Nelson Mandela University and Open Education Influencers in the Mail & Guardian

[cogdog]

We must share this news story featuring the efforts of @GinoFransman and his recent sharing of the Open Education Influencers (OEI) at a recent international meeting in the U.K.

Open Education can achieve equity

On November 17 (last week!) Gino was at Leeds University to participate in the 2022 Knowledge Equity Network Summit (KEN2022) where he had the opportunity to present accomplishments of the OpenEdInfluencers program, which has been running since 2018.

OpenEdInfluencers, or OEIs, are “ambassadors of and for Open; who increase awareness of Open Educational Resources, and who facilitate the adoption, creation and licensing of OER.” As quoted in the Mail and Guardian story, Gino said:

The #OpenEdInfluencers project aim is to empower others to activate personal, community or professional development goals related to the [UN’s] sustainable development goals (SDGs), by doing something about achieving it. The underpinning philosophy is professional change through actions.

The university aims to recruit students as influencers to empower them to enter the workplace with practical knowledge and experience, enabling work to begin immediately.

In its four years, ten OEIs have completed the program and nine of them have found employment in the education sector. Nelson Mandela University is recruiting now to add for more OEIs to the program.

Learn More…

Open Education Influencers and Capacity Building with OER

The Open Education Influencers project is based at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa. Started in 2018, the project has focussed strongly upon student empowerment through processes of doing, part of both a personal and professional development strategy for student staff in the LTCollab. An output of this process has seen the successful creation of a student empowerment online course titled ‘Becoming an Open Education Influencer’, or BOEI. BOEI has 6 modules, each intended to emp…

Opening Up as the World Shuts Down: Empowering Students to Advocate for Equitable Access and Social Justice by Becoming Open Education Influencers (BOEI)

Authors: Gino Fransman, Sarah Hutton, Anne Olsen, Koshala Terreblanche, Theresa Dooley, Matilda Smith, Carol Will, Annette Vadnais Institutions: Nelson Mandela University, University of Massachusets Amherst Countries: South Africa, United States Topic: Global Collaboration, Strategies, & Policies in Open Education Sector: Higher Education UNESCO Area of Focus: Building capacity Session Format: Panel Abstract In this panel discussion, stakeholders share ins…

Becoming an Open Education Influencer: The Nelson Mandela University Student Advocates’ Experience of Opening Up in Collaboration

Authors: Kelly Liberty, Mlungisi Mhlongo, Gino Fransman Institution: Nelson Mandela University Country: South Africa Topic: Applications of Open Education Practices/Open Pedagogy/Open Education Research Sector: Higher Education UNESCO Area of Focus: Building capacity Session Format: Presentation Abstract “‘Becoming an Open Education Influencer’ (BOEI) is an informative and practical, fully online training course that supports influencers of and for Open Ed…

Note too that Gina was recognized with a 2021 OE Award for Excellence in the Emerging Leader category and this news story illustrates how he has continues on this arc of leadership.

Your Turn!

Please share our congratulations with Gino via a reply below. Please also use this space to ask questions about the OEI program, the Becoming an Open Education Influencer course, or maybe it might take to establish a similar program at your institution.

Congrats on making the news headlines, Gino.

[JudithSebesta]

Way to go, @GinoFransman! You are such an inspiration.

[cogdog]

And Gino does much more than just OEIs Grooving to his

[LizYata]

Congrats Gino! I love that you’re rocking an OEConsortium I OER button! I never remember to wear my buttons, but I have that one, plus some OER buttons from College of the Canyons, and of course, my Nelson Mandela University pin on a bulletin board above my desk.

[KathyEssmiller]

Wait, what? Gino!!! Exactly the pick me up I needed today.

[GinoFransman]

What a lovely thing to see on here, thank you @cogdog Alan!
Yes, it’s been a great opportunity to platform the work we do, and the article has led to some interesting requests for more.
Likewise, the opportunity to speak in person at the Knowledge Equity Network summit at Leeds University #KEN2022 was one of my career highlights so far. Watch out for more!
Thanks to everyone for their generous words and sustained support for me, and our journeys into the #Open.