Cultural-historical factors influencing OER adoption in Mongolia's higher education sector
Batbold Zagdragchaa
Henry Trotter
10.25375/uct.10007081.v1
https://zivahub.uct.ac.za/articles/book/Cultural-historical_factors_influencing_OER_adoption_in_Mongolia_s_higher_education_sector/10007081
<p>The research presented here investigates the strategies and practices
of educators from six public and private higher education institutions
(HEIs) in Mongolia in order to understand the role of Open Educational
Resources (OER) in their work. It addresses the question: Which
cultural–historical factors shape OER activities in Mongolia’s higher
education sector? In addition, the study sets out to determine whether
OER has the potential to move beyond a niche innovation advocated and
funded by international donors to one that is broadly adopted,
implemented and disseminated by local educators.</p>
<p><br></p><p>The study employed a sequential exploratory model in which
qualitative interviews comprised the first stage of data collection,
followed by quantitative surveys. The interviews were conducted with 14
participants recruited using a convenience sample from four Mongolian
HEIs, two government organisations and three non-governmental
organisations. In total, eight educators and six administrators were
interviewed. A follow-up survey was conducted with 42 instructors and
administrators at six HEIs, also recruited through convenience sampling.
The study utilised Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a framework
to analyse the data.</p>
<p><br></p><p>Findings indicate that despite recent efforts to promote OER by
funding agencies and the government, OER awareness remains modest
amongst higher education instructors and administrators. It is therefore
not surprising that OER adoption rates in Mongolia are low. As a
result, a culture around OER engagement has not yet emerged, with only
isolated individual educators adopting OER. In contrast with many
academics who often worry about the quality of OER, Mongolian educators
appear to be more concerned about a particular sub-component of quality,
which is relevance. In addition, many study participants expressed
reservations about the potential value and utility of OER.</p>
<p><br></p><p>As a country, Mongolia has developed and supported large-scale
educational resource projects, especially at the basic education level,
and it may need to take a similar proactive stance regarding OER in the
higher education sector if it seeks to improve the quality, relevance
and cost-effectiveness of teaching content. As the first study on OER
activity in Mongolia’s higher education system, this research has value
and application for researchers and advocates pursuing an OER agenda,
for policymakers seeking to understand how policy interventions might
influence OER adoption in the national and institutional context, and
for funding agencies aiming to boost educators’ OER engagement more
broadly.</p>
2019-10-29 06:43:59
advocacy
capacity development
higher education development
Mongolia
oer
open educational resources
Higher Education
Education