1. Developing e-learning
programmes
One OGB experience

2. The Project*
Objective
To improve the speed, quality
and effectiveness of the
humanitarian community to:
•save lives
•protect livelihoods
•defend the rights of disastervulnerable people.
*Wording from ECHO contract

3. The Project*
Result
A critical mass of national
humanitarian stakeholders and staff
in five diverse disaster-vulnerable
countries have improved individual
and organisational capacity to mount
faster, higher quality responses.
*Wording from ECHO contract

4. Why e-learning?
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Global reach
Sustainability
Value for money
Innovation
Catering to individual
learning needs

5. How to evaluate our experience?
Project achievement against plan?
•project plan
•budget
•time schedule?
Project achievement against vision?
•“the best pilot ever”
• “something we will be proud of”?

6. The Stumbling Blocks
Unrealistic planning parameters:
• Time frame of one year
• Limited budget (£45k grant)
The innocence of the uninitiated:
• “We’ll do e-learning!”
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Type?
Content?
Technical requirements?
Expertise needed?
Processes?

7. July 2011: Start of
project/Scoping
December 2012:
Final courses shared
with ECB agencies,
follow-up interviews
conducted
July-October 2011:
Extension request
Planning & Tender
process
October-November
2012: Editing and
Reviewing final/Gold
version of courses
November 2011 –
January 2012: Design
phase
September-October
2012: Review of
evaluation data, pilot
feedback, score
analysis,
January-May 2012:
Re-thinking, ReDesign Course
Development
May-July 2012:
July-September
2012: Pilot phase.
The Moment of Truth
Content & Technical
review, development
of Beta

8. The Stakeholders
Internally
• OGB Senior Management
• HD technical and project staff
• e-learning experts
• procurement dept.
• legal dept.
Externally
• ECB peer agencies
• design and development consultancy
• platform management

9. Enabling Factors
• Research: studying e-learning examples
• Engagement of ECB agencies
• Availability of internal resources
(money, staff, e-learning expertise)
• Flexibility: space for learning from mistakes
• Commitment to a shared vision:
quality over cost or time
• Good relationship with the external company
• Energy, stamina and perseverance

10. What the Courses are About
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Both courses place the learner into a simulated emergency context and
require them to complete various tasks in an interactive way.
Learners are given realistic challenges and problems to solve, testing their
planning and decision-making skills.
The simulated scenarios are emergencies (e.g. a drought, flooding,
earthquake) in both rural and urban contexts.
The courses take about 4-6 hrs to complete but do not have to be
completed in one sitting: the bookmark facility ensures that you can exit
at any time and return to the same place you left off – even if there is a
power cut.
The courses include materials that you can print, as well as links to online
resources.

11. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) in WASH emergencies
This course is about health and hygiene promotion in a WASH emergency.
It helps the learner practise critical reflection throughout the simulated project, with reference to the context they are working in, the
population affected by the crisis and decisions to be made.
Course objectives
Having completed this course, it is
expected that you will be able to:
•Describe the key elements of an IEC
intervention in a WASH emergency
•Carry out an analysis of the emergency
situation and select appropriate IEC
methods and materials for the context
•Plan, implement and monitor an
emergency WASH IEC intervention

13. Technical Project Management (TPM) in WASH emergencies
This course is about planning, resourcing, and implementing a technical WASH engineering project.
It introduces and familiarises staff with standard project management stages and tools in a creative, practical and innovative way, and
covers areas such as logistics processes, risk management, and quality control.
Course objectives
After completing this course, you will be
able to:
•Describe the key issues of quality, cost and
time when planning and implementing
humanitarian projects
•Demonstrate the use of critical thinking in
technical project management and develop
confidence to take decisions in real-life
situations
•Identify common project management
planning tools and apply them in project
planning and implementation.

15. Feedback from participants
“I feel understand better what my manager is doing, and
“I feel II understand better what my manager is doing, and
what he needs from me to be able to manage the projects.
what he needs from me to be able to manage the projects.
For example with the Sandy storm response, feel
For example with the Sandy storm response, II feel II
understand better why he is asking me for some information.
understand better why he is asking me for some information.
It was the first time did an e-learning course. Since then
It was the first time II did an e-learning course. Since then II
have done several through LINGOs. like the medium a lot.
have done several through LINGOs. II like the medium a lot.
It did take me a bit of time to understand how to navigate
It did take me a bit of time to understand how to navigate
the courses, but with practice, found it easier and easier.”
the courses, but with practice, II found it easier and easier.”
WASH Assistant, Haiti
WASH Assistant, Haiti
“I have now a very different approach to IEC and
“I have now a very different approach to IEC and
information dissemination. am really
information dissemination. II am really
appreciating the cultural aspects to consider in a
appreciating the cultural aspects to consider in a
WASH project. have never thought about this
WASH project. II have never thought about this
before. So now can design appropriate
before. So now II can design appropriate
communications materials, even for mass media
communications materials, even for mass media
etc. Recently we did a “clean-up” campaign using
etc. Recently we did a “clean-up” campaign using
banners and poetry. We took learning from the
banners and poetry. We took learning from the
training and allowed the community to design the
training and allowed the community to design the
messages themselves. Then we adjusted them to
messages themselves. Then we adjusted them to
meet national standards and core messages etc.
meet national standards and core messages etc.
But the messages came from the community first,
But the messages came from the community first,
so they were more appropriate.”
so they were more appropriate.”
Project Officer, Zimbabwe
Project Officer, Zimbabwe
“And the use of a Gantt chart, this is very good, as in my job am doing several things at
“And the use of a Gantt chart, this is very good, as in my job II am doing several things at
the same time, this is very hard to manage. So have now developed my own Gantt
the same time, this is very hard to manage. So II have now developed my own Gantt
chart for my project here, and shared it with my team. It has really worked and been
chart for my project here, and II shared it with my team. It has really worked and been
effective. It is really assisting me, keeping all of the right things happening at the right
effective. It is really assisting me, keeping all of the right things happening at the right
time. And now my team has seen it, so now everyone knows what is happening and
time. And now my team has seen it, so now everyone knows what is happening and
there is not so much rushing. Now we all know what should happen at what time, and
there is not so much rushing. Now we all know what should happen at what time, and
what things happen together.”
what things happen together.”
WASH Officer, Kenya
WASH Officer, Kenya

16. What we are proud of
• Participation rate globally,
across the agencies
• Accurate pitch of English
language usage
• Glowing feedback from
participants
• Quality of M&E mechanisms

17. What we need to remember
• Technical experts are not e-learning
experts
• E-learning consultants are not familiar
with the reality of humanitarian work
• To access innovative products, people
need help and hand-holding
• Planning…
“Poorly planned projects usually
end up needing more and more
efforts as time goes by and
as deadlines approach.”

18. Further Resources
•
Cathy Moore’s blog for nice
example:
http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2010/05/elearning-example-branching-scenario/
•
On how long it takes to develop
e-learning:
http://www.chapmanalliance.com/howlong