The OU H818 'The Networked Practitioner' Online Conference 2021
Thursday 11 February 2021 at 10:45 - 11:00
Poster Link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13EIrxBFoFaIgp-iBLqbrTX4QVkfJjLbN/view?usp=sharing
ABSTRACT
The Northeast (NE) Nigeria is inundated with terrorist activities with considerable traces of malicious destruction of lives and properties, particularly educational institutions. To date, more than 1000 school children have either been killed or abducted from their school dormitories by the dreaded Boko-Haram terrorist group (Chibok Schoolgirls Kidnapping, 2020; Gujba College Massacre, 2020; Human Rights Watch, 2016; Strochlic, 2020). As a result, many schools in the region are regrettably being shut down and an increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDP) observed (IOM, 2020). Currently, over 2.7 million IDPs and 32 IDP camps are recorded in NE Nigeria (UNHCR, 2020).
Although sincere survival hangs on meeting basic physical needs in situations of emergency and crisis, ensuring access to quality and inclusive education and the opportunity for sustainable development cannot be overestimated. One of such opportunities lies in the utilization of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are teaching and learning materials that are produced and freely made available through the internet under an open license by educational institutions, foundations or individuals (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2019). OER offers teachers the sense of democratizing education, lowering costs for learners and/or education aid organizations, flexibility for teachers and learners, provision of relevant and up-to-date resources, and promotion of transfer (Carle, 2017).
The major purpose of this project is therefore to evaluate teachers’ perception of OER and its affordance in Education in Emergencies (EIE), and from their responses find robust ways by which OER could be used to support educators and learners in crisis areas. A minimum of 100 teachers would be targeted as participants in NE Nigeria.
A focus group meeting involving selected teachers would be held to obtain a quick feedback and for the validation of research instruments. Next, a survey questionnaire method, both structured and unstructured, would be employed for data collection by means of WhatsApp, the most widely used social network in the area. Then, the data will be analysed to make informed decisions, while the results shared and feedback received in conferences and publications. This novel project will highlight the potential benefits OER would bring to teachers, students and educational aid organizations in NE Nigeria. In addition, the project is expected to significantly influence public and policymaking debates on the use of OER in crisis areas.
This conference presentation will provide further detail on methods, as well as preliminary results and plans for ongoing activity.
Keywords: Affordances of OER; Education in Emergencies; Terrorism; Northeast Nigeria.
References
Carle, C., 2017. OER – Open Education Resources: Affordances and Challenges [Online]. Available at https://www.slideshare.net/CaitlinCarle/oer-affordances-and-challenges (Accessed 7 October 2020)
‘Chibok Schoolgirls Kidnapping’, 2020. Wikipedia. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chibok_schoolgirls_kidnapping (Accessed 20 December 2020)
‘Gujba College Massacre’, 2020. Wikipedia. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujba_college_massacre#:~:text=Boko%20Haram%20was%20founded%20in,criminal%20behaviour%20in%20the%20country.&text=Since%202010%2C%20Boko%20Haram%20has,schools%2C%20killing%20hundreds%20of%20students (Accessed 12 December 2020)
Human Rights Watch, 2016. Nigeria: A Year On, No Word on 300 Abducted Children [Online] https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/29/nigeria-year-no-word-300-abducted-children (Accessed 26 November 2020)
International Organization for Migration, 2020. Nigeria – Displacement Report 31 [Online]. Available at https://displacement.iom.int/reports/nigeria-%E2%80%94-displacement-report-31-february-2020 (Accessed 26 December 2020).
Strochlic, N., 2020. Six years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. Where are they now? March 2020 issue of National Geographic magazine [Online] Available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/03/six-years-ago-boko-haram-kidnapped-276-schoolgirls-where-are-they-now/ (Accessed 26 November 2020)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2020. Nigeria Emergency [Online]. Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/nigeria-emergency.html#:~:text=Over%203.4%20million%20people%20have,refugees%20in%20the%20four%20countries (Assessed 8 November 2020)
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2019. Open Educational Resources [Online]. Available at https://hewlett.org/exploring-the-future-of-open-educational-resources/ (Accessed 9 January 2021).
H818 Conference website
http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OU-H818/