GDLN Asia Pacific Program Related News

Japan supports innovative training program for Vietnamese nurses

2012-03-21T08:15:26+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

An innovative training-of- trainers (TOT) program to support nurse education in Vietnam has been developed by Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) in collaboration with AHP Network, and Vietnam Development Information Center (VDIC).

The program aims to improve the nurse education and training system; thus, to enhance the capacity of the overall healthcare workforce in Vietnam. While nurse education in medical universities and colleges has provided training on fundamental knowledge and skills in key clinical specializations; yet, there are subjects merely addressed as partial topics of a subject, rather than complete separate subjects. This has caused a lack of specific and practical knowledge and skills as required among nursing teachers in delivering lessons to students and among nurses in providing daily treatment to patients. The fields that were identified to be covered under this training course have included; Mental Health, Elderly Care and Home-based Nursing.

Approach

The first course in the series, Introduction to Psychiatric and Mental Nursing TOT, was organized as a pilot course from October to December 2011 in collaboration with AHP Network, VDIC, Satsukidai Hospital and Chiba University. The course contents were developed by experts from Chiba University and Satsukidai Hospital in Japan with close consultation with Vietnamese collaborators. It is a two month course consisting of 10 modules. Participants from Hanoi and Danag took part in 10 self-study recorded video lectures, 3 video-conference sessions with Japanese professors and practitioners and 3 workshops facilitated by Vietnamese facilitators. They also participated in communications, discussion and sharing via the MOODLE platform (an online learning management system).

The pilot course covered not only topic theory (i.e. the overall process from assessment to treatments in mental health) but also shared practical skills in which the role of nursing in patient care was clearly and distinguishably presented. Specifically, participants in both Hanoi and Danang learned a range of useful practical skills to deal with difficult situations. Some examples are: skills to involve patients in conversation so that they could feel ‘safe’, learning from observing the body language of patients while doing assessments and asking questions to obtain necessary information from a patient about their condition.

Course effectiveness

The course was delivered successfully and evaluated by participants as both effective and useful. Participants reported that they were satisfied with the new knowledge and skills that they learned from the professors, they also rated as high the interactions with the fellow students in the peer learning environment. Moreover, as a result of the course, students had at their disposal some ready and specific tools which could be quickly adopted when they returned to their work. The tools which were rated as the most useful included; stress management exercises for the nurses working in mental health, assessment tools with checklists and questionnaires and communication skills with patients and patient’s families.

After the training was complete, most participants expressed their appreciation for the course, their gratitude for gaining skills to help ease their patients’ painful and difficult experience in hospital and their motivation and eagerness to apply the new skills into their work as nurse trainers. One important outcome as part of the course was the production of activity plans which ranged from cascading materials and sharing knowledge with colleagues and students, continuing to learn about mental health topics, applying tools into daily practice, to raise awareness in the community on mental health and how to treat patients with respect. Some students also started designing creative rehabilitation plans for their patients which included physical exercises as well as art methods including singing and drawing.

Effective use of ICT

Another dimension to evaluate participants’ learning was the effective use of technology in the course’s design. Since most of the participants were accustomed to learning in large class room environments or by ‘on-the-job’ training methods, the use of Internet and Videoconference tools was unfamiliar and strange to them. To address this, the course was designed in a way that balanced self-learning and learning in group. Various diagrams and pictures were used in the interactive presentations; and all training contents were embedded into lecture videos. Importantly, each module was designed in a sequence so that participants would firstly read/study and review through reflective questions, and next join in online discussions and finally participate in workshops with the whole class.

During the training, participants took part mostly in synchronistic and group-based activities such as videoconferencing lectures and local workshops. Less engagement was in self-study, online sharing and communication activities - in other words: the activities that required ICT equipment at personal ends. Throughout the training, the support group held our breath and closely followed each step of the course’s progress. Help was extended to participants with a low Internet connection; audio clips of the lectures were extracted from videos and posted online so that the learners could download them to their mobile phone and follow the lectures using power-point slide files in their computer or in printed copies, without internet connection.

