The need for such training has been occasioned by the field of climate change that is relatively recent and changing rapidly, developments in climate science and impacts research, new findings on the intersection of climate change with various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition there have been changes in how we conceptualize climate change and development, and shifts in the policy landscape which pose challenges for lecturers to keep their curricula up to date. This workshop was a form of support for lecturers to learn and share experiences of teaching climate change as well as to provide tools for review of climate change curricula.

This three-part series workshop was to assist lecturers in reviewing their curricula and keeping it up to date in terms of content and teaching approaches. The online workshop was convened on Thursday 27th May, 2021 to Tuesday 1st June, 2021for four days, with 30 lecturers from Southern, West and East Africa. This workshop introduced key tools and concepts for reviewing and updating climate change Masters curricula in Africa.

The second session outlined that participating lecturers would be supported to convene smaller workshops in their own institutions to review and update their own curricula according to their own needs. These workshops may include academicians from other institutions virtually or in-person. Lastly, a final full-team workshop would reconvene the original group of lecturers to share the outcomes and reflections from their curriculum review processes which could be online or face to face.

Reviewing and updating curricula can either happen continuously, or through an intensive once-off or regular review. Participants were equipped with skills to manage Masters curriculum and keep it up to date in the rapidly changing field of climate change. Such knowledge will enable lecturers to run curriculum review processes back at their institutions.