By Saio Marrah
The University of Sierra Leone (USL) has in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning commenced a two-day stakeholders’ engagement for the development and validation of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) policy at the university.
The discourse will be looking at the policy formulation and, also putting the courses together, that will lead to open and distance learning.
The programme was held at Fourah Bay College Multi-Purpose Building on Thursday 5th October, 2023.
In his welcome address, Professor Kelleh Gbawuru Mansaray speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of USL, described Fourah Bay College (FBC) as the oldest Western style higher learning institution in sub-Sahara Africa. He noted that USL and FBC in particular are highly interested in the eLearning programme.
Thus, he said they need the policy while calling on the organizers to count on what he described as their reverent support to the initiative. In the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, he said they have established an innovational fabrication hub, for which the university has just received 600 thousand United States Dollars’ worth of equipment from UNDP.
Professor Mansaray said the equipment includes a media lab, which he said the eLearning centre will be welcome to use.
He said lecturers can do their recording there and that FBC also has the Tunde Cole Building where they have a smart board, where lecturers can lecture students from everywhere on Earth.
He also noted that the Faculty of Media, Information and Communication Studies has expressed high interest in the Lab. According to him, the entire instrument at Media houses like AYV and others in the country are in the said lab.
However, he said with eLearning, they need the internet. Thus, he said as Deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC, he has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Zoodlab to provide uninterrupted internet to campus.
Professor Mansaray also pointed out that the Vice President of the Country has promised to have a discussion with the Ministry of Energy to provide non-stop light to the campus, which will in turn ensure constant internet on campus.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (DVC) Institute of Public Administration and Management, Associate Professor Miriam Conteh-Morgan said the programme comes at a time when there is a confluence of other events and initiatives within Sierra Leone.
According to her, USL and the country at large is poised for such kind of engagement. “At our level institutionally at IPAM, we are particularly pleased that this policy development workshop is taking place,” she said.
According to her, IPAM offers courses via E-Learning tools, which they had established.
She also introduced one of their lecturers, Andrew Square as the first lecturer to introduce E-learning lectures at USL.
Professor Morgan also told the participants that they need to go beyond reviews, noting that they need to have a policy that would guide them, a policy that would take them to where they want to be and that would incorporate international best practices.
She said the policy should also be able to look at national context, and institutional differences to be able to craft something that would work for them. She prayed that many faculties would be involved in the E-learning process.
She noted that they are looking for a broader institutional engagement and adoption of the distance-learning endeavour.
The Executive Director, of the eLearning centre of USL, Professor Jonas Redwood Sawyerr, later informed journalists that the eLearning programme was introduced to complement the many applicants that are left out of the in-person courses due to space.
This he said is due to the fact that they do not have enough classrooms. Professor Redwood Sawyerr said the E-learning ensures students stay at their homes or offices to join the lecture and that there would also be lecture notes uploaded to the website.
He also noted that the university would be offering modules virtually if the person does not want to do a full-time course but wishes to empower themselves without a certificate, adding that they can later complete the whole course if they wish to earn a certificate.
As of now, he said they have ten departments, approved by the Tertiary Education Commission offering courses via eLearning.
He said the programme would be beneficial because even though there are other universities in the country, people still prefer USL.
He also noted that experts in countries like the UK have expressed interest in lecturing at USL, so the initiative would be helpful in that regard, as they need not travel to Sierra Leone to lecture.
The representative of the Commonwealth of Learning, Professor Jane-Frances Agbu, informed Politico that in line with the vision of the programme, COL is happy to be part of the very important meeting of institutional stakeholders for the drafting and validation of an open and distance learning policy in USL. She said the meeting aimed to sensitise stakeholders on open and distance learning for greater buy-in.
“The expectation is that at the end of this meeting, stakeholders would have a better understanding of ODL and an ODL policy document would be developed and validated by the stakeholders.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (06/10/23)
