Future Proofing Higher Education in the Pacific with Open and Flexible Learning

Authors

  • Som Naidu The University of the South Pacific
  • Keith Roberts Independent Higher Education Capacity Building Scholar and Fulbright Specialist at University of South Pacific

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v5i3.309

Keywords:

Open Educational Practice, Open Educational Resources, Flexible Learning, Policy, Pacific, Fiji

Abstract

Affordable access to higher education is a major challenge for small Pacific island nations. The University of the South Pacific which is owned and governed by twelve island nations in this region plays a special role in meeting this challenge. In its fiftieth year, a few recent developments at USP provide a useful case study for how this challenge can be addressed to provide affordable access to educational opportunity for residents of twelve Pacific Island nations in various stages of development.

The island nations served by the University of the South Pacific are spread over 33 million square kilometers of the Pacific, with several official languages and many more indigenous languages, and use seven distinct currencies. As USP celebrates its fiftieth year in 2018, it has embarked upon two specific initiatives that will enable the university to map out a pathway for the future of education for the next generation and within the context of current and new strategies for the design and implementation of meaningful education throughout the member nations.

These initiatives are the development of a flexible learning policy and an Open Education Resources policy. Taking pages from the fields of Technology, Education (Learning and Teaching), and Design, these two USP policies seek to “future proof” the university for the next generation and others after that. Being future proofed means being able to stand the test of time in the face of changing contexts and challenges. University policies are most effective when they are designed to withstand and accommodate prospective changes in the educational landscape.  These policies reflect agreed-upon principles that will withstand social and political changes. This paper is a commentary on the content of these policy initiatives around flexible learning and open education practices, their values and principles.

Author Biography

Keith Roberts, Independent Higher Education Capacity Building Scholar and Fulbright Specialist at University of South Pacific

Formerly a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for International Studies in Education at the University of Pittsburgh from September 2010 until September 2017.  Also served as the Director of the Institute for Global Health Innovations at Duy Tan University in Danang, Vietnam; Vice President for Academics at Brigham Young University -Hawaii from 2000 -2008. 

 

References

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Published

2018-11-19

How to Cite

Naidu, S., & Roberts, K. (2018). Future Proofing Higher Education in the Pacific with Open and Flexible Learning. Journal of Learning for Development, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v5i3.309

Issue

Section

Case Studies
Received 2018-07-28
Accepted 2018-10-20
Published 2018-11-19