A national-level workshop on Open Educational Resources (OER) for STEM educators was held from May 27 to 29, 2025, at the Ministry of Education and Culture in Malifa, Samoa. The training was delivered by the National University of Samoa in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, under the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning in the Pacific project.
The workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers to create and adapt open, curriculum-aligned lesson plans using artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital platforms. Teachers were introduced to the COL OER Generator Tool, which allows them to develop and share lesson plans aligned with national learning outcomes.
Participants were selected by the Ministry of Education and Culture to ensure inclusive representation from across the country. The final group included 29 STEM teachers from 23 government schools, 4 teachers from private and mission schools and 7 Subject Organisers from the Ministry.
The training featured interactive sessions focused on open licensing, digital content adaptation and hands-on use of the COL OER Generator. Participants worked in five subject groups—Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Computing—with support from mentors from the National University of Samoa. Each group created draft lesson plans and sustainability plans to support the ongoing use of OER after the workshop.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. In post-workshop evaluations:
· 82 per cent of participants strongly agreed that the workshop helped them gain the skills needed to use OER and AI tools;
· 93 per cent strongly agreed that the structure and delivery of the workshop supported their learning; and
· The AI tools were consistently highlighted as one of the most valuable components
Participants expressed strong intent to continue applying what they had learned. Many planned to share templates with colleagues, incorporate OER into their teaching and support other teachers in developing OER-based lesson plans. Mentors also established communication groups to enable continued sharing of ideas and resources.
The workshop concluded with group presentations and a certificate ceremony, marking an important milestone in the integration of open, digital resources in STEM education across Samoa.