Saide

In support of various COL education initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Pacific Island countries, Saide has been commissioned to work with institutions and government ministries to enhance access to quality education, including supporting:

• Universities and open schools to design online and blended learning courses and to use appropriate technology for teaching and learning. For example, at one university, Saide supported the institution to redesign five modules for online delivery and to develop quality assurance rubrics. 
• Institutions to develop quality assurance policies in using educational technology and in embracing employability. 
• Education ministries to strengthen Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) systems.  

KnowHow Early Learning is a mobile and tablet  course application to facilitate self-guided group learning amongst early childhood practitioners and teachers.

KnowHow Early Learning aims to support young children to be ready for school and schools to be ready for young children. The intention is to empower untrained community ECD practitioners and primary school teachers to use interactive, holistic teaching methodologies. KnowHow Early Learning promotes collaboration between ECD centres and primary schools. KnowHow Early Learning is a key component of the ‘Early Learning Kiosk’ strategy of the Roger Federer Foundation.

KnowHow Early Learning is implemented across five Southern African countries, promoting synergies between the countries. KnowHow Early Learning is an activity-based, multimedia course, integrating the use of African Storybooks for young children.

The course is an open educational resource with a Creative Commons licence.

• Developing a suite of pathways for CPD in universities on effective OER practices and testing the approach in a number of institutions by collaborating with regional networks.
• Completion of research on effectiveness of OER practices in African higher education.
• Partnerships with the Association of African Universities and the African Library & Information Associations and Institutions leading to CPD strategies for those two associations that incorporate lessons learned from implementation of learning pathways.
• Ongoing advocacy around effective OER practices in African higher education.

Acting as a backbone organization, Saide with seven Partners (funded by the Kresge Foundation) and five Participant universities work together to improve student success through evidence based interventions at scale. The Network includes national and local network components. The National Network includes a coherent set of services focused on student success (provided by Partner universities as well as by Saide) and the USA based Achieving the Dream, five sub-networks, convening meetings with Partners and the annual conference. Partner institutions coordinate regional sub- networks and Saide coordinates the national network.

Creating a digital library of African storybooks for early reading and facilitating their use and versioning for local languages and contexts, made available through openly licensed digital storybooks distributed by means of web-based Internet and mobile app services.

The African Storybook Initiative is recognised as an official partner of the Department of Basic Education's Read2Lead Campaign.