You might also wish to engage in other discussion forums or access additional OER and ODL-related resources such as those available at the sites listed below:
Open Education/OER Policy Forums
- Open Policy Forum
This project is trying to promote and enrich the discussion on the policy implications of open education. It is an initiative of the Open Society Institute. It is quite a new initiative and therefore activity is still growing. - Online Education Database
A site on which participants submit blogs on a wide variety of topics related to the Open education movement including on ICT, information and public policy. - OpenEducationNews
A site on which participants discuss a wide range of issues relating to open education generally.
Distance Education Institutions and Organizations
- South African Institute for Distance Education (Saide)
The South African Institute for Distance Education promotes open learning principles; the use of quality distance education methods and the appropriate use of technology. SAIDE works closely with policy makers and providers of educational programmes to translate these approaches into practice. - National Association of Distance Education and Open Learning in South Africa (Nadeosa)
On 2nd August 1996 fifty-eight organisations involved in distance education formed an association committed to promoting access to lifelong learning of high quality. Participating institutions included public, private-for-profit and non-governmental organizations. All were united in their belief that distance education methods could play a major role in facing South Africa's enormous educational challenges. The website includes guidelines for learning resource development. - Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA)
The Distance Education Association of Southern Africa is the regional association in distance education in distance and open learning. Deasa has an annual conference, moving between it's member countries. The association also puts out a journal on an annual basis and is building up a listing of SADC regional ODL experts. - African Council for Distance Education (ACDE)
The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) is a continental educational organization comprising African universities and other higher education institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) including e-Learning. It is a unifying body of distance education providers and practitioners in Africa, ACDE and was formally launched in January 2004 at Egerton University, Kenya. - Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
COL is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL is helping developing nations improve access to quality education and training. Bringing together some 1.7 billion people of many faiths, races, languages, traditions and levels of economic development, the Commonwealth represents almost a third of the world’s population.
The following emerging policy statements are available on the COL website which could be used to inform institutional policies.