NOTES Initiative Launch: Empowering African Teachers through OER

The NOTES initiative officially launched with a virtual webinar entitled "Empowering African Teachers through Open Educational Resources: Strategies for Implementation", co-hosted by COL and five teacher education institutions in Botswana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, led by the Wits School of Education.

The event brought together over 200 participants and featured presentations from international and regional experts: Professor Freda Wolfenden (Open University, UK), Dr Evode Mukama (COL), Professor Ramashego Shila Mphahlele (UNISA), and Andrew Moore (OER Africa). COL's Education Specialist, Dr Betty Ogange, gave opening remarks emphasising the initiative's focus on collaborative co-creation, OER localisation, inclusion, and quality assurance.

It emerged that by working together across institutions and borders, this would ensure that the resources, policies, and solutions created are not only scalable but also relevant to local contexts.

The webinar successfully launched collaborative momentum, affirming institutional readiness while identifying key challenges: limited Africa-origin OER and uneven quality, which subsequent workshops would aim to address.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 200 participants engaged
• Virtual launch with in-person hub in Johannesburg
• Focus on OER implementation strategies
• Foundation for collaborative network established

EXPERT PRESENTERS

• Professor Freda Wolfenden (Open University, UK)
• Dr Evode Mukama (COL)
• Professor Ramashego Shila Mphahlele (UNISA)
• Andrew Moore (OER Africa)
• Dr Betty Ogange (COL)

• School of Education, Botswana Open University
• Federal College of Education (Technical) Gusau, Nigeria
• College of Education, University of Rwanda
• North-West University, South Africa
• Wits School of Education, South Africa

RESOURCES

• Webinar Recording (YouTube)
• Presentation Materials
• News Story
• Project Documentation