Foundations for All

The overall aim of this action-based research project is to provide insights to the Mastercard Foundation and other key stakeholders on how to effectively facilitate access to and future success in higher education for displaced and refugee young people in resource-poor environments through contextualised online distance learning bridging programs.

It is specifically focused on:

1) developing and demonstrating the use of a shareable toolkit that includes: i) a Scoping Tool for effective assessment of the needs and capacities of refugees and displaced young people in relation to accessing and succeeding in higher education, including existing pathways, requirements, and obstacles; ii) a Design Framework for the development of supported blended learning interventions for and with displaced youth that take into account the relevant barriers and facilitators in the local context as well as the specific psycho-social support needs of the target population; iii) a case study of a blended bridging program in Lebanon; and iv) a case study of a blended bridging program in Uganda (which will be piloted as part of the action research); and

2) piloting and assessing a blended learning bridging program, ‘Foundations for All’, for refugees and displaced youth with the goal of enabling their subsequent access to and success in tertiary education in Uganda and/or Scotland.

The overall aim of this action-based research project is to provide insights to the Mastercard Foundation and other key stakeholders on how to effectively facilitate access to and future success in higher education for displaced and refugee young people in resource-poor environments through contextualised online distance learning bridging programs.