As the Asia-Pacific region swiftly adopts digital transformation, incorporating Open Educational Resources (OER) is vital in empowering educators with the tools and skills needed to provide inclusive and equitable education, ultimately driving sustainable development and innovation.
With the support of the Japanese Fund-in-Trust (JFIT) for the Promotion of Education in Asia-Pacific (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, or ‘MEXT’, of Japan), the webinar, ‘Empowering Tomorrow’s Educators with Open Educational Resources’, was conducted by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), on 18 June 2024. This was the second in a series of such webinars planned under UNESCO’s current project, ‘Preparing teachers who can innovate using digital technology’.
The event ‘Empowering Tomorrow’s Educators’ attracted over 220 participants from Southeast Asia, primarily from Thailand and the Philippines, the two main beneficiary countries of the JFIT project. Dr. Leonor Magtolis Briones, Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the pivotal role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in advancing inclusive and equitable education across the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Briones highlighted the adaptability of OER in the context of digital transformation, stressing how these resources keep teachers’ skills and knowledge current, foster innovation, and support resilient educational systems. She also underscored the importance of OER in bridging educational gaps and enhancing teachers’ ongoing professional development.
Following Dr. Briones's remarks, guest speakers Jiao Yanwen and Sit Fung from the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) delivered presentations. Jiao Yanwen provided an in-depth overview of UNESCO-ICHEI and the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE), discussing their missions to harness new technology for advancing higher education innovation. He also reviewed their accomplishments in expanding global partnerships to 38 countries and establishing 12 national centers, along with their ongoing projects and collaborative research on the digital transformation of higher education.
Sit Fung, who currently leads the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Operation Centre at UNESCO-ICHEI, spoke on how the IIOE platform supports educators through AI-powered tools and resources, such as through the IIOE 1+X GenAI Course Series, comprising certification-based courses aligned with the IIOE Higher Education Teaching Personnel Digital Competency Reference Framework, version 1.0. Each IIOE course is designed to provide a personalized knowledge service; in addition, the AI-powered IIOE platform can support a full course of education and training.
The presentations sparked a discussion on how the IIOE can act as a catalyst for boosting teachers' ICT skills and improving overall educational quality in the Southeast Asia region. Participants were excited about the potential of the IIOE platform to drive digital transformation at their institutions. They expressed a keen interest in further exploring collaboration to leverage the platform’s resources, enhance their teaching methods, and integrate innovative digital technologies into their teaching practices as efficiently and effectively as possible.
