logo logo International Journal of Educational Methodology

IJEM is a leading, peer-reviewed, open access, research journal that provides an online forum for studies in education, by and for scholars and practitioners, worldwide.

Subscribe to

Receive Email Alerts

for special events, calls for papers, and professional development opportunities.

Subscribe

Publisher (HQ)

RHAPSODE
Eurasian Society of Educational Research
College House, 2nd Floor 17 King Edwards Road, Ruislip, London, HA4 7AE, UK
RHAPSODE
Headquarters
College House, 2nd Floor 17 King Edwards Road, Ruislip, London, HA4 7AE, UK
Research Article

Exploring Faculty Members' Views on the Use of Open Education Resources: A Case of the Namibian Open Distance Learning Institutions

Edwig Karipi , Ailwei Solomon Mawela , Micheal M. Van-Wyk

Open educational resources (OER) are an innovation coined to bridge the educational divide by providing free quality learning resources. Consequently,.

O

Open educational resources (OER) are an innovation coined to bridge the educational divide by providing free quality learning resources. Consequently, this study explored the perception of the Namibian open and distance learning institutions' perception of the use of OER as a pedagogical approach. The study focused on faculty members from the three public ODL institutions in Namibia. Integrated theories with a qualitative case study and interpretivist paradigm underpin this study. Qualitative methodologies were used to collect and analyse data. This study showed an inconsistency between the faculty members' perceptions and OER use within the ODL institutions in Namibia. Although the faculty members displayed positive attitudes towards the use of OER, very little has been achieved in the use of OER within the institutions for the benefit of the Namibian ODL students. The study identified various challenges that impede OER adoption at the institutional level. Recommendations were formulated to address the identified challenges.

Keywords: Open educational resources (OER), open and distance learning, OER adoption, ODL pedagogical approaches, teaching

cloud_download PDF
Cite
Article Metrics
Views
430
Download
924
Citations
Crossref
2

Scopus
2

References

Allen, E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Opening the curriculum: Open educational resources in the U.S. higher education. Pearson. https://bit.ly/3ojc5Cf

Bliss, T. J., Robinson, T. J., Hilton, J., & Wiley, D. (2013). An OER COUP: College teacher and student perceptions of open educational resources. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 17(1), 1–25. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/1355

Bliss, T. J., & Smith, M. (2017). A brief history of open educational resources. In R. S. Jhangiani & R. Biswas-Diener (Eds.), Open: The philosophy and practices that are revolutionizing education and science (pp. 9–27). Ubiquity Press. 

Butcher, N. (2012). Exploring the business case for open educational resources. Commonwealth of Learning. https://bit.ly/3sdlPPU

Butcher, N. (2015). A basic guide to open educational resources (OER). UNESDOC Digital Library. https://bit.ly/3GngnPl

Conole, G. (2012). Fostering social inclusion through open educational resources (OER). Distance Education33(2), 131-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2012.700563

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed approaches. (4th ed.). Sage.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design (4th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.

De Hart, K. L., Chetty, Y. B., & Archer, E. (2015). Uptake of OER by Staff in Distance Education in South Africa. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(2), 18–45. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i2.2047

Department of Higher Education and Training. (2014). White Paper for Post-School Education and Training. Building an expanded, effective, and integrated post-school system. Government Press DHET.

Farrow, R., Pitt, R., de Los Arcos, B., Perryman, L.-A., Weller, M., & McAndrew, P. (2015). Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: Data from OER Research Hub (2013–2014). British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(5), 972–976. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12310

Ferreira, F., & Gauthier, C. (2013). Open schooling with open educational resources: Opening doors, creating opportunities. Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver. http://dspace.col.org/handle/11599/487

Hilton, J. (2019). Open educational resources, student efficacy, and user perceptions: A synthesis of research published between 2015 and 2018. Education    Technology Research Development 68, 853–876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09700-4

Hodgkinson-Williams, C., & Arinto, P. B. (2017). Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South. African Minds, International Development Research Centre & Research       on           Open      Educational Resources. https://doi.10.5281/zenodo.1005330

Hoosen, S. (2012). Survey on governments' open educational resources (OER) policies. Commonwealth of Learning: Learning for Sustainable Development. http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/291

Ikahihifo, T. K., Spring, K. J., Rosecrans, J., & Watson, J. (2017). Assessing the savings from open educational resources on student academic goals. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(7), 126-140. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i7.2754

Jacobi, R., & Van der Woert, N. (2012). Trend report: Open Educational Resources. Drawn Up by the Special Interest Group Open Educational Resources. https://bit.ly/3HsUxLB