The TDLC plans to deliver the second delivery of Introduction to Psychiatric and Mental Nursing TOT in late summer, as well as to develop and deliver an Elderly Care TOT course in Fall 2012.

Spotlight on Disaster Risk Management

2012-02-13T05:49:20+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) and the World Bank’s East Asia & Pacific (EAP) Regional Unit jointly organized two major events on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) connecting media, policy makers, practitioners, and other partners by video conferencing system. The events, which utilized the outreach facilities of the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), marked the occasion of the visit to Japan by Pamela Cox, new Vice President for East Asia and Pacific region of the World Bank.

First up was a media briefing for the launch of a new World Bank report titled “Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management for the 21st Century”. Abhas Jha, the lead author of the book, emphasized the need to design systems that recognize the complex and uncertain nature of flood risk management and its impacts. With rapid development of large cities in developing countries, the book provides operational guidance on how to manage the risk of floods in the face of urbanization, growing populations and long-term climate change trends. (See Press Release from The World Bank)

Following the briefing, there was a public seminar titled “Mainstreaming Resilience in a Complex, Networked World”. The seminar attracted over 150 participants from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, the Philippines and Japan from WB offices and GDLN centers, and was viewable via web streaming. Key addresses were given by Pamela Cox and Masahisa Fujita, President of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, on the importance of mainstreaming resilience in global production & logistics networks. The ensuing panel discussion was facilitated by speakers from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), ASEAN Secretariat (from Jakarta), SEEDS Asia (from Kobe) and The World Bank Institute (WBI).

This seminar is the fourth session of the 2011 DRM distance learning series. The series has been implemented since 2009 and so far attracted over 1,200 practitioners in the region and beyond. At the seminar Abhas Jha spoke of his appreciation for TDLC/GDLN’s role “to enhance strong participation and a lively discussion from countries and to help highlight the vibrant EAP DRM network and the Bank’s strong partnership with the government of Japan”.

A recording of the seminar as well as the presentation materials are available on our Program page.

Global Water Forum

2012-01-30T01:29:14+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

The Global Water Forum, established in 2010 as an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), works with the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), to provide expertise in capacity building and knowledge transfer in water economics and governance, and to develop an understanding of the value of water and across different uses.

As part of this broader collaboration Tokyo Development Learning Center, The World Bank (TDLC) has provided its connectivity services for a series of video lectures to leading academics in the water sector at the Australian National University (ANU), which connected to water practitioners in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and India in November 2011.

The full schedule of lectures is as follows:

Seminar 1: Water: global-local and rural-urban issues
Prof. Quentin Grafton

Seminar 2: Risk and federal rivers
Dr. Daniel Connell

Seminar 3: Managing conflicts between climate, energy and water policies
Dr. Jamie Pittock

Seminar 4: Water governance: water reform and federal rivers
Dr. Daniel Connell

Seminar 5: Rivers, water, and climate change adaptation
Dr. Jamie Pittock

Seminar 6: Water models and markets
Prof. Quentin Grafton

With the exception of seminar 3 which was not recorded, the lectures can be accessed as follows.
Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) lecture series

For information on the Global Water Forum, access the Global Water Forum website.

Nine Asian countries joined Green Growth seminars

2011-11-30T01:39:27+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

Two Green Growth seminars were successfully organized by Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) with Korea Development Institute (KDI) School and Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Center (AFDC) in collaboration with the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) - connecting with Korea, China, Japan and other countries via video conference.

Expert speakers from Japan, China and Korea updated and shared knowledge about each country’s Green Growth policy formation and its implementation process to date. They also took part in a regional dialogue to further disseminate the concept of Green Growth and to analysis and discuss relevant issues within Asia and beyond.

