Open Textbooks in South African Higher Education: Towards a National Agenda

27 Oct 2021
27 Oct 2021

In July 2021, Digital Open Textbooks for Development (DOT4D) project issued a ‘Call to Action’ to South African higher education (HE) managers, government bodies and knowledge production sector partners, including libraries, highlighting the need for greater access to locally appropriate teaching materials that can be freely and legally shared online. 

More than 45 HE stakeholders heeded the call and participated in the DOT4D ‘Open Textbooks in South African Higher Education’ roundtable on 7 July 2021. The virtual event aimed to raise awareness of the potential of open textbooks to address curriculum transformation and social (in)justice in the classroom, articulate institutional mechanisms to support textbook development, and identify a collaborative community of practice in the South African higher education sector to support sustainable open textbook production. 

The ‘Open Textbooks in South African Higher Education Roundtable Report’ provides highlights from the emerging national conversation, particularly as relates to the affordances of open textbooks to support institutional transformation efforts, levels of institutional readiness, the kind of support required and where to focus efforts.

The report highlights the following DOT4D recommendation: 

Demand is growing for open textbook development support as academics change the way they teach online. In order to address this need, synergies and efficiencies must be gained by addressing scalable, sustainable open textbook production across the higher education sector. 

Following the July OTSAHE roundtable event, DOT4D hosted a first follow-up stakeholder meeting in September 2021 to discuss the roundtable event, possible funding opportunities and practical ways of working together. Notes on this conversation can be accessed here.

DOT4D aims to host a second follow-up meeting in November 2021. Anyone interested in joining this open virtual event is invited to contact DOT4D Publishing and Implementation Manager, Michelle Willmers.