eCourses

IT Institute in AfghanistanWLP holds online distance learning courses (eCourses) in participatory leadership to reach out to those women whose ability to attend face-to-face workshops is constrained by security considerations or socio-cultural factors. Our ten-week intensive eCourses, based on the Leading to Choices manual, take an interactive, problem-solving approach to learning, with an emphasis on peer-to-peer communication.

eCourses enable an inclusive approach to leadership development training. Diverse participants from different towns, countries, ethnic groups, classes, and generations can learn together, as long as they share a common language, Internet access, and the basic technical skills required to participate.

In addition to reading and written assignments, participants meet regularly for scheduled discussions in online forums, and coordinate small group activities through online discussion and email. eCourse sessions address five main areas: the concept of participatory leadership; personal leadership skills; developing a shared vision; communicating persuasively; and mobilizing resources to implement change.

WLP has conducted eCourses in three languages, Arabic, English, and Persian, involving women from Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Palestine, among others. In each case, WLP develops a prototype course with experienced women activists to train facilitators and to test and adapt the curriculum and technology prior to a full course with broader outreach.


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eCourse Reports

2007 Arabic eCourse with participants from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine

Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP), in cooperation with WLP Lebanon/Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD-A), conducted an online distance learning course (eCourse) for 25 women from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from September 3 through November 22, 2007.

The course enabled participants to develop participatory leadership skills, encouraged cross-regional dialogue on rights, and emphasized peer-to-peer learning and cultural exchange. During online discussions participants explored the qualities of an effective leader, discussed challenges they face and their personal contributions toward realizing change, and developed a shared vision through engaging other participants. In discussions on the qualities of an effective leader, Nour* commented that leadership is "the art of cooperating and communicating effectively in order to reach a common vision." Laila* believes that leadership is the "flexible style of coordinating and cooperating with people."

2007 Arabic eCourse with participants from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine

WLP Lebanon/Collective for Research and Training on Development.Action (CRTD.A), in cooperation with Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) International, is conducting an online distance learning course (eCourse) for 25 women from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from September 3 through November 3, 2007. The course is designed to develop inclusive and participatory leadership skills, encourage dialogue on rights, and facilitate cooperation for gender-equitable change initiatives.

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Arabic eCourse: Prototype with Participants from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Palestine

From September 5 to October 21, 2005, a group of 14 experienced leadership trainers from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine participated in a five-week prototype Arabic eCourse to test and adapt the Arabic curriculum in preparation for a full eCourse in 2006.

WLP trained partners from Morocco and Lebanon to act as facilitators for the upcoming course, focusing on use of the course technology and the interactive, problem-solving methodology that guides the course.

Prototype Persian Course with Participants from Iran and Afghanistan

IT Institute in AfghanistanFrom January-March 2004, four leading Afghan and Iranian participants worked together over a ten-week period to develop, test and adapt the curriculum for the Persian eCourse.

Two Iranian women with strong backgrounds in women's rights education and advocacy were trained as facilitators for the future eCourse in Iran.

Women in Iran Develop Participatory Leadership Skills in eLearning Course

WLP implemented an eight-week Persian online distance learning course on developing participatory leadership skills for women’s rights activists in Iran from January 3 - March 7, 2005. This was WLP’s first full-length online course conducted in Persian. WLP has previously conducted courses in English and is now testing a prototype Arabic course.

Eight women based in Iran participated, including heads of women’s organizations, educators, and experienced trainers. They participated despite a climate of government crackdown and imprisonment of internet activists and bloggers.

Leading to Choices: A Distance Learning Course on Participatory Leadership

May 26-August 3, 2003

Facilitators: Suheir Azzouni and Nancy Flowers
Co-organizers: Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) and Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)

The 2003 course has concluded.
READ the report of the course (PDF, 947 KB).

This innovative distance learning course on developing participatory leadership skills is intended for leaders, activists, and staff of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in promoting human rights and equitable societies.

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