FAO and Distance Education: Training and Access

1. FAO and Distance Education:Training and Access Dan Gustafson Director, FAO Washington Office interactive e-learning on effective digital information management

2. 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

3. But: • Knowledge needed to make an impact locally resides all over, among practitioners • Access to this knowledge and experience—even within the same state—can 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

4. 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

5. Distance Learning at FAO Learning Resource Repositories FAO Capacity Building Portal Education for Rural People (FAO–UNESCO) Rural Finance Learning Centre (FAO-IFAD-WorldBank-GTZ) EASYPol - Policy

6. Distance Learning at FAO Tutored Learning FODEPAL – Agricultural Policy (Latin America) The Right to Food Integrated Food Security and Humanitarian Phase Classification System

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Modules Currently Available • Management of Electronic Documents • Digitization and Digital Libraries • Investing in Information for Development • Building Electronic Communities and Networks • Networking for Development

11. 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

12. 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 forum—with moderation and technical backup—to bring practitioners together to share knowledge • Show how these experiences fit within global archive -- benchmarks

13. 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 Problems holding back knowledge and experience sharing

14. http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in

15. 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

17. Moderation Team How it works: 1. Member sends the Community a query (day 1) Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!

18. Try this I did this Read this Contact her Moderation Team How it works: 2. Community offers Member solutions (days 2-7) Desk Research

19. Cons. Reply Moderation Team How it works: 3. Consolidated Reply is prepared, sent & archived (day 8) Thank you! To the Solutions Bank

20. Food and Nutrition Security Community • 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

31. 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 UN’s 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

32. 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