The first seminar held on November 14 connected Japan, Korea (KDI and Global Green Growth Institute), China (Shanghai and Beijing), India, Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Indonesia (2 sites). The second seminar on November 25 connected Japan, Korea, China (Shanghai and Beijing), India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Indonesia (2 sites).

Over 200 participants participated at two sessions in total with additional viewers linked via live webcast. A lively Q&A sessions took place at each session.

“I gained a better understanding of how three leading countries are thinking on the Green Growth issue”, a participant commented after the session. Overall the participants’ comments indicated strong interest in this topic for future discussion.

A recording of the Green Growth seminars can be viewed here.

Post-ASEAN Summit Briefing

2011-11-24T05:32:54+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, conducted a briefing for ASEAN stakeholders on the key highlights, outcomes and follow-up actions from the 19th ASEAN Summit & Related Summits that took place in Bali, Indonesia on 17-19 November 2011.

Dr Surin briefed approximately 300 participants in the seven ASEAN capitals - Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Ha Noi - as well as four other major cities in Asia - Tokyo, Cambella, Beijing, and Soul using the Global Development Learning Network’s (GDLN) technology platform. ASEAN stakeholders included academics, business representatives, civil society organizations, diplomatic representatives, media and think tanks. An audience of 20 people participated at the Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) including an Ambassador from a Pacific Island country. The technological arrangements for the session such as the video conference bridging, webcasting and video archiving were also provided by TDLC.

A video-clip of the two-hour briefing and Q&A session is available on the TDLC’s streaming site.

Also, please visit ASEAN Secretariat’s official website for more details on ASEAN Summit & Related Summits briefing.

“Higher Ed Can Do MORE” message delivered to East Asia

2011-10-20T08:53:09+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

The Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) collaborated with the World Bank East Asia and Pacific regional external affairs team last week to launch a new regional flagship report of the World Bank, titled “Putting Higher Education to Work: Skills and Research for Growth in East Asia” on October 13, 2011.

The launch program included local and regional press conferences and a regional seminar with Jim Adams, Vice President of the World Bank East Asia Pacific Region and the two authors of the report attending from Tokyo. Key discussants were Kiyoshi Kodera (JICA), Annie Koh (Singapore Management University) and Ediberto de Jesus (Asian Institute of Management). The seminar was conducted via videoconferencing and brought together about 50 participants in Tokyo and close to 150 stakeholders in 7 connected sites in 6 countries.

The regional seminar was highly interesting in that the main findings and messages of the report were delivered in innovative ways, including through the use of an animated slideshow as an introduction to the subject matter, social media (Twitter/Facebook) to obtain real feedback from public audience and a summary video posted on Youtube. The media materials can be viewed from the official website of the report.

The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) has been providing an important platform for stakeholder consultations for the report since the drafting stage. Jim Adams, Vice President of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific region noted the role played by TDLC and GDLN Asia Pacific to deliver this important report to the stakeholders in the region with the World Bank team.

About the Report

Higher education is critical to maintaining economic growth in East Asian countries, according to this report. The report says that low- and middle-income countries in East Asia need to make their higher education systems more responsive to labor market demands and the economy as a whole to climb up the income ladder. For that, it suggests three priority areas where public policy can play a constructive role in improving the outcome of higher education through (1) more efficient and effective financing; (2) better management of public institutions; and (3) stewardship of the higher education system.

The full report, overview (short version), and press releases are available for free download.

The World Bank Tokyo Office Press release

Lively seminar on innovative Global 4 Dimensions Water Cycle Management System

2011-09-28T02:01:56+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

The World Bank East Asia and Pacific Region hosted the WBEAP/GDLN Global 4 Dimensions Water Cycle Management Seminar in collaboration with the Foundation for Riverfront Improvement and Restoration, WB TDLC and the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN). The seminar connected the capital cities of China, Indonesia, Madagascar, Vietnam, Laos and Japan, and three different venues from the Philippines via videoconference. Over 130 participants registered the seminar including academics, business representatives, international organizations, central and local government, ministries, civil society organizations, media and think tanks.

