We are all clear that it is good practice that capacity-building goes beyond a single training event, but what ‘works’ best in blended learning for humanitarian professionals?
What did participants value most?
RedR has recently conducted a mid-term review of its 'Context' programme, under which 149 national humanitarian staff have been trained so far in Jordan and Kenya. The aim of the Context programme is to develop the core humanitarian competencies and leadership skills of national staff in order to improve humanitarian response.
At the end of the programme, participants rated which parts of the programme they found most beneficial. Besides being very positive about the programme in general, what stood out was that participants found the two face to face workshops to be most beneficial, as well as working on their learning project. On the other hand, reviews were very mixed on the benefit of the buddy groups, online courses and the support provided by line managers. Please refer to the full paper for the detailed feedback on each of the components.
Some key lessons learned:
- Line managers can be key allies in encouraging learning, but at times themselves do not display the behaviours and competencies that are taught.
- Coaching is found to be very beneficial by the participants, despite the great challenges encountered in matching and logistics.
- Buddy groups: a number have produced impressive results, particularly when based in the same location and when they developed a joint project, while others were not very active.
- Online courses were found more beneficial by entry-level staff, particularly on themes like the Sphere Standards, while internet access was a challenge for all participants working in remote locations.