How we train journos to use data tools

A part of me always wanted to be a school teacher because I have a love for sharing knowledge with others. When Code for Africa suggested I train journalists to use data tools as part of the Mpumalanga Civic Media Initiative (MCMI), I jumped at the opportunity.

I was given the list of tools that we were asked to train on with no restrictions on how to approach the training. I thought, what would be the best way to train journos to use data tools? Training consists of online sessions, but what happens after the session when the journalists are on their own? When chasing down deadlines, do they really have time to try and figure out the tool? I then remembered my Geographic Information Systems (GIS) practicals at varsity. Classes were huge and it was very difficult to learn a new tool without sufficient guidance. Fortunately, we were provided with well-documented tutorial guides with screenshots describing step by step on using the tool. Perfect! I decided to supplement the training with creating “how-to” guides for each tool which comprises step by step screenshots and instructions on how to use the tool.

A section from the Wazimap Guide

I had the guide done, but how do I know if the training was sufficient or if the journos are now ready to use these tools in their reporting? My solution was to create a quiz to test their knowledge. I also created a memo answer for the quiz to check their answers.

A section from the Wazimap Quiz

During my visit to Mpumalanga in November 2016, I handed out printed copies of the Wazimap guide to the journalists. During the quiz, journos continuously referred to the guide. The quiz helped me to determine what aspects of the training were not understood and we could, therefore, revisit these problematic areas. Editorial Coordinators for MCMI, The Write News Agency identified that a newsroom had difficulty with Municipal Money. I visited their quiz answers and surprisingly found that their answers were correct! That helped us to conclude that they understood how to use the tool but they did not fully understand government finances.

To take the learning even further and to suit different preferences and needs, we decided to create instructional videos for each tool. This consisted of recording my screen as I use the tool. I created a series of simple videos and then added in subtitles to supplement the video recordings.

With so much training material now developed, we thought it’d be a great resource to the public, but we needed to make it easily accessible to the public. The Open Data Durban (ODD) team brainstormed and decided that creating a website containing all the material in one place for anyone to access at any time was the best solution. This was the beginning of the MCMI data tools websites. Initially, our tech team developed a WordPress website and uploaded the google docs guide. The tech team decided to make the website easier to use for learning and considered using either a WordPress or Wiki site by uploading the guides and identifying which best suited our needs. After much deliberation and mutual agreement, a Wiki themed WordPress site was adopted. Read Wasim’s blog on how we went about choosing between Wiki and WordPress.

The MCMI data tools website will be available to the public within the next month. Learning material for the following tools can be found, Wazimap, Municipal Money, Dodgy Doctors, Open ByLaws, Medicine Price Registry, Comparative Scales and Find your Ward Councillor. Stay tuned for more updates.

-Tricia

Tricia is an OpenGov Fellow with Open Data Durban and she loves to bake.

Originally published at Open Data Durban.