Open Learning for Development: Launching Your E-Learning Platform and Making It Successful

Natalia is working as e-learning designer and DEVCO Academy administrator at the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO). Her main area of expertise are techniques of creating audio-visual content, with a particular focus on e-learning and video production. Passionate about transforming complex development policies into simple and engaging learning multimedia, she focused her professional career on innovations that are shaping the future of digital learning, which leaves no one behind. Natalia believes that open online learning is critical to raise awareness, increase capacity building and enable deeper engagement with development practitioners around the world.

Alejandra Rivas is graduated in Social Communications and holds a Master in General Management and Strategic Planning. She is currently working as Web Administrator / E-Learning Instructional Designer at Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO).

With more than 10 years of professional experience, her areas of expertise are the techniques and processes of creating audio-visual content, as well as setting-up learning management systems and other web-based content management systems and interactive environments for creating Internet and digital oriented products. Her strengths include analytical and writing skills, designing and developing instructional materials to transfer them into online curriculum. As well as the use of authoring content tools and technologies knowledge (LMS, CMS, SCORM).

Since 2016, she has been part of the team responsible to design and customize the Learning Management System 'DEVCO Academy online platform' that serves as information and education platform for all citizens interested in international cooperation and development.

Robert BURMANJER is currently Head of Unit for Knowledge Management in the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission.

Prior to that he held several other management positions such as Head of Unit for Coordination of Research Policy with other Community Policies, Competition Policy and State Aid for Research, International Scientific Cooperation Policy, the International Research Cooperation Programme, the European Social Sciences and Humanities Programme and he was also responsible for S/T Relations with North and South America.

Before joining the European Commission, Robert Burmanjer worked for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague and was subsequently posted to Rome and Abu Dhabi.

He holds an MBA from the State University of Groningen (The Netherlands)  and graduated in International Economic Relations from that same University. He was also a researcher in industrial economics at the European University Institute in Florence (Italy) and was equally a member of the Institute's Academic Council.

Robert Burmanjer is Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.