CONTRIBUTORS
Benard Ondiek
Virtual Academy Coordinator
APHRC is revolutionizing capacity strengthening through the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA), a platform that offers flexible, accessible, and comprehensive training for individuals across sub-
Saharan Africa. Aligned with APHRC’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan, the VLA has become a cornerstone
for internal and external individual capacity strengthening efforts.
Adapting to the Times
Since 2015, APHRC has been delivering short courses on key topics such as Scientific Writing, Grant
Proposal Writing, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Research Governance, and Quantitative
Data Analysis. These courses were traditionally conducted in person. However, the COVID-19
pandemic accelerated the need for virtual alternatives. In response, APHRC conducted a needs
assessment, gathering input from staff and stakeholders to identify challenges in traditional online
learning. The resulting roadmap for the VLA focused on four key phases: planning, capacity building,
implementation, and scaling. Launched post-COVID, the VLA has quickly scaled up its offerings,
becoming a pivotal tool in expanding APHRC’s reach and impact across Africa.
Milestones So Far
The VLA has achieved remarkable milestones in its mission to expand access to high-quality training.
With 12 completed courses, the Academy has a notable reach across sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure
inclusivity, courses are now bilingual, catering to both Anglophone and Francophone participants.
One standout course, the Graduate Grant Writing Workshop, exemplifies a hybrid model of three
weeks of self-paced learning followed by one week of in-person training—a format that has been
highly effective and replicable across other projects.
In addition to course offerings, the Academy has fostered thriving communities of practice, growing
from three (3) communities in 2023 to over 15 in 2024. These communities, such as the Grants
Writing Community, now boast more than 300 participants, facilitating ongoing knowledge sharing
and collaboration. To further institutionalize the VLA, awareness campaigns have encouraged
projects across APHRC to incorporate the Academy into grant proposals as a critical capacity-
strengthening component.
On the infrastructure front, significant upgrades were made to enhance the platform’s security and
sustainability. The Academy’s infrastructure was migrated to a local data center to reduce costs and
ensure long-term viability. Additionally, a Systems Administration course was developed and
delivered to the technical team supporting the Academy, ensuring continued operational excellence.
Scaling and Innovating
As the VLA continues to scale, APHRC is planning several exciting initiatives to expand its impact.
Upcoming goals include:
- Raising Awareness: Strengthening outreach to APHRC’s thematic units and external partners
to integrate self-paced courses and communities of practice into their work.
- Expanding Reach: Scaling courses to reach a larger audience across the region, ensuring
greater impact.
- Broadening Linguistic Access: Adding courses in more African languages to ensure inclusivity
and reach a diverse audience.
- Introducing a Mobile App: Developing a dedicated application for communities of practice
to increase accessibility, usability, and knowledge exchange.