UNPFII session 2009. Photo Elsa Stamatopoulou.
On the occasion of Native American Heritage Month: Columbia ISHR’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights completes one year
Monday, November 1, 2021
The Massive Open Online Course on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights prepared by the Institute for the Study of Human Rights just completed one year of life (November 2020 to October 2021). The course was created in collaboration with Indigenous experts from around the world as well as Columbia’s CTL team.
Some statistics from the first cycle of the Online Course: 3738 learners have participated, 1,041 of whom registered to obtain a course certificate. 29 was the median learner age. Learners participated from 127 countries, with 14% from the USA (508), with India, Turkey and Canada having the next highest participation.
Based on the positive feedback received, the Institute for the Study of Human Rights is pleased to announce that the Massive Open Online Course on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights is expected to last until May 2022.
In the words of one participant, who thanks Columbia and all those who made this online course possible and accessible to diverse populations: “The course has been a useful introduction to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The course bibliography provides a wealth of resources that will be instrumental in my continual advocacy for the rights of urban Indigenous Peoples, women and human rights defenders. This course needs to reach more Indigenous Peoples as it provides essential information about UNDRIP, free, prior and informed consent ( FPIC) and the international human rights instruments available to us. The course content also opens up possibilities for indigenous peoples and movements to create in their own Indigenous languages and within their own Indigenous knowledge-based frameworks - Indigenous rights protocols, Indigenous FPIC templates and much more for states and non-indigenous agencies and stakeholders to adhere to.”