1. What e-learning courses does HREA offer?
2. What type of computer do I need to participate?
3. Do I need high-speed Internet access?
4. Do I have to sign on to the Internet at a particular time or place?
5. Are there any textbooks required for my course?
6. Who teaches the courses?
7. Can I talk to the instructor(s) before the course to ask questions?
8. What is the method of delivery for the e-learning courses?
9. How do I learn?
10. What does it mean to be an "auditor" in a course?
11. Do you offer scholarships?
12. Do you offer course credits or certification?
13. What are the application deadlines?
14. Does HREA offer any follow-up services for course participants?
15. How can the tuition be paid?
16. What if I am unable to complete the course I have registered for? Do I get a refund?
17. I have a different question. How can I get in touch with you?
1. What e-learning courses does HREA offer?
HREA offers two types of courses. Rapid e-courses take between 3 and 5 hours to complete, yet are completely self-paced and thus can be spread out over days or even months depending on the situation of the learner. Tutored courses are generally 6 to 11 weeks in duration, very practical and applied, focus on developing skills as well as knowledge and are led by instructors.
The following tutored courses are offered on an annual or semi-annual basis:
Monitoring & Evaluation in the NGO Sector
Human Rights Advocacy
Human Rights Advocacy, in Arabic
Human Rights Advocacy, in French
Human Rights Advocacy, in Russian
Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and Social Media for Human Rights Work
Human Rights Monitoring
Human Rights Monitoring, in Arabic
Human Rights Monitoring, in French
Human Rights Monitoring, in Russian
Human Rights-Based Programming
Human Rights-Based Programming, in French
Project Development and Management in the NGO Sector
Gender Mainstreaming
Introduction to Human Rights Education
Introduction to Human Rights Education, in German
Human Rights Litigation
Monitoring Children's Rights
Monitoring Children's Rights. in French
Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Election Observation
Monitoring Women's Rights
Child Rights Programming
Child Rights Programming, in French
Protection Against Torture
Development and Human Rights: Implications for the Globalised World
Mainstreaming Human Rights
International Trade and Human Rights: Balancing the Act
Terrorism, Human Rights and Human Security
The Right to Education
Genocide: What Role for International Law?
International Refugee Law and Contemporary Challenges
Business and Human Rights
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities
International Tribunals, World Courts and Human Rights
Housing Rights are Human Rights
National Human Rights Institutions
Environment and Human Rights
Health and Human Rights
The European Union and Human Rights
Safeguards against Torture and Ill-Treatment
The UN Human Rights Council
The European System of Human Rights Protection and Promotion
The United Nations Human Rights System
Human Rights of Migrants, Migrant Workers and Their Families
Minority Rights, Indigenous Peoples and International Law
Gender and Peacebuilding
Women in War and Armed Conflicts
Human Rights and Transitional Justice
The following self-paced and self-directed rapid e-courses are available at any time:
Humanity in War: Introduction to International Humanitarian Law
Human Rights in Europe
Rights of the Child
Rights of Refugees and Displaced Persons
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2. What type of computer do I need to participate? You can use any PC, Macintosh or Linux computer that has Internet access.
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3. Do I need high-speed Internet access? No. HREA’s courses do not require a high-speed internet connection and are set up so that participants from all over the world can access the course websites, download course materials, and participate in online discussions. HREA course discussions can also be followed solely through email. HREA course facilitators are always available to help if participants encounter any problems accessing or downloading course materials.
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4. Do I have to sign on to the Internet at a particular time or place? No, courses are mostly asynchronous and you can participate at any time using any computer that has access to the Internet. HREA offers chats and webinars (online PowerPoint presentations with audio) as part of our courses, and attendance is much encouraged but not mandatory. These are the only parts of the course that will require participants to be online at the same time as other participants.
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5. Are there any textbooks required for my course? No. Any learning material required for your course will be available online for your use.
