The proposed PhD project “Optimizing Digital Uptake: An Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Blended Micro-Certifications for Frontline Extension in Ethiopia” forms part of the VLIRUOS TEAM project EQUIP, in which Arba Minch University (AMU), KU Leuven and Arba Minch College of Teacher Education (AMCTE) collaborate to strengthen the professional practice of Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and Development Agents (DAs) in Southern Ethiopia through inclusive, low-bandwidth digital and blended learning. EQUIP will establish a Digital Learning Hub at Arba Minch University, co-create health and agriculture micro-certifications with the Gamo Zone bureau, and test offline-first learning approaches designed for remote and low-connectivity settings. Gender, location and other barriers to participation will be addressed through the PROGRESS-Plus equity framework and iterative design-based research.

The final research questions and methods will be refined with the selected PhD candidate and supervisors, reviewed by the Scientific Quality Cell, and submitted for the required scientific, ethics and data-protection approvals. The approved project anticipates iterative prototyping, mixed-method evaluation, disaggregated learning analytics and field-based competency assessment across selected Gamo Zone woredas.

The main responsibilities of the candidate will be to

• develop a rigorous doctoral proposal and equity-adaptive design-based research protocol
• conduct literature review, stakeholder/needs assessment and baseline research
• obtain and comply with ethics, informed-consent and data-protection approvals
• coordinate iterative design, pilot, evaluation and redesign cycles for the health and agriculture micro-certification tracks
• evaluate access, usability, learning, competency gain and application in frontline practice, with attention to gender and remote locations
• work with HEWs, DAs, zonal supervisors/Field Coaches, AMU/AMCTE staff, technical teams and policy partners
• integrate quantitative, qualitative and learning-analytics evidence
• contribute scientifically to the project’s behavioral-change, credential-value, cost and sustainability questions
• coordinate research linkages with four MSc projects and support MSc researchers (without replacing their supervisors)
• produce timely progress reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference contributions, policy/practice briefs, open research outputs where appropriate, and a doctoral thesis
• contribute to the Digital Learning Hub, E-learning Champion training and project learning events
• comply with AMU, KU Leuven and VLIRUOS research-integrity, safeguarding, financial, visibility and scholarship requirements