The COVID-19 pandemic is paving the way to a new normal of learning for COLEACP trainers and partners in ACP countries.
Training for university professors
As part of COLEACP’s efforts to support academic institutions in the ACP regions, we are providing training for university professors on how to create and animate online digital training. Building on our long experience in conducting e-learning training for experts in the ACP region, this training is adapted specifically to the needs of university lecturers. Laura Wauters, COLEACP Project Manager, led the first training for two universities in Senegal (Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) and Université Gaston Berger). Subsequent training was conducted by David Sodade, COLEACP Project Officer and Digital Methodology Advisor, first for The Bahamas Agriculture & Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), followed by the Plant Science Department of Kenya’s Kenyatta University. Océane Rennotte, COLEACP Project Officer, in collaboration with a local expert, also conducted training for the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (ESSA), Université d’Antananarivo, in Madagascar.
The training focuses on how to transit from face-to-face teaching to online digital training using various online tools on the Moodle platform. Subjects covered included the configuration of lessons for students, how to assess student performance (examinations, short quizzes, assignments), grading students, providing feedback, and more. The training is via short tutorial videos developed by COLEACP alongside a step-by-step pdf guide on how to configure activities on the Moodle platform, combined with individual coaching with the professors on how to practise their own activities on the sandbox provided via the COLEACP eLearning platform. Participants learned how to create their courses online (using different Moodle tools) and how to convert their PowerPoint presentation into videos that can be uploaded on YouTube to build up online resources for the department. At the end of the course, a YouTube channel was created for each institution, with the professors already uploading their presentations with links sent to their students and embedded on the institution’s Moodle platform. See the course introduction here.
Deploying Digital Methodology Advisors
COLEACP is now placing high priority on the development of e-learning training, in addition to our classic e-learning courses. The focus has shifted to supporting COLEACP experts to prepare for the new normal with the transition to online digital learning. COLEACP’s training unit is reorganising to meet the needs of members and partners across the ACP countries, including the use of Digital Methodology Advisors to support our experts and trainers in the ACP regions.
From face-to-face to distance learning
A “From face-to-face to distance” coaching programme is currently under way via COLEACP’s e-learning platform. This training is given by Nicolas Rolland, Learning Experience Designer. Eighteen of COLEACP’s expert trainers from French-speaking ACP countries have been selected to participate in this entirely digital training. It aims to enable participants to develop their first distance learning course, based on one of their own face-to-face courses. To do this, the 18 expert trainers work in pairs on one of the key themes of the COLEACP training system (Organic Agriculture, HACCP, Trade Negotiation, etc.). At the end of this 6-week training course, the experts will be able to give a tailor-made digital training course themselves, with total mastery of digital tools and skills in distance learning. The programme will be repeated at the beginning of the school year with expert trainers from English-speaking ACP countries.
In addition, COLEACP is presently conducting training on Crop Protection and Safe Use of Pesticides for agronomists/extension workers in the Caribbean and Nigeria. The trainers/experts conducting the training received support to deliver of digital training solutions, with online coaching on how best to implement the training. With the support of the Digital Methodology Advisor, the experts developed a series of interactive content using H5P, which was customised for the two training events. The ability to replicate resources adapted to training in different geographical regions, while challenging, demonstrates the advantage of online digital training in achieving wide coverage.
For more information on all our current courses go to https://training.coleacp.org