The OERu has established an Outreach Partnership Programme for qualifying institutions in the developing world to join our international network for free. The OERu is proud to launch this initiative with the announcement of our founding Outreach Partners from South Asia and Africa.

The OERu Outreach Partnership Programme is a global charitable initiative of the OERu network, seeking to work in partnership with selected institutions, located in the developing world, that are committed to adopting and improving open education practices to achieve more sustainable education.

Like all institutions, Outreach Partners have unrestricted access to all OERu open micro-courses (without fees or online hosting costs). In addition, Outreach partners are able to participate in the OERu decision-making process, including attending the annual international meeting of OERu partners, and will also gain  free access to OERu’s relevant professional development courses. Outreach partners are also invited to contribute to the development of an OERu course to promote South-North knowledge sharing.

Sharing to learn

The primary purpose of teaching is to share knowledge. At the OERu we share unrestricted access to all our online micro-courses.

The Outreach Partnership initiative is how the OERu, as a charitable organisation, plans to freely share our experience in using OER with institutions in the developing world which do not have the funds to contribute financially to the network. We hope that this new partnership will create opportunities to achieve more sustainable access to online learning around the world.

Founding Outreach Partners

The OERu is proud to launch our Outreach Partnership by announcing our inaugural founding partners from South Asia and Africa. The following institutions have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OERu to join the network as Outreach Partners:

• Ambedkar University Delhi, India
• Botswana Open University, Botswana
• Delhi Metropolitan Education, India
• Marian College Kuttikkanam, India
• Nepal Open University, Nepal
• Sanatan Dharma College, India
• University of Namibia, Namibia

Supporting learning for development

Learning for development is a primary focus for the OERu. The August 2019 cohort offering of Learning in a Digital Age (LiDA) enrolled 759 participants from 61 different countries, with 71% of learners residing in developing countries. With 60% of LiDA participants coming from countries, where the OERu already has Outreach Partners, the initiative is proving invaluable in sharing information about these free online learning opportunities.

The OERu also plays an important role in building capacity for learners to study successfully online. Of interest, approximately 30% of respondents of the new OERu Participant Survey report that studying with OERu is their first online learning experience.

Join the OERu Outreach Partnership

Accredited and publicly funded post-secondary institutions located in qualifying countries - low and lower middle income countries, plus small states (developing countries with a population below 5 million people) - are eligible to join. We welcome both universities and vocational education institutions to join as Outreach Partners. Private, non-profit providers with charitable status may also be considered for eligibility.

Vist the Outreach Partnership page or sign up here to receive more information via email.

If your institution would like to join, download a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The application process requires that an executive leader, with the authority to commit your institution, signs the MOU.

Please email a scanned copy of the signature page to: wayne@oerfoundation.org