OL 440 Diploma Program: Integrated CBA, DRR, and Rural Development
A diploma program of online field courses integrating community-based adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction, and rural development.
These courses begin by introducing basic climate change concepts, participatory disaster preparedness, and mainstreaming them with rural development—and develop as participants identify local community vulnerabilities, identify risks and hazards, investigate appropriate solutions, design participatory M&E plans, develop full projects, launch and manage them.
Online course participants are using our courses to develop real, on-the-ground projects with real communities—both individually and through North/South student partnerships. People from 116 different countries and 350 organizations have used CSDi online courses to develop sustainable projects impacting 185,000 community members by empowering them to change their lives.
To earn a diploma in Integrated CBA, DRR and Rural Development, you must complete four required, sequential foundation courses, then select four elective courses of your choice for a total of eight courses. Each course is two months long and this diploma can be completed within a 12 month period. With a wide variety of electives, you are able to tailor the diploma program to meet your needs and interests.
This diploma program is designed for current and aspiring humanitarian and development professionals who plan to work in relief and development, or who already work in this field and want to advance their careers. These courses give experienced practitioners a fresh perspective and provide persons hoping for a career change the training they need for a successful transition on the job market.
The diploma program will provide you with the skills, tools, and methods to meet today's challenges and to take on such positions as program director, project coordinator, climate officer, CBA consultant, DRR consultant, funder, and field implementor—with community-based organizations, with governmental and with nongovernmental organizations. You will benefit from access to development experts, a broad range of resources and—the valuable diploma once the program is completed.
The courses use the flexibility of online delivery to help you learn through case studies, field assignments with communities, and group discussions with fellow students—providing a complete learning environment. You will share experiences with fellow participants working in the field; to date, we have had course participants from 113 countries.
Learn more about the learning environment and how we deliver an online field experience.
STEP 1. Enroll in the first course of this series: OL 341.
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341 Community Based Adaptation 1: March 6 - April 30, 2012. Gain an insight into contemporary methods of developing community based, sustainable, impact-oriented projects. Gain practical field tools and develop a range of skills: facilitating participatory needs assessments and DRR assessments, designing projects, and evidence-based activities. Develop a real project in real time. |
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342 Community Based Adaptation: March 13 - April 23. Imbed impact into your adaptation project design with a powerful set of management tools. Log frames, detailed budgets, timelines, compelling fact sheets, M&E plans, outcomes and impact. These tools will communicate to donors and stakeholders exactly what you are trying to accomplish and can be used for effective management of the project once funded. |
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343 Community Based Adaptation 3: The Community Focus. March 6 - April 30, 2012. What does climate change adaptation mean at the community level? What practical tools are available today for communities to use in adaptation and in DRR? Conduct a baseline survey including climate vulnerability, risk assessment, an adaptation capacity analysis, and gain an understanding of local knowledge of a changing climate and of coping strategies. For practitioners who wish to begin working now at the community level to successfully adapt to the challenges that face us. |
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344 Community Based Adaptation 4: Sustainable Implementation. |
Elective Courses. Enroll in four of these elective courses.
After successful completion of the four prerequisite courses above, you will be invited to enroll in elective courses. There is a reason why there are prerequisites. Please don't ask for an exemption from the prerequisites.
OL 303. Food Security, Nutrition, and Home Gardens 1
OL 304. Food Security, Nutrition and Home Gardens 2
OL 224. Participatory M&E
OL 345. Community Based Disaster Risk Assessment, Preparedness and Management
OL 346. Small Island Developing States and Climate Change
OL 326. Developing Livelihood Resilience in your CBA project.
OL 332. Water Conservation and Management in your CBA project.
OL 333. Improved, Integrated Agricultural Practices for your CBA project.
OL 334. Incorporating REDD+ and Forest Stewardship into your CBA project.
OL 202. Impact Analysis
Expanded information on elective courses.
Visit our compilation of 300 Hands-On Field Activities for Community Based Adaptation projects.
Be sure to join the adaptation working group at CSDi’s Development Community. Join over 600 colleagues in sharing resources & collaborating online. The CSDi Development Community invites people active in development or interested in learning, to share resources & collaborate online in developing sustainable, impact-oriented tools and solutions for development challenges.
