Online and Distance Education graduate wins house for teaching leadership

Graduate of the OU's MAODE (Masters in Online and Distance Education) programme, Ayodele Odeogbola (pictured), has been awarded a house in the region he lives in, in Nigeria, as recognition for an open education project that he implemented during the programme.

Ayodele Odeogbola, a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship student, developed his research project, Edubox, as a part of his studies on the MAODE at the Open University. During 2020 Ayodele experienced many challenges in relation to his studies, teaching work and personal life.

Edubox is a hub device, which allows open educational resources to be accessed in rural areas (such as Ayodele's home region in Ogun, Nigeria). Teachers can use the hub device to collate materials using their personal or professional devises on visits to an internet-enabled location. Teachers can then share materials and resources with fellow teaching practitioners and learners where internet connectivity is poor or not available.

During the time that Ayodele was producing the Edubox project he was working full-time as a teacher, studying, and dealing with the national shift to online teaching due to Covid-19. Along with these challenges, Ayodele was experiencing a troubling personal situation.

In an unfortunate turn of events, the land that Ayodele had previously built his house on had been sold illegally and the courts awarded the land to someone who had previously owned it in the 1970s. Ayo was forced to move his wife and daughters to an apartment in a different part of the city, whilst trying to force access to reclaim belongings and claim compensation for the lost house via the courts. This issue remains unresolved.

In December 2020, Ayo made contact with his OU Programme Lead, informing them that he had completed and passed his MAODE, and, for his efforts in relation to the Edubox project, he had been awarded the title of Best Teacher in Ogun. His prize? A house. A HOUSE!

Discussing his reaction to the awarding of the house, he stated: "This came at a time I was facing myriad of challenges.

"I see the award as a result of hard work and a call to do more for the teaching profession and a giant stride to inspire others in the teaching profession."

We are pleased to congratulate Ayodele on this accomplishment, accompanied by a thoroughly deserving cohort of MAODE programme graduates.