The goal of this project is to develop and intensively disseminate two separate but interlinked MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on the edX platform that address gender equality and social inclusion in a development and conflict/post-conflict context, while simultaneously developing new pedagogical tools for digital learning based on critical pedagogy and Southern Theory. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a steady part of higher education. While there is a rich selection of MOOCs offered on topics in the humanities and social sciences, very few of these address questions of gender, and those that do are primarily taught from a Global North perspective. Moreover, according to the European Framework for Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations, several frameworks and self-assessment tools are in use in a number of European countries when it comes to developing and integrating the use of digital learning technologies. However, so far no attempt has been made to develop a transnational European approach to harvest this digital capacity towards a common framework. This is also true in the educational context of gender, peace and development. Here it is not only a pan-European framework that is lacking, but approaches to digital learning that attempt to bridge global North/South divides are sorely missing. Transnational cooperation among ERASMUS partner countries, as well as partners from the Global South, can inspire new innovative learning methodologies that draw on international expertise on learning pedagogies, gender, development and conflict. This increases the chances of generating educational material that is accessible to a more global audience, and which directly addresses issues of global knowledge hierarchies in online learning on gender equality and social inclusion. The leader of the project is the GEST (Gender Equality Studies and Training) programme at the University of Iceland, which has a decade of experience in teaching and disseminating gender equality studies to professionals from developing and conflict/post-conflict states. They are joined by The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), which conducts research on the conditions for peaceful relations between states, groups and people. Expertise within the fields of gender and psychology is provided by The Centre for Gender Research at the University of Oslo, and the Centre for Women Peace and Security at the London School of Economics will provide crucial insights on issues of gender and conflict. Moreover, the University of Cape Town joins in to deliver a necessary Global South educational perspective to an otherwise Nordic-European partner consortium. Their expertise on Southern Theory and the decolonialization of global knowledge is necessary for the pedagogical framing and design of the project. The outputs and dissemination of this project will inspire educators within a global network of gender studies scholars to integrate and make effective use of digital learning technologies in teaching gender equality and social inclusion in a way that bridges international borders and cultures. This is a positive first step towards a transnational reference framework in digital gender education that adopts a systemic approach, and as such can add value by reducing fragmentation and promoting transparency, comparability and peer-learning. Finally, it is expected that this project will inspire interest in global gender issues and the integration and effective use of digital learning technologies among students, educators, activists and anyone with an interest in gender and social inclusion.
We wanted to create an online learning experience, drawing on pan-European expertise in the field of gender and development, which would be accessible and meaningful to learners, both in Europe and in the global south. We wanted to develop project partner capacity in the area of digital learning and the transfer of classroom pedagogy to the MOOC format.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have long been part of higher education, and they provide opportunities of learning for those that do not usually have access to quality higher education. However, while there are many MOOCs in the STEM fields, very few address questions of gender, and those that do are primarily taught from a Global North perspective. As gender equality is paramount to international development, there is a need for creating opportunities in digital education that address gender issues specifically, and from a perspective that is useful to learners in the global south. Moreover, there is a need for taking the first steps toward a transnational European approach to harvesting digital capacity towards a common framework for online learning.