The Inter-American Development Bank launches its first MOOC in English: Project Management Techniques for Development Professionals

Conoce sobre la versión en español de este MOOC aquí.

By Claudia Useche from the Knowledge and Learning Department at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

This April 26, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will launch a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): Project Management Techniques for Development Professionals, on the IDBx platform. It purposes is to train professionals from public institutions, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and all those who manage or are interested in managing development projects.

The first two versions of these MOOCs were in Spanish with more than 80,000 registrants from several sectors from more than 100 countries. This allowed for disseminating knowledge on a massive scale, reaching new audiences, and helping strengthen the capacity to manage development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Project Management Institute (PMI®) has authorized the Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES), a Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.), to issue Professional Development Units (PDUs). Therefore, participants who pass the course and receive the verified certificate will obtain 30 PDUs.

Below, you will find what to expect from this course and how you can participate:

1. This MOOC introduces concepts and tools that can be applied to project management and, as a result, can generate material changes toward meeting expected objectives, according to the time and other resources available. Many of these practices and methodologies have proven highly effective in private sector projects. Therefore, over the past few years, the IDB has made a substantial effort to incorporate these practices into the public sphere and into the developing world in general in order to optimize processes and achieve expected outcomes.
2. The course is five weeks long and participants should dedicate approximately six hours per week to coursework. It comprises nine modules, which introduce nine key project management tools. These include preparing a project charter; managing a project’s scope, time, and cost; managing risk and communications; and monitoring a project, among others.

   The MOOC includes short videos that explain and analyze tools, reading materials, and a case study with related practical activities that will enable participants to apply the knowledge they have acquired to a real project.

   Materials and tools included in the MOOC are part of the PM4R methodology, which is based on project management best practices and international standards that have been adapted by the Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES) for the world of development. These resources constitute the basis of several knowledge products, such as the Project Management Associate (PMA) course for executing agencies of IDB-funded projects, and for which the INDES is a Project Management Institute Registered Education Provider.

3. The MOOC starts on April 26. You can register here. Download here a brief guide on how to register on the edX platform and for the Project Management Techniques for Development Professionals course.

   The course is free. If you wish, you can also receive a verified certificate for $25.00.

• Click here to register in the Project Management Techniques for Development Professionals MOOC.
• Access here our guide on how to register.
• The course starts on April 26, 2016.