The Challenge of Learning in the Humanitarian Sector

This presentation will provide an insight into the design of a MOOC for the digital up-skilling of the workforce of humanitarian organisations. It also shows how collaboration between academia and non-profit organisations can promote continuous learning beyond the needs of a single organisation.

The use of technology and digital services, products and solutions creates a variety of opportunities and challenges, and digital transformation has changed the way people work. Investing in people's digitisation is investing in people's lives. 

Most humanitarian organisations are already engaged in digital transformation, and to respect the “do no harm” principle, they need to responsibly deploy new technologies centred on the needs of affected populations. 

Teaming up to meet this challenge, EPFL, ICRC and MSF are developing an ambitious digital up-skilling initiative by producing two Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) to help humanitarian organisations equip their workforce with a holistic understanding of ICT - including data protection, cyber security, digital supply chain, new technologies, and geopolitics. Acquiring these skills will allow humanitarians to adapt to new needs, better assess risks and opportunities and to make informed decisions.

The MOOC is designed for a wide audience of humanitarian workers without any particular IT background but with a certain responsibility in the field and HQ (middle - senior management, legal advisors or individuals involved in humanitarian diplomacy) holding a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and having at least 2 years of professional experience. 

Starting with basics about how computers, networks and the internet work, it then allows the audience to better grasp the technical aspects of information security and data protection, cybersecurity as well as new technological trends (artificial intelligence, blockchain, etc). Links to the day-to-day humanitarian work will be fostered through case studies and interviews with practitioners 

The course is developed in the framework of a unique partnership between EPFL, ETH Zurich and the ICRC under the program “Engineering for Humanitarian Action”, an academic and humanitarian collective endeavour to bring the benefits of science and technology to people affected by humanitarian crisis.

Overview

• Design an upskilling initiative that promotes learning in a whole sector beyond the needs of a single organisation.
• Create meaningful collaboration between the academic and the non-profit sector.

In this presentation we will share and discuss how we can democratise and decentralise the design, development, and delivery of learning interventions both within an organisation and across civil society organisations globally. 

How can we empower staff in civil society organisations to design and develop engaging and effective online and blended learning?

As an international NGO, capacity building of staff, partners, and beneficiaries is a big part of DCA's work. This training is increasingly taking place as online or blended learning. Moreover, DCA hosts and supports the Fabo Learning Community, a global network of 30+ civil society organisations, who gain access to a learning management system built on Moodle (fabo.org), a community of practice, and a specialised unit (Fabo Learning Lab) that supports the design and development of engaging online and blended learning experiences.

In this session we will share and discuss how we can democratise and decentralise the design, development, and delivery of learning interventions both within an organisation and across civil society organisations globally. In Fabo Learning Lab, we work towards both these goals by providing staff in DCA and the Fabo member organisations with the tools to create learning content online as well as support on how to design engaging online and blended learning flows.

After a short presentation of Fabo and the Learning Lab, the talk will focus on how we can provide equal access to learning technology and lower the barriers both financially, technologically and in terms of design and production of learning interventions. We will share examples and cases from our organisation (DCA) and the Fabo Learning Community.

Participants will leave with cases that illustrate how the design of online learning content was democratised and integrated throughout organisations by providing access to a learning platform, open-source tools, community support, and access to a specialised learning unit. They will find transferable lessons learned on how to support staff in developing their capacity to create online and blended learning across organisations of different sizes and with different capabilities.

Overview

• Integrate learning and development with the organisation by allowing and supporting employees to create learning content, online communities of practice and knowledge hubs.
• Support equal access and ability to design and develop learning globally.
• Use open-source tools to democratise learning content creation.

This presentation is about how technology can be used to enhance the training experience and improve the effectiveness of training for semi literate participants based in rural areas in Africa. The methodology is also effective in enabling local trainers to continue with the workshops after a relatively short training of trainer session. The presentation demonstrates the power of storytelling to get across difficult topics such as harassment and corruption.

Research undertaken by International Trade Centre (ITC) in 2019 at 4 selected borders in the COMESA region highlighted a lack of knowledge among small-scale cross-border traders (SSCBT) with regard to the purpose of border controls. This, combined with a flawed understanding of formal border crossing procedures and enforcement mechanisms, led to poor compliance with border measures that was often resolved through bribery, and which sometimes led to harassment or conflict.

Informal border crossings were no solution. In addition to the various dangers faced by traders, particularly women, crossing informally in rural areas, the lack of record-keeping necessarily implied by informal crossings prevented SSCBTs from participating in the formal economy, excluding them from access to finance and various other commercial opportunities.

ITC’s training needs analysis resulting from this research thus identified the need to design and implement a comprehensive training programme to raise awareness and educate SSCBTs, not just on the procedures and conditions of formal border crossings, but also on the resources available to them and their rights as traders. The course, then, would be both educational and motivational.

However, in addition to dealing with a sensitive subject matter, the conditions to deliver such a programme were challenging. Not only did the target audience, the SSCBTs, have low rates of both literacy and digital inclusion, but their work and family duties (many of them being women with children) also left them with limited time to attend lengthy workshops. Moreover, given the budget allocated, the scale envisioned for the training and the desire for long-term sustainability, it was impractical to send ITC trainers to deliver the training in person. And yet, although local traders’ associations were present at each border, local training resources and the capacity to deliver training programmes were mostly inexistent.

The solution found was twofold. In its initial phase, it involved the development of standardized multimedia learning materials by ITC in combination with local experts to provide a pedagogical backbone to the training intervention. In the subsequent phase, it involved the capacitation of the local traders’ associations to deliver training using the learning materials developed through several “training-of-trainers” sessions, held both remotely and in-person. Thus, while the training contents would continue to be centrally managed and certified by ITC, the local partners would be empowered to run training sessions at will.

The training programme was developed according to ITC’s “digital workshop” methodology, which places participants at the centre of the learning experience by using digital presentations focusing on interactive discussions, knowledge checks, scenario exercises and video elements. By using such standardized digital presentations developed by ITC and loaded onto hardware to be viewed in areas with no Internet connectivity, a common level of quality could be ensured throughout the various training sessions that were held, nearly always with no ITC representative present. As additional supports, trainers were provided with printed trainers’ guides to which they could refer when unsure about how to conduct or lead a certain training activity.

Given the target audience’s limited literacy and time available, particular emphasis was placed on video storytelling and verbal interactivity. Besides some documentary-style videos, efforts were made to develop drama-style videos resembling the soap operas popular in the COMESA region (and featuring well-known local actors), which helped to secure the interest and engagement of not just the SSCBTs, but the wider public as well.

During the programme’s implementation phase, over 100 trainers were capacitated at 8 different border posts in 5 countries. The training programme is also available in an e-learning format, hosted free of charge.

Overview

• Learn about the digital workshop methodology that assists capacitated trainers to deliver in a standardized manner.
• Use storytelling and drama to communicate, motivate and teach a difficult-to-reach audience.
• Use interactivity to engage with an audience in the form of knowledge checks and discussion questions.
• Use the digital workshop methodology to place the participants at the centre of the learning experience when conducting in-person workshops.