Workshop ‘Implementation competence-oriented distance teaching’ in Benin

Within the scope of an international teaching project, CELSTEC and the Faculty of Natural Sciences organized a workshop on the ‘Implementation of competence-oriented distance teaching’ from 11-16 May 2009, in Benin. Teachers of the University of Parakou and the University of Abomey-Calavi participated in this workshop.

A team of three experts prepared the workshop in The Netherlands:
Ir. Angelique Lansu (School of Science), dr. Daisy Tysmans (School of Science) and dr. Jo Boon (CELSTEC). For execution of the workshop the latter two travelled to Benin, at the south coast of West-Africa.

Goal of the workshop
The motivated participants currently organize contact education in two sectors, namely water and agriculture. During the workshop the implementation process of distance teaching was analyzed and the participants were trained in setting up a competence-oriented curriculum. As they are mainly experienced in contact education, the teachers especially focused on training competences in a distance education situation.

Course material
As the universities are planning to start distance education at the end of this year, the teachers looked into the existing studies currently used during contact education (monographies). These studies are often very good as the content is concerned, but they sometimes do not take the environment of the students into consideration and they lack the aspect of the ‘associated coaching’. Additionally you cannot assume, like we do in The Netherlands and Belgium, that all students have the same foreknowledge. Moreover the use of technology in distance education is still beyond reach; in Benin electricity is not always and everywhere available, not to mention internet. 

Therefore the quality of written material is of utmost importance. The structuring of course material, the use of appealing examples and the presentation of feedback are very important. The teachers focused on these aspects.