COL, in collaboration with Tonga’s Ministry of Education and Training is mainstreaming OER at the Tonga Institute of Education (TIOE) and Tonga Institute of Higher Education (TIHE). The first phase of the mainstreaming process commenced in June 2017 with 34 teachers, including senior management of TIOE and TIHE, being trained in the use of OER in course development and instructional video production.

In phase two, 20 teachers from both institutes were trained in developing and delivering OER based online courses using Moodle. In the process, four life skills courses were developed, namely Thinking and Learning Skills, Working and Social Skills, Information Technology, and Restorative Practices in Education, which are now being delivered to Tongan youth as online courses.

“When conceptualizing the project, the vision of the Tongan Minster of Education and Training was to harness the full potential of the new fiberoptic infrastructure to upskill Tongan youth for higher education opportunities and employment in Australia and New Zealand. This project approached the mainstreaming of OER in a systematic manner which included advocacy, policy development, capacity building, course development and technology-enhance learning. I’m excited to progress into phase 3 of the project where we will evaluate the impact of OER in terms of learning outcomes.” said COL Adviser: OER, Dr Ishan Abeywardena.

COL works with institutions in Commonwealth Member States to support OER policy development, capacity-building and course development harnessing the full potential of ICT in teaching and learning.