Challenges for Developing Global Online Courses

in Low Resource Settings

by Inge de Waard

In this session you will see:

Technical, human and motivational challenges How to reach learners in low resource settings How to motivate learners from a variety of

cultures Strategic issues to take into account while

planning global eLearning The importance of well trained tutors

Why should you take cultural differences into account?

•Let the learner feel s/he matters•Localized content feels closer to the learner•Knowledge is at its best with a variety of viewpoints•Different cultures have different educational histories and preferences •Every region has its specific way of communicating•Logic is not universal•Knowing how to address a target group is important if you go for a new market•And all of your ideas!

As all of us go global … we need to build bridges

Balance

Bridges are build at both shores, so reach out from your end, all of the learners will come across as well. Look for communicative consensus whenever possible.

Creative, pro-active and strategic thinking helps

1 eSCART specifics

eSCART = electronic Short Course of AntiRetroviral Therapy

Target group: physicians and health care workers in low resource areas (developing countries) working on HIV/AIDS

We put in meta objectives for the course developers to attain

Started as a face-2-face course 6 years ago. With very positive evaluation feedback => we were confident about the content.

Start from what you have and learn what works

eSCART statistics

In 2 eSCART’s: 85 learners from 31 countries, mostly developing countries

First time eLearners engaged in this course: 75%

Drop out rate last eSCART: 5% (= 2 dropped out)

Rating eSCART: Excellent: 66% Very good: 30%

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Pro

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E-leaning experience

q13elearningexp_course q13elearningexp_tutorq13elearningexp_none

Let’s look at the course structure Study guide and prerequisites Introduction week Pretest 13 modules which were accessible for limited time

periods Diverse interactivity: group work, self-assessments,

quizzes, written assignments, content delivered by the learners, debating cases, discussion forums

Posttest Certificate

Human resources when running Overall course tutor: 1 Technical tutor: 1 (first 2 weeks 2) Facilitators: 9 Subject Matter Experts (SME) most of them are

also the facilitator of their module: 12

What does eSCART content look like?

Moodle = LMS: is developed in many languages, works well in low resource settings

eSCART e.g. text + picture module

eSCART e.g. multimedia module

Let’s put ourselves in the learner seat

challenges

human

motivationaltechnical

What challenges does a learner meet?

2 Technical challenges

These need to be tackled before the rest can be handled.

To allow the best possible environment:

•Make the minimum technical requirements known to the possible applicants (before they apply: audio, cdrom…)•Pre-course entry-questionnaire with technical issues•Technical tutor on stand-by 24/7 (at the beginning) due to different time zones

so what technical issues do we address?

How long does it take to open 180 kB?

18.2%

56.8%

15.9%

2.3%6.8%

<1 min 1-5 min

5-15 min >15 min.

Opening site

Not sure

Problems with infrastructure

Most common problems: slow connectivity and

frequent power cuts.

So limit the download time: Deliver standardized content this limits plug-in needs Deliver (multimedia) lectures and plug-ins on a CDrom Build a live line to the technical tutor (not only through computer!) Make most interactivity asynchronous

Keeping track

Keep track of your learners progress at all times Use a Learning Management System that fits the low resource

challenge (test beforehand) Both technical and general tutor should track, but both with different

purposes The technical tutor will track intensely at the beginning of the course

Keep online data small in size

Lectures and plug-ins on CDrom, but quizzes, discussion forums, assessments can only be done online => security reasons

To keep the learner motivated, all the online material should be easy to open and to use

=> select appropriate software: (SCORM-compatible for easy grading and easy on the connection)

But keep this Ethiopean proverb in mind: “I want the wheat flour, I don’t care about the mill”,

The learning is what matters, not the technology.

3 Human challenges…

go hand in hand with motivation, but they are explicit and personal

so what do we address?

Finding yourself reflected in the course

Make the content diverse: and make those differences visible

We built a database to extrapolate what type of visuals, audio, video depictions we were using

From the database quantitative data can be extracted

What does that DB look like?

