The problem
FAO has been assisting Indonesia in combating foot and mouth disease (FMD) ever since this highly contagious viral infection resurfaced in May 2022, following a 36-year period of absence of the disease. As part of FAO's support in managing this emergency, the Virtual Learning Centre for Asia and the Pacific (VLC-RAP) conducted three online training programs targeting Indonesian professionals across different levels with an emphasis on providing them with the necessary knowledge about FMD emergency response and preparedness.
VLC approach
The course content was created by the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD). To effectively engage our primary audience, who primarily spoke Bahasa, our strategy involved translating the course into the local language and adapting the course material to suit the specific requirements of distinct groups within the target audience. This included customizing the content to cater to the preferences and needs of various groups such as government veterinarians at the local, provincial, and central levels, field officers, animal quarantine personnel, and academic professionals. To allow learning flexibility for participants with diverse professional backgrounds, both tutored and non-tutored courses were offered.
The result
The strong partnership between VLC and the Emergency Centre of Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) Indonesia team, resulted in improved interaction with government counterparts and ensured the seamless implementation of the course within the country.
The course trained a total number of 332 participants. 90% of the attendees commented on the relevance of the course to their job role, reporting confidence in the application of acquired knowledge to their work responsibilities.
Ripple effects
By utilizing the discussion forum within the tutored course, we managed to create a compilation of commonly asked questions (FAQs). This compilation was then adapted into a supporting resource for the non-tutored courses.
In addition, participants were keen for additional online courses on disease emergencies such as Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
This enthusiasm presented an avenue for us to provide a course utilizing pre-existing materials on LSD, which were also translated into the local language. A total of 733 participants were enrolled, achieving a commendable completion rate of 71%.
Given the positive feedback from participants, the Indonesia veterinary authority has shown a strong interest to roll out training programs. VLC RAP is working closing with ECTAD Indonesia team to explore opportunities using the VLC platform to help more professionals in the country.