Partnership launches network to boost HE online courses

26 January 2018

REAMOOC, a network to develop innovative online university courses to improve higher education for students in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been launched by a 10-member European and African partnership.

The Réseau Africain de Développement de MOOC pour l’Innovation Pédagogique dans l’Enseignement Supérieur (African Network for Development of Massive Open Online Courses for Educational Innovation in Higher Education) was officially launched this month in Brussels.

REAMOOC is coordinated by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and Belgium’s Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and jointly financed by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme which is contributing €870,000 (US$1 million) to the project.

The other partners are Senegal’s Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis and Université Virtuelle du Sénégal; Cameroon’s universities of Yaoundé 1, Douala and Ngaoundéré; France’s Cergy-Pontoise University and educational technology start-up Milliweb; Belgium’s University of Mons; and the University of Patras, Greece.

REAMOOC’s aim is to improve students’ higher education experience through adoption of innovative digital educational practices within the heart of the universities, according to AUF and ULB.

It will help teachers develop MOOCs and integrate them into the courses of the partner universities in Cameroon and Senegal, before its expansion through a network of other African institutions.

Plans during the first three years include creating innovation centres and video studios in the partner institutions, as well as teacher training, producing 14 MOOCs, introducing international internships, organising conferences, distributing publications, providing technical and educational support, and installing advanced digital technologies, said AUF and ULB. – Compiled by Jane Marshall

Receive UWN's free weekly e-newsletters

Sponsored Article

Getting to net zero, one community at a time

University of Victoria staff

Accelerating Community Energy Transformation is a University of Victoria-led collaborative initiative that brings together over 40 partners, including Indigenous knowledge keepers and community leaders, to create innovative place-based solutions for energy system transformation.

Promoted by the University of Victoria.

Sponsored Article

Africa pays a premium for global climate change sluggishness

Stellenbosch University staff

Africa needs to stop paying the price for the rest of the world’s recalcitrance to act fast enough in response to the irrefutable conclusions that climate change is real and that the impact of global warming could be devasting, says Professor Guy Midgley, interim director of the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Promoted by Stellenbosch University.

Sponsored Article

Innovations to ensure energy savings in a hot, arid climate

UAE University staff

Researchers from the United Arab Emirates University have shown that the potential benefits of building energy savings and a cooler indoor environment, as well as improved cooling effect on air temperature at pedestrian level, strongly indicate that a cool roof with high solar reflectance and albedo is a promising strategy for buildings in regions with hot, arid climates.

Promoted by United Arab Emirates University.

Sponsored Article

A new global university ranking with an ethical mission

Aftab Dean

A new university ranking system aims to serve as a catalyst for positive transformation in higher education, ensuring that universities create an environment grounded in integrity and sustainability that inspires and supports students and staff in the development of novel solutions to global challenges.

Promoted by Globethics.net.

Sponsored Article

SDG progress report launches university into new territory

University of Pretoria staff

In the publication of its first progress report on its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, the University of Pretoria is navigating new territory at the same time as it is acknowledging its clear stewardship role in protecting the environment and biodiversity.

Promoted by the University of Pretoria.