| Roundtable: Increasing Access Through Openness? Evaluating Open Educational Resources (OER) in Himalayan Community Technology Centres |
| Roundtable Presentation 752 to be held in GOLIAD on Saturday, Nov 13, 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM |
| Sponsored by the Distance Ed. & Other Educational Technologies TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Tiffany Ivins, Brigham Young University, tiffanyivins@gmail.com |
| David D Williams, Brigham Young University, david_williams@byu.edu |
| Randy Davies, Brigham Young University, randy.davies@byu.edu |
| Shrutee Shrestha, Brigham Young University, shruti722@gmail.com |
| Abstract: Eliminating various forms of poverty is directly linked to improving opportunities for education in the developing world. Despite this, one-fifth of the world’s population is still denied access to quality educational opportunity. (UNESCO, 2006) Effectively disseminating information in developing countries requires a continuous focus at removing obstacles that stand in the way of the right to education (Tomsasevski, 2006). This is best achieved through a holistic approach focused on sustainable and context-sensitive literacy programming conducted by locals for locals with particular regard to tailored content collection and dissemination. (Chambers, 2000) Open Educational Resources (OER) offer an opportunity to reach more learners with localized content that is freely available yet inaccessible to those who need it most. This OER evaluation investigates Open Content for Development (OC4D), a nascent educational portal that bridges this knowledge gap through customized ICT tools aimed at reaching more rural poor learners through a cost-effective sustainable approach. |