Q: So, tell us more about yourself. How did you first hear about TechChange?
I recently graduated from Swarthmore College, where I studied Educational Studies and Linguistics. During my time there, I was conducting research on minoritized college students’ experiences navigating academic spaces within higher education. I became really interested in learning about and designing educational experiences that best fit the needs of the students. Someone mentioned TechChange as a place that does exactly that — and as a company started by a Swarthmore alum! It seemed like a great opportunity at the intersection of my interests in education, research, and design that I knew I wanted to be a part of.
Q: How has your past experience prepared you for this fellowship position?
During undergrad, I interned at a bilingual school in Monteverde, Costa Rica, where I developed the curriculum for and taught math and English to elementary schoolers. Working in the classroom gave me the opportunity to observe what students actually need in order to thrive in a learning environment. I was able to apply this knowledge through my curriculum and lesson plans in Costa Rica, and this experience will certainly continue to inform my pedagogical decision-making here at TechChange as well.
Q: What is your research topic and what are you most looking forward to when conducting this research?
My research question is, “What is a TechChange blended course?” This means that I get to explore the best of what TechChange has to offer in both the synchronous and asynchronous aspects of their courses. I’m looking forward to being able to learn more about the best practices of instructional design through my research!
Q: What excites you about this fellowship and research opportunity?
I’m really excited about the educational philosophy that TechChange carries into every course that they build. Throughout my time as an educator, I have prioritized philosophies such as constructivist educational theory and human-centered design. I see these as crucial for engaging students and adapting to their needs in order to best set them up for success in learning. It is amazing not only to be researching projects that reflect these values, but also to be working with an organization that will continue to center these philosophies in the long-term.
Q: What is something you look forward to while a fellow at TechChange?
I’m looking forward to working with lots of different members of the TechChange team to learn all about what TechChange has to offer — not just about instructional design, but other aspects such as visual design as well. I am eager to learn and absorb as much as I can!
Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?
I lived in Sri Lanka for a year!
Fifteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom fatigue had many of us practically catatonic in front of our screens. So how was the Society for International Development – Washington Chapter (SID-W) able to reverse this trend and put on a virtual conference that actually proved to be more engaging, more interactive, and more inclusive than any prior SID-W event?
SID-W joined forces with our team at TechChange to co-design their annual event on the TechChange platform. We leveraged a new community-led model that transformed the conference experience into one that no longer relies exclusively on organizer-led sessions or speakers.
Compared to a traditional DC-based event, the online nature of the SID-W Virtual Annual Conference resulted in 1300+ participants from over 60 countries drawing from development practitioners, implementing partners, local staff, NGO partners, and more, with over 50% being first-time attendees.
Leveraging over a decade of experience facilitating courses, workshops, and events, the TechChange team utilized strategies from our educator toolkit to deliver a memorable virtual experience for – and with – the participants.
Here are a few highlights:
Innovation Showcase 3D World
Showcasing innovation was critical to the SID-W team – both in terms of the way the conference took place but also in the content to be shared. So to display the Innovation Award finalists’ pitches in a way that was true to form, SID-W asked TechChange’s 3D artist and developer team to build an Innovation Showcase 3D World using Mozilla Hubs. The virtual space hosted pitches from the four finalists on large virtual television screens inside a 3D recreation of the magnificent National Portrait Gallery Atrium. In addition, using 3D avatars, innovation finalists conversed with conference attendees and potential investors inside the unique space. Participants then voted for the “Best of Show,” which was announced at the closing ceremony.
The Exhibition Hall interface was significantly enhanced compared to last October’s debut SID-W virtual conference, generating leads for both sponsors in business development and recruitment and job-seeking participants. In addition to the platform-embedded Exhibition Hall resource library, SID-W wanted to liven things up by enabling real-time video networking between sponsors and participants.
Sponsors each had a table within the Social hour Exhibit Hall
Through an integration with Social hour, TechChange created over 40 virtual tables across four virtual rooms. Instead of leaving the rooms indefinitely open and hoping participants would find their way there, SID-W intentionally designed the agenda such that it would funnel participants into the interactive space for one hour each day. This dedicated space, designed to spark lively conversations and targeted outreach, attracted over 200 participants online simultaneously. Sponsor Tetra Tech commented that “[i]t was the closest ‘in-person’ experience we’ve had at an event yet!”
