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/
Comments
Looking forward to your session
I have interest in OER (a somewhat historic interest in my case). I am fascinated to hear how they might help in the extreme circumstances you outline. Good luck, hope your research provides some interesting ideas to build on.Conference questions
Well done on your conference presentation Levi!
These are the questions that you were asked on the day, for you to respond to however you choose:
Is OER as open textbook form more acceptable because format is more traditional?
Is the low/no cost of OER a problem because people assume paid for resources are better quality?
Do you think people are using OERs without knowing it?
Is there an issue of OER not being or feeling relevant? Is the most easily discoverable OER very Western based?
Were the findings as you expected?
What’s your vision for OER in NE Nigeria? How would like to see it being used?
Response to Conference Questions
Is OER as open textbook form more acceptable because format is more traditional?
Yes, I presume it should be. I also think the acceptance and use of open textbooks would facilitate the transitioning to full utilization of OER by teachers.
Is the low/no cost of OER a problem because people assume paid for resources are better quality?
Low/no cost is supposed to be a major motivation for using OER, but since school administrators allegedly make money (inducement) from traditional textbook suppliers, OER may likely be seen as a hindrance.
Do you think people are using OERs without knowing it?
Yes, I want to believe that some teachers might be using certain OERs without really knowing it. Suffice to say, it may be an issue of nomenclature, and as a result, I have decided to rephrase my questionnaires before carrying out the main survey.
Is there an issue of OER not being or feeling relevant? Is the most easily discoverable OER very Western based?
I think the issue with OER in the study area may not really be about relevancy but about the consequences of supporting OERs by administrators. One of the consequences may be the loss of some financial gain (or rather inducement) from suppliers of traditional textbooks.
Were the findings as you expected?
No, my preliminary findings were not as expected but it has opened my eyes to some likely inducements that may have been militating against the use of OER in the study area.
What’s your vision for OER in NE Nigeria? How would like to see it being used?
My vision is to see at least 50% acceptance and use of OER in next 3 years.