[Oer-community] Introduction to the discussion

[Bakary Diallo]

Hi Susan

Good to hear from you again. I hope that all is well at Athabasca U. 
We look forward to reading and contributing to the forum.

Best regards, 

______________________
                  .
Bakary Diallo, Ph.D
Rector/ Recteur

African Virtual University/Université Virtuelle Africaine
Cape Office Park (opp. Yaya Center)
Ring Road, Kilimani
PO Box 25405 - 00603
Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel    : +254 20 2528333
          +254 20 3861458 / +254 20 3861459
          +254 722 205883 / +254 733 624412
Fax:    +254 20 3861460
Email: bdiallo at avu.org 
www.avu.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Susan D'Antoni [mailto:susandantoni at gmail.com] 
Sent: 04 October 2010 14:20
To: oer-community at athabascau.ca
Subject: [Oer-community] Introduction to the discussion

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the first interaction in our OER Community from Athabasca
University.  As I noted in my last message, we will hear about a
number of OER related meetings and this first discussion will be on
the meeting of the OpenCourseWare Consortium held in Vietnam this
year.

A little background

In 1999, MIT Faculty considered how to use the Internet in pursuit of
MIT's mission-to advance knowledge and educate students-and in 2000
proposed OCW. MIT published the first proof-of-concept site in 2002,
containing 50 courses. By November 2007, MIT completed the initial
publication of virtually the entire curriculum, over 1,800 courses in
33 academic disciplines. Going forward, the OCW team is updating
existing courses and adding new content and services to the site.

The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a collaboration of higher education
institutions and associated organizations from around the world
creating a broad and deep body of open educational content using a
shared model.  It is a worldwide community of hundreds of universities
and associated organizations committed to advancing OpenCourseWareand
its impact on global education. The Consortium serves as a resource
for starting and sustaining OCW projects, as a coordinating body for
the movement on a global scale, and as a forum for exchange of ideas
and future planning.

Our discussant

Mary Lou Forward, the Executive Director of the
OpenCourseWare Consortium, will lead our discussion and will be joined
by several of her colleagues.

Mary Lou provides leadership for the organization's efforts to support
OpenCourseWare use and development globally.  Prior to joining the
Consortium, she served as Dean of African Studies for SIT Study
Abroad.  In that role, she provided academic and strategic leadership
for 29 programs across the African continent, leading SIT's
incorporation of technology and distance learning in international
programming and developing innovative opportunities to collaborate
across countries and between diverse student groups.  Prior to that
position, Mary Lou served as Academic Director for undergraduate
programs in Madagascar, focused on Environmental Studies and Cultural
Geography.  She has also worked on community-based development in
Africa, with an emphasis on the incorporation of appropriate
technologies and sustainable resources in small-scale enterprise
development.

Background paper

The attached paper has been prepared as a brief overview of the
organization of the conference and some of the key issues discussed.

I am looking forward to our ongoing conversation.

My best regards,

Susan