Abstract
A requirement for sustainable development is quality education, which – according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 – relates to education that is inclusive, equitable and promotes lifelong learning opportunities. Such aims require embracing self-directed learning, multimodality, open education and indigenous knowledge. In this conceptual chapter these four foci are explored through a critical analysis of current discourses, with a specific emphasis on the context and needs of Africa. For indigenous communities, the concept of self-directedness is key to effective knowledge production, access and governance. Self-directed learning implies that students take charge of their learning individually or communally by setting goals and choosing resources, and learning strategies in order to support lifelong learning. Knowledge functions multimodally and on different levels. Interaction, instruction and delivery can be done through different modes or blending of modes: either face-to-face or via technologically-supported manners. Furthermore, knowledge used or created should adhere to the principles of open education. In this context, open licensing is embraced and access to resources is more equitable in terms of both access and localization, in order to account for indigenous knowledges and languages. This chapter concludes with recommendations of practical steps towards fostering sustainable development in education, through self-directed multimodal learning, for open indigenous knowledge co-creation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aarts H, Greijn H, Mohamedbhai G, Jowi JO (2020) The SDGs and African higher education. In: Ramutsindela M, Mickler D (eds) Africa and the sustainable development goals. Springer, Cham, pp 231–241
African Union Commission (2015) Agenda 2063: The Africa we want Addis Ababa: African Union Commission https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/36204-doc-agenda2063_popular_version_en.pdf. Accessed 24 Aug 2020
Agbedahin AV (2019) Sustainable development, Education for Sustainable Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Emergence, efficacy, eminence, and future. Sustain Dev 27(4):669–680
AHD (American Heritage Dictionary) 2000 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA
Aikins SK (2019) Determinants of digital divide in Africa and policy implications. Int J Public Adm Digit Age (IJPADA) 6(1):64–79
Asongu SA, Odhiambo NM (2019) How enhancing information and communication technology has affected inequality in Africa for sustainable development: An empirical investigation. Sustainable Dev 27(4):647–656
Avelar ABA, da Silva-Oliveira KD, da Silva Pereira R (2019) Education for advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: a systematic approach. Int J Manage Educ 17(3):
Blessinger P, Bliss TJ (2016) Introduction to open education: towards a human rights theory. In: Blessinger P, Bliss TJ (eds) Open education: international perspectives in high education. Openbook Publishers, Cambridge, pp 11–30
Brockett RG, Hiemstra R (2019) Self–direction in adult learning: perspectives on theory, research, and practice. Routledge, London
Buchanan S (2019) Implementing a Framework for Reducing Textbook Costs by Utilizing OER and Other Textbook Alternatives in Online Course Development. Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware
Calandro E, Chavula J, Phokeer A (2019) Internet development in Africa: a content use, hosting and distribution perspective. In: Mendy G, Ouya S, Dioum I, Thiaré O (eds) e–Infrastructure and e–Services for Developing Countries AFRICOMM 2018 Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, 275. Springer, Cham
Casserly CM, Smith MS (2008) Revolutionizing education through innovation: can openness transform teaching and learning? In: Iiyoshi T, Kumar MSV (eds) Opening up education: The collective advancement of education through open technology, open content, and open knowledge. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 261–276
Chetty K, Qigui L, Gcora N, Josie J, Wenwei L, Fang C (2018) Bridging the digital divide: measuring digital literacy. Econ Open-Access, Open-Assess E-J 12(2018–23):1–20
Cobo C (2013) Exploration of open educational resources in non–English speaking communities. Int Rev Res Open Distrib Learn 14(2):106–128
Elfert M (2019) Lifelong learning in Sustainable Development Goal 4: What does it mean for UNESCO’s rights–based approach to adult learning and education? Int Rev Educ 65(4):537–556
Emas R (2015) The concept of sustainable development: definition and defining principles Brief for GSDR. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5839GSDR%202015_SD_concept_definiton_rev.pdf. Accessed 24 Aug 2020
Franco I, Saito O, Vaughter P, Whereat J, Kanie N, Takemoto K (2019) Higher education for sustainable development: actioning the global goals in policy, curriculum and practice. Sustain Sci 14(6):1621–1642
Gibbons M (2002) The self-directed learning handbook: challenging adolescent students to excel. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Internet World Stats (2020) Africa Internet Users, 2020 Population and Facebook Statistics. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htm. Accessed 19 Nov 2020
Karani FA, Preece J (2020) Lifelong Learning and the SDGs In: Ramutsindela M, Mickler D (eds) Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals Springer, Cham, pp 23–31
Keane M, Khupe C, Muza B (2016) It matters who you are: Indigenous knowledge research and researchers. Educ Change 20(2):163–183
Knowles MS (1975) Self-directed learning: a guide for learners and teachers. Follett, Chicago, IL
Krelja Kurelovic E (2016) Advantages and limitations of usage of open educational resources in small countries. Int J Res Educ Sci 2(1):136–142
Lane A (2008) Am I good enough? The mediated use of open educational resources to empower learners in excluded communities In: Fifth pan–commonwealth forum on open learning, 13–17 Jul 2008, London, UK
Lane A (2009) The impact of openness on bridging educational digital divides. Int Rev Res Open Distrib Learn 10(5):1–12
Lane A (2012) Widening participation in higher education through open educational resources. In: Okada A, Connolly T, Scott PJ (eds) Collaborative learning 20: open educational resources. IGI Global, Hershey, PA, pp 1–15
