The Virtual Forum of the Puente in the Caribbean Program

January 19-20, 2011

Julie Nurse, Department of Social Development and Employment

Evolution of Virtual Learning in Puente in the Caribbean

2007: OAS Web PageEarly stages of programLimited participationSecurity concerns

2009: World BankDifficulties with BandwidthScheduling live sessionsLanguage barriers

2010: Education Portal Permanent restricted spaceSimple interfaceAsynchronic interactionMultiple tools and facilities

An effort to facilitate ongoing learning and sharing of experiences

PUENTE Program Communication SettingSTRENGHTS• Program participants have already established face to face contact.• There is rapport between participants and their respective tutors.• Respect and trust has already been established.•There are shared goals within the community

WEAKNESSES• Cultural and linguistic communication barriers.• Participants involvement in the program is not a top priority in their daily activities.

CHALLENGES• Implement an adapted version of the PUENTE Program in the Caribbean.• Create a communication strategy that is action oriented towards program implementation.•Create a communication strategy that adds value rather than create overload.• Create sense of ownership among stakeholders.•Overcome the technical/infrastructural limitations

Virtual Support System to Implement PUENTE - Concepts

PUENTE Participant

Project Mentoring

Social Network

On-line Guidance

ReinforcingKnowledge

Expanding Knowledge

Virtual Support System to Implement PUENTE – Tools

PUENTE Participant

Work Plan Feedback

CAFÉ Social Gathering

On-line Guidance

Supporting Documents

New Issues/ Analysis

Setting Goals

Learning Goals

Project Implementation

Goals

Social Interaction Goals

Examples:• Participants will be able to

complete the exploratory phase of the project .

• Participants will gain a better understanding of more nuance issues (such as gender) in the implementation of PUENTE in the Caribbean.

• The country teams will begin to problem solve and strategize together more often.

The success of this virtual community can be determined by examining three types of goals:

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Administration of Virtual Support System

Phase Goals Activity Timeframe

Phase I: Induction

FamiliarizationTraining-Tutorials

February 5 –March 31, 2010

Expectations

Motivation

Purpose-Use-Input

Rewards-Recognition

Participant Bios

Training Workshops and Mobilization

Phase II: Usage

Project Implementation

Feedback on Country Work Plans

April 1 – December 30, 2010

Discussion

Summaries

Learning Sessions

Design Activity

Discussion

Updating supporting documents

Social InteractionDesign conversation starters

Monitor Café Forum

Phase III: Consolidation

Capacity building in social protection strategies

Selection and registration of participants Jan.1 - April. 30, 2011

Online course

Monitoring Capabilities

Results to DateThe Puente Virtual Forum

Forum Launched on February 24, 2010Introductory training 4 countries,

48-60 participants

Registered Participants 31Countries involved 8Online Discussions 6Average duration of Discussion in days 8-10Average number of posts/contributions 9-12Maximum number of posts/contributions 22

Puente Virtual Forum

http://www.educoas.org/RestrictedSites/admin.aspx?culture=en

Challenges • Variable access to Internet • Changing the perception of the internet : a tool

that can promote productivity!• Language differences• Balancing program’s schedule with online

discussions• Balancing regular work activities with online

schedules• Promoting and maintaining commitment and

participation

Lessons• The need for flexibility: topics, duration, membership• The forum serves as a community space which permits

continuous contact and interaction, however there is need to explore mechanisms to facilitate regular interaction and maintain the community spirit without creating overload.

• The importance of continuous or follow-up training on virtual tools

• Services on the Forum represent another item on the program’s menu; countries select what is needed from the menu.

Online Course: Areas of Interest by Country

St. Kitts &Nevis

• Self: the use of self; teaching social workers how to make effective use of self and avoid feeling completely drained as a result of their daily activities

• Avoiding a situation of dependency between clients and social workers

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

• Mediation: conflict resolution and negotiation. Also related to gender violence

• Processes involved in setting up institutional support for families.

• Changing the mindset of families and social workers: from dependency to empowerment

• Intervention in crisis: grief counseling

Barbados

• Cultural issues: obstacles in effecting the proposed changes; the institutional re-engineering required for implementation of a program of this nature

• Monitoring & evaluation: targeting and impact assessment• Addressing issues of duplication, fragmentation and

territorialism; sharing information among agencies, departments etc

Suriname

• Cultural aspects of program implementation: dealing with the different ethnic groups and their specific practices

• Addressing the various aspects and meanings of poverty : housing, education, unemployment. etc

• Developing skills for effective data analysis• Developing relevant indicators for identifying families

The Way Forward

• How can we maximize the use of the Forum and the tools that it offers?

• How can we promote increased participation?• What other activities and functions should be

incorporated?• How can the lessons of the Puente Virtual Forum be

used in promoting Virtual Learning in the IASPN?

Thank You!