Global Impact of Open Educational Resources (OER): Malawi Teacher Center
Abstract
This research study examined the leadership awareness and understanding of Open Educational Resources (OER) for educational access and affordability of teaching and learning resources in Malawi, Africa. According to UNESCO: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (2023) low-income countries, like Malawi, have limited access, due to economic hardships, in accessing current education resources for teachers and students in post-secondary education. Data were collected from an online survey from instructors at the Malawi Teacher Center. The major findings included: Although nearly all the Malawi instructors (95%) are aware of OER; only sixteen percent (16%) of the teachers reported that they were very knowledgeable. A little over one-fourth (26%) of the teachers surveyed are not knowledgeable at all. Quality of improvement in education and increased professional development in OER were the top expectations of the Malawi teachers regarding OER. The top three benefits of OER cited by the Malawi teachers were: OER was easy to find materials for subject area; OER was low-cost compared to other materials; and OER was easy to share. The most important benefit of using OER reported by the teachers was that the materials were available 24/7. The top three challenges of OER reported by the Malawi instructors were: time to search for quality materials, training for OER, and time for upgrading curriculum and lessons. All teachers reported that textbooks are a major challenge for students. Reported supports needed for OER, in order of importance, included: professional development, Internet, and resources.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Educational administration|Education
Recommended Citation
Audie B Black,
"Global Impact of Open Educational Resources (OER): Malawi Teacher Center"
(2023).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI30693046.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI30693046