Crowd-sourced roundtable discussions
A few months before the conference, SID-W sent out a call for community members to submit topics for the Roundtable Discussions. After receiving over 70 topics, SID-W members, staff, and the Annual Conference Committee selected the top 20, including: “Decolonizing Aid: Gender Equality & Social Inclusion,” “Dignity in Development,” and “Using Blended Finance at Scale to Achieve the SDGs.” During Day 2 of the conference, over 260 participants joined their peers at virtual tables on Social hour for intimate, facilitated discussions. Multiple participants noted the Roundtable Discussions session as the highlight of their SID-W virtual conference experience.
“I got the most out of the roundtable I attended.”
SID-W Conference Attendee
Organic networking sessions
The Open Networking sessions, also leveraging TechChange’s Social hour integration, provided a medium for lively conversations that were less structured than the scheduled events. This free-form format led to the organic formation of the “Amis Francophones” Table, sparked by one of the attendees who hoped to connect with other Francophiles. French speaking SID-W members from around the globe were able to meet and exchange – a feat that could not have been accomplished had the conference been held in person.
“The best online networking platform I’ve seen to date – really felt like wandering around a room and chatting with people.”
SID-W Conference Attendee
Ideas Library & Open Discussion Forums
The Ideas Library provided an opportunity for conference participants to interact with the hosts of Lightning Talks. Open Discussion & Networking forums allowed speakers and participants alike to spark new conversations on timely topics. For example, conference speaker Wayan Vota started a thread asking “[w]hat is the largest COVID-19 change in your work?” which garnered over 30 responses. Others exchanged knowledge on topics like data management and DEI. SID-W Program Associates also utilized the Ideas Library to share summaries of plenaries, panels, and Learning Labs in real time, creating a forum for attendees to continue the critical conversations.
Gamification: SID-W Points
Knowing attendees would likely be motivated to engage more by gamifying the conference experience, SID-W opted to turn on the points feature on the TechChange platform. To receive “SID-W Points,” attendees used different features throughout the platform, such as creating a profile for networking purposes, attending sessions, engaging in session chats to introduce themselves to fellow participants, and commenting on each other’s work. The winner earned an impressive 475 points!
The SID-W annual conference was second to none in engaging its membership to create a two-day community-led conference experience – one that enlivened even its most embattled Zoom-fatigued members.
Video conferencing solutions like Zoom are designed to solve business meeting challenges, but when applied to other use cases such as informal networking, the consequence is that every social gathering can start to feel like a formal meeting — even with fun and zany backgrounds. Some great events have created “informal happy hour” sections (including a recent event by Tech4Dem, which followed a formal USAID presentation with informal breakouts and a shared activity), but there’s only so much that solutions like Zoom can be repurposed into critical professional functions at conferences — like networking.
But there are increasing numbers of options for leveraging virtual worlds to go beyond planned video meetings. And there are a range of options, from the 12.3 million participants in Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert to more modest 8-bit solutions like Online Town, where multiple conversations can happen in parallel — just as they would when sharing a space in real life.
One promising option for virtual conferences is Mozilla Hubs, a “VR chatroom designed for every headset and browser, but it is also an open source project that explores how communication in mixed reality can come to life.” Most interestingly, we were able to not only use a world that was created previously, but also able to build a custom format specific for this global event.
So we built a shared space to experience the event, and network. It was intended to be a proof of concept (Register for GDDF to find the Link), but ended up recreating experiences that I had been craving for months.
Overhearing Other Conversations. Since you are speaking in a virtual world, groups have to gather near one another to hear a conversation. That means at any given moment you can hear snippets of fascinating conversations, which you are welcome to join at any point and speak up as well.
Leaving Conversations. Finally, an option other than forcing yourself through an unpleasant video conversation. If you want to join a different circle, you can just walk over. No awkward transitions, just pop on over.
Randomness in Contacts and Introductions. Since you can join conversations and find friends, there is a true level of randomness but also vouched-for connections in networking. If your friend is having a good chat and you pop by, they can introduce you.
In closing, this was supposed to simulate a conference environment, but really what we recreated may have been more useful — the hallway or happy hour at the conference.
What’s next? We’d love to explore moving this to a classroom space, to try to recreate being physically present as close as we can to reality.
Hailey recently joined the TechChange team as a Program Manager, where she helps elearning partners build and deliver learning experiences on digital health.
Q: So, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up working in education? In my last year of college, I completed a fellowship with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here, I developed the Enteric Disease Outbreak Response and Capacity Building Toolkit curriculum component for tertiary educational institutions in Sierra Leone- this prompted my journey to international education.
