Presenter: Dr. Tonia A. Dousay, University of Wyoming, United States, Robert Maribe Branch, University of Georgia, United States

Format: Asynchronous discussion from 30 January – 3 February + Live online meeting on Monday 30 January (14:00 Abuja time/ 15:00 Cape Town time/ 16:00 Nairobi time).

Survey of Instructional Design (ID) Models offers a framework for adopting or adapting (ID) models for use in curriculum, courses, and training development. Teaching and learning paradigms in conjunction with how technology influences instructional delivery, the authors help readers consider the inherent value in matching ID with a corresponding context. Thus, effective ID models, and therefore the designs themselves, must be responsive to different educational contexts. This webinar will help practicing IDs in the following areas:

• Distinguish between the process of instructional design and specific models
• Describe the different ways in which instruction is systematically designed
• Identify other philosophical approaches to designing instruction; cyclical, layered, etc.
• Visualize the processes commonly used to design instruction
• Discuss future implications for instructional design

Robert Maribe Branch, Ed.D., is a professor of Learning, Design, and Technology at the University of Georgia and the head of the Department of Career and Information Studies. Rob taught secondary school in Botswana as a Peace Corps volunteer and later joined the University of Botswana as a lecturer in the Technology Education Department. Branch worked as Fulbright lecturer/researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, conducting research on the complexities of intentional learning spaces. Branch taught graduate courses and conducted research at Syracuse University prior to relocating to Athens. Branch edits the Educational Media and Technology Yearbook and published Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach. Branch’s published research focuses on diagramming complex conceptual relationships and other complicated flow processes. He is a past Dousay received the 2015 AECT-IAP Distance Education Best Practices Award, the 2014 Mary Garland Early Career Fellowship Award from the University of Wyoming, and the 2013 AECT-MPD Immersive president of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Tonia A. Dousay, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Instructional Technology at the University of Wyoming with fifteen years of instructional design and project management experience. Tonia’s teaching and research focus on design-based learning activities and the knowledge and skills acquired and reinforced through these opportunities, both in face-to-face and online classrooms. Learning Award. She is an active member of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter at @tadousay

This seminar has ended. Please view seminar resources and landing page here

Presenter: Nodumo Dhlamini, Association of African Universities & Thomas King, Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D), University of Cape Town, South Africa 

Format: Asynchronous discussion from 6 – 10 February + two webinars:
Webinar 1: Nodumo Dhlamini Monday 6 February 2017 at 3 pm (SAST)
Webinar 2: Thomas King Thursday 9 February 1 pm (SAST)

What is open data? Why is it important? What are some of the global and local drivers of the growing open data movement? Who is currently engaging in sharing open data in Africa and why? How can we create and share open data? Whose interests does it serve to do so?
Do we perhaps want to include where to find open data? And suggestions for how it might be used or possible relevance for different audiences?
This online event will consist of two webinars. The first webinar will be presented by Nodumo Dhlamini who will provide an introduction to open data and share an overview of the current state of open data in Africa. She will discuss global and local drivers of the growing open data movement and provide some insight into who is currently involved in sharing open data in Africa and why. The second webinar will be presented by Thomas King who will share their experiences of publishing open data within the Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) project hosted in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Thomas will share useful advice for researchers who are just getting started with curating and sharing their data, highlighting ethical, contractual and other practical issues for consideration

Nodumo Dhlamini is the Director of ICT Services and Knowledge Management for the Association of African Universities. Her background is in Information Technology Systems, Communication and Knowledge Management.
Blog http://nodumodhlamini.blogspot.co.za/p/blog-page.html
Twitter: @NodumoDhlamini

Thomas King is the Data Administrator for ROER4D and has worked on the Vice Chancellor’s Open Educational Resources Adaptation project and the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme. His primary research interests revolve around Open Educational Resources and quantifying/analysing ‘impact’ in research and education. His Masters investigated OER production and adaptation by students at the Unviersity of Cape Town.

This seminar has ended. Please view seminar resources here and the e/merge Africa YouTube playlist on Open Data and Open Educational Resources

Presenter: Dr. Jerome Dooga, Lecturer University of Jos, Nigeria

Format: Asynchronous discussion from 5 – 9 December + Live online meeting on Tuesday 6 December (12:00 Abuja time/ 13:00 Cape Town time/ 14:00 Nairobi time). Using a Nigerian Open and Distance Learning Institution as case study, this seminar engages participants in a conversation on what factors are hindering technology uptake in education and the role of learning design approaches as a driver in technology uptake.

More and more institutions are adopting some form of technology in teaching and learning. Even those yet to do so hold a positive view of its use. Yet, many who have, struggle to add value to the learning process with its use. Many feel that use of technological tools and devices seems to add little value to their practice and sometimes is actually a hindrance or a distraction to learning. Thus, even some Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions can’t seem to fully embrace technology for their course offerings. One reason for such frustrations may lie in the focus on the tool rather than the principles of best practice in teaching and the misalignment of learning design and technology choices. In this presentation, I will argue that learning design should drive technology choices. Conole defines learning design as “a methodology for enabling teachers/designers to make more informed decisions in how they go about designing learning activities and interventions, which is pedagogically informed and makes effective use of appropriate resources and technologies” (2013:7). In order to use technology effectively for teaching and learning, educators need to ask basic questions about the classroom: what do we want to do? With what goal and objectives? What outcomes are desired? The answers to such questions will inform what tools are needed to accomplish what is desired. Technology integration will therefore align with the learning design. During this presentation I will share examples from my own teaching contexts in Nigeria to illustrate how learning design involves reimagining some key functions of the classroom and that this is essential for effective technology integration. Such reimagination is key for making best use of technological affordances to enhance teaching and learning experiences.

Dr. Jerome Dooga  is an Lecturer,Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Jos, Nigeria.
He is also the e/merge Africa Regional Coordinator for West Africa and Commonwealth of Learning (COL) eLearning consultant to the School of Education at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Jerome holds a PhD in English and has received postgraduate training in Educational Technology at the University of Cape Town. He has presented research papers at various fora in a range of African countries including a number of conferences. He has published widely in the field and is co-author and editor of a new book on technology in African Higher Ed.

This seminar has ended please review seminar resources here