[Photo by Gilly Tanabose on Unsplash]
March 7 – 8, 2024
USP SI Campus in Honiara, Solomon Islands
This workshop provides an opportunity for participants to explore and develop skills in using Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance their teaching and learning practices in STEM subjects.
Participants will also collaborate with others to access resources from the national OER Collection Site, as well as co-create and plan for the implementation of OER in their own teaching subjects.
The workshop format is designed to accommodate 100 educators over two days, where all participants will initially gather in a general session for a foundational overview of Open Educational Resources (OER) and their role in STEM education.
Workshop Objectives
The “OER for STEM Education” is a 2-day blended workshop whose objective is to provide an on-site orientation and training for teachers, with a specific focus on OER for STEM Education.
Participants at the workshop shall:
- Discuss the concept of open educational resources, and the benefits in enhancing STEM pedagogy;
- Use resources from the national OER Collection Site to complete learning activities in respective courses / MOOCs on OER for STEM Education;
- Collaborate with others to co-create and plan for the implementation of OER in their own subject areas, including use of AI; and
- Access the following online: pre-workshop and post-workshop resources, national OER Collection Site as well as courses on OER for STEM Education.
Our hope is that participants will leave the workshop with a renewed commitment to innovative and inclusive teaching and learning practices, and a deeper understanding of the transformative potential of OER in the pedagogy of STEM subjects.
Workshop Programme
Following the general session, attendees will transition into 4 subject-specific breakout sessions. These smaller, focused groups will allow for more in-depth discussions and hands-on online and off-line activities tailored to each STEM discipline.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Theme: Open Educational Resources in Teacher Training
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Finding your Mentor |
| Registration by Subject | |
| Accessing Understanding OER, OER Collection Site, etc. | |
| 11:00 | Briefing Session for Teacher Mentors |
| 01:00 | Lunch Break |
| 02:00 | Welcome and Introductions |
| Official Opening Session | |
| Refreshment | |
| 02:30 | Background and workshop objectives |
| 03:00 | Presentation on Open Educational Resources for teacher training in the Pacific |
| 03:20 | Understanding OER: Accessing the OER Collection Site (‘Regional Tool’) Demonstration |
| 03:40 | Online / Group Task 1 of 3: (Integrating OER in your subject) |
| 04:40 | Feedback, discussion and reports |
| 05:00 | Wrap-up & Closure |
Friday, March 8, 2024
Theme: Open Educational Resources in Teacher Training
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:30 | OER and AI: Educational Evolution or Concern? |
| 10:00 | Online / Group Task 2 of 3: (Integrating OER in your subject) |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:10 | OER resources for STEM teaching I (Activity: Regional repository) |
| 12:10 | OER resources for STEM teaching II (Activity: National repository) |
| 1:00 | Lunch Break |
| 2:00 | Group presentations and discussion |
| Online / Group Task 3 of 3: (Integrating OER in your subject) | |
| 3:30 | Post workshop activities |
| 4.30 | Wrap up & Closure |
Pre-Workshop Activities
Required Pre-workshop Course
Mentors should guide participants to complete this short course ahead of or during the workshop, and share evidence of completion:
- Understanding Open Educational Resources (LearnOER) (2 hours to complete)
OER Resources for STEM Subjects
Most workshop activities will utilise resources from these sites:
- Open Educational Resource Collection PACIFIC (OER4PACIFIC)
- Solomon Islands National OER Collection Site (OER4SOLOMONISLANDS)
Additional Resources
Participants should aim to be familiar with these sites:
- Integrating OER in Teaching: A Guide for Teachers in the Pacific
- OER Finding Guide
- Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA)
Relevant Coursework
Find short courses relevant to your subject area on the ODL Course Catalogue for the Pacific, including:
- Teaching Mathematics with Technology (TMT) (4 weeks to complete)
- Teaching Chemistry with Technology (TCT) (4 weeks to complete)
- Geometry (5 hours to complete)
In-Workshop Activities
Access the in-workshop online activities by clicking the button below:
Post-Workshop Activities
In the immediate post-workshop period, it is projected that the participants will:
- continue to collaborate and share experiences online;
- complete learning activities in “Understanding OER”, and the other subject area specific courses;
- demonstrate ability to access the OER Collection Site by completing the learning activities in the course on their subject area; and
- reflect on their teaching and learning contexts and share their experiences by completing a survey.