WELCOME TO THE eRAILS TRAINING WEBSITE

 

This website is a demonstrative site for the training workshop

 

Sub-regional training of trainers 
 
on the use of eRAILS platform and web 2.0 tools 
 
5-8 April, 2011 -Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 
 
 
 
 
Background 
 
The Promotion of Science and Technology for Agricultural Development in Africa project 
(PSTAD) aims to strengthen the management capacity of the knowledge emanating from the 
research conducted by the NARS and to set up channels for the dissemination of improved 
technologies and good agricultural practices throughout the Continent. 
 
Funded by the AfDB, the PSTAD project is coordinated, at the regional level, by FARA and, at 
the subregional level, by the Subregional Organizations (SROs). PSTAD supports the 
implementation by the NARS of the DONATA and RAILS. 
 
In January 2011, FARA organized a workshop to share the main recommendations of the 
project’s midterm review. All partners engaged in the implementation of the PSTAD’ RAILS 
and DONATA components participated. 
 
At the workshopparticipants shared and discussed the issues of PSTAD’s implementation. 
They agreed on a shared understanding of the project’s guidelines, procedures and 
processes. 
 
For the RAILS component some issues raised were proper use and content management of 
eRAILS platform developed in 2009. It still has to function as the platform for the 
dissemination of agricultural information for national partners. 
 
Therefore the RAILS team from FARA, SROs and national partners are organizing various 
activities to further strengthen the capacities of individuals to effectively use the platform to 
serve their core activities. One of these is the training for trainers at the subregional for 
national focal points on use and management of eRAILS. 
 
 
At the the CORAF/WECARD zone, the training is scheduled for 5 to 8 April, 2011 in 
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 
 
Objective 
 
The objective of the training is strengthen the skills of a group of potential trainers on how 
to share their skills and knowledge on eRAILS content management to future users of eRAILS 
within their network, community of practice or any groups within the national mandate. 
 
Expected results 
 
At the end of the training, participants will: 
 
• 
Have the skills to; 
o Create and manage a website under the eRAILS portal which include; 
• 
Posting relevant contents (text, document, image, video) to the eRAILS 
portal 
• 
Link external web based resources to the eRAILS portal 
• 
Produce short videos, edit them and post to the eRAILS portal using a 
third party platform (e.g. YouTube, Blip TV) 
o 
Train other users on use of eRAILS using his own developed roadmap to 
deliver training to other stakeholders in his own country 
• 
Have the understanding of ; 
o 
the structure and the features of the eRAILS platform 
• 
Have created his own website within the eRAILS platform, if not improved his/her 
country portal. 
Methodology 
 
The training will be facilitated by FARA and CORAF/WECARD. Ample time is set aside before 
the training to select the most appropriate trainees and prepare them for the training. The 
participants are to be selected by the concerned national learning team, SRO and FARA. The 
selection is made at least 4 weeks before the training. There will only be one trainee per 
country. They are selected based on the following criteria such as; 
 
-Membership and role within the RAILS national learning team (they are not 
necessarily the RAILS focal point, as this requires different skills and responsibilities) 
 
- 
Basic skills in information management such as website management 
 
- 
Committed time to train members of RAILS learning team within their country 
 
- 
Endorsement by RAILS national learning team and their own institutions 
 
 
Once the trainees are identified, the SROs communicate with them their selection, required 
preparation for the training and program of the training. Each individual trainee will be 
required to prepare all the required readings and gathering of relevant information 
necessary for the training. The training will use actual/realistic information that can be used 
in eRAILS platform. 
 
Preparations for the training for trainees include; 
 
-Understanding of RAILS and PSTAD project concepts and relevant implementation 
guidelines such as establishing RAILS learning teams 
 
-Understanding of the operation and activities of the RAILS learning team within his 
country. If the trainee is not the RAILS focal point, s/he should have pre-discussion 
with the focal point to get an update of the RAILS activities within the country. 
Knowledge of the members of the RAILS learning team will be an advantage i.e. list of 
membership and their institutional affiliation. 
 
-Understanding of the expectations from the trainee after the training. As stated 
above, the trainee is expected to lead their own national training on eRAILS. S/he 
should have the time and mandate to implement such activity. 
 
- 
Read the eRAILS user manual and the administrator manual 
 
-Visit some functional eRAILS platform and country portal such as Guinea, DRC, etc. 
through www.erails.net. 
 
- 
Gathering of relevant actual information that can be used for the training such as 
 
o 
Background presentation of the RAILS national plans such as their major 
activities and services that can be offered 
o 
Background of his/her own organizations. This should include reason why they 
are involved in the RAILS activities 
o 
Major agriculture initiatives related to research for development. It should 
contain small information on each initiative’s objectives, expected results, 
partners of the initiative and URL of the initiative and partners. 
o 
Sample electronic publications/documents from the country i.e. scientific 
publication, reports, news or events. 
o 
Useful materials for creating websites such as pictures that depict agriculture 
activities within the country; national/institutional logo 
o 
Etc. 
- 
Those who have digital camera are encouraged to bring them along. 
 
In countries where DONATA is active, participants should contact the DONATA focal point to 
understand how RAILS and DONATA can work together in managing information. The 
trainees can gather with the DONATA focal point some information and pictures/illustrations 
of IPTA activities and outcomes that can be used to create or update the DONATA website. 
 
During the training, different sessions will be organized to facilitate achievement of the 
expected results, as shown in the proposed program (see Annex 1). The sessions are; 
 
 
1. 
Setting the scene to have shared understanding of the objectives, expectations and 
outputs of the training. 
2. 
Introduction to and participatory demonstration of, eRAILS platform 
3. 
Trying out the eRAILS Platform as a user 
4. 
Managing the eRAILS Platform as an administrator 
5. 
Dgroups; a tool to facilitate interactive learning 
6. 
Other tools that can be useful: overview and hands-on demonstration 
7. 
Developing the roadmap for training erails at country level 
8. Evaluation of the training of trainers 
Each of the session will be facilitated by relevant experts who are members of the RAILS 
learning team at national, SRO and FARA level. The facilitators will communicate before the 
training to ensure that the modules of the training are consistent and relevant to the 
trainees. 
The main reference document for the training are: 
 
 
-Guidelines in establishing RAILS learning team 
-eRAILS user manual 
-eRAILS administrator manual 
 
 
Impacts and Beneficiaries 
 
The primary beneficiaries of the training are the RAILS and DONATA stakeholders involved in 
the implementation of the PSTAD project. It is expected that the training will have a spill 
over effect in spreading the skills among the stakeholders within the NARS, including farmers 
and farmer organizations. This will result in a quantitative and qualitative increase of the 
content on the eRAILS portal. The achievements, success stories and lessons learnt from 
DONATA IPTAs will be widely disseminated within the countries, and across countries, thus 
improving access to knowledge and technologies. 
 
Participants 
-Per country: 1 RAILS focal point focal i.e. 19 persons coming from all CORAF/WECARD 
countries except for DRC (belongs to ASARECA), Gabon and Nigeria 
-CORAF/WECARD : 3 persons 
-FARA : 1 person (Trainer) 
 
Date and Venue 
 
The training will be held from 5th to 8th April, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.