Online learning for Open Data in English and Spanish

The World Bank’s comprehensive technical training course in Open Data has just been released in Spanish

The World Bank started providing technical assistance for Open Data in 2012 with the launch of the Open Data Readiness Assessment. We’ve since added several additional resources, including the online open data toolkit, a series of white papers, and a CKAN extension for National Statistics Offices. The Bank has also supported in-country workshops and classes to build capacity for using open data. While these efforts have largely been successful, in-person classes are inherently limited by time, space, and geography. Not everyone has the option to attend in-person training.

To help fill the gap, the World Bank developed a series of online e-learning courses to provide knowledge and skills to practitioners and users of Open Data. Each course in the series is designed for a distinct user profile—data producers, data users, and policymakers—and provides deep technical skills, extensive examples and case studies, with an emphasis on Open Data in developing countries.

The online courses were first launched in 2018 in English. All three courses have now been translated into Spanish.

Here is a brief overview of the three courses with links to each course:

1. Open Data for Data Producers (6 lessons in English | Spanish) provides a broad overview of Open Data principles and best practices from the standpoint of a data producer, and empowers data managers and technical staff with the background and skills to contribute to the Open Data community. This course is primarily intended for managers and technical staff involved in the production, management, and curation of data, particularly within government ministries. It assumes no prior knowledge of Open Data or specific technical skills. Upon completion, users may take an online assessment test to obtain a completion certificate from the online platform.
2. Open Data for Data Users (7 lessons in English | Spanish) provides a broad overview of Open Data from a user standpoint, and empowers anyone to take full advantage of Open Data. It is intended for anyone who wants to make better use of Open Data, including ordinary citizens, and assumes no prior knowledge of Open Data or technical skills. Upon completion, users may take an online assessment test to obtain a completion certificate from the online platform.
3. Open Data for Policymakers (2 lessons in English | Spanish) provides a general overview of Open Data principles and best practices for public policymakers, with focus on the development and implementation of an Open Data program. It is primarily intended for public policymakers in governments that are considering the establishment or expansion of an Open Data program, and assumes no prior knowledge of Open Data or technical skills. This course is much shorter than the other two, and provides no certificate option.