Evidence is central to good decision-making both in the humanitarian sector and beyond. Every day, a vast amount of evidence is generated that is relevant to humanitarian actors, much of it through research by academics and practitioners. This evidence can be incredibly valuable. It can help us better understand a situation and make humanitarian action more effective and accountable. The difficulty comes with understanding what evidence is relevant to our circumstances, where to find it, and how to assess its quality. This course will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and skills to answer these questions and help you better engage with research. It has been developed with you - a humanitarian professional or junior researcher - in mind. The course moves through the core research concepts one-at-a-time and does not require any prior knowledge or experience. We encourage all of you to plan your own learning journey by using this MOOC in a way that is most useful to you. Content highlights: • How can research be used for humanitarian practice? • What are the most appropriate research methods? • How can I judge the quality of the evidence and whether it is applicable to the context I work in? • How can populations in a situation of vulnerability be protected during a study? This course - co-developed in a partnership between academic and humanitarian institutions - is strongly positioned to give you the needed skills and knowledge to build a bridge between research and practice. We hope that this course will change your perspectives and improve your knowledge and, ultimately, make humanitarian responses more evidence-based. Enjoy!
This course gives you the core idea of a researcher in the humanitarian setting and how important role it has, also it's so enjoyable and interesting.
Excellent, very interesting course, very professional speakers reflecting experience and best practice of very -well known academic institutions and international organizations! Thank you very much!
Good course with specific thematic topics covered, specifically in humanitarian settings. It was good to be part of this course and nicely covered the relevant topics by the field experts !
Even though its was a bit tough... I enjoyed the journey
Operational Research for Humanitarians course is well designed course. I have learned skills beyond my expectations.
very informative, lots of resources and engaging quiz questions
Interactive course that helps understanding Research and Evidence in Humanitarian context.
The course was worth taking and interesting . I have gained alt of skills in research and hope to continue.The certificate should bear my Name and other initials though
All good. Some questions in the quizzes were worded in a complex way.
This is one of the most informative research MOOCs I've ever taken! well done to the team
this course was very helpfull and I learnt a lot in humanitarian research
An amazing course. Detailed and insightful yet practical.
Showing: 20 of 61
Excellent course. Learned plenty. Thank you for much for the team that put it together.
I truly appreciate you and the time you spent helping and assisting me in this operational research for humanitarian actions course during this five-week course period. Thank you very much for giving this interesting and practical course.
I have gained knowledges and skills from this course, particularly Research Ethics, Humanitarian practice, Qualitative and Quantitative research, Community engagement and Research Methods in humanitarian settings.
The contents, pacing and insights of the presenters in the MOOC were all great. Useful information. Recommend taking this course, if only to rephrase your existing knowledge in more formal terms.
Amazing and inspirational tutors. The quality of video production is great, which made the study comfortable and satisfying.
Good course with specific thematic topics covered, specifically in humanitarian settings. It was good to be part of this course and nicely covered the relevant topics by the field experts !
Es complejo y enredado, no lo recomiendo.
The course is very well-prepared. I really enjoyed it, appreciate how well it is made and learned a lot! The subjects, formats, amount of information, etc., were perfect. As feedback, I had issues with several of the evaluations, since some answer options were confusing or misleading in my opinion, not always referring to the information given in readings or video. Finally, there is a lot of focus in the materials on community involvement and involvement of local staff, but the main staff giving the course are all, with all due respect, white and European. As a Latin woman who is facing difficulties finding job opportunities in the humanitarian job market, this somehow spoke to me regarding diversity and participation in humanitarian and human rights organizations in Geneva, for example. Aside from this, great course. Thank you for putting it together with such dedication!
This course was a powerful introduction to research in humanitarian contexts, offering practical tools, ethical frameworks, and adaptable methodologies. It not only deepened my understanding of research design and cognitive bias but also highlighted the importance of using evidence to drive ethical, effective, and accountable humanitarian action. As a Pakistani, I was extremely proud to see representation from our leading scholars and researchers, particularly from Aga Khan University. Their insights were both inspiring and motivating, reminding me of the incredible work being done locally. This course has strengthened my resolve to contribute to meaningful, evidence-based social impact in my own community and beyond.
