Guest Post: A Blended Course Given in Bolivia by an AuthorAID Workshop Grantee

[This post is from Cynthia Cisneros Fajardo, who took an AuthorAID online course and went on to receive an AuthorAID workshop grant. Thank you for this post! —Barbara]

I would like to express my gratitude to AuthorAID at INASP for the workshop grant. This grant was used to develop an online course with INASP Moodle and then hold two face-to face sessions on research writing. The workshop was designed for health care professionals and students. It took place from 23 May to 1 July 2015 at Mayor de San Andrés University, La Paz, Bolivia.

This experience was for me the best of 2015 on the personal, professional, and emotional levels because I learned so much about the health care field in my country. I am a psychologist with a master’s degree in development studies. My interest in health care science begins with the necessity to improve the quality of healthcare in Bolivia.

Most participants in the course were students in the last years of medical school. However, some participants were professionals. We also included students and specialists in other disciplines because of the high interest in the course. In total, there were 26 participants.

Before the course, only about a quarter of participants had written a research paper. However, after the course, more than half had drafted such a paper. A total of 18 participants (nearly 70%) completed the course. 0f them, 16 completed all of the activities for an online certificate.

Ten participants are sharing with others in their faculties what they learned in the course. They also are requesting information to apply for the grant that AuthorAID awarded me.

In closing, I believe this is a good way to involve new researchers from developing countries in the international scientific network. Thanks again, AuthorAID.