UNESCO promotes the development of distance learning courses on SDGs

5 October 2020

Competency-based learning is an approach to education that aims to incorporate a broad range of skills and competencies necessary for learners to become more resilient to different challenges and obstacles in the 21st century. One of the most effective means to mainstream key competences of the 21st century is through teacher training on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED). In addition, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers across the globe have had to scramble to deliver education remotely through a mix of technologies. It is therefore crucial that distance learning technologies and methods are integrated into teacher training.

In this context, from August 11 to 17, 2020, UNESCO Almaty Cluster office held an online training workshop on "Distance learning technologies for developing ESD-related online courses" for teachers from pedagogical universities in Kazakhstan and teacher trainers from teacher training institutes in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. More than 70 teachers and trainers took part.

The aim of the training was to equip the participants with the skills needed to develop online courses on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants were required to create and defend a portfolio that includes such materials as a screencast, case study, mini-project, evaluation forms and infographics on the selected SDG topics, as well as conduct training for their colleagues in their own organizations. As a result of the training, 49 of the participants defended their portfolio, conducted the training, and received a certificate for successful completion of the training.

A pre-event survey was conducted before the training. The results of the survey showed that 84.8% of participants know what SDGs are, but only 69.6% have experience in integrating SDGs into their teaching activities, which indicates the need for this training. It was also found that most of the participants face difficulties and challenges in developing online content, adapting teaching practice and evaluating the results of online learning.

Upon the completion of the training, a post-event survey was conducted to measure the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the training. 96.2% of participants said that they were completely satisfied with this training. 80.8% plan to include SDGs-related topics in the curriculum content. A number of positive reviews were received:

“I was ecstatic. First, it was well-organized. Secondly, the theme the of training is highly pertinent, because it addresses the challenges of distance learning. The format of the training couldn’t be better. Thank you for this learning opportunity. As a teacher with multiple years of teaching experience, I found it interesting and informative.”

“Excellent training course. We got a lot of information. I will definitely apply what I’ve learned to my work. And I will tell my colleagues and students about SDGs so that they are aware of the SDGs-related world events. Special mention should be made of the excellent work done by the facilitators of this training. They have set an example of how to behave at an online workshop. They’re super great! Even slow Internet and technical glitches could not spoil our impression of them…"

Related information:
Teacher trainers learnt how to develop design-thinking skills to implement projects for sustainable development
Training teacher trainers in Kazakhstan for International Teachers’ Day 2019
World Teachers' Day in Kazakhstan: Right to Qualified Teachers

Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/unesco-promotes-the-development-of-distance-learning-courses-on-sdgs