The seminar kicked off with a presentation by Dr. Kotaro Takemura, President, Foundation for Riverfront Improvement and Restoration. Dr. Takemura presented the innovative Global 4 Dimensions Water Cycle Management System, which originated in Japan and simulates past, present and future water cycle systems and visualizes the result with easy-to-understand graphics, by using the examples of Hokkaido, Kyusyu and Kanto area of Japan. Dr. Takemura went on to explain how this world renowned cutting-edge technology will be able to provide county-based information on water cycle management that will help policy makers when drawing up and executing strategic action plans.

Mr. Wataru Kawato, Information and Communication Technology System Department Intelligence and Information System Division, Defense System Company, Hitachi, Ltd., talked about the advanced use of ‘Cloud-based Information Sharing Infrastructure’. Specifically he explained the function and merits of GETFLOWS and GIS as well as the master plan of water cycles of respective countries, a draft of action plan, fundamental information sharing upon implementation of the action plan to policy makers, and the future development of cloud’s utilization.

A lively discussion session followed and many questions were raised. Here are some questions that came from the participants.

“The seminar was really interesting because the country has huge water resource issues”.

“It is quite significant to visualize surface and subsurface coupled fluid-flow and to learn interesting ways of thinking on water resource management through this project like forecasting and evaluating the Climate Change impact to the water cycle system”.

The seminar was recorded and is now available for viewing on the Global 4 Dimensions Water Cycle Management Seminar program page.

Understanding Science and Policy of Climate Change

2011-09-27T01:36:25+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

GDLN’s e-Initiative

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. It poses challenges to economic prosperity and human security for both present and future generations.

This course will be run again from April 11th to July 11th, 2012, register now to participate!

The blended learning program on ‘Science and Policy on Climate Change’ was developed to raise awareness and enhance understanding of the implications of climate change within the broad context of sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. The program was designed to enhance interactivity among participants and experts by blending video conference sessions with on-line discussion forums in a self-learning style web-based e-learning course.

It was delivered from April to June 2011 and proved to be highly popular, reaching full capacity numbers. Among registered participants, 156 participants from 21 countries went through intensive learning and 114 from 16 countries received course certificates (73% completion rate). The video conference sessions connected GDLN centers in six of participating countries (Bangladesh, India, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam).

The program was developed jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES) in collaboration with the Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC), the World Bank, and in association with Global Development Learning Network (GDLN).

It targeted graduate students, development practitioners, policy makers, business persons, and mid-level professionals as a means to build capacity in applying science into policy making, exploring the risks and opportunities for business, and formulating sound strategies for adaptation and mitigation. Importantly, the program encouraged participants to put the theories they had studied into practice and instilled the confidence needed to handle projects in this field.

Here are some comments by the course participants:

I am really amazed by the program. Its relevance and importance is unique in that it deals with the science and policy of climate change in a simple and thought provoking approach.
The whole program contents were very relevant and the training was a comprehensive package for a student to learn on climate change.

This program has been helpful for me to understand the basic about the modeling and how to analyze the policies and what are the policies that are there in climate change regime. This will help me to do my research work further especially when relating vulnerability context of farmers to climate change.

I work in a firm which deals with climate change, the SPCC program has been a good help for me to look into climate change from many point of views.

I will use knowledge gained through this program to set up a company working in environmental field in Vietnam.

I will take a master course on climate change in the US this year, the knowledge gained from this program is a good foundation for me.

As a climate change analyst, I will use the learning to deliver better services through my profession of research and policy contribution.

The course has provided me with a holistic view on the issue of climate change, which will lay a good foundation in my work related to mitigation programs.

The course has provided access to international documents on environment and water related to climate change which will be useful in policy making projects which I work on.

All these subjects provided by this course could enhance my knowledge on climate change issues and after graduate I could use this knowledge to support my work in the Center for International Cooperation, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia.

