FAO and Distance Education: Training and Access

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FAO and Distance EducationTraining and Access
interactive e-learning
on effective digital information management

• Dan Gustafson
• Director, FAO Washington Office

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• The Demand
• Requests from Member States for capacity
  building
• Advice
• Assistance and training
• Appropriate guidelines, methodologies and tools
• The Problem
• Inability to address demand with face-to-face
  training
• Insufficient human resources
• High cost

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• But
• Knowledge needed to make an impact locally
  resides all over, among practitioners
• Access to this knowledge and experienceeven
  within the same statecan be very difficult
• How can this be done in an efficient and cost
  effective manner beyond what is already
  happening?
• What is the role of FAO and the UN in this?
• India a particularly good example of the
  challenge

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• 1. Role of e-learning as training
• build awareness and understanding
• provide on-the-job training for technical staff
• make available tools, methodologies and
  guidelines along with learning materials.
• support face-to-face training and capacity
  building activities

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Distance Learning at FAO
Learning Resource Repositories FAO Capacity
Building Portal Education for Rural People
(FAOUNESCO) Rural Finance Learning Centre
(FAO-IFAD-WorldBank-GTZ) EASYPol - Policy
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Distance Learning at FAO
Tutored Learning FODEPAL Agricultural
Policy (Latin America) The Right to Food
Integrated Food Security and Humanitarian Phase
Classification System
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Distance Learning at FAO
Self-paced Learning Information Management
Resource Kit (IMARK) Rural Finance Learning
Centre EC-FAO Programme Food Security
Information for Action The Right to Adequate
Food Codex Alimentarius
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Information Management Resource Kit
Initiated in 2001 as a partnership-based
e-learning Active collaboration with more than
30 international, regional and specialized
organizations.
interactive e-learning
on effective digital information management
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• IMARK - Main Outputs
• Modules - a series of computer-based distance
  learning curricula and resources for agricultural
  information management.
• Online Community - a "virtual" community on the
  Internet for contributors and learners, allowing
  them to exchange information, and to collaborate
  with other professionals.

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Modules Currently Available

• Management of Electronic Documents
• Digitization and Digital Libraries
• Investing in Information for Development
• Building Electronic Communities and Networks
• Networking for Development

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• Collaborative Learning
• e-learning lessons are used as part of
  synchronous courses delivered online
• FAO has used Moodle (open source) and Blackboard
  (commercial) learning management software to
  deliver courses online
• students work together in collaborative
  workspaces and learn while doing
• allows participants the opportunity to learn
  together from geographically dispersed locations

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2. E-learning as Access and Knowledge Exchange
and Management

• Recognition that access to what others know
  within the country/state/province equally
  critical
• Connecting people with common interests in a more
  systematic fashion
• Creating communities of practices (CoPs) that
  synthesize various development experiences
• Impartial forumwith moderation and technical
  backupto bring practitioners together to share
  knowledge
• Show how these experiences fit within global
  archive -- benchmarks

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Problems holding back knowledge and experience
sharing

• Experts mostly talk to each other in seminars and
  workshops (and the best interact among
  themselves)
• Lack cross-disciplinary perspective approaches
• Significant gap between research priorities and
  grass root problems
• Knowledge of non-experts not heard or valued

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http//www.solutionexchange-un.net.in
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• A moderated mailgroup not an e-network exchange
  alone.
• Problems and challenges are put as QUERY in an
  e-mail format
• Members offer Advice, Experience, Contact or
  Suggestions
• A CONSOLIDATED RESPONSE prepared with SYNOPSIS of
  original responses, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES and
  LINKS
• These are available on the website as Knowledge
  Products
• http//www.solutionexchange-un.net.in
• Along with e-discussion papers, e-consultations,
  newsletters, action groups, annual meeting

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How it works
1. Member sends the Community a query (day 1)

Help!
Help!
Help!
Help!
Help!
Help!
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How it works
2. Community offers Member solutions (days 2-7)
Desk Research
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How it works 3. Consolidated Reply is prepared,
sent archived (day 8)
Thank you!
To the Solutions Bank
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• Sustainable improvements in food security- all
  aspects of agriculture and issues from production
  to marketing
• Reduction in malnutrition and link between
  nutrition and other programs (especially
  agriculture)
• Improved implementation of food security
  programs, safety nets, food safety issues and
  prevention of food borne diseases
• From field level workers to researchers policy
  makers --- anyone involved in food production,
  nutrition, livelihood, access, food quality
  safety, food processing, marketing

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Outcomes in Food and Nutrition Security Community

• Excellent response 1800 members, 100 queries
  and Consolidated Replies in three years
• Particularly good for those who are not
  nationally known
• Matches the evolution of UNs role from Technical
  Assistance to KM and solution exchange within
  the country ( technical assistance)
• Greater visibility and legitimacy to localized
  experience
• Impact on programs, both agriculture and nutrition

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Challenges

• Deepening the reach of Solution Exchange
• Bringing in people/ orgn. who need knowledge
• Identifying where such knowledge rests
• Scaling up
• Overcoming barriers like literacy/ e-literacy
• Information in vernacular languages
• Access to power, telephony, internet
• Ensuring linkages with major Govt. programs