Wednesday 18 June 2025
Trends in the use of technology, the English language and inclusion in higher education across East and South Asia
Agnes Kukulska-Hulme and Saraswati Dawadi
Abstract: Our British Council funded research aimed to track and evaluate a set of interconnected, predicted trends concerning the impact of the growing use of digital/mobile technology (DMT) on regional and local ecologies of teaching, assessment and learning of English (TALE) in the four most populous countries in East and South Asia – Bangladesh, China, India, and Indonesia. With a focus on higher education, the two-phase longitudinal study adopted an ecological research approach for tracking and assessing predictions and trends for English and TALE practices.
In this presentation, we will share key findings of our study in which data was collected from nearly 6000 students and over 300 teachers from the four research countries in two different phases by using multiple methods (surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, Padlet discussions). Six to eight universities in each research country took part in the study. The findings point to current trends of the use of technology for TALE practices; the future of English in the research countries; and the role of English and technology in promoting or reducing inclusion in students’ access to quality learning in higher education. The research also reveals students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the role and value of English in the next ten years in their communities in general and higher education in particular. The presentation ends with some implications for policy and practice.
Learning ecosystems: Understanding the processes and outcomes of technology-enhanced teacher professional development in Bangladesh
Agnes Kukulksa-Hulme and Tom Power
Abstract: This presentation presents the findings from a large-scale mixed research study into primary school mathematics teachers experiences of access to, and use of, digital technology for professional development in marginalised rural communities in Bangladesh. The study addresses high-potential evidence gaps in the global literature on technology-enhanced teacher professional development—where large scale studies, examining the needs and experiences of rural and marginalised communities, and providing rigorous evaluation of impacts on teaching and learning, are rare.
Developed through partnership between the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, and the Open University, this study explored the validity of assumptions in the theory of change linking teachers’ use of (one-off, self-paced and unsupported) online/mobile learning for professional development and any related changes in teaching practice and learning outcomes in numeracy. The first phase of research, exploring the processes of professional development, relied primarily upon participatory ethnographic evaluation research involving 40 teacher-researchers and 318 participating teachers. The second phase of the research, exploring the outcomes on teaching and learning, involved classroom observations of 220 teachers’ lessons and learning assessments for 2,200 primary-school children—with further qualitative contextual insights being gained through school case-studies, auto-photography and photo-elicitation. The research was conducted in ten administrative districts in four geographic regions of Bangladesh which are geographically isolated, prone to the socio-economic and physical effects of climate change, and home to marginalised (religious, ethnic, linguistic) minority groups.
In these marginalised communities, the findings provide rare evidence of impacts on teaching and learning associated with teachers’ active engagement in technology-enhanced professional development. They also point to the importance of taking a holistic ‘professional learning ecosystems’ approach in order to understand how professional learning is mediated into changes in the classroom.
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF VISUAL AID TOOLS ON IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN ONLINE LEARNING OF THREE SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MZUZU CITY
Onick Gwayi, Stephen Pangani, Bridget Mbewe, Davison Nkhoma
Abstract: The study aimed to investigate the use of visual aids in fostering inclusivity and accessibility in online learning. Dual Coding Theory, which states that the brain has separate memory systems for pictures and words since they are represented differently cognitively, was used. There are limited studies validating the impact of visual aids on inclusivity and accessibility of online learning in Malawi’s public secondary schools. The present study used a mixed methodology to assess the impacts of visual aids in ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in online learning for participating Mzuzu city public secondary schools. The study included 30 participants with a 34% drop rate (16 withdrew) while collecting data. Document analysis, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, and lesson observations were used to collect data. Thematic and statistical analyses of data were used. The study revealed the impact of visual aid tools on inclusivity and accessibility in online learning. The findings show that brief, screen reader-accessible text, alternative formats like tactile diagrams, video captions, uncluttered visual aids, and digital copies enhance accessibility and inclusivity in online learning. The research suggests that educators implement universal design of learning (UDL) principles in visual materials by ensuring they are accessibility tool compatible, have high contrast displays, and include alternative text descriptions for images. They must use various visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic elements to address various learning requirements so that all students can access the content. Educators must also take care to create an inclusive online environment with visual content that addresses these needs. The schools and the communities can join together to support provision of visual aids to every student.
