In-person ICANN meetings and workshops may be on hold in light of COVID-19-related travel restrictions, but we are continuing to develop self-paced online learning opportunities hosted on ICANN Learn. Capacity development is a significant way to enhance engagement with the important policy development work that takes place in the ICANN community, and ICANN Learn is a particularly effective platform for this during a time when fact-to-face training is not possible.
Below are high-level guidelines that we hope will help the community determine when and how to make requests for the development of online courses for the ICANN Learn e-learning platform. Each request that complies with these guidelines will be considered alongside existing workflows, timelines, and overall objectives for ICANN Learn.
What content belongs on ICANN Learn?
ICANN Learn is an online learning platform that hosts training content. Each ICANN Learn course has clear objectives and specific learning outcomes. A learning outcome is a statement that describes the knowledge or skills the learner will gain as a result of taking the course.
General information sharing, that is, content that is not intended to train or deliver learning outcomes, is better delivered through other channels such as websites, meeting sessions, webinars, or blogs. Guidance to decide how information should best be presented can be provided by community group support teams.
What is the format of content on ICANN Learn?
Constructing online learning involves teaching methods that consider both the benefits and limitations of self-paced independent learning. Incorporating mobile-friendly interactivity encourages learners to focus on the training content. Employing assessments ensures learners can self-evaluate whether they are understanding the key points and ensures constructive alignment so that learning outcomes are met.
ICANN Learn courses must be accessible to the broadest practical number of learners by leveraging features like captioning on all videos and formatting assessments to be accessible to learners utilizing screen readers. Being mindful of accessibility needs also includes judiciously using videos and other large pieces of media because they can be difficult to access for learners with low bandwidth. Training language should be straightforward and accessible to non-native English speakers as well as free of spelling or grammar errors.
ICANN Learn courses are compliant with the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). SCORM is a technical standard for e-learning programming.
What else is required for ICANN Learn course content?
Those developing ICANN Learn courses are responsible for making sure that they have the right to use all images and content proposed for inclusion, and must provide appropriate documentation to ICANN org to document that right. ICANN org does not assist with rights clearance. ICANN Learn course content leads are also responsible for making sure that their content is compliant with applicable data privacy laws and regulations.
The ICANN Learn team tracks course requests and will flag overlapping content requests to respective community groups and discuss appropriate action on a case-by-case basis.
How does the community develop content for ICANN Learn?
Community members who would like to request a course or develop ICANN Learn content must first receive approval from their respective community group such as a Supporting Organization Council, Advisory Committee, Stakeholder Group, or Constituency. Once the group has reviewed and approved the request for community-developed ICANN Learn content, the org support team will then submit the request to the ICANN Learn Policy Development Support liaison for development. All content must be developed in consultation with that community group’s ICANN org support team. The Policy Development Support liaison and ICANN Learn team will conduct a cross-functional consultation with Legal, Communications, and other teams for feedback as appropriate.
If you have any questions about ICANN Learn, please contact [email protected].
Source: ICANN