In March 2020, The DHS Program released a call for applications for the 2020 DHS Data Processing Procedures – Data Tabulation and Data Finalization (DPPII) workshop, to be held in Accra, Ghana in June. The DPPII workshop includes online pre-work and face-to-face instruction. DHS Program Data Processing staff members assist participants through one-on-one coaching, and participants gain proficiency through hands-on practice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this in-person workshop was canceled.

The DHS Program’s Data Processing team worked with the Capacity Strengthening team to adapt the DPPII workshop to an online course focused on data tabulation. The course was delivered on The DHS Program Learning Hub and included self-paced modules with readings, videos, and activities, as well as updated CSPro manuals. These up-to-date materials will be used in future data processing courses and workshops, plus trainings for new Data Processing staff at The DHS Program.

The restructured DPPII course is semi-synchronous, including eLearning modules and assignments that participants work through independently. The course also includes four virtual instructor-led sessions, in which participants and DHS Program facilitators login to the same virtual learning space to learn new content, watch presentations, ask and address questions, and receive feedback on assignments in real-time. For their capstone assignment, participants recreate a standard DHS table using CSPro by defining their own variables and data.

Staff from implementing agencies in countries with ongoing DHS surveys are targeted for participation in the DPPII workshop, as participants build competencies required to process DHS data and produce country-specific tables found in DHS final reports. For this first-ever virtual DPPII course, participants included five women and fourteen men from eight Anglophone countries which recently implemented a DHS survey: the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.

Converting face-to-face workshops to virtual learning sessions comes with challenges. It can be difficult for participants to balance coursework with work and other responsibilities, which is not an issue with in-person residential workshops. Throughout the virtual DPPII training, it became clear that more one-on-one instruction time was needed. To address this, facilitators began holding optional office hours. These and other lessons learned about virtual facilitation will be applied to future online courses, remote technical assistance, and webinars.

Interested in learning more about capacity strengthening opportunities at The DHS Program? The DHS Program periodically makes Workshop and Training Announcements for upcoming training opportunities.

Featured image: © ST.art, stock.adobe.com