OER Adaptation and Reuse across Cultural Contexts in Sub Saharan Africa: Lessons from the TESSA...

OER Adaptation and Reuse across Cultural Contexts in Sub Saharan Africa: Lessons from the TESSA

Consortium

Alison Buckler & Freda Wolfenden

(The Open University, UK)

Fred Keraro ( Egerton University, Kenya)

TESSA

Research and development project

Focus on teacher education

International consortium of 18 institutions

Working in 9 countries across Sub Saharan Africa

Harnessing ICTs, in particular idea of Open Educational Resources

TESSA

• OER Materials and Tools – Production of original OERs (study units) to support school-based

teacher learning – Building web space to publish TESSA OERs and support

developing TESSA community of users

• Implementation and Support – Concurrent planning and implementation of TESSA OERs use in

partner institutions’ programmes

• Research– Monitoring and evaluating impact of use of TESSA OERs – Accompanying research activities to inform development including

Teachers’ Lives project

One TESSA Partner: Egerton University• Oldest institution of higher education in Kenya (1939

founded as a Farm School; 1987 full University by Act of Parliament; 2010 15,000 students)

• Faculty of Education offers Bachelor of Education (primary); first degree programme for primary school teachers in Kenya

• An upgrading programme for teachers with certificate qualifications, school-based.

• Main objective of the programme is to improve the quality of teachers in basic education in Kenya

• TESSA OERs used to enhance quality of learning in this programme

TESSA OERs

75 core study units

Developed by academics from across Sub Saharan Africa

Creating TESSA OERs: A template approach

Teacher Learning outcomes

Introduction

Case Study 1

Activity 1

Narrative

Case Study 2

Activity 2 Activity 3 / Key Activity

Narrative

Case Study 3

Resource 1

Resource 2

Resource 3

Resource 4

Resource 5

Resource 6

100

250

200

Word count

One page each

Versioned

Versioning or adapting the TESSA OERsGeneric Materials reflect diverse contextswritten in English

Versioning to better match the specific needs of a particular locality or national context

undertaken by teacher educators with expertise in school based teacher training and experience of open and distance learning

versioning process dispersed and decentralised; local autonomy by TESSA partner institution coordinators – generic guidelines

9 versions

Our study: understanding the versioning proces

Study undertaken in 3 countries: Ghana, Kenya and Sudan

In-country semi-structured interviews with TESSA versioners and coordinators (8) and TESSA Curriculum Director

TESSA materials mapping exerciseto identify changes made during the versioning process analysis of one section from each module area (20% each country) Ghana, Kenya: English Sudan: Arabic (analysis in Arabic)

• Process of versioning or adaptation

• Extent and type of changes in TESSA materials

• Factors that influence versioning

Study findings

Process of versioning:some characteristics

Versioning aspect

Ghana Kenya Sudan

Prior familiarisation with OERs

None specified Some from earlier TESSA meeting

None specified

Introduction to TESSA materials

At the versioning workshop

Meeting with institution staff (pre-workshop)


Initial versioning workshop

National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna,– 4 days

Egerton campus, Nakuru, Kenya - 4 days

OUS office, Khartoum, Sudan Several meetings over a series of weeks

Mode of working Teams of Ghanaian and Nigerian subject specialists

Teams of Kenyan subject specialists

Individual working (1 versioner/subject area)

Research undertaken Medium: internet, colleagues and books (

Medium: internet, colleagues and books

Extensive: books and colleagues

Use of computers in

Versioning

Yes, entirely Initial changes made on hard copy materials

No, by hand

Length of follow up Approx 2 weeks (although longer specified for Science)

Approx 1 year 3-4 face to face meetings

Approx 3 months

Ongoing support Email 3-4 face to face meetings 5-6 face to face meetings

Number of drafts Approx 2 Approx 3 Approx 3

Process of versioning

Versioning aspect

Ghana Kenya Sudan

Prior familiarisation with OERs

None specified Some from earlier TESSA meeting

None specified

Introduction to TESSA materials

At the versioning workshop



Initial versioning workshop

National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna,– 4 days

Egerton campus, Nakuru, Kenya - 4 days

OUS office, Khartoum, Sudan Several meetings over a series of weeks

Mode of working Teams of Ghanaian and Nigerian subject specialists

Teams of Kenyan subject specialists

Individual working (1 versioner/subject area)

Research undertaken Medium: internet, colleagues and books (

Medium: internet, colleagues and books

Extensive: books and colleagues

Use of computers in

Versioning

Yes, entirely Initial changes made on hard copy materials

No, by hand

Length of follow up Approx 2 weeks (although longer specified for Science)

Approx 1 year 3-4 face to face meetings

Approx 3 months

Ongoing support Email 3-4 face to face meetings 5-6 face to face meetings

Number of drafts Approx 2 Approx 3 Approx 3

• Process of versioning or adaptation

• Extent and type of changes in TESSA materials

• Factors that influence versioning

Study findings

Type A: Names: A straightforward change of the name of a person or place

to one that is locally relevant. A change that requires little or no

research.

Type B: Culture and Environment: More complex changes including the replacement of traditional stories or historical stories with culturally relevant examples or the replacement of geographical landmarks with local examples.

Type C: Curriculum: A change that brings the materials inline with the existing national curriculum to include content or language level. May involve substantial changes eg the omission or replacement of entire resources.

Typology of changes in TESSA materials

Type C: Curriculum

Type A: Names of People and Places

Type B: Culture and Environment

Key

Sudan

Ghana

Kenya

Size of circle represents total number of changes

A Typology of TESSA Versioning

Factors that influence the versioning process

Support

Access to information

‘Personal construct’ of versioners


Support

Source eg Institution, peer

Timing and form

Kenya1: I was trying to see if we could version some of the Kiswahili materials and my colleague was dealing with mostly English because he teaches English and I teach Kiswahili. So we thought the two of us working together could come up with something useful.

Ghana3: After every session we tried to compare notes to see who is doing what and how different it is from what I am dong. So yeah it was the explanation basically and then the group sharing the challenges and strengths.


Access to information

Local knowledge, colleagues, resource persons

Internet, books

Sudan2: You have to go back to so many books and explore to find so many cases and to have some stories and some examples

Ghana4: No, it came from memory. I was born and bred here. So I have been to a few places, I have seen a little of the world [this versioner claimed she undertook no supplementary research]

Ghana2: I had to go to their computer centre and fortunately I got what I wanted on the internet.


Personal construct of versioners

Commitment and understanding of OERs

Understanding of pedagogy in TESSA materials

Skill set, confidence and experience

Sudan1: A translator is the one who knows his language, he simply changes the translation. But the versioner is the one who knows his things.

Ghana4: So I am open to innovation, my late secondary school head master said ‘every situation is a learning situation’. So I see any opportunity that comes as a learning opportunity as a learning situation that I can make the best out of it. I don’t see the worst side, I am very optimistic. At times this is bad!

Concluding thoughts

Small number of changes to materials

Tangible benefits to participants;

Familiarisation with the materials and their pedagogy

Increased feelings of ownership of the materials and agency with their use

Improved ICT skills

Increased understandings of OERs

‘….knowledge and action are always local, always situated in a network of particulars.’

Bruner ‘ The Culture of Education’ 1996 p167

OER Adaptation and Reuse across Cultural Contexts in Sub Saharan Africa: Lessons from the TESSA...

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