African higher education institutions seriously structurally under-funded for the core function they are expected to discharge. Therefore, corresponding paucity of institutional and individual capacity to teach in many domains of higher education. Too few learning resources for learners and lecturers in African universities, and many of those available are too expensive to be purchased by universities or students.

1. ACDE Technical Committee
on Collaboration
Deploying OER to meet Higher Education
needs in Africa
Neil Butcher

2. Problem / Theory of Action
 African higher education institutions seriously
structurally under-funded for the core function
they are expected to discharge.
 Therefore, corresponding paucity of
institutional and individual capacity to teach in
many domains of higher education.
 Too few learning resources for learners and
lecturers in African universities, and many of
those available are too expensive to be
purchased by universities or students.
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 2

3. Rationale for the Committee
 Avoid unnecessary duplication, while improving
cost-effectiveness of ODL through collaboration
 Provide an African focal point for synchronizing
ODL initiatives and activities on the continent.
 Develop institutional capacity to produce high-
quality and innovative DE courses and
programmes.
 Build confidence amongst African academics in
their ability to produce contextualized world-class
resources.
 Ensure that ODL institutions in Africa engage in
acceptable quality assurance practices through
consultation, partnership, and collaboration in
distance education.
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 3

4. Key Activities (1)
 Facilitate development and/or sharing of
educational resources, underpinned by
effective research, by ACDE member
institutions
 Facilitate collaborative development of
academic programmes by ACDE member
institutions
 Coordinate creation and implementation of joint
qualifications involving ACDE member
institutions, and promote joint offering of
programmes, student mobility and portability of
credits between and among institutions and
programmes
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 4

5. Key Activities (2)
 Determine, and institutionalize within ACDE
members, appropriate policies and parameters by
which resources, programmes, and qualifications
can be collaboratively developed and shared
without compromising the interests of participating
institutions
 Develop institutional capacity to deliver high quality
ODL programmes
 Explore ways to ensure that collaborative activities
contribute directly to enhancing the marketability,
financial viability, and sustainability of ODL in Africa
 Conduct and/or commission research which informs
the practice and activities of the Working Group and
ACDE members.
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 5

6. Immediate Priorities
 Undertake ongoing audits of ACDE
Member needs and existing capacities
(including available content)
 Develop and share content
 Establish and launch joint qualifications
 Enhance institutional capacity
 Develop a Model for sustainability of the
collaboration
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 6

7. Dispelling Some Myths
 Content = education
 Good content will overcome institutional
capacity constraints
 OER should be a process of voluntarism
 OER will make education cheaper in the short-
term
 Openness automatically equates with quality
 OER is about e-learning
May, 2009 eLearning Africa, 2009 7