Guidelines for organizing training activities for the Generation Challenge Programme

Capacity building is an integral component of the Generation Challenge Program (GCP)s mission to develop tools to unlock crop genetic diversity for improving the staple foods of the worlds poor. The GCP seeks not only to provide training, but to provide quality training, so that we reach the most appropriate students, impart to them the most useful material in an engaging way, and keep track of our students to ensure that our training activities are having an impact in our target regions. These guidelines were pulled together from various respected sources 1 for training and workshop organization to help GCP members understand the various steps in designing and executing a successful training activity. With these guidelines, the GCP aims to create a coherent image of our capacity building activities and maintain a consistent quality of delivery. We also want to build up a base of GCP-trained scientists who enjoyed their training experience, learned from it, and are using that knowledge in their home organizations. In providing these guidelines, the GCP also offers to help in the organization of your activity. We are aware that unexpected events or situations always arise, and we look forward to receiving your feedback on what went well and what went wrong to further shape these guidelines and help improve future training sessions. Steps of workshop organization 1) Planning and preparation (when to hold the workshop?, putting together the planner for meeting deadlines in the preparation of the workshop) 2) Implementation and monitoring 3) Reporting 4) Providing feedback 5) Assessing Impact Please keep in mind that there are several items for which you must seek GCP approval before an activity can be officially sponsored by the GCP: Objectives of the workshop Curriculum design and program agenda How you will select participants Identification of resource people Training materials Organizers must also show that the workshop will incorporate: Quality control of delivery aspects Participatory evaluation and assessment

Other important items that the organizer should consider Provision of information to participants and resource persons (before, during, and following the training session) Logistical aspects of course preparation and implementation: o Travel arrangements and transportation, including visa application o Accommodation o Meals and breaks o Social events o Training rooms and infrastructure available
1

Training in agroforestry: A toolkit for trainers, World Agroforestry Center, May 2003; Guidelines for organizing short courses and training workshops" IPGRI,1998 and 2004

o Per diem (Daily Subsistence Allowance) o Equipment, materials and supplies o Insurance o Name badges o Certificates (Template provided upon request) Narrative and financial reporting

Defining the workshop objectives The definition of objectives should include information on the topics to be covered, relationship with GCP goals, target group, and expectations. Additionally, consideration may be given to the choice of venue, duration of the course or workshop, provisional dates of implementation, and choice of host institution (if different from organizer). Participant identification and selection An assessment of the adequate number of participants needs to be completed during the initial planning stages, as this will influence the quality of delivery as well as other arrangements. The final group of participants will be smaller than the target audience. Therefore, care should be taken to select the best possible group of participants based on specific course requirements and criteria: 1. Candidate participant institutions will be identified through consultation with Consortium Members as well as an SP5 support group. 2. Selection procedures will include three elements: a cover letter, the application form (see Appendix 1) and a letter from the home institution authorizing the participation of the applicant. 3. Selection should be done on the basis of prior experience, current projects and pledges from home institutions regarding sustainable support for those individuals to continue research and application in its own country in the future . It is expected that participants will themselves contribute substantially (through their own experience) to the learning of the entire group. 4. The selection panel, who will determine the participants based on their applications, should include one or two people recommended by the SP5L. 5. A shortlist of potential candidates should be prepared after assessment of applications received (a template for ranking applications is provided). The selection panel should take into consideration a number of additional factors: the ratio of women to men; the presence and balance of priority groups, countries or regions; the ratio of participants to resource persons; breadth of experiences among participants. 6. Selected participants should be informed that they may be required to give a brief presentation at the beginning of the course providing an overview of their research and experience. 7. A few additional good applicants should be set aside in case selected candidates drop out for one reason or another as the start date approaches. Application form Information about prospective course participants should be obtained using the standardized form (Appendix 1). The form solicits information about an applicants bio-data, employing institution, contact addresses, languages, education, past and present professional experience, and publications produced. The form is also used to gauge the interest and justification of an applicant to attend, as well as list her/his expectations prior to attending the event.

