4 Higher Education Spaces and Protracted Displacement …
49
4.2.3 Learner-Centered Pedagogies and Human-Centered
Design in Support of SDG 4 and EFA
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United
Nations to expand upon the Millennium Development Goals which concluded that
same year. SDG 4 focuses on education and reads, “Ensure inclusive and quality
education for all and promote lifelong learning.” This SDG redefines and shifts the
approach to education set out in the previous MDG on education: learning is now
considered a lifelong process, and is not limited to primary education. According to
the most recent UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Education for All (EFA) in
2014, great progress was made in recent years towards reaching the targets laid out
in the MDGs, particularly for universal primary education. Progress towards targets
in secondary education access was also made. Yet in areas of conflict, the number of
out-of-school children has increased (UNESCO 2015).
Humanitarian education programs have typically focused on children, particularly
those enrolled in primary education, as educational programming in humanitarian
contexts is decidedly reliant and linked to international policies (Zeus 2011). Yet,
with the new shift towards lifelong learning embedded in SDG 4, humanitarian
education programs will need to be more holistic, broadening their approach to youth
and higher education. International humanitarian and development policies play an
instrumental role in determining education programming on the ground in conflict
and crisis settings, setting the stage for institutions of higher learning to engage as
humanitarian actors.
The global targets laid out in the SDGs refer to a broad mandate of deliverables by
the year 2030. Among these, specific mention is given to tertiary education; increasing the number of youth and adults with skills for employment and entrepreneurship; educating children and youth in vulnerable situations; and promoting peace
and appreciation of diversity. These targets, while ambitious, will require innovative
solutions and changes to current educational programming in emergency contexts.
More importantly, the learners in these communities should be active contributors to
the design and implementation of such programs. Human-centered design will thus
emerge as a critical aspect of this process, which can be further promoted through
learner-centered pedagogies that have been an integral part of the InZone approach
and which prepare refugee learners for lifelong learning journeys.
In designing and producing OERs with other HEiE actors in the North and the
South, InZone has taken its lead from refugee learners themselves, engaging them in
the design process and supporting bottom-up innovation. Evidence from the implementation of OER-driven courses informs the creation of new resources, particularly
with respect to how to design “the last mile” to optimally support learning outcomes.
Higher Education programming for fragile contexts should be field-proofed and codesigned by learners before it aspires to scale. To meet the objectives of SDG 4 and
EFA, we must listen to beneficiaries. By engaging them in the design of both content
and delivery, we will foster communication across languages and cultures in the field,
ensure that learning materials are contextualized and access to learning is guaranteed,
49
4.2.3 Learner-Centered Pedagogies and Human-Centered
Design in Support of SDG 4 and EFA
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United
Nations to expand upon the Millennium Development Goals which concluded that
same year. SDG 4 focuses on education and reads, “Ensure inclusive and quality
education for all and promote lifelong learning.” This SDG redefines and shifts the
approach to education set out in the previous MDG on education: learning is now
considered a lifelong process, and is not limited to primary education. According to
the most recent UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Education for All (EFA) in
2014, great progress was made in recent years towards reaching the targets laid out
in the MDGs, particularly for universal primary education. Progress towards targets
in secondary education access was also made. Yet in areas of conflict, the number of
out-of-school children has increased (UNESCO 2015).
Humanitarian education programs have typically focused on children, particularly
those enrolled in primary education, as educational programming in humanitarian
contexts is decidedly reliant and linked to international policies (Zeus 2011). Yet,
with the new shift towards lifelong learning embedded in SDG 4, humanitarian
education programs will need to be more holistic, broadening their approach to youth
and higher education. International humanitarian and development policies play an
instrumental role in determining education programming on the ground in conflict
and crisis settings, setting the stage for institutions of higher learning to engage as
humanitarian actors.
The global targets laid out in the SDGs refer to a broad mandate of deliverables by
the year 2030. Among these, specific mention is given to tertiary education; increasing the number of youth and adults with skills for employment and entrepreneurship; educating children and youth in vulnerable situations; and promoting peace
and appreciation of diversity. These targets, while ambitious, will require innovative
solutions and changes to current educational programming in emergency contexts.
More importantly, the learners in these communities should be active contributors to
the design and implementation of such programs. Human-centered design will thus
emerge as a critical aspect of this process, which can be further promoted through
learner-centered pedagogies that have been an integral part of the InZone approach
and which prepare refugee learners for lifelong learning journeys.
In designing and producing OERs with other HEiE actors in the North and the
South, InZone has taken its lead from refugee learners themselves, engaging them in
the design process and supporting bottom-up innovation. Evidence from the implementation of OER-driven courses informs the creation of new resources, particularly
with respect to how to design “the last mile” to optimally support learning outcomes.
Higher Education programming for fragile contexts should be field-proofed and codesigned by learners before it aspires to scale. To meet the objectives of SDG 4 and
EFA, we must listen to beneficiaries. By engaging them in the design of both content
and delivery, we will foster communication across languages and cultures in the field,
ensure that learning materials are contextualized and access to learning is guaranteed,