OER Citations

Open University of Sri Lanka – Integrating OER in a Teacher Education Course

Citation

Karunanayaka, S. (2014). Open University of Sri Lanka –  Integrating OER in a Teacher Education Course. In S. Naidu & S. Mishra (Eds.), Case Studies on OER-based eLearning. Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA). http://hdl.handle.net/11599/561

Abstract

Introduction The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) was established in 1980 with the main objective of enabling students to pursue further education through open and distance learning (ODL). The four Faculties of OUSL-Education, Engineering Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences and Natural Sciences, offer a variety of programmes of study, ranging from Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters and PhD (OUSL Homepage, 2013). OUSL adopts a learner-centered study system which is specifically designed to facilitate the distance learners through multiple modes of delivery, including selfstudy print modules supplemented with audio-visual and interactive multimedia materials, as well as online learning. It provides a wide array of student support services, through a network of 31 centers situated throughout the country. OUSL has a current enrolment of over 35,000 students, and about 80% of the students are employed. The Faculty of Education, the youngest Faculty was established in 2003, from the Department of Education which had been in existence since the inception of OUSL. The Faculty of Education offers professional development programmes for diverse groups of people engaged in the field of Education such as teachers, principals and teacher educators. A wide range of study programmes for these target groups are offered through its three Departments of Study, Secondary and Tertiary Education (STE), Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) and Special Needs Education (SNE) (OUSL, Homepage, 2013). This is a case study of how the Faculty of Education engaged in building capacity of its academic staff in the integration of OER in its teacher education programmes. The focus of this case study is the Master of Arts in Teacher Education programme, and specifically one of its courses, “Teacher Educator as an Educational Technologist”.

Themes: Descriptive, Initiatives, OER