What participants said about this course:

"The course was an eye-opener for me. I learned a lot about human rights and humanitarian law. I didn’t know that it would be that interesting to participate. Our instructor was such a good moderator. The way the questions were done was also fantastic. It keeps you engaged."

"I found this course engaging and interesting. Most of all it helped me broaden my knowledge in the technical aspects of adjudicating refugees claims. International humanitarian law, refugee law and human rights law are complementary bodies of law that share a common goal in the protection of the lives, health and dignity of persons."

"This course met my expectations in that I wanted to learn the basics of IHL and its implications for the conduct of conflict. I learnt an awful lot and it is hoped in the future I will be able to build on this learning."

"It fully met my expectations. Interesting topic, well prepared, and good level of participation in the [discussion] forum."

"Yes it did [meet my expectations]. I was very happy with the course content and the instructor. I gained valuable information from the forums and the feedbacks. This was my second course and I am looking forward to doing other courses in the future."

"The course did certainly meet my expectations."

"It was very well done, and interesting topics were touched on."

"I believe the organization of the course is excellent and would not suggest any changes. The course is sufficiently rigorous, and yet mindful that the participants are adults with a variety of obligations. The readings were interesting and relevant, and the timely and informative feedback from [the instructor] was excellent."

"The course allowed me to engage in subjects which I did not know about before and it also served as a useful re-introduction into an academic environment as it has been many years since I have studied."

"I feel that my knowledge of human rights and humanitarian law has greatly expanded as a result of taking the course."

"The range of topics was pitched just right for this type of course. They were wide enough to provide a broad introduction to IHL but at the same time, they were in depth enough to allow me to have a slightly more deeper understanding of the complexities of IHL and conflict situations."

"The topics were well selected and very timely."

"The course material was very good and informative. Without it I wouldn’t have managed to do my assignments."

"The course readings were also very well chosen, engaging, and informative. The time needed to complete the readings was rigorous, but not onerous."

"I learned a lot from my colleagues – some of them were very experienced in the humanitarian field. Their contributions motivated me to do a lot of research to learn more about the topics and cases at hand."

"The feedback on the written assignments was very useful and it was clear the facilitator read them thoroughly. The length was appropriate also because with all of the readings (which take quite a bit of time), requirements for longer essays would have been too onerous. That is, if you also have a full-time job."

"I struggled in the beginning to complete the first [assignment] on time but the final one was much easier as I got into a more manageable routine. The assignments overall were very useful in that they provided a realistic opportunity to demonstrate the learning and understanding."

"The written assignments were well structured and allowed for sufficient flexibility. They also allowed the participant to apply lessons learned in the course, making the written assignments a valuable component to the course work."

"Chat sessions are always a bit slow and cumbersome in the sense that three or four strand are being discussed simultaneously but you did a good job in responding to all of the questions that were asked. So, it was an enjoyable hour and it could have been longer. Although, again, I appreciate when one is working full-time that it is not always possible to log on at particular times."

"The chat session definitely met my expectations, and was a very good way of connect with fellow participants."

"Reading the comments from the course participants was of great interest. The experience and background of the participants enhanced the quality of the course."

"It was really interesting and beneficial to have view points from so many people from different cultures and in different countries (especially those living in conflict zones)."

"I found the instructor very encouraging and helpful."

"The Instructor is excellent. I have taken a number of online courses including obtaining my Masters’ degree through a distance learning program, and this course was one of the best. [The instructor's] instruction, assigned readings, written assignments, and feedback were exemplary."

"I did not have any technical issues with the course. The learning platform was very well organized and user-friendly."

"Very user friendly - I would study online again."

"I would like to thank HREA for the wonderful opportunity being offered and more specially [the instructor] for his effort and encouragement (even when been sick) and [the facilitator] for his continued assistance."

"Since I have now understood how the humanitarian law works – I will apply this and make my mass information messages to advocate for the rights of the volunerable persons in conflict zones in Somalia and elsewhere. I will also conduct workshop for my communication officers working in the field to sensitize them on the issues of human rights and humanitarian law so that they could also as well apply when dealing with the media and when making massages. I could also try to do seminars for the local journalists in Somalia to raise awareness on humanitarian law and media support."

"I anticipate applying this course while adjudicating refugee claims, Interpreting refugee laws during the continuous refresher workshop training on refugee protection, establishing case loads (refugees fleeing from a common/particular cause) and through interpreting Country of Origin Information (COI)."

"I currently work within the international criminal justice system and among others, they deal with the prosecution of war criminals. The course will help me with my work on a day to day basis."

"I work in fundraising and international relations, so this will be very helpful in explaining to partneres/funders how their work goes towards our projects related to IHL."

"I will use it in my media and lobbying work when addressing the issues connected with armed conflicts."