We would like to extend a very warm welcome to this Training of Trainers online course. This is intended for everyone involved in education and training in the agricultural sector, including farmers who are involved in sharing information and ideas with other farmers

Course Orientation

Firstly a couple of important points to be aware of:

Online Accessibility

While the course is designed mainly for laptop computers, it should also be accessible and workable on smartphones, although this might require quite a lot of scrolling in some places.

Offline Accessibility

We advise if you cannot work online or work mainly from a mobile device you can download the pages by clicking on the download button at the top of each page and work from that document. All pages are downloadable and print friendly.

Language

At present the course is available only in English, and requires a quite good grasp of that language. It is intended in the future to make it available in other languages

We apologise for these limitations, but do hope that as many people as possible can enjoy and benefit from the course.

We strongly encourage you to read carefully through this Orientation before you start to work through the Modules. It will help you understand the process.

Enjoy the course!

This Course should have value for almost everyone involved in farming, at whatever scale. In particular, it is designed for those who train others, either formally in education and training institutions or through agricultural advice and extension services offered by government or NGOs. It is also intended for farmers who wish to share their knowledge and skills with other farmers.

The 3 Course Modules

Module 1

Getting to know about Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation  Practices and the information available on these.

Using the Navigation Tool to find the information in the WRC materials.

Assignment 1: Looking at RWH&C in your current curriculum or training programme. Alternatively looking at your own
involvement in RWH&C or how your local farmers are using Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation Practices.

Module 2

Understanding how people learn and about different teaching and learning approaches.

The ‘Power of the Practical’- the importance of practical demonstrations and activities for understanding RWH&C.

Assignment 2: Planning the development and use of a productive RWH&C demonstration site, in collaboration with partners.

Module 3

Adapting our curricula and training programmes to include Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation Practices elements.

Different ways, such as using social media and community radio, for sharing Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation Practices information more widely.

Reflecting on the learning in the course.

Assignment 3: An opportunity to finalise your curriculum or training programme to include Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation.

Timeframe

For people not wishing to try for certification there is no limit to the amount of time they can spend on the course. Those who register for the formal certification process are required to complete the course, including all assignments, within 6 months of registering. This allows 2 months for each module and assignment. This includes the opportunity to submit a second draft of each assignment after the tutor has assessed and made comments on the initial submission. Anyone can register at any stage, but only those who are registered can submit assignments for assessment. The registration and assessment processes are described at the end of this Orientation.

The Assessment and Certification Process

All assignments will be assessed by qualified members of the Amanzi for Food team based at the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC) at Rhodes University. The awarding of certificates depends on the outcomes of these assessments. The assessments are conducted according to clear criteria which you can download with the assignment guidelines. To achieve certification you must score a minimum of 60% in all 3 assignments.

When you register for certification you will be assigned a tutor who will support you through the process and assess your assignments. However, it is important to note that this course is self-paced and you will need to work through the course materials on your own. The tutors will be available to answer any questions you may have in relation to the assignments, via email and/or WhatsApp.

If your assignment meets the assessment criteria, you will be encouraged to continue to the next Module. If the assessment shows that the assignment has not met the required standard, the assignment will be returned to you with guidance on how it can be strengthened. You then have one chance to improve on the first draft, and resubmit. The assignment will then be reassessed, and the outcomes of the assessment, including the full assessment sheet with detailed comments will be sent to you via e-mail. If the assignment still does not meet the criteria, you will be encouraged to take some time out, and start the course again in a
few months. This process applies to all assignments. Once you have completed all 3 to the required level, you will be
awarded a Rhodes University certificate for 10 credits at the NQF level according to the Stream you are following.

The Registration Process

If you wish to submit assignments for certification you will need to register online.

To register for the assessment and certification process click on the ‘Register ’ button below or at the top of the web page. You will receive a notification of registration and then a notification that your user account has been activated. You can login by using your email address or username wih the password that you created. At this stage, you will be assigned your tutor who will support you through the process.

Every time you wish to submit an assignment or communicate with Rhodes University online about the course you need to ‘Log in’.

Welcome to the Amanzi for Food Online Course

Click the next button below to continue to the Overview of Module 1

Good luck!