Strategic Workshop
Innovative capacity development through e-learning with a special focus on Africa
Group work at the UNU e-learning workshop. Photo: Tony Carr.
The United Nations University Vice Rectorate in Europe in collaboration with the Vice Rector in charge of e-learning at the UNU Headquarters, Prof. Govindan Parayil, and the UNU Media Studio hosted a strategic workshop on 26 and 27 November 2008 at the UN Campus in Bonn.
Documents from the workshop
Summary of main outcomes (40 KB PDF)
by Vice Rector in charge of e-learning at UNU, Prof. Govindan Parayil
Concept note (56 KB PDF)
presenting the rationale of the workshop
Workshop agenda
(44 KB PDF)
List of participants
(56 KB PDF)
Narrative Minutes
(2.6 MB PDF)
See also the e-learning survey below
This workshop explored the role of e-learning at UNU, how to respond to the need for UNU to focus more on the African region, and how to build a consolidated approach to e-learning for capacity development.
The two-day event brought together 33 UNU academic staff from different institutes as well as external stake-holders, including educational experts from Africa. Participants discussed the role of e-learning in better fulfilling the strategic goals of UNU: knowledge dissemination and sharing, teaching, and capacity development.
The workshop was an opportunity for participants to conceptualise a common vision for e-learning which could lead to the pooling of resources, capacity, and expertise to better address today’s development challenges. Participants explored ways to strengthen the development, implementation, and quality of capacity development methodologies using e-learning and ICT and how to disseminate them effectively.
An initial vision for maximising the availability and quality of e-learning was developed, and participants shared their current work to surface organisational strengths and gaps. African colleagues contributed to the discussion and provided valuable insights to test UNU's assumptions and match its strengths to the needs of its stake-holders.
Three key messages emerged from this meeting:
- There is a need to broaden our definition of e-learning. This results from the realisation that changing technologies, and the processes used with technologies, can be a catalyst for deeper learning, a higher quality of and increased access to learning. This can also improve internal and external communication and collaboration.
- E-learning is not simply a UNU project or stream, but a tool for advancing research and teaching in service of the UN goals. We should examine how it can support our work in all we do and apply it thoughtfully and well. This means building our own understanding of and capacity to apply e-learning.
- UNU has planted seeds of innovation in the recent past with successful e-learning projects. Now we need to share the fruits of those seeds by looking at scaling of those seeds across UNU while continuing to nurture innovation and development of ideas that respond to local contexts.
Survey: e-learning at UNU
In order to support the expert discussion and exchange of information and build on the experiences of the different UNU institutes, a brief stock taking exercise of what is being developed and implemented in terms of e-learning activities, of available expertise, capacities and infrastructure was conducted beforehand in the form of an online survey.
With the help of the participants of the UNU strategic workshop who completed the online survey, we gathered information on how e-learning is perceived and implemented at UNU in the various Research and Training Centres Programmes. The survey covers the following topics:
- Strategy and policy for e-learning
- E-learning activities
- E-learning and networking
Thanks to the 15 respondents from UNU institutes as well from partner educational institutions, the survey shows that e-learning already plays an essential role in the work of UNU institutes. For example, there is a remarkable tendency to integrate e-learning into capacity development activities in UNU institutes and/or in co-operation with other educational institutions. Almost all institutes already have e-learning activities in place in one or more sub-sections. Moreover, all institutes plan to deliver online courses, curriculum, e-learning content, and have expertise capacity to implement e-learning activities.
Panel of experts from African Higher Education
The workshop used the input from five colleagues from Africa as a way to test the assumptions and priorities discussed. What is happening with e-learning in Africa? Why is it a priority? Who are the innovators and what can we learn from them?
The colleagues were:
- Tony Carr, Staff Development Co-ordinator, Centre for Educational Technology, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Speranza Ndege, Director of the E-learning Coordinating Centre, Kenyatta University, Kenya
- Sam Siminyu, Head of Department of Distance Education, Makarere University, Uganda
- Mama Foupouagnigni, Head of International Cooperation Service, and professor at the Advanced Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon
- Alice Barlow-Zambodla, Senior Education Specialist/Researcher, South African Institute of Distance Education
The following suggestions emerged as the group discussed the relevance of UNU's work for African universities.
- Partner with local institutions or where needed, support the creation of open universities, particularly to build capacity as many African countries face a large bulge in student populations.
- Help establish quality standards and ways to assess those standards, with the neutral reputation of the UN.
- Draw on existing expertise within UNU and from the field. Share experiences across institutions to give a line of sight to what others are accomplishing. Promote the circulation of learning. For example, draw on what the RCE's have done on sustainable development and spread the learning.
- Take the lead in content expertise in key areas such as environmental security. Make it modifiable.
- Develop and spread innovation in e-learning and create a platform for this work.
- Nurture networks of professionals working on learning issues both through offline and online strategies.
- UNU must learn about the range of strategies appropriate in different contexts and then engage deeply to get a serious understanding. Local capacity must be build to make it sustainable.
Presentations
Some presentations used by the experts to present their e-learning activities during the "Gallery Walk" session. (For more info about the Gallery Walk, please refer to the "Minutes" in the Documents section)
- Brendan Barrett, Online Media studio - Asia Pacific Initiative and e-teaching courses
- Velma Grover, UNU-INWEH - Water Virtual Learning Centre
- Tomasz Janowski, UNU-IIST UNeGov.net - Community of Practice for Electronic Governance
- Jos Rikers, UNU-IAS, the Regional Centres of Expertise and the Virtual Campus for a Sustainable Europe
- Beatrice Ghirardini, FAO - Knowledge sharing initiative and IMARK
Posters
Participants were asked to submit a short poster-like document to display their major e-learning activities and projects.
- EFQUEL – European Foundation for Quality in e-learning
- UNU-IAS and Open University of the Netherlands - RCEs
- Kenyatta University – E-learning at the e-learning coordinating centre
- Makarere University – E-learning project
- UNU-IIGH - Development of E-learning Programme for Case-Mix and Clinical Coding
- UNU Vice Rectorate in Europe – E-learning for Integrated Watershed Management
- University of Yaoundé I - Widening access to Higher Education in Cameroon – Deployment of e-Learning at the University of Yaoundé I (UY1-eLc)
Links
More about UNU e-learning projects and programmes presented at the workshop:
- OpenCourseWare
- Asia Pacific Initiative
- E-governance UNeGov.net
- Water Virtual Learning Centre
- Library of e-case studies
- Our World 2.0
- Online Masters (Development Management with Agder University, Integrated Watershed Management with Kenyatta University)
- Capacity Development for E-learning in Higher Education
- Virtual Campus for a Sustainable Europe
- Global Virtual University
- FAO – Some links about FAO initiatives:
See also:
An e-learning initiative for the United Nations
Brendan Barrett, UNU Media Studio
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Page last modified 2019.04.16.