Successful delivery of 7th Microfinance Training of Trainers Course (MFTOT 7)

2011-09-01T06:36:57+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

Participants’ voice from 7th Microfinance Training of Trainers Course (MFTOT7)

“This is a very important course relevant not only for developing countries but for the whole world”, the lead tutor of the MFTOT course, Mr. Nanda Karunagoda said during his remarks at the beginning of the course. “Important” may be a subjective word, but if measured by the evaluation of the participants who undertook the course the 7th Microfinance Training of Trainers Course has proved to be highly successful and important. In addition, over 98% of participants said that they would not hesitate to recommend the course to their colleagues.

Approximately 300 participants took part in the course which ran between December 2010 and April 2011. As in previous years the course this year was highly rated by participants for quality (over 93%) and for learning effectiveness (over 90%).

Here are some comments by this year’s participants:

“It was the best banking course I have ever attended. So rewarding” – a participant from Nigeria
“Structure of the total learning process was very well organized and encouraging for the participants to follow. Tutor system with comments on each assignment was really helpful” – a participant from Japan
“The course is well organized and very much applicable in our working field” – a participant from Bangladesh
“The course is very relevant, well elaborated and covers all important aspects of microfinance” – a participant from Cameroon
“This is the best learning opportunity about the Microfinance Fields, I suggest to all my friends & colleagues to avail themselves of this chance as soon as possible in coming new session” – a participant from Pakistan
“The course is very useful for the people those who are in the Micro Credit sector. The course is very relevant for them” – a participant from Bangladesh
“This is a practical approach to MF Training. It helped me in my certification exam” – a participant from Nigeria

Growing a global community of microfinance trainers

MFTOT is a unique course that aims to enhance the knowledge of microfinance practitioners so that they may help to strengthen the institutional capacity of microfinance service providers in Asia Pacific and Africa. This year the 7th delivery of the course was scaled up to more than 50 countries and growing numbers from African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. 236 course participants received completion certificates by submitting at least 9 assignments. A further 185 participants received accreditation to become certified trainers of the UNCDF MFDL course. The success rate of those who registered to take the final exam was very high at 89%.

The newly certified trainers join the community of MFTOT trainers which has grown to a total of 694 in 51 countries to date. These certified trainers are expected to take a lead in their communities and some have already proven to be valuable assets for rural finance development and poverty reduction in their countries. They are microfinance practitioners in central banks, commercial banks and MFIs. About 10% of certified trainers are from developed countries (Australia, Japan, France, US, etc.) that can help the development of microfinance from the donor’s side.

Enhanced e-Learning via a Blended Learning approach

The high performance of the participants of the MFTOT training course is testimony to the effectiveness and benefit of e-Learning (online learning). E-learning is flexible (anytime anywhere) and highly accessible. In the case of MFTOT, a ‘blended approach’ to e-Learning was utilized effectively combining elements such as video conferencing, CD-ROMs and web-based discussion lead by tutors. Adult learners can easily integrate work and study and communicate with international experts, tutors, and fellow participants without leaving their home or office.

The next delivery of the Microfinance training course will be from December 2011.

MFTOT is sponsored by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC).

Post ASEAN Ministerial Meeting briefing

2011-07-25T02:30:34+00:00

story from Tokyo Development Learning Center

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, conducted a briefing for ASEAN stakeholders on the highlights, outcomes and follow-up actions from the 44th ASEAN Ministerial meeting and related meetings that took place in Bali, Indonesia on 16-23 July 2011.

Dr Surin briefed approximately 150 participants in the six ASEAN capitals - Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Ha Noi- using the Global Development Learning Network’s (GDLN) technology platform. ASEAN stakeholders included academics, business representatives, civil society organizations, diplomatic representatives, media and think tanks. TDLC supported this briefing session by providing the technological arrangements such as videoconferencing bridging, webcasting and video archiving.

Please visit ASEAN website for more details on ASEAN Ministerial meeting briefing.