Lane A (2017) Open education and the sustainable development goals: mking change happen. J Learn Dev 4(3):275–286
Letseka M (2012) In defence of Ubuntu. Stud Philos Educ 31(1):47–60
MacKinnon T, Pasfield–Neofitou S, Manns H, Grant S (2016) A meta–analysis of open educational communities of practice and sustainability in higher educational policy. Apprentissage des Langues et Systèmes d’Information et de Communication 19(1). https://journals.openedition.org/alsic/2908. Accessed 23 Aug 2020
Mays T (2020) Open Educational Resources in South Africa. In: Huang R, Liu D, Tlili A, Gao Y, Koper R (eds) Current state of open educational resources in the “belt and road” countries. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore
Magni G (2017) Indigenous knowledge and implications for the sustainable development agenda. Eur J Educ 52(4):437–447
Majgaard K, Mingat A (2012) Education in sub–Saharan Africa: a comparative analysis. The World Bank, Washington, DC
Mbagwu FO, Chukwuedo SO, Ogbuanya TC (2020) Promoting lifelong learning propensity and intentions for vocational training among adult and vocational educational undergraduates. Vocations Learn 13:419–437
McGreal R (2017) Special report on the role of open educational resources in supporting the sustainable development goal 4: quality education challenges and opportunities. Int Rev Res Open Distrib Learn 18(7):292–305
Mutsvairo B, Ragnedda M (eds) (2019) Mapping the digital divide in Africa: a mediated analysis. Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam
Nashipudi M (2017) OER footprints bridging the educational digital divide in India pearl. J Libr Inf Sci 11(2):124–133
Nkuyubwatsi B (2017) Willingness to engage in open educational practices among academics in Rwandan public higher education and responsive actions. J Learn Dev 4(3):322–337
Olivier J (2020a) Self-directed multimodal learning to support demiurgic access. In: Burgos D (ed) Radical Solutions and eLearning. Springer Nature, Singapore, pp 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4952-6_8
Olivier J (2020b) Self-directed open educational practices for a decolonized South African curriculum: a process of localization for learning. J e-Learning Knowl Soc 16(4):20–28. https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/113533
Olivier J, Van der Westhuizen C, Laubscher D, Bailey R (2019) The affordances of technology for teaching indigenous knowledge. In: de Beer J (ed) The decolonisation of the curriculum project: The affordances of indigenous knowledge for self-directed learning. AOSIS, Cape Town, pp 277–317
Ossiannilsson E, Altinay Z, Altinay F (2016) Transformation of teaching and learning in higher education towards open learning arenas: A question of quality. In: Blessinger P, Bliss TJ (eds) Open education: international perspectives in high education. Openbook Publishers, Cambridge, pp 159–177
Pereira M (2007) Open educational resources: A bridge to education in the developing world. Educational Technology 41–43
Peroni M, Bartolo M (2018) The Digital Divide. In: Bartolo M, Ferrari F (eds) Multidisciplinary Teleconsultation in Developing Countries TELe–Health. Springer, Cham, pp 101–109
Perryman LA, de Los Arcos B (2016) Women’s empowerment through openness: OER, OEP and the Sustainable Development Goals. Open Praxis 8(2):163–180
Ramutsindela M, Mickler D (2020) Global Goals and African Development. In: Ramutsindela M, Mickler D (eds) Africa and the sustainable development goals. Springer, Cham, pp 231–241
Roeder I, Severengiz M, Stark R, Seliger G (2017) Open educational resources as a driver for manufacturing–related education for learning of sustainable development. Procedia Manuf 8:81–88
Salleh UKM, Zulnaidi H, Rahim SSA, Bin Zakaria AR, Hidayat R (2019) Roles of self-directed learning and social networking sites in lifelong learning. Int J Instr 12(4):167–182
Samarakoon S, Christiansen A, Munro PG (2017) Equitable and quality education for all of Africa? The challenges of using ICT in education Perspectives on Global Development and Technology 16(6):645–665
Schwab K (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum
UNESCO (2019) Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER).: UNESCO, Paris https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373755/PDF/373755eng.pdf.multi.page=3. Accessed 24 Aug 2020
Uleanya C, Rugbeer Y, Olaniran SO (2019) Decolonization of education: exploring a new praxis for sustainable development. African Identities 17(2):94–107
United Nations (2020) Global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/Global%20Indicator%20Framework%20after%202020%20review_Eng.pdf. Accessed 24 Aug 2020
Urbančič T, Polajnar A, Jermol M (2019) Open education for a better world: a mentoring programme fostering design and reuse of open educational resources for sustainable development goals. Open Praxis 11(4):409–426
Uvalić-Trumbić S, Daniel J (2016) Sustainable development begins with education. J Learn Dev 3(3):3–8
Waghid Y, Manthalu CH (2019) Decoloniality as democratic change within higher education. CH Manthalu. Y Waghid Education for Decoloniality and Decolonisation in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp 47–68
Walsh PP, Murphy E, Horan D (2020) The role of science, technology and innovation in the UN 2030 agenda. Technol Forecasting Soc Change 154:
Warf B (2019) Teaching digital divides. J Geogr 118(2):77–87
Wiley D, Green C, Soares L (2012) Dramatically Bringing down the Cost of Education with OER: How Open Education Resources Unlock the Door to Free Learning. Center for American Progress
Wiley D, Hilton JL (2018) Defining OER–Enabled Pedagogy. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 19(4):133–147
Wolfenden F, Adinolfi L (2019) An exploration of agency in the localisation of open educational resources for teacher development. Learn Media Technol 44(3):327–344
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Olivier, J. (2021). Sustainable Quality Education Through Self-directed Multimodal Learning, for Open Indigenous Knowledge Co-creation. In: Leal Filho, W., Pretorius, R., de Sousa, L.O. (eds) Sustainable Development in Africa. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74693-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74693-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-74692-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74693-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)