Poster: OpenSTEM Africa: Ghana – Test & Learn with UCC

Improving access to STEM education is viewed globally as a route to economic empowerment. OpenSTEM Africa is a collaboration between The OU (involving academics from WELS and STEM) and government partners in Ghana to co-create virtual instruments and onscreen immersive laboratory experiences to support the teaching and learning of practical science in chemistry, physics & biology, focussing on Senior High Schools and learners with limited or no access to laboratory resources. In addition to the virtual laboratory, the project has also co-created a suite of CPD materials to support science teachers as they transition to new hybrid ways of working and Leadership materials to support Heads of Science as they manage this change. These Open Educational Resources can be accessed here: OLCreate: OpenSTEM Africa: Ghana OpenSTEM Africa: GhanaLater this year the OpenSTEM Africa virtual laboratory and support materials will be launched on the Centre for National Distance Learning & Open Schooling’s internet portal (iCampusGH), serving approximately 1 million Senior High School students.The purpose of this application is to seek funding to run a ‘test and learn’ project with the Department of Science Education at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana (scienceeducation.ucc.edu.gh). This department provides both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to train future Senior High School science teachers and thus represents an ideal population to test the efficacy and suitability of these transformational assets in both the training of teachers and as future practitioners. The OU has an existing MOU with UCC and this work will strengthen this relationship.This project will run alongside a ‘test and learn’ project funded by WELS Education Futures programme with the University of Ghana (UoG). Here the focus in on the use of the OpenSTEM Africa virtual laboratory to support the teaching of mainstream science undergraduates. The objective of this project together with the WELS project is develop our collective understanding as to the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of practical science through virtual/digital means and based on the evidence that we jointly collect, to be able to share and publish our findings.