SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE CHAIR
- Collaboratively develop a map of the landscape of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Multimodal Learning initiatives in South Africa, and indicate how this corresponds to international initiatives;
- Promote a national OER Network in collaboration with local organisations and universities with clear links to the international OER community;
- Develop and support a network of Multimodal Learning researchers for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region;
- Train lecturers on OER and Multimodal Learning in the SADC countries who will become empowered and capable of instructing others online;
- Produce and disseminate research on OER and Multimodal Learning; and
- Provide consultancy and advisory services.
 
IDENTIFIED RESEARCH THEMES OF THE CHAIR

- Promote research on the development, as well as the use and affordances of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Self-Directed Multimodal Learning through the adaptation of materials for use in both formal and informal learning contexts;

- Build, maintain and extend an OER community in South Africa and link it with other OER initiatives to support the international OER network;

- Build and expand capacities in the region notably by training OER and Self-Directed Multimodal Learning cadres in the SADC countries to become  empowered and capable of instructing others online;

- Produce and disseminate research on OER and Self-Directed Multimodal Learning and related issues such as access and multiliteracies; and

- Cooperate closely with UNESCO and existing UNESCO Chairs on relevant programmes and activities;

- Strengthening inter-university cooperation and international partnerships.

PROJECTS

- Open educational practices for self-directed learning (2021 - 2023)
- Multimodal multiliteracies in support of self-directed learning (2018-2020). Funded by the National Research Foundation.
- Trilingual glossary for multimodal learning: English-Setswana-Afrikaans (2018-2019). Funded by the PUK-Kanselierstrust.
- Exploring situated and culturally-appropriate self-directed multimodal learning (2019).
- Mapping of multimodal self-directed learning and OER at higher educational institutions in Southern Africa (2019-2021).