Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies

Open Educational Resources in Higher Education: Exploring Access in Resource-constrained Contexts

Siphamandla Mncube — 2024-02-07

This special issue is focused on the topic of open educational resources (OER).

Learning along the Way

Glenda Cox — 2024-02-07

The development of open educational resources (OER) plays a key role in addressing the challenge of access to affordable, appropriate, high-quality teaching and learning materials. This is particularly the case in health sciences in South Africa, where there is a strong imperative around local production of contextually appropriate resources that can be openly accessible within institutions and in practice. This case study details the creation and iterative review approaches undertaken by undergraduate medical students in a study module focused on creating chapters for an orthopaedics open textbook through the use of ChatGPT. It also explores the nuances of the lecturer’s process, particularly as relates to assessment, quality, and his ambitions to promote student voice through co-creation. The findings demonstrate that ChatGPT has the potential to be the game changer needed to help build OER production in the Global South, particularly in terms of the speeding up of the process. They also suggest that processes of this kind have a role to play in building students’ critical artificial intelligence (AI) digital literacy skills and in boosting their sense of agency. This work stands to make an important contribution in terms of profiling institutional cases where AI is being used in an innovative, responsible manner in the classroom. It also aims to make a unique Global South contribution to the rapidly emerging global discourse around the use of AI in teaching and learning, and the use of collaborative content development approaches to promote student voice and social justice in higher education.

ICT Tools for Open Educational Resources Used in an Open Distance E-learning Institution in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era

Siphamandla Mncube — 2024-02-07

Open educational resources (OER) are gaining popularity in higher education spaces and more attention in open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions as they are gradually substituting printed prescribed textbooks in the teaching and learning space. The adoption and development of OER have been researched; however, the roles of knowledge management tools in storing and disseminating the resources are not well articulated. This research explores the use of knowledge management tools in an ODeL learning context. ODeL institutions use knowledge management tools and a host of other information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver and facilitate synchronous and asynchronous learning and bridge transactional distance. Therefore, this study employed a qualitative approach to investigate ways in which lecturers use knowledge management tools to embrace and create OER. A case study approach was used at one ODeL institution. The knowledge management cycle (KMC) was chosen as the theoretical framework of the study. The key finding demonstrates that lecturers utilised a wide range of ICT tools for the storage, collection, and dissemination of OER as part of knowledge production. The study proposes the extension of the KMC from three cycles to four where “system” is added. There is a significant need for policy, impact, and the matrix to be covered under the system cycle. The study recommends that scholars who are investigating any IT artefact opt for an extended KMC where impact and user metrics will be evaluated, as this will enhance academic support.

Development of Open Education Resources to Teach Oral History: Perspectives of a Sports Heritage-Engaged Scholarship Initiative in Gauteng, South Africa

Isabel Schellnack-Kelly — 2024-02-07

Gaps exist in archival practices, and developments are in progress to decolonise and transform archives by supplementing existing archival collections with oral history accounts. This is a recent development in the archival field, requiring archivists and records managers to become aware of how oral history collections should be undertaken to preserve testimonies related to socio-economic, sociopolitical, and cultural events not yet captured by South African public archivists. An open educational resource (OER) was developed in 2022 as part of an engaged scholarship initiative to instruct archivists on oral history research techniques and how to apply research ethics when undertaking such projects. The research paradigm for this study was a postmodernist qualitative study. Action-based research was used in the research design. Action research is a flexible methodology uniquely suited to research and support change. It integrates social research with exploratory actions to promote development. Action research outcomes are both practical and theoretical. The knowledge it generates directly and continuously impacts the changing practices of the participants. Data from participants were collected through recorded project workshops and meetings. The content for the OER was developed from observing online videos showcasing oral history interviews, consulting literature on OER development, and discussions with archivists and heritage collectors at the South African National Film, Video and Sound Archives, the South African National Parks Board, and the Gauteng Provincial Archives. The OER was developed to enable collaboration to ensure that the oral narratives of postcolonial Africa, particularly post-apartheid South Africa, are not lost but captured by the public archives’ services for the benefit of South Africans and other interested stakeholders.

Adoption of Open Educational Resources to Transform Postgraduate Studies and Practices

Lindiwe Mthethwa — 2024-02-07

The purpose of this article is to present the unique challenges faced by postgraduate students, which require specific practices to ensure study completion. Narrative inquiry was used as a methodological framework to uncover current realities within postgraduate studies and practices for previously disadvantaged students in South Africa. Arguments were tabled based on first-hand experiences among the two postgraduate students and their supervisor. The two postgraduate students narrated personalised learning in this article at different levels of study. The research project resulted in the designing of personalised learning strategies, using the open educational practice (PLUOEP) model, where each student discussed open educational resources (OERs). This model enabled both students to take control of their learning by setting their own goals, making choices about their learning activities, and reflecting on their progress. In this study, the level of autonomy and agency allowed students to develop a positive mindset and belief in their ability to succeed. This article discusses how students’ individual beliefs and expectations about themselves influenced their behaviour and ultimately led to the realisation of concrete beliefs and expectations. The lessons from this study described how learning was owned by two postgraduate students who tailored their learning to their individual needs and interests. The study found that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of OER. The study proposes training and workshops for postgraduate students. Students confirmed the sense of ownership and empowerment in their studies and practices. The study recommends adopting OER in the transformation of postgraduate studies and practices as having a “potential” to decolonise teaching and learning.

