Higher Education in Emergencies

This course seeks to address the increasing need to provide higher education in emergency and protracted settings. It explores current global crises and opportunities for post-secondary education in fragile contexts. Participants will collaborate with UN agencies, NGOs and educators to discuss policy and programming recommendations, innovative solutions and pedagogical approaches as well as the potential role of universities as humanitarian actors.COURSE OBJECTIVES1. Gain a clear understanding of relevant and pertinent international policies that impact education in conflict and crises, with a focus on higher education. 2. Explore, analyze and assess the potential of virtual and connected learning, Open Educational Resources and technology within a structured assessment framework. 3. Apply learner-centered design approaches to complex real-world projects and present solutions to a panel of expert judges. COURSE DESCRIPTIONThis summer school will provide participants with a conceptual framework for Tertiary Education in Conflict and Crises (TEC2) by examining the following topics:Education as a human right: Legal ramifications of international education policiesHigher education as a humanitarian response: Universities as humanitarian actors?The education-fragility nexusAdaptation of techno-pedagogical approaches to fragile contextsPotential of virtual and connected learning, Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)Within this framework, participants will examine design and implementation by focusing on four different, yet interrelated dimensions:Access to higher education and techno-pedagogical support, including on-site and virtual tutoring and mentoring schemes;Quality of virtual learning in fragility, including learning platforms, curriculum design, teacher and tutor training, accreditation and credentialing schemes, and partnerships with local universities;Mapping of higher education domains relevant to these learners within the framework of 21st Century Skills; andIn-the-field management and implementation models.BackgroundToday, there are more refugees and displaced persons than during WWII. The average conflict lasts 10 years, and families remain in internally displaced person (IDP) camps for an average of 17 years. Millions of children and youth in emergency contexts lack access to quality education, which is considered a basic human right under Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Humanitarian programming often focuses on life-saving activities by providing food, water, health, sanitation, security and shelter. The failure to prioritize education in general %E2%80" and higher education in particular %E2%80" leaves entire generations uneducated, developmentally disadvantaged, and unprepared to contribute to their society%E2%80%99s recovery.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) views education as a vital means of providing immediate protection to children and preventing human rights abuses. This forward-looking approach sees education as a long-term investment and focuses on integrating refugee children in national schools and rebuilding national education systems. Furthermore, education represents a vital protection mechanism, contributes to political stability, and develops leadership potential in fragile states, fostering the transition from conflict to recovery and from fragility to stability.Traditionally, education programming has focused on primary education, with more recent work touching on early childhood and secondary education. Yet there have been limited funds and initiatives in higher education, which unleashes innovation, entrepreneurial skills and community development. These are important for social and economic activities and critical for ensuring stability during times of reconstruction as well as longer-term sustainable development.This course is a collaborative effort building on a recent partnership between UNHCR and InZone/University of Geneva and an outcome of the SNIS Incubator Workshop on Higher Education in Emergencies held in 2014. This workshop brought together relevant actors to discuss programs, policies and the scope of tertiary education in conflict and crisis settings, with the goal of bringing academic and scientific rigor to field experience and enhancing access to quality higher education in such settings.Pedagogical model %E2%80" Experiential learningIn this course, learners construct knowledge and build expertise in a flipped classroom model. Prior to the course, participants will read course texts and complete the InZone MOOC (Humanitarian Communication %E2%80" The Last Mile) hosted on Coursera. During the course, this will be enriched through high-level seminars with faculty and field experts before being applied to real-world case studies through collaborative learning, tutoring sessions and project presentations. This approach will help participants experience a pedagogical approach that puts the learner at the center and builds skills and expertise. Simultaneously, they will gain an understanding of how multiple pedagogical resources can be leveraged efficiently and effectively to produce sustainable outcomes in fragile contexts.Participants will present solutions to real-world case studies to an expert jury for feedback and discussion.Learning outcomes:At the end of this course, participants will have developed a conceptual framework to be able to:appreciate the potential of TEC2 and understand relevant constraints;analyze emergency and protracted contexts to evaluate the potential for implementing TEC2 projects;assess the potential of different pedagogical models %E2%80" including on-site and virtual delivery modes %E2%80" to contribute to project outcomes and to sustainability; andidentify the humanitarian actors, including staff and beneficiaries, needed to jointly manage the multiple components of a TEC2 project. Please see the course website, http://www.genevasummerschools.ch/courses-2015/higher-education-in-emergencies, for a provisional schedule and further information.

Course leader
Academic Director: Barbara Moser-Mercer, Professor, University of Geneva, Director, InZone (Centre for Interpreting in Conflict Zones)Co-instructor: Jacqueline Strecker, UNHCR Innovation Learn Lab CoordinatorFaculty and speakers comprise field and

Target group
Humanitarian practitionersGraduate students and faculty in international relations, international education, and educational technologiesRepresentatives of donor organizations whose mission and mandate includes education and higher educationRepresentatives of Education Ministries

Course aim
At the end of this summer school participants will have developed a conceptual framework for appreciating the potential of HEiE and for understanding the relevant constraints. They will be able to analyse emergency contexts with a view to evaluating the potential for implementing a HEiE project, assess the potential of different pedagogical models, both on-site and virtual delivery modes, to contribute to project outcomes and to sustainability, and identify the humanitarian actors, both humanitarian staff and beneficiaries, needed to jointly manage the multiple components of a HEiE project.

Credits info
4 ECTS Each summer school will indicate its equivalence in ECTS credits in its description. Participants will be provided with a Certificate of Completion of the course if they satisfy attendance and evaluation requirements. It is the participant's responsibility to verify the validity of the course and validate it at their home university prior to participating in the course.

Fee info
CHF 2300: Course costs include:tuitioncourse readingsround table with invited international expertstake-home materials including reports from all course work, which will be presented as a Course Bookregistration for the verified certificate for the InZone MOOC on the Coursera platformdaily coffee breaksone welcome receptionone fondue dinnerNot included: Accommodation and other meals.

Scholarships
A limited number of excellence scholarships are available. Please consult the scholarship policy on our website.

University of Geneva
Address: Blvd du Pont d%5C'Arve 40 R 050
Postal code: CH-1211 Geneva 4
City: Geneva
Country: Switzerland
Website: http://genevasummerschools.ch/
E-mail: gss@unige.ch
Phone: +41 22 379 80 90