The United Nations University (UNU) is the
academic arm of the United Nations. It bridges the academic world and the United Nations system. Its
goal is to develop sustainable solutions for current and future problems of
humankind in all aspects of life. Through a problem-oriented and
interdisciplinary approach it aims at teaching, applied research and education
on a global scale. UNU was founded in 1973 as an autonomous organ of the United
Nations General Assembly. The University comprises headquarters in Tokyo, Japan,
and more than a dozen Institutes and Programmes worldwide.
Capacity Building through E-Learning and Innovative Knowledge Processes
The efforts of UNU-ViE concentrate on strengthening capacities, both at individual and institutional level in a higher education context and promoting knowledge creation and sharing in state-of-the art educational technologies and innovative practices with a special regional focus on Africa.
Quality Assurance
In times of enrolment expansion, followed by an increasing competition in the higher education market place and the perception of declining standards, quality assurance becomes a major concern in higher education. The engagement in various networks concerned with quality approaches in the field of emerging learning methods and the use and development of open educational resources is therefore one of the priorities for UNU-ViE. Since 2009 UNU-ViE is a member of the
European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning (EFQUEL)
, the biggest network for quality in e-learning worldwide. EFQUEL seeks to share experiences on how e-learning can be used to strengthen individual, organisational, local and regional development, digital and learning literacy, and how to promote social cohesion – together with actors in a European community of users and experts. As member of the international advisory board of the
Open ECBCheck
initiative, together with a consortium of leading development organisations UNU-ViE contributes to the establishment of the international Quality Certificate for E-learning in Capacity Building. This accreditation and quality improvement scheme aims at supporting capacity building organizations to measure how successful their e-learning programmes are and allows for continuous improvement though peer collaboration and bench learning. With its contribution as an associated partner UNU-ViE promotes and supports
OPAL
, a new initiative on Quality in Open Educational Practices. OPAL is a new funded project by the European Commission for Education and Training under the Lifelong Learning Programme.
Coordinated Development
Enhancing capacity building activities through e-learning requires a coordinated effort to leverage current capabilities, identify new opportunities and pool resources. One example of such a coordinated effort is the UNeLearn group. It consists of various UN agencies that are engaged in collaborative projects that involve the application of technology-supported learning, including Web 2.0 and e-learning tools.
Innovative Facilitation Techniques
To get people involved in a meaningful dialogue, SCIENTIA uses interactive tools and graphic facilitation at its workshops to ensure the full participation of the participants. The use of graphic facilitation can support the thinking and decision making process as well as the communication in strategic meetings, seminars, workshops and conferences. Graphic facilitation can empower the engagement of participants to build and shape a common vision.
At Online Educa Berlin (1-3 December 2010), the annual e-learning conference in Berlin, Germany, UNU-ViE demonstrated how knowledge sharing techniques can enhance dialogue and impact in development work. |Read more
On Thursday,
29 April 2010, SCIENTIA organized the first Brown Bag Luncheon for UNU
in Bonn. Prof.
Osterwalder, Rector of UNU, took the opportunity of his stay in Bonn to
attend
the launching of the Brown Bag Luncheon Series and expressed his
appreciation
and support for the effort. Particularly in times of information
overflow it
becomes increasingly important to select relevant information, he
pointed out.
That is why many “web 2.0”
tools
can be useful for acquiring and processing up-to-date, relevant
information. |Read more