Open Educational Resources and Artificial Intelligence for Future Open Education

Stefanie Panke — 2024-02-07

This article explores the intersection of open educational resources (OER) and artificial intelligence (AI), with an emphasis on open pedagogy applications. The article comprises a document analysis to summarise expert perspectives on generative AI and two open pedagogy course concepts that explore the relationship between OER and AI through a practical lens of contexts, infrastructures, and sample work products. The expert interviews were published in the open-access magazine AACE Review and were conducted by the author to capture the dynamic field of generative AI. The two course concepts offer first-hand experiences of designing and implementing student-centred, non-disposable assignments by embedding AI tools in open-access book projects.

Conceptualisation of Open Educational Resources, Audiovisual Resources and Electronic Information Resources: A Literature-based Study of Selected Academic Libraries in Ebonyi State Nigeria

Jonathan Ndubuisi Chimah — 2024-02-07

Teaching, learning and research at every level of the education system cannot be successful without appropriate resources. Adequate, quality resources are not readily available, especially in resource-constrained countries like Nigeria. These resources come in various formats (physically and/or electronically). Audiovisual resources (AVRs), electronic information resources (EIRs) and open educational resources (OERs) are examples of teaching and learning materials that could be procured by educational institutions and accessed by students and other members of the academic community. The instrument for data collection was a literature review directed to the librarians of the selected university libraries. The educational resources—in terms of availability and usage—were presented in tables comparatively. Findings show that each of the three university libraries has certain types of AVR, EIR and OER, which are available for students’ use. Strategies for the effective use of these educational resources in Nigeria’s academic libraries were discussed. It is recommended that adequate learning facilities, other than books, be provided by the government or private individual owners of the academic libraries in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. There is also a need for academic librarians and users to keep themselves abreast of the skills necessary for the appropriate use of educational resources (subscription or free-based) in the institutions where they are available.

OER Accessibility for Students with Visual Disabilities in Higher Education in the Era of Open Knowledge

Yetunde Zaid — 2024-02-07

Open knowledge has the potential to expand inclusive and equitable access to lifelong learning while supporting social inclusion. However, there is low public awareness on issues around inclusiveness, especially for students with visual disabilities who are unable to use the medium of the sighted owing to the consequences of their disabilities. This article discusses various issues around the accessibility of open educational resources (OERs) and the integration of inclusive institutional culture in the Nigerian university system. An interpretive approach was adopted for this study. Out of 22 universities offering enrolment to students with visual disabilities in Nigeria, seven universities were purposively selected based on the availability of OERs on their websites. The purposive sampling method was also used to choose 30 participants from four out of the seven universities who could serve as key informants for the study. Data were collected using in-depth interviews. Data from interviews was designed to achieve qualitative analyses and results were analysed thematically. The study revealed strategies university libraries could deploy to improve access to OERs for students with visual disabilities and provided insightful thoughts and direction on re-imagining the future of the open knowledge movement in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

Use and Acceptance of Open Educational Resources in Library and Information Science Departments in South African Higher Education Institutions

Sihle Duncan Sibiya — 2024-02-07

Technology advancement has caused various changes in education, a phenomenon which demands academics to keep up with these changes. Covid-19 caused multiple educational challenges, as online teaching had to be adopted and implemented quickly. The scarcity of online teaching and learning resources has been one of the major problems in South African education. The establishment of open educational resources (OERs) came with some solutions during the trying times of the pandemic, where direct contact with other people was significantly reduced. OERs are educational materials in the public domain introduced with an open licence, such as digital textbooks, research papers, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audios, videos, and animations. It emerged in this study that library and information science (LIS) departments have some awareness of OER. LIS staff employ OERs in their work. However, LIS students rarely utilise them in their studies. It was discovered that LIS departments experience challenges regarding the awareness of copyright, technological problems, quality assurance, and a lack of understanding OER. It can be concluded, based on the findings, that LIS departments were not fully prepared for the changes (moving to online learning) implemented in response to the pandemic. Thus, the study recommends that there should be improved OER awareness, academic staff training, workshops, adequate ICT infrastructure, and improvement of technical skills to increase the utilisation of these resources in LIS departments. This paper depicts an overview of OER and the involvement and opportunity it holds for library and LIS professionals.