Kapenda, H. M., Kanyimba, A. T., Claassen, P., & Mbulu, K. P. (2016). UNAM Research   Report. University of Nambia. https://bit.ly/3GoIvBQ

Kisirkoi, F., & Kamanga, A. N. (2018). Continuous Teacher Professional Support for Effective Implementation of Basic Education Curriculum Framework. Http://Hdl.Handle.Net/123456789/8968

Krelja, K. E. (2016). Advantages and limitations of usage of open educational resources in small countries. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2(1), 136-142. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105180.pdf

Kurelović, E. K., Tomljanović, J., & Davidović, V. (2016). Information overload, information literacy, and use of technology by students. International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences10(3), 917-921. https://bit.ly/3tyz5kp  

Madiba, A. M. (2018). Lecturers' perceptions and experiences of open educational resources in teaching and learning. [Master's thesis, University of the Free State]. UFS-UV KovsieScholar Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/11660/9053

McGreal, R. (2017). Special report on the role of open educational resources in supporting the sustainable development goal 4: Quality education challenges and opportunities. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(7), 292-305. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i7.3541

McGreal, R., Kinuthia, W., & Marshall, S. (Eds.). (2013). Open educational resources: innovation, research, and practice. Commonwealth of Learning and Athabasca University. https://bit.ly/3rphDNO 

Mishra, S. (2017). Open educational resources: Removing barriers from within. Distance Education38(3), 369-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2017.1369350

Mohamedbhai, G. (2013). Towards an African higher education and research space (AHERS): A summary Report. Association Development of Education in Africa. https://bit.ly/3Gnznx1

Möwes, D. (2008). Open and distance learning in Namibia: Country report submitted to the Advocacy Workshop on Distance Education and Open Learning held in Mauritius from 10-11 April 2008. Nambia University. https://bit.ly/3AY1pOx

Nascimbeni, F., & Burgos, D. (2019). Unveiling the relationship between the use of open educational resources and the adoption of open teaching practices in higher education. Sustainability, 11(20), 5637. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205637

Ngatjizeko, B. U. (2014). Namibia: Focal point. OAsis, COL's Open Access Repository. https://bit.ly/3AT9PXL

Nkwenti, M. N., & Abeywardena, I. S. (2019). OER mainstreaming in Cameroon: Perceptions and barriers. Open Praxis, 11(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.11.3.981

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Onaifo, D. (2016). Alternate academy: Investigating the use of open educational resources by students at the University of Lagos in Nigeria [Doctoral dissertation, University of Western Ontario]. Scholarship@Western.  https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4086/

Ozdemir, O., & Hendricks, C. (2017). Instructor and student experiences with open textbooks from the California open online library for education (Cool4Ed). Journal of Computing in Higher Education29(1), 98-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-017-9138-0

Panda, S., & Santosh, S. (2017). Faculty perception of openness and attitude to open sharing at the Indian National Open University. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning18(7), 89-111.        https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i7.2942

Phalachandra, B., & Abeywardena, I. S. (2016). Open educational resources in the Commonwealth 2016. Commonwealth of Learning. https://bit.ly/34slTD4

Rolfe, V. (2012). Open educational resources: Staff attitudes and awareness. Research in Learning Technology20, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v20i0.14395

Shigeta, K., Koizumi, M., Saka, H., Tsuji, Y., Inaba, R., & Hiraoka, N. (2017). A survey of the awareness, offering, and adoption of OERs and MOOCs in Japan. Open Praxis, 9(2), 195–206.

Thorne, S. (2000). Data analysis in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 3(1), 68-70 https://ebn.bmj.com/content/3/3/68

Torres, N. P. M. (2013). Embracing openness: The challenges of OER in Latin American education. International Council for Open and Distance Education, 5(1), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.5.1.33

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2016). Study on international collaboration on Open Educational Resources (OER). A commissioned study was prepared under a consultant contract for UNESCO. https://bit.ly/3roPXIT

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2019). Understanding the impact of OER: Achievements and challenges. https://iite.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ 

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020). COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse

Wiley, D., & Green, C. (2012). Why openness in education? In D.G. Oblinger (Ed.), Game changers: Education and information technologies. Educause Publications. https://bit.ly/3uoUzAn 

Willems, J., & Bossu, C. (2012). Equity considerations for open educational resources in the glocalization of education, Distance Education33(2), 185-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2012.692051

Wright, C., & Reju, S. (2012). Developing and Deploying OERs in sub-Saharan Africa: Building on the Present. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(2), 181–220. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i2.1185

Yin, R. K. (1981). The case study as a serious research strategy. Knowledge, 3(1), 97-114.

...