This report -- commissioned by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) -- provides an overview of research into good practice in blended learning in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and the competencies teachers need to teach in digital learning environments. It provides background for the development of digital competency…

Developed by Bob Moon, this Blueprint and Toolkit provides the guidance and supporting resources for a programme of around 12-15 weeks' duration and includes a detailed framework that can be adapted to the context of a particular country, region, district or school. It targets institutions wishing to implement school-based teacher development…

COL's mission is to help governments, institutions and organisations expand the scale, efficiency and quality of learning by using appropriate open, distance and technology-based approaches. In 2021-2027, COL will: i) build on its expertise in ODL, OER and TEL to play a more influential role in national policy development and implementation; ii)…

The Education for All initiative concluded in 2015, but in many countries, and particularly in the developing countries, secondary education is still the preserve of the privileged few. This means that millions of adults and young people are denied the opportunity to complete their basic education, which in turns sees them trapped in a pattern of…

A schoolnet program is an organized set of activities that expands the use of ICTs and promotes sharing of educational resources by teachers and students at schools. Schoolnet programmes may be located inside or outside government, may be large initiatives with substantial funding, or may be smaller innovative projects without big budgets. The…

Reflecting a common objective of ensuring quality Education for All, this book is a joint initiative of UNESCO and COL and jointly published. Lifelong Learning in Distance Higher Education brings together a diverse group of experts from many countries. The book provides a clear picture of the challenges, problems and potential of distance higher…

This publication of collected papers resulted from the International Experts Meeting held November 15-17, 2004. Contents include: (1) Keynote Address; (2) Presentations; (3) Country Papers; and (4) Literacy Perspectives. Foreword, Introduction, Biographical information and List of Abbreviations are also included. The Keynote Address was Literacy…

Both of these "Surveys of policy and practice" were conducted on behalf of COL by the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) as part of COL's partnership agreement with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning. The first report identifies…

This study was commissioned by SchoolNet Africa (SNA) in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA). It is the most extensive examination to date of teacher training in information and communication technology…

Ideological arguments are made for open learning, economic ones for distance education. If it can produce similar results to those of conventional education at a lower cost, then distance education has a powerful appeal. With increasing demand for access to educational opportunities at all levels, and often decreasing budgets in real terms for…