Q: How did you first hear about TechChange? Shortly after returning to the States, I knew I wanted to relocate to the DC area. During my search, TechChange came to my attention. After I heard about their mission, I knew it was a place I wanted to contribute.
Q: What are some of your favorite parts of working at TechChange so far? Starting anything new can be nerve-racking and overwhelming for anyone- especially during a pandemic, but the welcome that I received on my first day at TechChange was incredible. It felt like I had already been working there for a while. The team and I got straight to work and hit the ground running. The innovation and opportunity within the company I see will carry me a long way. It’s exciting to be a part of something that aligns so closely with your vision and goals.
Q: What excites you about this role? Delivering equitable education platforms to increase capacity building is an essential part of public health. I am grateful to work alongside a team that emphasizes this, and can’t wait to get started on discovering new ways to improve partner relationships to achieve optimal health outcomes.
Q: Anything you look forward to working on or learning at TechChange in the next year? I can’t wait to begin contributing to the intersection of public health, education, and eLearning. I value collaboration and am eager to get my hands dirty with all the projects.
Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you? After graduating and completing a CDC fellowship, I purchased a ticket to Australia and went on an 8-week spontaneous solo backpacking trip!
If you want to change global behavior patterns, make the sustainable alternative better.
The Swedes have a word for it: Flygskam. Coined in 2016 and popularized recently by teenage activist Greta Thunberg, this Swedish noun (literally, ‘flight shame’) describes the feeling of climate guilt associated with airline travel. But for many of us, not travelling simply isn’t an option: There are global projects to launch, partners to meet, pressing health matters to address, standing conferences to grow our network, and so on. For many of us, guilt just isn’t enough of a motivator for a problem that can’t be solved individually.
But the recent novel coronavirus outbreak is a once-in-a-sector opportunity to upend these models, not just to cancel events that contribute to climate change, but to entirely rethink their delivery for scale, inclusion, and impact. Otherwise, the risk is that when the crisis is over, old models will take hold, and we will all be back to where we started.
But key to success will not just be making us feel bad about going to conferences: It will be about making us feel good about what we are doing instead. When Beyond Burger wanted to shift Americans from beef to plant-based patties — and in the process take the equivalent of 12 million cars off the road for an entire year — they focused on customer experience of eating meat and tried to recreate that through sustainable means.
But what are the customer experiences of conferences?
When presenting at the ICT4D conference in Kampala last year (there’s the Flygskam, again), we tried to unpack what it is that online experiences serve, and what purpose in-person workshops can fulfill. The chief takeaway from looking at current offerings is that technology is explored for scaling across geography, while workshops are useful for intensity of peer-to-peer learning.
But this year, before we all meet again in Abuja on April 21,it might be worth exploring what it would like if we were able to free the conference experience from geography?What could it mean for recreating that sector-specific learning experiences, conference-wide networking, small-group relationship building, one-on-one mentoring…if it wasn’t restricted to those who could afford the resources and time to be there?
In looking at our data from a recent course in TC101: How to Teach Online, we mapped out exchange between learner cities over a four-week period in the forums versus real attendee city data for ICT4D over the same time period.
Versus a single round trip to Kampala:
Of course, an online learning exchange in a forum or chat isn’t the same as an in-person conference experience.
But what are the components of that experience that could be recreated online?
When it comes to event planning in the face of a pandemic, the technology is the easy part. Shifting the training model will be harder, and international development is perfectly positioned to lead.
After returning from a successful week-long workshop in Kampala with Last Mile Health (featured image) to plan for an an upcoming online course, I wondered how many similar workshops were suddenly adapting to the growing concerns around the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. That’s because the growing list of cancelled world events ranges from GSMA Mobile World Congress to Facebook’s F8 2020, and the regular international convening opportunities at the intersection of technology and development are threatening to be next.
And as the sage on the stage lecture-based MOOC gives way to the “guide by your side” small-group workshop, organizers are wondering if they can move more than lectures onto online learning solutions. Remote conferencing providers such as Zoom are expected to benefit, while like Andreessen Horowitz helped raise $4.3 million in seed funding for “Run The World”, whose founder declares: “The ideal event to me isn’t one with 2 million people. I’d rather we hosted 2 million events with 50 people.”
But the technology may be the easy part.
