessibility, adequate resources, support for teachers, accommodation of local cultural and institutional practices, and sustainable funding. (Contains 1 table and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Educational Change, Foreign Countries, Consortia, Educational Resources, Professional Development, Elementary School Teachers, Units of Study, Open Universities, Educational Cooperation, Developing Nations, Barriers, Access to Education, Educational Environment, Educational Development, Economically Disadvantaged, International Education, International Organizations, Educational Policy, Policy Analysis, Inservice Teacher Education, Rural Areas, Program Effectiveness, Program Implementation, Instructional Effectiveness, Higher Education, Web Based Instruction, Electronic Learning, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Computer Assisted Instruction, Technology Integration, Computer Mediated Communication, Distance Education, Access to Computers, Web Sites, Program Descriptions
Athabasca University. 1200, 10011 - 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8, Canada. Tel: 780-421-2536; Fax: 780-497-3416; e-mail: irrodl@athabascau.ca; Web site: http://www.irrodl.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana; Kenya; Nigeria; Rwanda; South Africa; Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A