Red Española de Reservas de la Biosfera

The extension course included seven modules focusing on gender relations and equality in water management. The course’s approach follows a political pedagogical project. The course made use of the virtual learning platform (Moodle) offered by Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Methods employed included on-line sessions/ lectures, discussion fora, reading and audiovisual materials. Student experience was enhanced by a chat channel which has stimulated exchange and interaction between participants and tutors. Additionally, “reflection-action-reflection” activities and assignments were applied, where participants interacted with their own community in order to connect theory and practice. The course also included a face-to-face meeting in Mato Grosso do Sul’s capital city, Campo Grande, at the end of the course. While all participants were invited to attend, only those who had completed 75% of the course and had obtained a satisfactory grade obtained financial support to enable their attendance. This immersion meeting lasted for two days and aimed at exchanging experiences and building networks. During the meeting, participants presented the systematization of their experiences and reported on their interactions with their communities. The immersion sought to increase participants’ feeling of belonging, the development of a network between them, and provided an opportunity to collectively evaluate the course according to its’ guiding participatory principals.