Third ODeL Regional Model Symposium set to tackle SDG 4 and Agenda 2063 Goal 3 education matters

From 17 to 19 September 2024, Unisa, in partnership with the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) and Botswana Open University (BOU), will host the 3^rd ODeL Regional Model Symposium in Rustenburg.

The Open, Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Regional Model Symposium (RMS) annually convenes a community of practice, comprised of eminent scholars, researchers, policy makers, practitioners and students to engage, debate and conduct dialogue on ODeL and technology matters  with a shared goal of improving education access and success by all students from all social classes, including those from underserved communities, and to collaboratively explore innovative ways in which technology-enabled learning can enhance the learning outcomes of all students enrolled in ODeL.

This upcoming symposium, themed Redefining and Reimagining our Futures, will reflect on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, and the Africa Agenda 2063 Goal 3, in order to promote and create the desired educational curriculum and delivery through collaboration of African universities and other educational institutions in the region, Africa and beyond.

The three participating institutions, as ODeL pioneers in their respective countries, aim to share  expertise and good practices in teaching, learning and assessment, and to create a high-quality ODeL system that meets national and global standards.

Key objectives of the symposium are to

• network and strengthen higher education quality assurance enhancement activities across universities in the region and Africa
• contribute towards building a quality assurance (QA) community of practice in the ODeL space
• conduct regular symposiums on sharing experiences (innovations) regarding the deployment of ODeL regional campus approaches/models in delivering the university academic project and student support services
• inspire strong collaborations and connections, and build a network of inter-institutional audits that would lower the prohibitive costs of contracting QA consultants. Such measures would promote low-cost quality assurance undertakings that low-resourced universities would afford, hence creating an inclusive approach to QA through inter-institutional audits/peer reviews, affording the entire African continent the ability to benchmark good regional model practices.

The RMS serves as a platform for educators and scholars to collaborate on improving education in underserved communities. By focusing on the United Nations' SDG 4 and the Africa Agenda 2063 Goal 3, the symposium aims to create a high-quality education system through ODeL.

* By Godfrey Madibane, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement