| Human rights advocates and educators and development workers have ongoing professional development needs. They may lead organisations or departments without previous training in management or project administration. They may be asked to take on responsibilities that require new skills. Often, there is insufficient time and resources for staying current in the human rights field.
HREA's distance learning courses are designed to help human rights and development professionals with the practical challenges they face in their work. These specialised courses take place with minimal costs, no travel requirements, and at the convenience of the participants. The courses are led by practitioners who understand the conditions faced by professionals in these fields.
Learning model
HREA's courses typically involve 50 hours of reading, on-line working groups, assignments, and regular interaction with students and the instructor and facilitator(s). 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.
The courses are not accredited, although this can be arranged for courses carried out cooperatively with higher education institutions. Course instructors are highly experienced practitioners from human rights organisations around the world.
Mode of delivery
HREA's courses are not exclusively Web-based. HREA uses a dual system that makes it possible to (partly) participate in the distance learning courses via e-mail only. We use the Moodle Learning Management System.
Annual courses
The following specialised courses are offered on an annual or semi-annual basis:
Thematic courses
Starting in 2008, HREA offers "thematic" courses on specific themes:
HREA also offers courses in collaboration with institutional partners. These partners include Amnesty International, the Arab Institute for Human Rights (AIHR, Tunisia), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS, Egypt), the Inter-African Union of Human Rights (UIDH, Burkina Faso) and the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIDH, Costa Rica). These collaborative courses usually have a regional or national focus and may target specific groups such as human rights defenders, campaign coordinators, national Ombudsman offices, secondary school teachers, journalists, judges and law enforcement officials.
Follow-up services
Alumni of HREA's distance learning courses stay connected to one another through alumni networks through a combination of listservs, on-line forums and social networking sites. "Refresher" courses, on-site workshops and "webinars" are also offered for alumni. Course web sites are archived by HREA and remain accessible to alumni.
Costs and application process
Course tuition fee is US$ 725 (US$ 275 for auditors). Discounted tuition fees are available for some courses for applicants from non-OECD member states. The application process for courses is announced three times a year. The application deadline for courses in the first trimester (February-April) is generally 1 December. The application deadline for courses in the second trimester (April-June) is generally 1 February. The application deadline for courses in the third trimester (September-November) is generally 1 June. Please verify the current list of available courses for precise dates.
Upcoming courses
Frequently asked questions
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