Who we are
Objectives
North-South and South-South Knowledge Partnerships
The flow of knowledge requires - at the minimum - information about what sources of knowledge exist. This information is limited in the case of the flow between Canada and Latin America. Canadian sources of relevant knowledge for mutual development are not sufficiently known in Latin America. As well, the knowledge about development aid, and activities involving Canadian and Latin American partners undertaken by NGOs, universities, and research centres remains fragmented. Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that Canadian-Latin American partnerships are relatively few, and that the potential for mutual benefit is not sufficiently utilized.
This initiative convenes Canadian and Latin American universities, research centres and non-governmental organizations in an experiment that seeks to combine information and communication technologies with online pedagogy to stimulate information sharing, mutual learning and collaborative knowledge creation across the North-South and academic-practitioner divide. It addresses the challenge of encouraging academic and non-academic institutions to form learning communities and to contribute to greater dissemination and use of existing knowledge for development in a globalized world. It offers various information services through a Portal, and seeks to respond to a need expressed in several Latin American countries for good quality courses to update skills and knowledge of individuals who are not involved in degree-granting programs. While the initiative is coordinated by CEBEM, it has a strong Canadian involvement, the culmination of years of collaboration in a variety of endeavors.
The second phase of this project will strengthen achievements and the interest and commitment of several new partner institutions in both Canada and Latin America. Phase II will put this initiative on much firmer ground and allow the Canadian partners to become better known to LAC audiences of NGOs, government agencies and academic institutions. Use by partners of mechanisms developed in Phase I, diversification of clienteles to be reached through a newsletter, expansion of data bases on sources of knowledge in Canada and LAC, and co-production of courses are expected to consolidate a base for the further promotion of North-South partnerships.
Professional Development and Updating
The initiative is also a response to information and training needs that are not being met in the region, in particular, a demand for short internet-based professional development training courses. There is a need for and interest in this sort of training, particularly by practitioners in development projects and programs, public officials, and other professionals, most of who have few or no opportunities to attend regular post-graduate university courses to update or diversify their knowledge base. A potential demand exists for short-term courses for professional updating in Latin America.
The evidence comes from diverse facts. CEBEM offered, in the last two years, more than fifteen courses in local development, territorial planning, community forestry, and environmental development, all of them fully registered and attended by professionals across the region. Members of the Ibero-American Network of Graduate Programs on Territorial Policy and Studies (RIPPET) have indicated that there is gap in learning about how to produce and deliver short online professional courses despite general interest indicated by alumni in updating their knowledge and skills. Government agencies and universities consulted agreed on the need for online training given difficulties in meeting higher education and professional updating requests. Experts consulted at the Evaluation Workshop of Phase I coincided on the need for professional updating in the context of very dynamic knowledge changes at the global level.
Two major groups of beneficiaries are targeted. They are individuals and institutions engaged in, or interested in experimenting with, learning communities and CoPs across geographic, substantive and occupational boundaries; and professionals and technical personnel working in various disciplines interested in expanding or updating their knowledge and skills in one or several substantive focus areas of the project.
Secondary beneficiaries include international cooperation agencies working in Latin America; professors from Canadian and LAC training and research institutions; professionals, technical personnel, and project operators working in various disciplines interested in expanding or updating their knowledge and skills in one or more of the substantive focus areas of the project; CoPs and networks that work in one of the thematic areas who will benefit by having access to a Portal that is open to them, provides easy access to communication and information sources and tools, and supports them for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Training of graduate students, postgraduate fellows and professors will receive special attention. A purpose will be to increase Latin American and Canadian human resources familiar with online education and the methodology of the project's model. Two modalities will be supported: visits to CEBEM and the project's partners, and participation in the production and delivery of online courses and other activities of the project.
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