Dr Alison Mead RichardsonTeam Leader Skills

Commonwealth of Learning

The COL INVEST Africa Partnership

MissionTo help Commonwealth governments and institutions to expand the scale, efficiency

and quality of learning by using ODL and technology-based approaches

Honestly speaking teaching is getting more exciting. I created a class e-mail and am posting all my notes there. I am no longer wasting time dictating the notes. The students write from the net at their own pace and then we discuss. I am saving 50% of my time. Come next term we will discuss over Facebook. Flexible ni mambo yote! (Flexible is everything!)

FSD is gradually changing my way of instruction. As a practical teacher with a class size of 100, I used to put the students into group of 10 & take each group in turn through one practical lesson.

FSD video & audio training have made it easy & more interesting, because all the activities are recorded on the CD, I project it in class &we discuss it &they ask questions and respond to them. Students are given a CD each to continue watching in their homes & hostels.

So, instead of using 10 days for a lesson, I now use a day. Students now feel confident in their planning to carry out their practical.

“Since joining INVEST Africa, we have seen great transformation in our college. We have expanded our course portfolio, increased access to our courses and improved the quality of learning resources and course delivery. We’ve also increased our income.”

Identified partner institutions with strategic objectives to use technology in flexible approaches access – quality – efficiency

Improve quality of TVET teaching Improved ICT infrastructure management Technology integration New organisational structures

Make efficiency gains

Increase access to skills training for people working in the informal sector to improve

livelihoods impact on provision of training for the informal sector

through the formalTVET system

Gender mainstreaming

less focus on full-time face-to-face contact more resource-based, individual and group learning online programme delivery and formative assessment use of OER support from policy makers and regulators

Involves institutional managers, administrators, teachers and national policy makers

Multi-country, online training Workshops and inputs from Technical Advisers Online community of practice QA Competency Framework – badging –

recognition Identifying Champions & Departmental Champion

teams – who cascade training

Social networking platform – NING >1100 members semi closed membership TVET practitioners in Africa

Discussion, collaboration and informal learning Institutional and special interest groups PWD, gender & equity, mlearning, Moodle, video & audio

Events OER resources

www.flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com

Flexible and Blended TVET Flexible Learning institutional policy development Producing video for TVET teaching Course design & development Blended online teaching strategies Course development in Moodle Moodle Administration Facilitating with PowerPoint

Challenge notion of ‘teaching’ Teachers’ contracts based on contact time Teachers’ time to learn new skills in technology use to develop new learning materials

Belief that ICT T/L resources need special validation or a separate curriculum

Lack of technical support

13 institutions integrated FaB learning approaches 350 teachers are integrating educational media 80 courses offered and 3,000 learners enrolled on new

non-formal courses >3,500 online students 12 groups working on women’s participation in TVET Institutions earning additional income through flexible

course offerings New OER skills training courses

www.col.org/coursematerials

lengthy and challenging process involves continuous learning and

application to establish what works in each institutional & country context

collaborative partnerships strengthen capacity building

cascade training model creates sustainability

Critical success factor is strong leadership and commitment from the Head of the institution