Real-world training brings audio-visual skills to global communities
KU Leuven has just wrapped up its audio-visual learning materials course, which invites 12 international scholars to learns the skills they need to advance in a digital world
Hands-on experience
“The goal is that the staff from those universities will be able to organise and develop new learning activities by using the appropriate technological tools,” says professor Wim Van Petegem of the Engineering Technology department, who co-ordinates the project.
The Audio-visual Learning Materials (AVLM) training, active for nearly 15 years, targets staff at universities in Africa, South America and south-east Asia. It is funded by Vlir-UOS, which supports partnerships between Flemish educational institutions and their counterparts in other countries.
Saba Abraham, a lecturer in nutrition at Mekelle University in northern Ethiopia, says that the first part of the training involved learning technical skills, while the second half focused on approaches in implementing the skills learned. “I have learned how to incorporate design into my teaching style, to make my lectures more attractive to my students,” she says.
Abraham is developing a website to showcase videos about preparing food for children under two years old. “The content is part of the nutrition course at my university, so I have applied what I have learned here to that project and can further develop it when I get back to my home country.”
Intercultural community
Rodolfo Talua (pictured top) plans to launch an introductory training on using audio-visual learning materials back home at the Leyte Normal University in Tacloban City, the Philippines. “I am going to design the syllabus and integrate the topics I’ve learned here,” he says. “The goal would be for my students to be able to create their own AVLM in the future.”
Sarah Njeremani, meanwhile, is currently doing research at KU Leuven but eventually hopes to return to Nairobi, where she previously worked as an e-learning specialist for Gesci, a non-profit that helps introduce ICT into education. During the AVLM training, she created digital materials to inform public ministries and civil servants on Africa leadership in nine cities.
I appreciate the level of community involved when the new participants start connecting to our worldwide network of alumni
“In the beginning of the training, we had to really support the participants on an individual level as they all had a different level of technical skills,” explains Wouter Van der Hoeven of Leuven's Engineering Technology Services department. “But after the first three weeks, they all had the same basic skills to start on their own projects.”
Van Petegem points out that the mix of international cultures provides a whole extra level of knowledge sharing. “They also learn from each other,” he says. “We have a good mix of people with different backgrounds, levels and interests, and I appreciate the level of community involved when the new participants start connecting to our worldwide network of alumni on social media. As part of the alumni, they can also exchange experiences in the future.”
There is on downside to the training, according to Van Petegem: There are far more qualified applicants than funding available to accept them all. “I’m considering open online courses to address this problem,” he says. “The challenge is transforming the training into an online version, but it makes sense to reach more people in these countries.”
Photo, top: ©Onnah Talle
Photo, above: ©Dinh Hong Anh
