The Implementation of Notesmaster as a Learning Platform for Secondary Education -A Case of the Namibian College of Open Learning

Abstract

The Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) is a Government funded educational institution that provides study opportunities to adults and out of school youth. NAMCOL has adopted the Notesmaster platform as a learning portal for its secondary education programme. In response to UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Paris Declaration of 2012, all NAMCOL eLearning resources for open schooling are released under CC BY SA on Notesmaster platform. // Over the years a range of notes were published on the platform for all subjects on offer. These notes cover subject content at the Junior and Senior Secondary levels. The notes address learning objectives stipulated in the subject area syllabi and focus on content perceived as difficult with additions of audio, video and animations. // In order to ensure that the content is used by learners and tutors, different strategies have been implemented which included face-to-face training, provision of computers with internet connectivity and mentoring, amongst others. The results were not always as expected, but the material is available and used by learners and tutors, which are reflected in statistics in this article. // The article aims to share the NAMCOL experience in using Notesmaster as a preferred platform for OER in open schooling, including experiences of the developers, tutors and learners. Data is gathered from learners, tutors and content developers to assess their involvement and determine to what extent the platform has contributed to their success in teaching and learning. // In documenting and sharing the successes and challenges experienced by NAMCOL, this paper can serve as a valuable resource to any Open Innovative School seeking to implement its own OER development programme and subsequent pilot to stakeholders. // Paper ID 135