Benin: A look back at teacher training in the design of educational video clips

On July 24, 2023, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), the Agence des Systèmes d’Information et du Numérique du Bénin and the Institut National Supérieur des Techniques Industrielles (INSTI) de Lokossa of the National University of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (UNSTIM), co-organized the launch ceremony for the 4th series of training courses for teachers designing online courses, as part of the Africa Digital Campus Project. The ceremony took place at INSTI in Lokossa, Benin, in the presence of Mr Rogatien TOSSOU, Cabinet Director of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr Joachim GBENOU, Rector of UNSTIM, Mrs Clotilde Tognon GUIDI, Director of INSTI and Mr Fawaz TAIROU, Head of the AUF Benin National Office.

The Africa Digital Campus project, which aims to strengthen digital infrastructures and distance learning in Benin and Burkina Faso, has once again deployed one of its activities: training the trainers. In Benin, several activities have already been carried out, including three series of training courses on three skills: scripting an online course in Moodle, Assessment of learning in Moodle, and Tutoring in Moodle, for the benefit of 65 teachers.

The last two workshops, on designing educational video vignettes and learning how to use the Rapidmooc tool, took place over two weeks: first from July 24 to 28, 2023, and then from August 07 to 11, 2023. These workshops aimed to familiarise teachers with the Rapidmooc kit and reinforce their skills in designing educational video capsules. To this end, the mobilised expertise gave teachers the tools they needed to create educational videos to enrich Benin’s PEUPL platform with 65 interactive and attractive courses.

“The action aims to support the establishment’s pedagogical innovation approach so that the target teachers obtain the skills they need to manipulate and use the digital tools essential to quality distance learning“, says the UNSTIM rector. For the head of the AUF national office in Benin, the Rapidmooc tool offers a unique opportunity to improve teaching and make knowledge more accessible to many people, as well as to promote quality education everywhere and for everyone.

The authorities invited the beneficiary teachers to appropriate Rapidmooc for the project’s success. “In this way, you allow other teachers to benefit from the same skills. You’re among the pioneers of e-learning in Benin, and we’re counting on you to facilitate the deployment and scaling-up of what you’ve learned to make distance learning more widespread“, said the ASIN representative.

Ultimately, the workshop enabled 65 teachers to be trained and 47 teaching videos to be produced and recorded using the Rapidmooc tool.

The Africa Digital Campus project is financed by the European Union as part of the DIRECCT program, with funds delegated to the AFD.

The project involves several partners, including IRD, AUF, WACREN, INSTI, UV-BF and ASIN.

This article was first published on the DIRECCT website.