In addition to playing an important role as a stakeholder in the whole training process, employer institutions need to have a say in who may best represent the institution for a specific training event. Each institution needs to authorize the participation of its candidates and make sure that the training will ultimately benefit the institution as well as the individual. Curriculum design and program agenda Organizers should agree first with GCP Management (SP5 and other concerned SPs) on the course curriculum and agenda, and then should get input and agreement from the resource persons selected. In developing the agenda, the organizer should make sure, first and foremost, it covers all of the curricula for the course, and should also try to create a balance of different types of activities to keep the participants engaged. Note that, days or weeks of 8-hour theoretical sessions in a classroom setting can actually be detrimental to the learning process. In addition to the agenda, the organizers need to provide a short announcement of the course for the GCP web site. Make sure that it includes the purpose of the activity, as well as the course title, venue, dates, programme, resource persons, participant profile, activities, conditions of participation, and details for someone to contact for more information. Identification of resource persons When developing the course curriculum, aims, and objectives, training resource persons should be identified. The GCP aims to attract the best possible resource people on any particular subject, but we must also remain flexible should peoples schedules conflict. Resource persons may have different origins: They may come from within the organizing institution (since this is one of the main comparative advantages in implementing a specific training event). They may be subject-matter specialists at other institutions, national or international. They may be former trainees who have attended a similar training event. They may be GCP members within the same or similar specialty who are willing to contribute to training activities (SP5 has some lists of resource people).

It is good to keep in mind that the course participants themselves can contribute as resource people in certain areas. Resource persons should be provided with the following information to effectively contribute to the training activity: Curriculum aims and objectives of the training event: How does their specific subject fit into the overall programme of the event? How does it link to others? Are there risks of overlap, repetition, or contradiction? The nature of the participants: What is their level of education and present knowledge about the subject? What other useful knowledge is available about them that may affect how the subject is taught (origin, gender, work experience, expectations, etc.)? Practical implications of their involvement in the training event: venue, time, travel, available training infrastructure, etc. Support/ assistance: How much and what kind of support can they get from the course organizers? Training materials The GCP is developing and compiling basic training materials to tackle the main issues embedded in the different subprogrammes. These materials will be made available through the GCP website and may be copied to distribute in training events. In addition, it is likely that resource persons will have other training support materials that can be also distributed and should be made

available to the GCP after the workshop . These materials may also be used to update those available through the GCP website. Timing is of crucial importance and course organizers must make sure that all materials will be ready and available before the training starts. All too often, this aspect of the planning process tends to be neglected, leaving course participants with a number of last-minute handouts or no materials at all. If resource people know that a part of their materials needs particular attention prior to the session, participants should be advised accordingly well in advance. Monitoring Once the training event has started, course resource persons will take a leading role in its implementation. However, the organizers should continue to carefully monitor the event and take corrective measures where and when needed. Constant interaction with participants will allow the organizers to detect problems and modify the program accordingly. Participants and resource persons should feel free to provide feedback at all times. The participants may be able to identify a representative to express the feelings of the group. A flipchart and pens at the entrance of the main training room can also allow anybody to express feelings of satisfaction or disappointment at any stage. Care must be taken to address the issues raised, even if some of these matters are beyond the control of the course organizers. Participatory evaluation and assessment (See Appendix 2) Training evaluation is a systematic process of collecting information for and about a training activity, which can then be used for guiding decision making and for assessing the relevance and effectiveness of various training components. This involves both content and logistics aspects and thus must be discussed well in advance by the coordinators and resource people. Evaluation should take place at the end of the course, in addition to any ongoing evaluation that the organizers/presenters may elicit throughout the training session. If deemed necessary by the organizers, individual sessions can be evaluated during the event . Such detailed evaluation can address very specific issues that would otherwise get lost in more general evaluation tools. Assessment of impact is a particular type of evaluation that aims to determine whether and to what extent a programme causes changes in the desired direction. As part of the overall evaluation process, we need to specifically find out if and what the learners are actually learning as a result of the training. While this process is time-consuming and complex, impact assessment is increasingly being considered and requested by those concerned with training to justify the human and logistic investment . Impact assessment must consider both the individual and the employing institution . At the GCP, we will keep copies of the application forms and will use specially designed questionnaires to send to course alumni after a selected period of time (6, 9, or 12 months). This will show us whether the training has been effective and how we might make adjustments for future trainings. In addition to the questionnaires, further assessment of impact will be done by visiting ex-trainees at their workplace whenever possible. Reporting Present a workshop report in a timely manner to the SP5L, all workshop participants, and resource people (see Appendix 3). In some cases, it will also be necessary to provide more detail on the content of the activity. This can be done by adding more technical content to the course report including topic abstracts or full length papers on the presentations or discussion sessions.

Feedback Where needed, and at the discretion of the course organizers, feedback about specific performance can be provided to individuals so that they can improve their participation in future events. This should be done in a positive and constructive manner. Feedback on these guidelines is most welcome. Please email Carmen De Vicente (c.devicente@cgiar.org), SP5L, with questions or comments.

