Improving access to Science and Technology higher education is top priority in the Asian countries participating in the TEAL2.O project – Sri Lanka, India, Thailand. Increasing Gross Enrollment Ratios and reaching underrepresented and disadvantaged groups requires investing serious effort into Open and Distance Learning. Yet, Open and Distance Learning and increased access, especially in resource-poor institutions, pose many quality-related challenges resulting from shortages of expertise, technological equipment, collaboration and internationalization. We aim to contribute to addressing these challenges and facilitate access to higher education through a comprehensive technological solution.

The TEAL2.O project will develop and deploy an open-access platform for technology-enabled learning environment that will facilitate the design and delivery of quality ODL in Science & Technology higher education. We expect our work to have the following impacts:

  • Improved access to university courseware and open learning opportunities in the participating Asian countries
  • Improved access to learning support technologies and virtual laboratories for learners in resource-poor institutions
  • Enhanced collaboration among universities in Asia and Europe
  • More opportunities for learner co-creation in learning & teaching, both in traditional classrooms and online
  • More opportunities for collaborative learning and teaching in the Science & Technology field
  • Improved quality of Science & Technology higher education.

What is the TEAL2.O platform and why use it?

TEAL2.O is a cloud-based, open-access collaborative teaching & learning platform. It offers:

  • Access to MOOCs and other digital learning content developed around the globe
  • Modularity and full customizability, allowing institutions and faculty to design programs and develop teaching content that suit local needs and constraints, including those of underrepresented learners
  • Autonomous assessment and quality assurance
  • Integration of open source hardware and software into the learning process to maximize learners’ exposure to technology and provide access to virtual labs and experimentation
  • Enhanced opportunities for collaborative learning and teaching, allowing institutions to pool available expertise and support quality
  • Learner-centered education, flexible learning pathways and co-creation on the part of learners.

TEAL2.O is devoted to customizability and collaborative development at all stages, at the stage of developing programs, at the stage of developing courses and content, and during the learning process. This will make learning more relevant to institutional requirements and individual learners’ needs and capabilities. It will enable effective feedback collection and assessment of learning efficiency. All of these features will be wrapped in an inbuilt evaluation and quality assurance process that will rank programs, courses, content, teachers, and students based on peer reviews and interaction with the content.

The TEAL2.O creators will train staff, faculty and students to use and develop the platform, and will establish 8 university Centers to provide user support and promote the exploitation of TEAL2.O, in the long run helping it to grow into a self-sustainable learning network. The TEAL2.O platform is open for use by any institution of higher learning.