Strengthening ICT Integrated Pedagogical Approaches at USP
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 | OER strategist Neil Butcher
Source: UNESCO |
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A leading Open Educational Resources (OER) strategist recently visited the University of the South Pacific Laucala Campus in Suva, at the invitation of the USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra.
Mr Neil Butcher, who works with the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE), has provided policy and technical advice and support to clients regarding educational planning, uses of educational technology and distance education.
Mr Butcher’s visit was co-funded by the intergovernmental organisation of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
The USP community had the opportunity to meet Mr Butcher when he conducted an OER workshop, and presented a public lecture titled, ‘Transforming Education using ICTs’ at the University from 3 to 6 June, 2013. The lecture was live-streamed.
He met with members of the University’s Senior Management Team, Heads of Schools and representatives from the three faculties, the Centre for Foundation Studies and the Centre for Flexible Learning, and with the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) as well as the Ministry of Education.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, Dr Akanisi Kedrayate, in opening the workshop warmly welcomed Mr Butcher to the University.
More than 30 educators from USP, the Ministry of Education and the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) attended the workshop.
The session was launched with a presentation followed by an interactive discussion session and a hands-on session.
Mr Butcher emphasized the need for educational institutions, particularly universities to adapt to significant changes in society which are accelerated through democratising Information Communication Technology (ICT).
He spoke on the pitfalls of the current business model of education and said there was an urgent need for reinvention.
He said that systemic change with a strong focus is critical, as it will help improve the quality of teaching and learning using ICTs to radically change course design and pedagogies to improve the quality of education.
His suggestions on how to address challenges facing the Pacific and USP’s role in paving the way forward for the region were much appreciated by the workshop participants who requested additional training on the use of OERs.
Mr Butcher has worked with universities, education policymakers, development agency staff, teachersand governments in Africa and other developing regions around the world, and has developed a range of instructional materials for various types of educators.
He is a Fellow with an international education consultancy, Education Impact. He is also the Director of Neil Butcher and Associates.
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