Learning Modalities in MENAEvaluating the Non-Governmental Organizations Initiative

Abstract

With increasing reliance being placed on the civil society sector to respond to rising population needs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it is crucial to strengthen the capacity of workers in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to ensure localized, contextualized, and more effective responses. However, in the absence of systematic evaluation approaches to the capacity-building opportunities offered to NGO workers in the region, evidence on the most effective mode of delivery of these training opportunities remains scarce. We evaluated training courses implemented by the Non-Governmental Organizations Initiative at the American University of Beirut between July 2019 and November 2021 that aims to strengthen the internal capacities of NGOs in MENA, with a focus on comparing online synchronous versus in-person learning modalities. Through a mixed-methods approach, short-term and long-term data was collected from learners including knowledge assessments, course evaluations, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 383 learners participated in the training, 254 of which attended online and 129 attended in-person courses. While differences in knowledge and perceptions regarding the two modalities were relatively similar, in-person modality was preferred over online modality by virtue of it being perceived as being more engaging and more conducive for communication and networking. Details regarding the results covering strengths, challenges, and comparisons between both modalities are expanded on in the manuscript. This study highlights the overall prefer-ence of learners for in-person courses compared to online synchronous ones and highlights the need for research on identifying factors that could contribute to increased engagement in online synchronous learning along with strategies for adoption.