Exploring teaching and learning in Gurku IDP camps in Nigeria: A Participatory action research inquiry the lived experience of teachers and students, teachers’ adaptive pedagogies, and technology integration (Mobile learning)
Stephanie Akinwoya
Abstract : Nigeria has one of Africa’s highest internally displaced populations (IDP), at 3.65 million (IDMC, 2023). This high migration rate is mainly due to factors such as terrorism (Boko Haram), activities of Fulani herdsmen, armed banditry, religious conflict, and, to a lesser degree, natural disasters. The activities of boko haram in the northeastern part of the country have led to a terror-driven internal migration, with communities fleeing to seek refuge in internal displacement camps. A large percentage of the IDPS are children who have the right to be educated (Suleiman et al., 2020 ;Bessler, 2019).
A lot of studies point to the pivotal role teachers play in impacting the quality of education for students in displacement settings, where the teacher could be the primary or even sole educational resource that students in displacement settings may have access to (Richardson et al,2020). Although research has been conducted on refugees in terms of addressing the learning needs of students, teacher training interventions or even utilisation of mobile devices for learning in displacement settings (Mendenhall et al, 2015). However, there is still limited research on the IDPS on these above-mentioned aspects, as well as understanding the lived experience of IDPS.
This study seeks to examine the lived experiences of students and teachers in Gurku camp in Nasarawa State, explore what adaptive pedagogies teachers have employed, to creatively teach children who have undergone traumatic, if and how they have leveraged technology as a tool to enhance learning in these contexts as well as how they can be better supported using mobile devices for their professional development and to improve the education for students in the camp.
Reference
Bessler, M., (2019) Education needs, rights and access in displacement forced migration review, Education a humanitarian and development imperative.
Mendenhall, Dryden-Peterson, Bartlett, et al. 2015, ‘Quality education for refugees in Kenya: Pedagogy in urban Nairobi and Kakuma refugee camp settings’
Richardson, E, MacEwen, L, Naylor, R 2020, ‘Teachers of refugees: a review of the literature,’ viewed 25 February 2024, https://education4resilience.iiep.unesco.org/en/resources/2020/teachers-refugees-review-literature.
Suleiman, A., Yelwa Barde, L., Sabo, S. A. and Shettima, S. (2020) IJRISS) |Volume IV, Issue VI, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science [Online]. Available at www.rsisinternational.org.
Supporting doctoral researchers in the Global South through network federation: An update from the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN)
Beck Pitt, Rob Farrow and Carina Bossu
Abstract:The Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN; https://go-gn.net) has supported doctoral researchers around the world working on open education topics for more than a decade. Open research practices and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are core to the network’s mission, and our activities include face-to-face workshops, regular online events, collaboratively authored publications and scholarships. In May 2025 GO-GN had 193 members and alumni in 29 countries around the world, and a wider community of practice of more than 250.
This presentation will share more on how GO-GN is supporting our diverse and growing network in uncertain and rapidly changing times. Following our 10th anniversary consultation with members during 2023 and subsequent publication of our GO-GN at 10: Strategic Review (https://go-gn.net/gogn_outputs/go-gn-at-10-strategic-review/) we share more on exciting work to explore a more federated model for GO-GN through establishing three regional ‘Hub’ pilots that are shaped and led by our membership.
Social, academic, and technological challenges faced by learners with disabilities in Pakistan
Munir Moosa.
Abstract: The rapid advancement in digital technology has increased educational accessibility and collaboration among global learning communities. Still, many people with disabilities lack access to basic education due to the rising costs and limited access to academic books and learning resources. As a result, their active participation in knowledge creation remains a far-sighted goal.
OER is an emerging concept in many countries, including Pakistan, particularly for people with disabilities. Pakistan’s recent Open and Distance Learning policy for higher education emphasized adopting OER in existing course materials (HEC 2024). However, it does not highlight its importance for learners with disabilities.
While technology can meet educational needs, the lack of digital literacy and OER awareness among people with disabilities limits its potential. Further, collaboration between people with and without disabilities in developing open resources is limited due to inadequate networking opportunities, making them passive education recipients rather than active knowledge contributors.
This research explores the social, academic, and technological challenges faced by people with disabilities in Pakistan. It also explores how OER is used globally by people with disabilities and the barriers to fully realizing its potential as a way forward.