WORK PACKAGES
WP1 – Project Preparation and Management
This first cross-cutting work package relates to the operational aspects (initiation, planning, implementation) of the project and its continuous monitoring of the implementation of the activities. All partners will sign a partnership agreement. A kick-off workshop will be held at the coordinator's institution (UASCV) in Vienna in order to get to know each other better and gain more commitment to the implementation of the project activities. Biannual online meetings will be held (with the participation of the work package leader of each partner), and reporting will be done. These bi- annual progress reports will contribute to a better preparation of the final report. This work package will be accountable to the National Erasmus Office and also to EACEA.
WP2 – Internationalisation of existing curricula in conflict studies
This work package aims at improving the quality of existing academic curricula in peace and conflict studies programmes at African HEIs through the integration of innovative elements and international content (case studies, good practices and intercultural elements) into existing course modules of participating HEIs in Ghana and Rwanda. This will promote internationalisation at home and provide students from the participating HEIs in Ghana and Rwanda the opportunity to develop intercultural competencies and enhance their employability. The main activities to be implemented include conducting a needs assessment in the partner HEIs to identify course modules to be improved and the revision of existing curricular through joint online workshops involving staff from all participating HEIs in the consortium. This implies a fair reference to homegrown solutions based on local customs and international/contemporary approaches to peace and conflict studies. In this regard, various transitional justice applied in Africa will be considered to enrich the curricula
WP3 – Capacity Building in Conflict Studies for HEI Staff and Students Academic
This work package focuses on enhancing the skills and knowledge competencies as well as the virtual learning capabilities of staff and students at partner African HEIs in the field of conflict studies. The main tasks of this work package are the procurement of online teaching participatory video-making equipment and the setting up of classrooms with virtual learning capabilities. Additionally, the piloting and implementation of train-the-trainers capacity-building courses for HEI staff, the joint implementation of a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course in conflict studies as well as grant writing workshops. The work package also aims to strengthen international academic cooperation among the consortium partners through the development and approval of cooperation agreements.
WP4 – Academic Quality Assurance & Evaluation
This second cross-cutting work package focuses on an Academic Quality Assurance (QA) mechanism for the courses. The QA plan entails a combination of goal-based and outcomes-based evaluation principles. Underlying the plan is the core principle of adherence to high standards which refers to the extent to which the course content and instruction methods meet agreed upon benchmarked standards. An important aspect of the QA plan will be the QA review committee which will provide feedback and recommendations on course content and pedagogy.
WP5 – Sustainability Plan of the Project
This work package aims to ensure that key programmes established by the project continue to function and have a lasting positive impact after its implementation period of three years. As the first activity of this work package, a sustainability plan will be jointly developed through a series of online meetings involving the staff of all the partner HEIs to set out methodologies and action plans for 1) further strengthening academic cooperation among the HEIs; 2) continuously running the training programmes such as online courses established by the project; 3) effectively utilising modules, manuals/handbooks and other materials of conflict studies that have been produced; and 4) developing an online portal that gives access to all the materials in a sustainable manner. In line with the sustainability plan, an alumni network will be established to ensure the bonding of students from the four partner HEIs in Africa. A section on the website for the alumni network will be included to provide its members with a platform for information sharing and virtual interactions. Before the end of the project period, a general follow-up plan and funding plans for future joint projects (at regional, international, and bilateral levels) that build on the deliverables produced by this project will be developed.
WP6 – Dissemination & Exploitation
This third cross-cutting work package relates to dissemination and exploitation. The dissemination of this project will start with the constitution of a dissemination and impact assessment team, the development of a comprehensive dissemination and impact plan and the creation of a website. At the end of the project, two final dissemination conferences will be held in the capital cities of Ghana and Rwanda, bringing together various stakeholders (such as representatives of Ministries, decision-makers in Higher Education, representatives of HEI, and consortium members). Train-the-trainers manuals developed for the capacity-building courses and didactic materials with the main results (especially good practices from all partner countries identified through the COIL course will be published.