The aim of this study is to examine the main cooperative educational programs from past to present; to illustrate the design, components, operational process and the learning environments of the Cooperative e-Certificate Program designed for lifelong learning and carried out through open and distance learning; to investigate relevant experiences…

The focus of this paper is on the problem of appropriate teaching in the open/distance education and the need to practically employ effective evaluative tools for improving the academic achievement of learners involved in these modes of education. This paper introduced KPS method that was formulated on the basis of well stated assumptions as a…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the factors influencing university students' adoption of open-source software (OSS) within the context of open educational practices (OEP) by applying an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT 2) model. Design/methodology/approach: The research employs a quantitative approach,…

Online education is becoming the norm in higher education. Effective instructional design methods are required to ensure that "ever-connected" students' needs are being met. One potential method is design thinking: an agile methodology that stresses the importance of empathy with the student. The #OpenTeach fully online course was…

This article describes part of the results, taken from ongoing initial research, on the potential of new media in distance education. The article explores the technological conditions that students involved in Open and Innovative Schooling (OIS) experience, focusing on the fifteen schools in Mozambique. Participants were selected by intentional…

This publication on out-of-school children (OOSC) in Commonwealth Africa is already informing priorities in COL's work in open schooling. The report provides an overview of key indicators for all nineteen Commonwealth Africa countries as well as contextual case studies of eight countries for which representatives were available to verify or update…

The purpose of this study is to explore postgraduate students' self-directed learning (SDL) readiness using Mobile learning (M-learning) in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a platform and task-centred activity. Reflective practice is used to measure students SDL readiness. This study is qualitative in nature. The research employed thematic…

Purpose: The present study investigates the influence of five personality traits based on the Big Five model, i.e. extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience and personal innovativeness on learners' intention to complete MOOCs. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed model was empirically tested using…

Cognisant of the wide range of cooperation between China and Africa and the existing strong Sino-African relationship, this article explores the international cooperation between Africa and China in the higher education domain, especially in the field of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The study employed data triangulation relying on both secondary…

Numerous open distance electronic learning (ODeL) institutions have embraced a virtual learning environment as a platform to facilitate e-learning. Although ODeL institutions have embarked on the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE), there is still a need to rethink e-learning processes to make content delivery exciting and interactive. The…

This paper presents the findings of our exploration of our open educational practices (OEP) with graduate students. As reflective practitioners, we used a self-study methodology and collaborative autoethnographic methods to interrogate our open approaches to teaching and supervision. We draw on our developing competencies to support the wisdom,…

The current paper reports on a study that was conducted at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 2021. The study involved three cohorts of undergraduate students (n = 20, n = 12 and n = 18), where each cohort participated in one of the virtual sessions offered on MS Teams as part of their modules' virtual classes. Employing a case study…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a true challenge to students and educators in the teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) of the psychomotor domain integral in laboratory experiment and design work. The pandemic has opened venues for open distance learning (ODL) with a completely new outlook for educators. The objective of this paper is to…

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to demonstrate open and distance education (ODE) can support poverty alleviation. Taking the practices of the Open University of China (the OUC) as an example, this paper aims to reveal how open universities make contributions to local residents in rural and remote areas. Design/methodology/approach: Focusing…

This study investigated predictors of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) utilization by distance education librarians and drew out implications on library services in distance learning in Eswatini'. Eswatini is a small country in the Southern part of Africa where only a few studies on MOOCs have been conducted focusing on perceived usefulness,…