Virtual University of Small States of the Commonwealth - Case studies on African OER initiatives in

Virtual University of Small States of the Commonwealth Case studies on African OER initiatives in higher education Introduction The Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) is a network of small countries that are committed to the collaborative development of free content resources for use in an educational context.1 Small states represent 322 of the 54 member countries of t. [...] Importantly, the TQF discourages ‘degree mills’ that try to sell fake qualifications online.14 The fact that courses can be accredited by a national authority using the TQF has been a significant advantage in promoting the use of OER, because it has allowed those who develop openly licensed content and courses to increase the value of the materials by accrediting them. [...] The process entailed close collaboration to develop the guide, as well as advocacy to promote the concept of OER and the guide through special launches with students, lecturers, and the university committee responsible for management. [...] Instead of COL or the Ministry of Education in the various countries deciding on the content areas, VUSSC and its interlocutors decided on the overall areas of need and then met every three years to review and come up with new area(s) of priority of the small states. [...] In providing OER support, the VUSSC team also felt that it was important to allow people to take ownership of the process.31 The education specialist at COL noted that buy-in to OER has been mixed for a variety of reasons, including the following: 1.