Overview
Working on behalf of Digital Learning Associates with partners including British Council, Save the Children, UNHCR and UNICEF, I was tasked with managing the production of 4 years of primary level learning materials for Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazaar. The project required research trips to Cox’s Bazaar, the delivery of workshops with writing teams in Dhaka, remote management of a team of 15 writers and ultimately the delivery of the final course books, exercise books, syllabus and course materials as well as the creation of a teacher training course to be run in the camps for refugee teachers in parallel to the delivery of the course.
Research & Workshopping
The project began with a trip to Bangladesh, visiting the camps in Cox's Bazaar to understand the context in which the learning materials would be deployed, before returning to Dhaka to conduct a series of curriculum development and training workshops.
The learning design required consideration of a number of unique contextual elements because of the camp context. I was responsible for carrying out interviews with community leaders and teachers in the camp, liaising with stakeholders and leading a week of workshops in Dhaka the content writers.
Curriculum Development/Edit Management/Teacher Training
I oversaw the design of curriculum content and structure as well as making key design decisions in the development of the course. The process required complex workflows and coordination between content writer, editors, illustrators and stakeholders.
For the learning materials to be effective, it was crucial that the materials reflected the lives of the primary-age learners in the camps. This required research into camp life and an understanding of how stories and activities in the course could reflect and be integrated into the students' lives.
Most importantly, the materials needed to be deliverable by untrained volunteer teachers working in the camps. This required the development of teacher training manuals, as well as teacher guides for each of the course books. I was responsible for developing all teacher training elements and wrote a number of teacher training sessions to be delivered by facilitators on the ground.
Outcomes
The project ended with the successful delivery of 4 years of primary level learning materials for children living in Cox's Bazaar. The course was delievered for print periodically over 24 months.
The course included storybooks, student books, teacher books, teacher training courses, flashcards, games and homework activities.
Personal Achievements
This was the first project of this scope I have managed. All elements were successfully delivered to a high standard within the timeframe.
Working with local experts and conducting rich qualitative research informed the delivery of materials which were specific to a context in which education faces several limitations.
Because of the lack of qualified teachers, I was responsible for creating a comprehensive teacher training element, further improving my instructional design and training skills.
