OERs as an Opportunity to Improve Students’ Completion Rates at The Open University of Tanzania

Abstract

The study assessed the attitudes and experiences the students and lecturers of the Open University of Tanzania have over the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in assisting the students to complete their studies on time. The maximum allowable durations are five years for the postgraduates and eight years for the undergraduates. This study used sixty four respondents composed of the students and the OUT lecturers, drawn from the regions of Kagera, Mwanza, Kigoma, Moshi, Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Dodoma. Interviews and focus group discussions were used as the major methods for data collection. The findings of the study showed that though there were some respondents that elicited bad experience with the use of OERs, majority of the respondents were positive about the use of OERs in assisting students to complete their studies in time. Some factors such as lack of skills in using OERs was reflected. It was also found that the rural students were not enjoying the OERs as their fellow students did in urban locations. The study makes some recommendations which include the university to increase training opportunities among students and staff on the use of OERs. Another recommendation was that the university should sustain support to the student union (Open University Students Organisation, OUTSO) to facilitate students to access computers, and lastly the university should extend the construction of local and wide area networks with enhanced wireless access in the remaining Regional and Coordination Centres.