When I Think of Research.....

Understanding how research is conducted is valuable because it is from research that we gain information about people and their behavior.  We act on that information, and social policy is based on it.  We are exposed to their results of research every day in the news media, and as a parent, teacher, or another professional working with children, we are exposed to research-based advice or training.  Knowledge about reach methods can make you a wiser consumer of information.  Being a wise consumer of research means using what you have learned to think critically about research and its application.

ABOUT ECDVU IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) supports countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in addressing the care and development needs of their young children. The approach promotes within-country and within-region leadership, respecting both local sources of knowledge as well as international research.

The approach is innovative, inter-sectoral and multi-organizational. It is effective as evidenced by external evaluations in 2004 and 2011. Participation involves several steps: first, a committee within each participating country identifies key national goals in regards to early childhood care and development (ECD); the committee then openly solicits applications and forwards the nominees to the program. Each of the nominated teams joins similarly selected country teams to form a cohort of leaders from eight to ten Sub-Saharan countries.

The ECDVU engages with these leaders through online and face-to-face delivery of courses specifically developed for African and international development contexts. Participants continue with their in-country employment and share their learning across the cohort and within their home country. Strong and sustainable communities of practice have been forged across the region.

References:

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/about.php