Higher Education as a Catalyst for Change in Crisis Regions

The 24-week course provides students with the skills to become teachers who can design student-centered lessons both inside and outside of schools. This takes place in regions of the world where access to a teaching degree is the exception. The subject matter is taught both online and on-site in learning centers. As the JWL study shows, the students act as multipliers of education in their environment. "The feedback from graduates confirms our objective: the programme proves to be a catalyst for change and turns teachers into leaders who also have an impact beyond the classroom," emphasizes KU President Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien.

The Learning Facilitator program also empowers teachers to contribute to well-being, growth and a culture of learning that fosters community engagement and shared responsibility. Prof. Dr. Rowena Roppelt, who coordinates the collaboration with JWL at the KU's School of Transformation and Sustainability together with Dr. Marina Tsoi and other staff members, adds: "Our graduates are - as they describe - able to resolve conflicts and promote collaboration. They feel empowered and are strong role models who challenge norms." In the current winter semester, 58 students have enrolled on the Learning Facilitator program in Afghanistan alone, including 51 young women. "And this is despite all the adversity caused by the Taliban's education policy, which excludes all girls from the age of 12 from higher education. The Learning Facilitator Program is a response to the enormous need to give young women access to vocational training and to enable them to teach their younger sisters and brothers in their villages," says Roppelt.

Around 50 graduates in Afghanistan, Guyana, India, Iraq, Kenya and Malawi were interviewed for the now completed study on the effectiveness of this educational program. The participants describe profound changes compared to the teaching practice they experienced themselves. "We should create a learner-friendly environment and be more flexible because every student has their own way of learning," said one graduate. Another interviewee, who completed the course in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp, described how he now makes his teaching practice non-violent: "I used to tend to be very aggressive [...]. Now, however, I enjoy an excellent relationship with my students, as my teaching techniques have changed and improved significantly from then to now."

As the survey also shows, graduates often advocate for female students' access to education and also serve as role models. In Afghanistan, one graduate highlighted this role in her community by inspiring parents to send their daughters to school. By highlighting the benefits of girls' education, she helped to change attitudes in favor of promoting a gender-equitable learning environment.

Respondents also emphasized the impact of providing education on community empowerment. One graduate in Kenya
said: "This course has made me set new goals to support the community. In my village, most of the children do not learn or do not go to school. When I started this course, [...] my local supervisor asked me to teach the people in their village. [...] So this course has really made a lot of change in me." And the Learning Facilitator program also opens up prospects for the students themselves that previously seemed unattainable for them: "My parents couldn't afford to take me to college, I am now able to achieve my parents' goal. They want to thank this project and the founder of this course for doing what they couldn't do for me."

The Learning Facilitator program is offered in a blended learning format. The course content is accessible via a web-based training platform or via the JWL Global ELearning app, through which the content can also be downloaded for offline use. Throughout the course, students are required to submit weekly assignments that combine experience, reflection and action. This includes sharing experiences in a global community of learners, connecting students from different community learning centers in a virtual global classroom.

Throughout the program, students complete a final project and practicum in which they apply pedagogical principles and practices to their teaching practice to address a specific need in their community. Learning Facilitator students are in regular contact with KU online facilitators who are responsible for providing academic support through feedback and grading each student. Students also benefit from on-site support, as a learning facilitator is responsible for leading discussions twice a week in a learning center. Through these face-to-face meetings, students are encouraged to discuss relevant topics with their course peers and recognize the relevance of the course content in their local context.

More information on the Learning Facilitator Program can be found on the homepage of the KU School of Transformation and Sustainability at www.ku.de/sts/studienangebote. The detailed study in English is available at www.jwl.org/news-media.