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  • From: andylang <andylang@gn.apc.org>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Courses/Diplomas ...
  • Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:37:26 -0600

I'd like to jump into the conversation about Diplomas, Teacher Training,
accreditating courses, standards, organizational coherence ... Andrew
Langford from Gaia University here - www.gaiauniversity.org.

We have been plugging away in the background with a design for an
International Diploma of Permaculture Design. We launched our IDPD last year
in February (the IDPD is based on earlier work in the UK, since 1993, when we
launched a Diploma program there).

During the design phase (beginning in 2009) we consulted with Scott Pitman,
Larry Santoyo, Jude Hobbs, Toby Hemenway, Dave Jacke, Mark Krawczyk, Ethan
Roland, Peter Bane, Fingerlakes Permaculture, Benjamin Fahrer and more.

Open Portfolios

Our plan was/is to create an online Diploma process that has each 'student'
developing an ePortfolio which is peer and professionally reviewed and then
visible, if they choose to make it so, to the wider public. This, we feel, is
the transparent way to go - accessible, online Diploma portfolios. It has
only really been possible the last few years since open-source ePortfolio
software has come of age.

One issue for the existing systems out there is that they were designed and
built before the age of ePortfolios and these are surely game-changers - but
they do need: -

Infrastructure

a) a good systems administration team,
b) some folks who are fluent with using the platform who can teach other
people with less digital literacy to use it well (via templates these days)
c) an organized review system with well-thought out rubrics, trained
reviewers, speedy response times and competent mentors
d) an, active, persistent and agile un-institutional organizational form
capable of making sure the system gets the support and attention it needs to
develop and thrive.

Liberating the elders

When we checked around in the USA* we noticed that there was some wonderful
groundwork laid, for example, at the Permaculture Institute that Scott and
Toby have been holding and yet, in 2009 anyway, The Institute did not have
nearly enough resource to handle the demand and, in any case, had a long way
to go before it could be described as a Diploma 2.0.

It also looked to us that systems like this had the tendency (like Bill
Mollison's original Diploma system in Australia) to demand our deeply skilled
permaculture elders spend hard-to-find chunks of time on administrative and
procedural work if the system is to keep up to speed.

Our (Gaia U) view is that we'd much rather have these elders leading advanced
trainings, mentoring Masters degree students and otherwise being strategic
leaders for our movement than have them obliged to administer Diploma systems.

*You all know, of course, that the US permaculture network lacks some
coherence - it is very hard to know who to talk to, who to look for and so
on, even when you have helpful US'ers in the organizing team as we did (Zack
Mermel, who was interning with Peter Bane and the Permaculture Activist at
the time, Ethan Roland with his extensive north-east USA connections and
Doniga Markegard in Half-Moon Bay, CA who was pioneering Earth Action Mentors
at the time all opened up their mailing lists to help in this process).
Sometimes, too, we got a sense that the presence of person or org x in the
scheme of things meant that persons y and orgs z would not join in,
especially once the international lid is lifted.

Connecting with YOU

Anyway, the sum total of this is that we have this IDPD up and running and WE
DO NOT want to be the permaculture experts who do the reviews of portfolios,
or who do the expert mentoring. We are professional educators and
organization developers with permaculture backgrounds, not professional
permaculture designers and practitioners.

We want YOU - for example, the Permaculture Institute, PINA, Benjamin
Fahrer's teachers group on Wiser Earth, Fingerlakes Permaculture and other
significant permaculture nodes to take up these critical expert role. And as
paid work, not as volunteers.

Income to nodes

The Gaia U system has been designed to return 60% of the tuition back to the
permaculture groups that provide these expert services once the local teams
have skilled-up. That's the core of the design, to have a transparent,
international diploma system with coherent standards generating income at the
regional level whilst being backed up by good, persistent and adequately
resourced professional admin - these last invisible systems being, of course,
vital to the long term efficacy of any professional development system that
wants to claim credibility over time.

Additional interest

International interest in this approach is developing nicely. Chile has
recently come on stream with Gaia U (Diploma in Spanish). A team in Columbia
is in training. Israel is investigating whether to convert its Diploma system
to be consistent with the Gaia U approach and more partners are inquiring as
to how to participate.

And, as an aside but to illustrate, Gaia U has just signed an agreement with
The Transition Network in the UK to build a Diploma program for their people
(they are considering making a PDC a pre-requisite to this Diploma) so our
Gaia U ability to deliver progressive, online mediated programs is getting
attention and credibility in the wider ecosocial regeneration field.

The world PC network needs the US'ers

It makes a lot of sense for the USA Permaculture regions to come on board
too, to provide some much needed global permaculture leadership in time for
the IPC in Cuba. Now would be a great time to show up and get organized in
this way.

Conference call

Maybe some of you will have questions - I'd be pleased to answer them -
follow the link that follows to join a conversation on Saturday 16th March,
12 noon PT, about next steps on this route towards increased professional
development for permaculture practitioners and teachers -
http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/YSGPV8YAUOR944US.
Invite your friends too …

Thanks for your attention …

Andrew




  • [permaculture] Courses/Diplomas ..., andylang, 02/27/2013

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