Facebook Workshop on Gender Data 101
That’s because most in-person workshops are far more complex than the Eventbrite-style offerings that are emerging and being funded. What we need is to recreate what participants gain from attending active workshops of their peers, not just from listening to a lecture with 10,000 other attendees. And that means going far beyond a platform-based solution, but also thinking through edtech as a service, as well as empowering local facilitators to design and facilitate active learning experiences.
That’s why TechChange is changing our model as well. This year, we are working with partners such as Facebook (pictured above) to think through active, blended online workshops on topics such as Gender Data. And why we are supporting partners such as DIAL (pictured below) in understanding and engaging learners for blended and online workshops on topics including the Principles of Digital Development.
In this way, we are hoping to approach online learning not as a series of discrete problems — platform, content, service, support — but as a process driven by educators, local facilitators, and partners community engagement over a number of years. And we’re hoping that in freeing participants and educators from the tyranny of distance, that we’ll enable these conversations to take place more often, more effectively, and more globally than ever before.
The digital transformation of online workshops is coming. And the intersection of technology and development — in delivering these trainings at low cost, in low-bandwidth, and in partnership with local facilitators — is perfectly positioned to lead the way.
DIAL Ideation Workshop
Ariel recently joined the TechChange team as a Program Manager, where she helps elearning partners build and deliver learning experiences on digital health.
Q: So, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up working in education?
I was born into the ‘role’ of unofficial mentor and teacher as an older sister to two of the best sisters in the world, but it wasn’t until college that I taught in a classroom for the first time, leading a sub-section for a course on violence against women. After I graduated with a degree in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Public Health, I got a job in the international development space in Washington, DC. I developed and co-facilitated many trainings through my work at Social Impact, which propelled me to explore further how trainings can be more effective at instigating sustainable behavior change. I decided to go back for my masters in public health at Johns Hopkins where I focused on social and behavioral interventions, zeroing in on the challenges of creating health behavior change and how trainings fit into the puzzle. In school and out, I have found that most of my jobs usually require me to support some level of capacity building, so understanding how to transmit and translate information to action is something I am actively working to improve.
Q: How did you first hear about TechChange?
I was working with an organization called Clear Outcomes on a needs assessment for DIAL on the Principles for Digital Development. We presented our findings to both DIAL and TechChange, so that TechChange could use our findings to develop and execute a pilot training on the Principles for Digital Development. This was the first I had heard of an organization focused specifically on how to create and execute participatory, blended-learning courses in the social sector for a variety of clients, with a thought towards building supportive communities around these trainings.
Q: What are some of your favorite parts of working at TechChange so far?
I have been solely focused on content development in a space that I am very excited about: digital health. It’s rewarding to be able to apply my experiences in public health in and out of the classroom to developing course material that is useful and beautiful. But mostly, I have very much enjoyed getting to know the team here, especially over lunch and dessert(s).
Q: What excites you about this role?
I am most excited about not only using my own background and experiences in public health to develop this training, but also learning from TechChange’s subject matter expert on even more about the ins and outs of digital health. I can’t wait to see it piloted in Sierra Leone.
Q: Anything you look forward to working on or learning at TechChange in the next year?
I’m looking forward to learning more about instructional design and applying a human-centered design approach to developing trainings in the health space and beyond.
Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?
I have won every hula hooping contest I have ever entered.
TechChange recently supported one of the first evaluations of HPV online education, as conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is now available online. The evaluation concludes that:
“[This] online format offers a highly adaptable and acceptable educational tool that promotes interpersonal communication with parents and preteens and practice-related changes such as reminder messages known to improve vaccine uptake.”
The human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, and health care provider recommendation is a key determinant of HPV vaccination. This online training program for providers addressed vaccine guidelines, hesitancy to strongly recommend the vaccine, and reluctance to discuss HPV infection as a sexually transmitted infection.
Screenshot from Catalog Page of UNC Platform
This evaluation took place over three annual waves between 2015-2017, for a total of 113 providers from 25 practices who enrolled in an asynchronous online course to promote preteen HPV vaccination. The course was approved for 12 CME and CNE credits and was live for 4 weeks and available on demand for three additional months. Of the 61% of providers who completed an evaluation, almost all (96%) agreed the course will improve their practice.
For those interested in reading more about this study, please check out the full report: Toward Optimal Communication About HPV Vaccination for Preteens and Their Parents: Evaluation of an Online Training for Pediatric and Family Medicine Health Care Providers by Cates JR1, Diehl SJ, Fuemmeler BF, North SW, Chung RJ, Hill JF, Coyne-Beasley T (Available on NCBI).
