Page 67 - Reimagining Higher Education : Case Studies On Designing For Inclusion, Equity, And Access In The Buka Project

H. K. Dharam Singh et al. · Empowering educators through the authentic experience of

creating open educational resources - Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia

Lack of Manpower

The project team encountered a shortage of team members when some members

left the project due to organisational restructuring. This created an overburdening
e ect on the remaining members, negatively impacting productivity and the

project timeline. While new members were appointed to meet the project's

demands, the workflow was still impacted by the departure of the previous team
members.

Workload

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges, including the
need to work remotely, provide additional teaching support, adhere to safety

protocols, and comply with social distancing requirements. These factors resulted

in an increased workload that made it challenging to adhere to the project's
original timeline. To overcome these obstacles, the team had to adjust and develop

innovative strategies such as using Google Meet for online meetings, grouping

focus groups according to faculty, and accommodating meeting schedules based on
the attendees’ convenience.

No Breaks Between Semesters

OUM's three-full-semester system posed another challenge for the project team,
as there were no breaks between semesters. This meant the team did not have

enough time to focus on the project, and the team was just unable to prioritise their

focus on the project. It was not because the project was viewed as unimportant or
that they lacked commitment, but because the demands on academic sta were

such that there were unavoidable delays in progressing the project. The team had
to re-negotiate delivery timelines to match the project requirements.

Delay in Procurement

The team encountered delays in getting the necessary materials and equipment,

such as the workstations and a server, due to related sta leaving the University
and being unable to fulfil their duties for the project. To overcome this challenge

65