Video testimonials: sportanddev Hybrid MOOC

Responding to this demand, sportanddev and the Commonwealth Secretariat partnered with the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) to develop and deliver the first hybrid MOOC. 

Great interest was expressed across Africa, with over 75 registrations. 42 senior government officials from 17 countries were selected for the hybrid MOOC. This included dedicated online workshops facilitated by experts, on top of content and activities in the regular 8-week course.  

An in-person workshop at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa took place from 18-20 June 2024. 21 officials from 12 African countries met to network, share learnings and further build their capacity to maximise sport for development in their countries. Experts from sportanddev, the Commonwealth, AUSC, and Numbers and People Synergy delivered the workshop.

Government officials share their views on the Hybrid MOOC, hosted by sportanddev, The Commonwealth and partners in Addis Ababa in 2024. Watch on YouTube

This hybrid MOOC is the first of its kind and officials will remain connected as they return to their countries to put the learnings into practice. The findings from this pilot will be presented at the 11th Commonwealth Sport Ministers’ Meeting (CSMM) ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

Demand has been expressed from other regions, and the partners will roll the hybrid MOOC out to other regions (resources dependent) and welcome the support of other stakeholders. In the meantime, anyone can sign up for the regular MOOC which remains open access. 

Background 

The course is open access and free of charge and is designed to build capacity for individuals and organisations using sport for sustainable development in their policies and programmes.  

The course is developed and managed by the International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev), the Australian Government and Commonwealth Secretariat to maximise the contribution sport can make to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities. 

For further information on the MOOC and/or the hybrid version you can contact: 
- The Commonwealth Secretariat: [email protected] 
- sportanddev: Dr Ben Sanders (Course Director): [email protected]  
- The African Union Sport Council: Dr Decius Chipande: [email protected]  

Acknowledgements 

We would like to acknowledge all those who contributed to and participated in the hybrid MOOC, including the following experts: Professor Marion Keim; Professor Christo de Coning; Dr Davies Banda; Dr Bella Bitugu; Professor Oscar Mwaanga; Dr Janneth Mghamba; Dr Terri-Ann Gilbert-Roberts; Dr Decius Chipande; Dr Ben Sanders; Mr Layne Robinson; Ms Karina Gosalia; Ms Babao-Sadgrove and Ms Gemma Wood.