The purpose of this research was to understand how the integration of the new Decision Support System (DSS) at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) had impacted data retrieval at the college, and specifically, how decision making had been affected in various divisions and among a variety of users. There were several initial questions that the college’s Office of Research, Planning and Grants (ORPG) sought to answer, such as: How are people using the DSS, and what are they using it for? Has the DSS changed people's perception of how data and information are used at the college? (more…)
This three-year research study, which focused on one community college district, looked at the combined effect of the increased demand for student accountability measures mandated by the State of California (called Partnership for Excellence) and the need for internal research that informs decision-making at the community college level. It examined needs and behaviors around information sharing as well as the relationship between access to information and decision-making. (more…)
In 2008, ISKME conducted a study to examine the feasibility of and design for an initiative that engages teachers, learners, and practitioners in the collaborative process of developing, using, and improving freely available Open Educational Resources (OER) in the arts and in social justice. That work revealed an opportunity to increase greater creative, equitable participation in teaching and learning the arts in K-12 classrooms. (more…)
Based in South Africa, Siyavula was launched in 2008 with the purpose of offering curriculum-aligned open educational resources (OER) to teachers across all grades, subjects, and learning areas. Siyavula resources include a comprehensive set of workbooks and teacher’s guides, in English and Afrikaans, covering grades R-9 for all learning areas. Also included are advanced mathematics and physical science course materials, covering grades 10-12. (more…)
A wide range of individuals and organizations are actively involved in the development of free-to-use open educational resources (OER). Because the field is so new, there have been few opportunities to share learnings and advances across projects and boundaries. Little is known, for example, about how projects are facilitating the adaptation of open content by diverse users, what structures they are instilling to support peer production, and how they are attempting to inspire community engagement.