Operational Research for Humanitarians is one of the few courses that has an excellent learning approach for humanitarian actors, early career researchers and at the same time- a very detailed and well thought courses in the discipline of Emergency Management. Starting from humanitarian response to designing the operations based on research and generating evidence, ethical issues and critical considerations for emergency needs to learning stream- this course has its all. Highly recommended for aspiring professionals in the fields of Humanitarian diplomacy, Emergency research, MEAL and program management in humanitarian contexts.
I am extremely grateful for the enriching experience I've had during this course. The instructors, with their extensive experience, have been instrumental in making the course both informative and engaging. The inclusion of fascinating case studies has provided practical insights that I will carry forward in my research endeavors. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the University of Geneva, ICRC, and Aga Khan University for not only offering this consolidated course but also for the invaluable financial aid that made it accessible. This opportunity has been a true stepping stone in my research journey.
A refreshing perspective for both new and experienced humanitarian practitioners especially for those inclined in doing researches in humanitarian context. Short and concise but educational. Congratulations to the team.
I would like to recommended for a hands-on experience or an output which can be peer reviewed by other participants and the training team, or perhaps provide a standard answer, with a bit caution/warning that it is not cast in stone answer but still depends on contextualization. Just a thought :)
Awesome experience.
The course was insightful and interesting, I was thrill to continue learning following the connected dots from module one to five. My interest in humanitarian operations has really increased and I resolve in making effort to completely swift my career path to join one of the worlds humanitarian organisations to fulfil my purpose of impacting lives positively.
Thank you so much to all the institutions and team who made this happen, it was a great learning journey and fantastic opportunity.
Recommend 10/10 if you're interested in humanitarians, or generally, if you want to research international issues (especially ones that will engage local communities)! I reviewed the research methods I had learned in class (I am studying Global Health) + listened to many stories told by the online professors. Very interesting! A lot of methods and tools are provided and I hope to have the opportunity to practice more in real scenarios!
复习了自己课上也有学的 research methods + 听线上教授讲了很多故事。很有意思！推荐！提供了很多方法希望有机会多去实践～
El curso brinda muchas herramientas para que como investigadores podamos aplicar nuestros conocimientos en el campo humanitario, además, de que el curso está enfocado a personas que no necesariamente son investigadoras. En cualquiera de los aspectos, el curso es bastante útil y estoy segura de que me ayudará en un futuro. Por otro lado, poder conocer experiencias tanto positivas como negativas en diversas partes del mundo ayuda a tener una mejor comprensión de cada uno de los temas que se abordan.
An essential course for anyone involved in research or wanting to improve their research capabilities. The focus on humanitarian issues and ethics is fantastic and feels like it should always be a pillar of research in any case. The information is presented well, supported with great materials, people, case studies, and more, and the course is hard enough that you need to truly pay attention and try hard. Highly recommended.
I find this course to be a highly relevant source of knowledge and insight, and a valuable addition to my critical thinking in the field of research. I sincerely appreciate the course organizers, especially Professor Karl Blanchet, who is also my professor for his outstanding contribution to the knowledge society. At this point, I would strongly recommend this course to my friends and colleagues working in humanitarian action.
I really enjoyed the Operational Research for Humanitarians course as it gives me more in-depth knowledge regarding Humanitarian intervention. The modules are well defined and accompanied with practical details and evidence from existing contexts within the humanitarian sphere.
In conclusion, it completes my latest Humanitarian Program Management degree.
Thank you for the fluidity outlined in such modules.
Excellent, well-organized, and accessible course. I found it very thorough with wonderful supportive documentation, easy to understand yet covered complex topics. This course struck the right balance of emphasizing practice and theory based on real world examples from experienced practitioners and researchers. Thank you for this excellent course!
Very complete and insightful, this course helped me to better understand how to conduct research in the humanitarian sector, since the planning through the dissemination of the study, always pointing out its main challenges and relevant tips along the way. I've learnt so much! Thank you all.
Excellent course, skillfully packed with a lot of theory, interesting practical assignments and additional reading. Helped me improve on my understanding of research development . Would like to express my gratitude towards the great team of researchers and practitioners behind this course.