For those interested in learning more about the TechChange platform, please do reach out to us at info@techchange.org or check out our online courses. We’ll close with a quote from Dr. Joan Cates, our partner at UNC and one of the authors of the study:
“When I was first introduced to TechChange on another online course, I couldn’t believe it. It was fun and engaging and I actually looked forward to doing the course. Our evaluation results show this platform helps with fun and engagement! And ultimately results.”
Natalya recently joined the TechChange team as an Account Manager, where she helps elearning partners leverage the TechChange platform services and education team to create powerful learning experiences.
Q: So, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up working in education?
I graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2018 and starting working as a technology consultant in Northern Virginia. As a consultant, I primarily helped clients with modernizing their websites and implementing new software. As a student at CMU, I mentored high school students in software engineering, digital art, and sound design. I also organized and facilitated workshops for college students in gender and sex education. I wanted to mix both my passions of education and technology together by joining TechChange!
Q: How did you first hear about TechChange?
Thanks to Josh! We were cross-country teammates at CMU and he graduated a few years before me. I heard about his job at TechChange and remember thinking it sounded like exactly where I wanted to be.
Q: What are some of your favorite parts of working at TechChange so far?
Although I just started here, I have already been embraced and entrusted by everyone. I love the not only super innovative but also supportive environment at TechChange. Some other perks include being in the heart of DC and not having to wear formal business shoes every day.
Q: What excites you about this role?
I am super excited about how interdisciplinary TechChange is. I will be able to tap into all my passions: technology, teaching, team-building, and design.
Q: Anything you look forward to working on or learning at TechChange in the next year?
I look forward to getting to know everyone and creating meaningful work together.
Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?
I am weirdly passionate about 80’s pop culture. Just something about the overall aesthetic, movies and music makes me very happy.
A pivotal mindset shift occurred in my first year of working at TechChange. It was ignited during a check-in with my manager, TechChange Chief Technology Officer, Will Chester, who became one of my mentors.
During our check-in, Will and I discussed opportunities for additional responsibilities in the company. In his kind, patient manner, he talked about the importance of fully executing my current responsibilities and demonstrating capabilities that showed beyond doubt that more responsibility could be added to my plate.
I was initially surprised by our discussion because I felt like I had been checking all the items on my responsibility list:
Responding to clients on time
Learning about the online learning platform and troubleshoot issues
Passing along feedback from partners to software engineers.
I went back home that day still reflecting on our conversation. Then, it dawned on me! I was doing the exact things listed in my job description; nothing more; nothing less. In a culture, where everyone’s impact can be felt, there was definitely a lot more that I could do. I was barely working at my full potential in my first year. Now, I knew it, what was I going to do about it?
My reflection resulted in a mindset shift. This led me to talk to people to gain ideas about how I could contribute further and leverage my influence to start taking more initiative on tasks. I started testing out ideas, learnt the value of creating processes, and built upon existing systems.
My reformed checklist looked like this:
Proactively anticipating our partners needs by scheduling regular check-ins.
Implementing internal processes and systems that were scalable across teams.
Finding my voice and becoming more assertive in our tech team meetings as well as being an advocate for our partners.
I believed in and loved our learning platform. It pushed me to creatively think beyond the platform features in the courses that I designed. I became even more passionate about working to shape the platform. Working alongside dedicated co-workers pushed me to be a better version of myself.
In summary, I learnt the value of going the extra mile and this started bearing fruit. I got promoted to Senior Platform Manager in my second year and that was even more of an opportunity to collaborate with the technical team, conduct user tests, inform platform features and deploy platform documentation on GitLab. My promotion was also a chance for me to engage on an even deeper level with the twenty plus partners I managed.
Working at the intersection of our creative design, instructional design and technical teams to deliver accessible courses in healthcare and education across the world has taught me the value of education with technology as a vehicle. This influenced the choice of my next steps and my Master’s program, “Learning, Design and Technology”. https://krootez.com
I’m leaving my role at TechChange with meaningful experiences and I’m grateful for the opportunities. As I transition from work to graduate school at Stanford University, I’m grateful. I’m thankful for meaningful relationships with partners, thankful for coworkers that became friends outside of work, and thankful for managers who became mentors. I’ll miss my TechChange family but I know the relationships we’ve built will last a lifetime.
