Blog: Easing Barriers to Cross Global Communication
By Angela Chikowero
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many events and activities to transition to being conducted virtually in many countries across the world. Conferences were not spared. Many organizations shifted in-person events to virtual platforms, and this opened up space for ever larger numbers of participants. The 2020 Open Education Conference is one such gathering that ended up being conducted virtually, attracting participants from far and wide.
This year's virtual conference was attended by more than 1,500 participants. The programming included a wide array of themes, ranging from policy related issues, open pedagogy, to open education resources.
While there are challenges to attending a conference virtually at times, the positive experiences outweigh the negative. The challenges faced by attendees who are parents like myself might encompass juggling children's remote learning and virtual conference programming. This can be stressful to any parent, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic we're currently in.
Virtual conferences can create a platform for many people to participate across the globe, as long as they have a reliable internet connection and a Wi-Fi-ready device. When people have the technological means to take part in virtual conferences, such gatherings bridge the usual communication barriers created by distance and the expense of travel that can hinder progress in open education advocacy.
Knowledge Sharing Virtually
One session I attended at the 2020 Open Education Conference was an example of how virtual conferences can bridge communication barriers.
Betty Kutukwa Mutambanengwe and Leonorah Nyaruwata from the Zimbabwe Open University participated in the conference and co-presented a paper titled "Open Education Practices in Zimbabwe Higher Education: Open Scholarship, Creativity and Innovation." I found myself beaming and psyched by how technology had erased communication barriers between Betty, Leonorah, and myself.
Attending the session on open education initiatives in Zimbabwean institutions of higher learning was a great moment for me to learn and reflect on how open education resources and practices can bridge the knowledge gap between different levels of privilege across the world. We convened on a virtual platform to discuss open scholarship in the Zimbabwean context. The challenges that Betty and Leonorah shared regarding barriers to Open Education and Open Pedagogy at Zimbabwean institutions resonate with some of the challenges that some universities here in the U.S face.
From Betty and Leonorah's presentation, I learned that while open education resources are used to some extent in Zimbabwean institutions, there are no concrete policies to guide open education initiatives. The Zimbabwean universities, such as the University of Zimbabwe, faced COVID-19 induced challenges, resulting in remote learning for students.
Betty underscored how Open Education Resources (OER) might have helped students in an online learning environment. However, lack of internet access and the technological devices resulted in some students being unable to participate in remote learning.
In his 2020 article, "Open educational resources: expanding equity or reflecting and furthering inequities?" George Veletsianos explains how the shift to remote learning in response to magnified textbook affordability challenges in the U.S. According to Veletsianos, "In the immediate and post-pandemic era higher education, individual faculty members should consider transitioning from commercial to open textbooks." He also talks about the need to ensure that OER are not perpetuating systemic structures that disempower marginalized students.
Veletsianos echoes Betty's sentiments that Open Education Resources help students access affordable resources. OER should also address equity and diversity in access and knowledge production. These are the issues that are topical not only in Zimbabwe, but also in the U.S. and across the world in this COVID-19-impacted learning environment.
BREAKING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Attending the Open Education Conference virtually allowed me to witness the power of technology breaking communication barriers in real time in a major conference that sought to model open education happening locally and across global space.
The Open Education Conference is conducted annually. It is a platform where people from around the world assemble to exchange knowledge and learn about open education: its theories, resources, and initiatives. The conference attendees are partly driven by the desire for accessible educational resources that are affordable, allowing for equal access by everyone in society despite their status, wealth or whoever they may be.
Angela Chikowero is a Research and Engagement Librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and current SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow. Angela is a first-time attendee at the Open Education Conference.