Ensuring equity in access to online courses: Perspectives from the WHO health emergency learning response

Abstract

The World Health Organization's (WHO) open-source learning platform, OpenWHO, allows diverse audiences worldwide to access self-paced, asynchronous online courses based on WHO technical expertise and guidance. In addition, the platform emphasizes equitable access to learning by aiming to remove barriers. All OpenWHO courses are therefore provided free of charge and in low-bandwidth friendly, downloadable, and offline formats. This paper explores differences in access to online learning across learner demographics, namely gender, country income status, and preferred language. The evidence presented is derived from surveys and statistical data extracted from the OpenWHO platform. It advocates for the importance of offering courses in non-time-bound formats that address the relevant diseases, outbreaks, and challenges of affected communities. Doing so is vital to ensure the broadest possible and most equitable access to learning, according to learners' availability and preferred media, languages, and health topics.