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6. Who teaches the courses? Courses are led by practitioners from human rights organisations around the world who understand the conditions faced by professionals in these fields.
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7. Can I talk to the instructor before the course to ask questions? You may email your specific questions to applications@hrea.org, and we will forward them on to the course instructor.
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8. What is the method of delivery for e-learning courses? HREA uses the Moodle Learning Management System. Participants and auditors can access the course website any time that is convenient for them. Specialised and short courses include occasional live webinars. Participating in webinars requires the learner to be available at a particular time. However, webinars are recorded and available to view afterwards.
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9. How do I learn? HREA's courses typically involve 50 hours of reading, online discussions, assignments, and regular interaction with students and the instructor(s) and facilitator. Courses are offered over a three-month period. They are based on a participatory, active learning approach with an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning.
Participants will receive the syllabus before the course begins and will have access to the course website on the first day of the course. All readings will be available on the course website in .pdf form or as links, and some of the readings will be optional. Participants will need to have access to the Internet on a regular basis.
Participants do not need to schedule a particular time to be available during the online discussions; rather, they are online forums that participants can contribute to whenever they are able. A discussion question will be e-mailed out weekly to all participants, who will need to go to the course website to respond. Participants will need to make time to respond to these questions on a weekly basis and will receive weekly collective feedback from the course instructor on the discussion. A weekly “mini-lecture” from the instructor will also be available on the course website to provide extra information about the topics for the week and the readings. Course weeks begin either on Mondays or Wednesdays.
Participants will also need to complete a number of written assignments as part of the course, usually including a Final Project on a topic of their choice. Assignments will be uploaded to the course website, and participants will receive individual feedback on their assignments from course instructors.
Chats and webinars, described above, are also offered as part of HREA courses and give participants a chance to interact with each other in a "live" session.
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10. What does it mean to be an "auditor" in a course? Auditors have access to the course website, including all course readings/materials, and can follow along with the online discussions but are unable to contribute to them. Auditors are not able to attend chat sessions but may be invited to webinars if included in the course. Auditors are not able to submit assignments for review by the instructor(s) and will not receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Those that opt for the auditing option are generally activists who just want to have access to recent literature and debates or are too busy to be able to keep up with course requirements (regular participation in online discussions, written assignments). Click here to see the differences between participants and auditors compared in a table.
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11. Do you offer scholarships? Since 2002 HREA has offered over 700 scholarships, in part through support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Open Society Institute and the Charles Hughes Memorial Foundation. Unfortunately, we are no longer in a position to offer scholarships. For an overview of possible other funding/scholarship opportunities, please visit our Scholarship opportunies page.
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12. Do you offer course credits or certification? HREA's e-learning courses are not accredited. However, accreditation can be arranged for courses carried out cooperatively with higher education institutions.
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13. What are the application deadlines? As of 2013 courses are offered on a rolling basis, meaning we no longer have application deadlines and registrations are considered on a first-come-first-served basis until courses are full. We offer a 20% discount on the tuition when registration and payment are received 8 weeks before a course starts and a 10% discount when registration and payment are received 4 weeks before a couse starts.
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14. Does HREA offer any follow-up services for course participants? Alumni of HREA's e-learning courses stay connected to one another through alumni networks through a combination of listservs, on-line forums and web sites. "Refresher" courses are also sometimes offered. Course web sites are archived by HREA and remain accessible to alumni.
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15. How can the tuition be paid?
Tuition can be paid either on-line via credit card (VISA or MasterCard), PayPal or check (Canada and USA). For bulk enrollments bank transfers are accepted too.
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16. What if I am unable to complete the course I have registered for? Do I get a refund?
Unfortunately, we can only refund tuition in exceptional circumstances. We only refund tuition (minus a US$ 50 processing fee) before a course starts.
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17. I have a different question. How can I get in touch with you? If your question was not answered here, please e-mail applications@hrea.org and we will respond to your query as soon as possible.
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