Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOC series “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development”
With the online course series “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development”, you can learn anytime, anywhere and for free. The series consists of four courses that have reached a global audience of more than 200,000 learners. They provide introductions to solid waste management, water treatment, sanitation planning, and faecal sludge management. All courses are available on the learning platform Coursera, and you can sign up and start learning at any time.
When you join a course, you will:
- Learn with short video lectures (5–10 minutes).
- Test your knowledge with quizzes and exams.
- Deepen your understanding with recommended readings.
- Exchange ideas in the discussion forum with lecturers and fellow learners.
Statement of Accomplishment (SoA): If you complete all four courses, you can request a free SoA from Eawag. Please send an email to Caterina Dalla Torre with a printscreen of your accomplishments page which shows the final scores of all four courses.
Stay informed: Please fill out this Google form if you want to receive an email when we announce future MOOCs or make major course updates,
Using WASH MOOC learning materials at your institution: The course materials are open source. If you would like to use them in your teaching, or if you are interested in a WASH learning collaboration, please contact us by email. We will be glad to share resources with you.
Learn more about the MOOC series: For further insights, see the article: Delivering WASH education at scale: evidence from a global MOOC series.
WASH MOOC series – Course information
MOOC: Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries
In this course, you will learn about the elements of a solid waste management system, the main solid waste management challenges in low- and middle-income countries, and tips on how to find solutions. All of this together with numerous real examples from around the world. In October 2108, we have made a major update for this course. The course is now multi-lingual and has subtitles and quizzes in English, French and Spanish. The new version covers additional topics, such as plastic waste and features a series of hands-on modules to help you tackle practical problems, such as planning a waste generation and characterisation study. For further information and to sign up for the course, please visit the course page.
Key Information:
| Lecturers | Dr. Christian Zurbrügg & Msc. Eng. Imanol Zabaleta |
|---|---|
| Course page | Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries |
| Youtube-channel | Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries |
| Duration | 5 weeks |
| Estimated work/week | 4 - 6 hours |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Course on Coursera | The course is constantly available. Please visit the course page to see the start date of the next session. Please notice that not all sessions can be coached closely by the lecturers. |
| Requirements | This course is an introduction – the only requirements are an Internet connection and an interest in the topic. |
| Costs | free |
| Resources | Please visit this page to see the resources of the course. |
MOOC: Planning and Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies
In this course you can learn more about how to plan for urban sanitation at city and local/community levels, different sanitation system and technology configurations and examples of successful and failed urban sanitation systems in low- and middle-income countries. This course is offered in English and French.
Key Information:
| Lecturer | Dr. Christoph Lüthi |
|---|---|
| Course page-EN | Planning and Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies |
| Course page-FR | Planification & design des systèmes et technologies d’assainissement |
| Youtube-channel | Planning and Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies |
| Duration | 5 weeks |
| Estimated work/week | 4 - 6 hours |
| Language | English, French |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi |
| Course on Coursera | The course is constantly available. Please note that not all sessions can be coached closely by the lecturers. |
| Requirements | This course is an introduction – the only requirements are an Internet connection and an interest in the topic. |
| Costs | free |
MOOC: Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
In this course you can learn about the most important water treatment methods at the household level, successful implementation strategies and about assessing the impact of Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS).
Key Information:
| Lecturers | Dr. Richard Johnston & Dr. Sara Marks |
|---|---|
| Course page | Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage |
| Youtube-channel | Introduction to HWTS |
| Duration | 5 weeks |
| Estimated work/week | 4 - 6 hours |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Course on Coursera | The course is constantly available. Please visit the course page to see the start date of the next session. Please notice that not all sessions can be coached closely by the lecturers. |
| Requirements | This course is an introduction – the only requirements are an Internet connection and an interest in the topic. |
| Costs | free |
MOOC: Introduction to Faecal Sludge Management
Do you want learn how to apply concepts of sustainable faecal sludge management (FSM) on a city-wide scale? This course starts with an overview of what faecal sludge is and an introduces you to the engineering fundamentals and required information for the design and selection of technologies. Sanitation solutions are prone to failure if an integrated planning approach that includes stakeholder involvement and the development of appropriate institutional, management and financial arrangements is not implemented. The course therefore dedicates a complete week to presenting the full picture, in addition to technology, that needs to be considered for sustainable solutions. It concludes with a focus on current research and innovations in technologies, to provide an understanding of the most up-to-date options. For further information, please visit the course page.
Key Information:
| Lecturer | Dr. Linda Strande |
|---|---|
| Course page | Introduction to Faecal Sludge Management |
| YouTube-channel | Introduction to Faecal Sludge Management |
| Duration | 5 weeks |
| Estimated work/week | 4 - 6 hours |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Course on Coursera | The course is constantly available. Please note that not all sessions can be coached closely by the lecturers. |
| Requirements | This course is an introduction – the only requirements are an Internet connection and an interest in the topic. |
| Costs | free |
Recommended WASH education from our partners
Learning offers from partners
- Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS): The GSGS offers academic programs, courses, and training opportunities offered by leading institutions around the globe, including degree programs, courses with certificates and open access, free of charge, non-certified courses. https://gsgs.network/
- WASH Systems Academy: The WASH Systems Academy of IRC is the learning platform for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening. The Academy empowers you with the knowledge and tools you need to ensure lasting water and sanitation services for all. https://www.ircwash.org/wash-systems-academy
- CAWST: CAWST is offering practice-oriented online resources on WASH. https://www.cawst.org/
