Award Recognising Distance Learning Experience  

• a return air-ticket (most economical fare) to the Pan-Commonwealth Forum   on Open Learning in Kochi; and
• the Forum registration fee, accommodation and meals.

Award for Distance Learning Experience  in a Degree Granting Programme

This award was developed to provide a forum for the expression of student experience in learning through distance education. Submissions are invited that describe a notable distance education learning experience. Eligibility is limited to citizens of Commonwealth countries. Submissions may be made by a) educational institutions that deliver programmes directly to students, b) programme administrator/tutor, or c) students themselves, and must include:

• No more than 500 words explaining what made the distance learning experience notable, its value to the learner and to the wider community; 
• A completed Learner Profile Questionnaire which can be downloaded from the column on the right, or contact Ms. Patricia Schlicht at COL;
• If the application is made by the student, the submission must include a supporting letter from the chief executive officer of the organisation/institution endorsing the submission; and
• A copy of official transcripts.

Submissions should be sent to:  Ms. Patricia Schlicht at COL on or before the entry deadline of 30 April 2010. State clearly on your submission that it is for the “Award of Excellence for Distance Learning Experience”.

Award for an eLearning Experience in Difficult Circumstances

This award for an eLearning experience under difficult circumstances is designed to provide a forum for the acknowledgement of eLearning experience of learners from international organisations who have completed the COL developed and delivered workplace eLearning courses. Submissions will describe how undertaking the course has enabled learners to overcome training constraints normally present when working in areas of conflict, natural disasters, pandemics etc. and/or from belonging to a highly mobile workforce. Submissions will also specify performance improvement gains to the learner and to the organisation.

Eligibility: All learners who have completed one of the Writing Effectively, Writing Audit Report, or Operational Data Management courses that COL has developed for the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Development Fund for Children (UNICEF), the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the World Bank. Eligible learners must have been participants of a training session conducted between 1 July 2007 to 31 December 2009.

All eligible learners (both English and French) are invited to apply. Submissions must be made by learners themselves and must include the completed Learner Profile Questionnaire which can be downloaded from the column on the right, or contact Ms. Sharmila Gracieuse at COL.

Submissions will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• successful completion of one of the COL offered eLearning courses;
• success in overcoming training constraints in difficult conditions; and
• the impact of the learning outcomes on the learner and the organisation.

Submissions should be sent to: Ms. Sharmila Gracieuse at COL on or before the entry deadline of 30 April 2010. State clearly on your submission that it is for the “Award of Excellence for eLearning Experience in Difficult Circumstances”.