Just got back from a two day workshop on e-learning organized by the UNU in Bonn. It was a wonderful opportunity to brainstorm on the future direction for e-learning within and beyond the UNU system.

The workshop was facilitated by Nancy White from Full Circle Associates. She did a brilliant job of breaking the ice and getting people to work closely together over the two days.

We worked on a definition of e-learning and came to the conclusion that we were really talking about “e-stuff” – online ways of communicating, collaborating and learning. One recommendation was that we create an e-stuff manifesto for the UNU.

This was followed by the World Cafe, where we split into groups and each presenter was given five minutes to introduce their e-learning project.

At the end of day one, we highlighted the strengths and gaps facing the UNU in this area. We came to the conclusion that the UNU currently lacks both focus and the resources needed to effectively pursue e-learning.

Day two began with a recap, followed a chat show style discussion about how to use e-learning in Africa.

Finally, we reviewed the new UNU strategic plan and voted (using dotmocracy) on the ways in which e-learning could support the UNU’s strategic goals. A full report will be accessible online soon!