Recent developments have included the launch of a pilot of a course module on Maternal Mortality which enrolled 36 people from 8 countries and was oversubscribed. We have learned a great deal from this pilot, some of the on-line discussion has been fantastically interesting, and we are sending round an evaluation questionnaire, however the model of open educational resources placed in the context of defined competences and a series of focused discussions on an open source delivery platform appears to be appropriate. You can see the draft course module on which the course was based at http://moodle.cawd.net/course/view.php?id=2

The UK Royal Society of Health has offered considerable support, including the plan to provide assessment of whether participants have met the defined competences and to offer educational awards based on the assessment. This will allow participants to claim academic credit for their work on the course modules.

UK Management and an International Advisory Groups have been formed, and a number of people have volunteered to join the initiative. A proposal to the UK Charity Commissioners is being prepared for status as a charitable trust. A paper has appeared in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, detailing the genesis of the initiative http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/12/07-044388.pdf and is attached to this message.

Plans and a timetable for the creation and delivery of new course modules and the competences to be met are being developed. Discussions are taking place with a number of other organisations and individuals. Papers presented at the TENCompetence meeting in June and the OpenLearn conference in October were well received and proposals for sessions at e-learning Africa and the 5th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning have been submitted.

You may visit  the web site at:  http://peoples-uni.org.