We analyze all visual and audio material: gender (female/male/other), race (based on visible skin color) activity (is the protagonist in the

visual active or passive)

Purpose: deliver content that is diverse, so the international learner can relate to it

Respect local human constraints

Professional demand: synchronous activities? Think about time zones, be flexible for 1-1

Important religious days: no assignment deadline or key moments on these days

Leave room for family matters: death, weddings and the local associated rituals (more than one day sometimes)

Be respectful in your communication, even if the learner response seems aggressive at first (possible language barrier)

Be aware of your own ‘obviousness’

Different educational strategies and methods are used. Make sure learners from different cultures feel respected even though you propose your own learning method (constructivist approach, Confucius’ method…)

Audio contact is much more appreciated than text in much of the South

Narratives are very common as educational method (oral traditions)

So be very explicit about your expectations and about your delivery methods

(e.g. Latin-America, South-East Asia)

27/43

4 Motivational challenges

Let’s look at how can you keep learners from all corners of the world motivated to continue learning

Leveling the learner starting level

Know their technical facts: pre-course survey Comfort wise: trust Self-confident: intro week Clear study guide Online conduct guidelines

Make the first tasks EASY to keep learners motivated

Importance of the tutor / facilitator

Use facilitators (mostly SME) from different cultures (= recognizable identity)

Attract an overall course tutor that has worked and lived in international settings

Contact with the tutor is expected and very important in most South countries

…

Importance of the tutor / facilitator (cont)

•Communication skills and ability to respect differences •Feedback serves its purpose best when offered immediately and comprehensively•Give the main tutors tracking skills => no news for a couple of days: check •Be humble and willing to learn from the course participants

Offer a training program for facilitators to get familiar with all aspects of the course and crucial skills:

Scrutinize your content

Add meta learning objectives for yourself & attain them Let your content be screened by specialists from other

continents (and cultures) Use real-life international situations for your content Learner-centered learning: actively put learner content in

the course: their cases, their expertise, their needs Use parts from different educational methods:

collaborative learning, learner-centered content, fully prepared knowledge…

Intrinsic motivation

What do they get out of it? Certificate or bi-monthly award for ‘best learner’ Knowing that they are on top of their profession Get continued (medical) education afterwards Long-term network possibilities (Community of Practice) Career / growing opportunities: becoming a facilitator for

their region/clinic (we pick-up best learners as possible facilitators)

Increased IT-confidence and skills Give the learners a place to share THEIR references and

content, show their expertise

Priority: communication & interactivity

Communicate very clearly what your communication will be like

Be open and clear throughout Give them communication guidelines Never feel offended as a tutor, give them a

chance to explain what they really mean Pick-up learners that trot behind Give confidence to your learners

And … keep it FUN to learn

Add fun contests: e.g. chocolate contest

Allow a social forum where the learners can unwind from time to time

Remember general best practices:

Organize evaluations on both content and support Address different learner skills Add interactivity whenever possible Add self-assessments so the learner knows what s/he

has learned Organize social learning moments Check-out eLearning Guild resources …

We are almost there rounding up

A quick overview to address challenges

1. Screen your visual and AV material for diversity

2. Deliver heavy content via an external tool (cdrom, usb..)

3. Use a pre-course technical survey

4. Know when important religious days are planned

5. Content screened by international specialists

6. Tutor and facilitators trained

7. Keep track of learner progress and access

8. Communicate respectfully at all levels

9. Allow users to give their expertise

10.Give certification or accreditation

Anticipate challenges prepare for the future

Allow many technologies to be used: mobile, computer, voice to text… but limit high end synchronous media (Africa and Asia: mobile use much higher, mobile connectivity better)

Some PPTs on mobile projects in low resource areas

More information - links

Pre-course technical survey Paper on database for quantifying types of visual

s List with conduct guidelines Long-term network and Continued Medical Educa

tion site

Contact me

Email: idewaard@itg.be

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