concept note for disaster management

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Policy, Strategy and Knowledge Unit

Disaster Preparedness Reference Center.

Concept note for Red Cross Campus update

i.Background

The crisis caused by the Covid19 pandemic has serious implications for the education sector in all

countries of the Americas region, bringing with it some challenges and opportunities for the reform of

education systems with an emergency approach.

The most widely used strategy currently is remote learning using online tools, but also podcasts and

other resources that require less data usage by downloading them on a mobile device to ensure

educational continuity.

The continuous training of Red Cross volunteers is essential and requires a flexible, dynamic and

adapted to the current context, therefore, the Federation provides the Red Cross Virtual Campus, a

virtual platform that promotes and manages learning in the Americas region through a catalog of self-

directed and tutored courses designed in collaboration with the Secretariat, Reference Centers, National

Societies and contributing National Societies, responding to current contexts and training spaces.

Therefore, this concept note raises some considerations to carry out a process of updating the Red Cross

Campus in order to have a virtual platform that responds to the interests and needs of training in the

region.

ii.Justification

The IFRC Virtual Campus (IFRC) is a useful tool for easy access to training for members of the Red Cross

Movement at the regional level. The Campus has self-directed and directed courses; this model adjusts

to the complex schedules of volunteers, Red Cross staff and the general public.

One of the characteristics that makes the Campus a fundamental platform in the framework of the

Covid-19 pandemic, is the interaction in the whole teaching-learning process with individual and

continuous monitoring, encouraging participation and collaborative learning, taking advantage of all the

tools provided by the e-learning platform: forums, chat, email, interactive content, case studies,

discussion forums, self-assessment tests, links to external websites, infographics, videos, bibliography,

news, among others.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Societies have had to rethink the ways to train

themselves, manage their networks, disseminate their information, and access essential educational

material for their work. The Campus comes to contribute and provide new possibilities through

information technologies, which are updated and changing every day.

The current platform uses Adobe Flash Player. Flash is a computer application included in the

multimedia player category (it was made up of animation software, plus a player or virtual machine that

hosted the software and the specific information it contained). On December 31, 2020, Adobe ended

technical support for the program, ending 24 years of existence. This means that as of January 2021 it

will no longer receive security updates or technical support.

Since this change, many of the learning platforms and operating programs have had to look for

alternatives to this change. The Campus is no exception, it will have to make the transition to another

application and thus streamline the way material and courses are displayed and reproduced in order to

adjust to a more modern and efficient technology.

This change is also important as it will improve the face (visual and interface aesthetics) of the platform,

making it easier for users to understand and use its interactive elements. A modern and clean design will

be sought that goes hand in hand with the accessibility provided by mobile devices (cell phones, tablets),

as well as computer equipment.

An important element in the direction of improving the platform in terms of accessibility is the fact that

older volunteers need not only to be trained in the use of new technologies, but also that the new

Campus interface will make it easier to visualize content and interactive elements. We will also seek to

work together with the department specialized in Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI), in order to

update the platform in terms of inclusive language, accessibility for people with disabilities and other

relevant issues related to access to information.

In addition to improving accessibility to the platform, we will seek to generate an aggressive publicity

campaign that seeks to project the substantial material generated by the IFRC, CREPD, and the different

SNs

III. Objective of the Update

Update the Red Cross campus through the modernization of the visual presentation, content

organization, transition to other applications to be a virtual platform at the forefront of new trends in

education and technology for greater coverage and accessibility.

IV. Methodology

The following phases are proposed for updating the campus:

1. Change of image:

Through the hiring of professional web design services, and taking into account the Federation's visual

identity, a reengineering of the platform's interface will be carried out in order to make it more

attractive and interesting for all audiences, considering aspects of social inclusion.

2. Platform maintenance:

As part of the update, a new budget is estimated for the maintenance of the platform through the

International Training School to improve its interactive elements, reorganization of content, technical

support to users, among others.

3. Reorganization of academic offerings:

Organize the catalog of courses available on campus according to sectors of intervention, also global or

regional trainings, classification by languages according to availability.

4. Updating of courses:

Currently and due to the new pandemic context, it is necessary to update the academic offerings in

order to respond to specific training needs in the region to strengthen the competencies of volunteers.

It is also necessary to transition the courses that are using Adobe Flash Player to another application

that is functional and interactive. For more information on current courses see attached documents:

Moodle platform report and CREPD courses report.

5.Promotion and dissemination strategy

A strong promotion and dissemination campaign will be produced through CREPD's social networks

(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and the website https://www.crepd.cruzroja.org/. Informative material

will also be disseminated through newsletter emails using the MailChimp platform. Some of the

products that will be generated will be explanatory videos describing the different courses and how to

access them; infographics with information focused on relevant topics of the courses or the Campus;

parallel to this, a possibility for promulgation and publicity would be to look for a public figure in

entertainment who has links with the Federation or some National Society and that this person can

donate part of his/her time to publicize the Campus through networks.

The budget will be used to pay for social media advertising campaigns and expenses incurred for design,

web design or to pay for the MailChimp or website.

V.Budget

Approximate amounts:

No. Action Cost

1 Image change $20,000

2 Platform maintenance $5,000

3 Reorganization of academic offerings $13,000

4 Updating of courses ($100 per course currently 3 courses outdated) $300

5 Promotion and dissemination strategy $2500

2,500 Total $40,800