Didier Houssin, président de l’AERES, s’est rendu à Luanda en Angola, les 1^er et 2 octobre 2013. Cette mission s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un vaste programme de développement de l’enseignement supérieur angolais pour lequel l’AERES a été sollicitée afin de partager son expertise dans le domaine de l’évaluation. Au cours de la mission, Didier Houssin a rencontré l’équipe de l’Institut national pour l’évaluation, l’accréditation et la reconnaissance des études de l’enseignement supérieur (INAAREES), créé récemment, et s’est entretenu avec le ministre de l’enseignement supérieur et l’équipe de l’Ambassade de France. A cette occasion, Didier Houssin a donné une conférence sur « les défis de l’évaluation dans l’enseignement supérieur et la recherche » en s’appuyant sur l’expérience française de l’AERES.

I am happy to be back to blogosphere, after months of silence, and excited to see that MOOCs are now taking off in Rwanda. I have been following closely the MOOC initiative by Generation Rwanda and its Kepler initiative (Leber 2013, Bartholet 2013 and O’Neil 2013). These articles received many comment, but I would like to add my contribution as a Rwandan, and a MOOC researcher. For those who have not yet come across my profile, I am researching Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Educational Resources (OER) for Widening Participation in Rwandan Higher Education. My research interest is not accidental. It was inspired by learning experience, face-to-face, on radio and online. A bit of my educational background is covered in my earlier blog entry. My professional profile can be found here. This blog post is the first of several entries written as response to issues raised by O’Neil’s article and the comments it triggered. It addresses accreditation, sustainability and quality of conventional higher education in Rwanda. More...

The IAU Validation Workshop for Anglophone Africa of its new project to support academic librarians in the use, re-use and production of Open Educational Resources (OER) will open tomorrow. The Workshop, organized in partnership with the Association of African Universities (AAU) and with support from UNESCO's Participation Fund, will bring together some 30 academic librarians from 10 African countries. Its aim is two-fold: to provide all participants with equal and updated knowledge on OER and to discuss the content of IAU's project to adequately fit local needs. It is taking place from 12 to 13 September 2013 in Accra, Ghana. More information on the workshop will be posted on the IAU website soon afterwards. Contact: Amanda Sudic