OER platform is quite popular in many developed countries around the world. Although the OER platform has been proved to bring enormous value and potential to education, it has not yet been successfully developed by any educational organizations in Viet Nam.
Under the Decision No. 942/QD-TTg, the Vietnamese Government keys on the following guiding principles of digital transformation (DX), including open technologies, data as a new resource, digital platforms as breakthrough solutions, and “Make in Viet Nam” digital solutions. In addition, DX is featured by data creation and connection. Consequently, the development of a pilot OER platform serves the above directions.
In the drafted DX Strategy of TVET submitted to the Government, the Directorate for Vocational Education and Training (DVET) sets targets towards 2025 by at least 30% of training content and programs are assured to acquire digital learning materials. Additionally, 30% of colleges and vocational secondary schools apply open educational resource platforms and shared learning materials repository platforms in teaching and learning activities. OER platform development is one of the main targets of the Programme “Reform of TVET in Viet Nam” implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in cooperation with the Vietnamese Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) under the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) from 2020 to 2024.
In order to aim for the target, GIZ assists DVET in implementing the pilot OER platform, which is considered as “a digital learning materials management platform” shared among the community of 11 TVET partner colleges of GIZ and 03 affiliated enterprises. DVET is the system owner, and the pilot platform is installed on the server system of DVET for management. D&L Technology Integration and Consulting Joint Stock Company has been selected to provide technological solutions for developing the OER platform.
According to the preliminary survey of 11 TVET partner colleges, 10 out of 11 colleges have learning management systems (LMS), 06 out of 11 colleges implement and operate digital management platforms, and 11 colleges have e-learning studios for producing digital learning materials. With the support from GIZ in enhancing the digital capacity for core teachers, 11 TVET partner colleges and 03 affiliated enterprises are selected to be the initial and potential community to take part in the OER platform development project.
The OER platform is developed based on the distributed model. In other words, DVET is the management institute, issues promoting regulations and policies. Individual TVET institution and enterprise reserve responsibilities for administering and monitoring their users and learning material content. Each institute participating in the project has a specific interface to manage digital learning materials in the OER platform and reserves rights for sharing partly or wholly or not sharing their learning materials. However, sharing bibliographic information of materials (metadata) is mandatory.
The pilot OER platform is developed based on the open-source technology allowing customization, integration, and extension to connect with other digital applications and platforms such as the learning management system (LMS), the digital management system (ERP), digital library. Users can access and put in information once (one single sign-on, one single input). According to the development orientation, institutes participating in the project are expected to master the technology and produce more suitable applications integrated with the pilot OER platform to create a foundation for sustainable development.
In the frame of this project, initially, we focus mainly on developing the technology platform solution (platform). The development of regulations and policies for the promotion of digital learning material creation, the mechanism of censoring content, and other advanced functions related to technology solutions needs more time to take step by step in the following stages of the project.
The pilot project creates and experiments with the sandbox mechanism to withdraw experience and best practices, which is a firm foundation for the ability of the OER platform development for the TVET sector of Viet Nam in the future.
With the support from the TVET Programme in this project, DVET requires 11 TVET partner colleges and 03 enterprises selected to be participants and beneficiaries, to actively assist DVET with the process of developing the technology platform and be responsible for contributing and sharing learning materials, recommending regulations and policies for recognition and promotion to improve and exploit the OER platform effectively.