Appendix 1 Generation Challenge Programme Training Course on <Title>

<dates> Application Form DEADLINE : <date> Please complete in full, in English. Type or write clearly. Applicant

Name in full (family name in CAPITAL LETTERS)

Sex (Male/Female) Majored in (related to agricultural sciences) Date of birth (dd/mm/yy) Nationality Home institute Higher degree(s) (at least MSc) Area of study (e.g. Plant breeding) Title (Dr, Mr, Ms, etc.)

Institute name
Address Applicants current position Telephone Fax Address for correspondence, if different from above Email

Telephone I) Experience

Fax

Email

Describe past and present professional experience

II) Publications Three most relevant publications to the course/workshop content

III) Expectations What are your expectations from this activity?

How do you expect this training will impact in your ongoing research project?

How will you apply the capacity you obtain in the activity to benefit your home country or other developing country?

IV) Ongoing GCP Projects Are you currently collaborating in an ongoing GCP project? (Click on the corresponding gray box) YES NO

If applicable, Title of ongoing GCP research project: If applicable, Principal Investigator of ongoing GCP research project: If applicable, How are you collaborating in this project(s)?

V) Two referees (from an institute other than the organizer institute; at least one must be from the applicant's home country) 1. Name Institute Address

Telephone
2. Name Institute Address Telephone

Fax

Email

Fax

Email

In addition to this form you should also submit: Covering letter Letter from the home institution authorizing the applicants participation Please submit this application by email, fax, or mail to:

<Name of organizer>
<Address> <E-mail> <Tel:> <Fax:>

Appendix 2
Generation Challenge Programme TRAINING COURSE EVALUATION FORM <Organizers (institute name in full + acronyms)> <Title Training Activity> <Venue, Date> Please complete in full. Type or write clearly. Your feedback is an invaluable aid to helping us understand the strengths and weaknesses of the meeting programme and of the arrangements made on behalf of the participants. Please mark the evaluation score for each criterion listed, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Please include any brief comments pertaining to a specific question to the right of the score listing. Thank you for your comments. Criterion 1. Score

How well did the course meet its 5 4 3 2 1 objectives? Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

2. Balance between different topics 5 4 3 2 1 Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 3. Balance between theory/lectures and 5 4 3 2 1 practical work Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 4. Amount of new information provided 5 4 3 2 1 (5 would indicate a lot of new info, whereas 1 would indicate very little new info.) Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

5.

Overall length of course/time allocated 5 4 3 2 1 to each part of the course Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

6.

Suitability of teaching methods used 5 4 3 2 1 for the subject (e.g. lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, field work, discussions, etc.) Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 7. Quantity and quality of equipment 5 4 3 2 1 available to participant Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 8. Quality of presentations by instructors 5 4 3 2 1 Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 9. 5 4 3 (Satisfactory) (Too many) (Too few) Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 10. Instructor/trainee interactions 5 4 3 2 1 Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 11. Interactions with other participants 5 4 3 2 1 Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 12. Relevance of course content to 5 4 3 2 1 your work Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 13. Degree of interest generated by 5 4 3 2 1 the course Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 14. Overall effectiveness of the course 5 4 3 2 1 Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Number of participants

15.

Quality and quantity of information 5 4 3 2 1 received prior to training course Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 16. Course organization (travel, arrival, 5 4 3 2 1 accommodation, financial arrangements, etc.) Comments________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 17. Please list the strengths of the course: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______

18.Please list the activities that you enjoyed least/found least useful: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______ 19.Please suggest ways of improving the organization of programme of future training courses (e.g. new activities to include). ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______

20.

Evaluation of the organizers: Name (in full) of organizer No. 1: _____________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Name (in full) of organizer No. 1: _____________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Name (in full) of organizer No. 1: _____________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ 21. Evaluation of the Resource People Name (in full) ____________________________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Name (in full) ____________________________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Name (in full) ____________________________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________

Name (in full) ____________________________________________________ 5 4 3 2 1

Comments___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ 22. Please include any additional comments here ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______

Appendix 3

WORKSHOP REPORT FORM

Title of the Workshop: Venue: Dates: Organizer(s): OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP
(Describe the objectives of the workshop, and in your opinion, how well they were met)

SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
(Describe: 1) the method of selection and how effective advantages, constraints- it was for choosing suitable candidates, 2) how well the participants fulfilled your expectations as organizer)

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE + CONTENT

(A description of how the workshop was conducted, e.g. discussions, presentations, use of facilitator(s), trainers, resource people, learning materials used and an overall revision of the activities)

EVALUATION
(Summary of participants evaluation and your own as organizer)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS (Acknowledgements, your own judgment of the activity, etc.)

APPENDICES Agenda List of participants with contact information Original evaluation forms filled by participants Alumnus forms

List of resource people

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