digital platforms for learning and knowledge sharing in africa platforms for learnin… ·...
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Digital Platforms for Learning and Knowledge Sharing in Africa
Experiences from the PACET programme
Margaret Koli and Yannick [email protected] | [email protected]
Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET) sectionUnited Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security
Content
About UNU-EHS
ELearning at UNU-EHS and the SDGs
eLearning experience
Recommendations for eLearning
Digital platforms for collaboration
Impacts and results
United Nations UniversityInstitute for Environment and Human Security
Based in Bonn, Germany
Research think-tank focusing on risks and adaptation related to environmental hazards and global change.
Actively engaged in education through a joint MSc programme, a number of PhD projects, and external collaborative partnerships.
The Pan-African Cooperation and Educational Technologies section (PACET) aims to strengthen the research, educational, and institutional capacities of UNU-EHS in Africa.
eLearning andSustainable Development Goals
Two Students
Moussa● From Mali● 24 years old● Studies agriculture● Wants to learn more about water interactions● Looking for project opportunities
Amina● From Algeria● 25 years old● Studies water engineering● Wants to connect with students in other African countries● Looking for practical & innovative applications of her research
Partner institutes:● UNU-EHS (Germany)● PAUWES (Algeria)● Uni Bonn / ZEF (Germany)● TH Köln / ITT (Germany)● AMU (Niger)● USTT-B (Mali)● IPR/IFRA (Mali)
The RARSUSSummer School
Apply to Summer School
Selection Process
Register on the Platform
Platform Onboarding
Platform Onboarding
Regular CommunicationSeveral eMails in the week before the summer school to help
participants sign up and navigate the platform. Daily agenda
updates during the summer school.
Single Overview for Each TrackStudents had a single entry point based on their track, with links to
the individual courses and activities. The default view would
change to reflect the daily agenda.
Regular Q&A SessionsLive sessions at the start of the day to answer participants’
questions about the platform and the activities. Recordings of live
sessions available for participants who couldn’t join.
Summer School Activities
2 week schedule
Student Locations
27
Mali
Niger
Algeria
Germany18
32
13
101applicants
46completions
90 participants (24 female)
(26 female) (13 female)
eCourses(incl. videos, interactive units, and assessments)
Learning Management System
Introductory videos
Video lessons
Interactive self-paced
units
Discussion forum
Webinars
● Wastewater Management in Urban Areas(Ministry of Environment, Niger Republic)
● Sustainable water management in urban settings, with a focus on Africa (UNU-INWEH)
● Flood management, Earth Observation and GIS Technology for Spatial Management of Water Resources(ZEF – Uni Bonn)
● Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the context of Risk Assessment and Reduction(Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
● Building WEF Nexus partnerships and projects in Africa (Pennsylvania State University)
● Resources, Services & Risks – Lessons from Nexus Observatory Project (UNU-FLORES)
● Geothermal Energy and Geothermal Systems (UNU-GTP)● How can Climate Services Support Renewable Energy
Generation & Management in West Africa?(WASCAL Competence Center)
● Affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – Project Navigator (IRENA)
● Energy Infrastructures: Gateways to the Future of Energy (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
Water
Energy● UN-Habitat Building Urban Resilience: Tools and
Case Study● Resilience and Sustainability of Urban Food
Systems (International Centre for Sustainable Research (IZNE) at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (BRSU), Germany)
Urban Resilience
Water-Energy-Food Nexus
What was the most challengingbarrier to attending webinars?
Connectivity Language Scheduled times Webinar platform
51%
15%
31%
3%
What devices did you use to accessthe RARSUS Online Summer School?
3427
10
Laptop SmartphoneDesktop
PCTablet Other
14
GlobeDroughtDeveloping a web-based information system
for characterizing drought events
• Development of eLearning courses and a digital learning environment
• Organization of 12 Webinars and 12 online lectures
• Online discussion forum for stakeholders
• Duration: 1 Jul 2017 – 31 Dec 2020
• Countries: Brazil, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, USA
• Partners: UNU, University of Göttingen, University of Bonn, University of Frankfurt, RSS GmbH, Welthungerhilfe
Recommendations for eLearning:Bridging the Digital Divide
➔ Have a combination of different modes of delivery➔ Allow for flexible schedules and favour self-paced approaches➔ Consider low-bandwidth learning management systems and eCourses➔ Design for different devices, including mobile phones➔ Arrange for instructors to deliver courses remotely to students➔ Address internet connectivity challenges through combinations of
transmission tools, e.g. USB & CDs, and communication protocols such as USSD as supplementary modes of delivering learning
What next? Communities of Practice
CollaborationKnowledge SharingEnables knowledge communities and south-south
knowledge transfer
Professional NetworkingBuilds a network of researchers, practitioners, and
entrepreneurs
Project IdeasAllows young researchers from different countries and
academic backgrounds to work together
Online Communitiesof Practice: PAUWES
Online Communitiesof Practice: PAUWES
A network of academic, public and private sector institutions addressing significant scientific, social, environmental and engineering challenges at the water-energy-food nexus.
WEF Nexus in Africa
Partners: Penn State,Michigan State, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), IHE-DELFT, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES), AU/NEPAD CoE, West Africa Science Service Center on Climate Change (WASCAL), Waterlution
Impacts and Results
• Active members are collaborating further on proposals for joint projects
• Building an alumni network for a strong community in Africa in the thematic areas of water, energy, food, and climate change
• Safe and secure online spaces for students and experts to interact on a common environmental agenda
Opportunities
• Ongoing activities are needed in order to sustain engagement of members
• In-person meetings are still necessary to create stronger synergies
Challenges
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Key Outcomes
Thank you!
Margaret Koli and Yannick [email protected] | [email protected]
Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET) sectionUnited Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security
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