Benchmarking is an important tool to compare and make deliberate progress in any field of human endeavour. For integration of technology for teaching and learning, this is relatively a new field. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) promotes the use of technology-enabled learning (TEL) -- also referred to as "digital learning" -- for…

This synthesis report summarises the impact of technology-enabled learning (TEL) initiatives by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) across Member Countries, emphasising the role of TEL in enhancing educational outcomes. The report provides an overview of blended learning (BL) interventions, highlighting successful strategies, technological…

This report -- commissioned by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) -- provides an overview of research into good practice in blended learning in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and the competencies teachers need to teach in digital learning environments. It provides background for the development of digital competency…

This report provides an overview of the nature of open universities derived from the responses from 28 open universities in the Commonwealth. The data not only provide a snapshot of the nature of OUs, but also show some evidence of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on open universities where institutions had to move all their learning and…

High-quality digital learning offers potential economic and social advantages but also could easily lead to a widening gap between economically advanced and low-income countries. Within countries without suitable policy, it could also generate increasing inequity between the rich, who can afford the technology, and the poor, who will not be able…

During 2019-21, the Ministry of General Education in Zambia piloted an open and innovative schooling (OIS) programme. It used an e-learning model that involved developing and sharing curriculum-based open educational resources (OER) to supplement other teaching and learning processes. The resources could be accessed through both online and offline…

This policy brief looks at open digital distance learning and the potential of massive open online courses to deliver and support teacher development in low-income countries and disadvantaged regions. It addresses the particular barriers faced by teachers and their communities and proposes options to help overcome their challenges. Recommendations…

Many organisations are experimenting with micro-credentials, while others are emerging to collect, publish and offer credentials. The decision to engage with these new forms of credentials will be influenced by many factors, as described in this guide. Each organisation will need to assess their own level of maturity as new and innovative forms of…

This guide explores how pedagogy and vision underpin successful TEL [technology-enabled learning] innovation, as well as the other building blocks that are needed. It also outlines recent pedagogical innovations in TEL that can be trialled in any classroom where learners have access to smartphones and the Internet.

Technology-enabled learning (TEL) implementation at SNDT Women's University (SNDTWU), supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), started with the discussion and adoption of a TEL policy. This report presents the results of efforts to build capacity in the university's teachers so they could develop blended courses using the Moodle learning…

This is a research report on student learning and teacher pedagogical transformation at National University of Samoa after adoption of a technology-enabled learning framework and series of capacity building workshops. [This report was produced with the National University of Samoa.]

This is the report of a survey conducted at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) to evaluate the implementation of technology-enabled learning. The research was conducted among students and lecturers on courses that were offered in a blended mode. The courses were developed and facilitated by 20 lecturers who had…

A recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) report noted that nearly half a billion people -- one in six of the world's working population -- did not have enough work, were looking for but unable to find work, or had given up looking for work. Women and youth were over-represented in this group. Since then, due to COVID-19, the numbers of…

As the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) was in the last year of its 2015-2021 strategic plan, COL sought to evaluate the impact of its interventions in open and innovative schooling (OIS) in the period 2018-2021 through an external review. An online quantitative study was carried out in Belize, Malawi, Mozambique, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zambia,…

The benefits and facilities of online learning at school level all over the world were not fully realised until the COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to explore the possibilities of teaching-learning through online measures. During the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Open Schooling (OS) using online learning as a method of…