Level 2 Academies
Develop specialized DHIS2 skills with our Level 2 Academy courses, which focus on specific subject or program areas or advanced skills
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Overview
Level 2 DHIS2 Academy courses focus on specific subject areas or specialized skills. In some cases, these Academies build off of the knowledge and skills introduced in the Fundamentals and Level 1 courses. Other Level 2 Academies require advanced skills that are not necessarily specific to DHIS2, such as application development. Finally, certain Level 2 Academies are intended for a specific audience, such as health or education program managers. To learn more about our current selection of Level 2 DHIS2 Academy courses, browse the list below.
Regardless of topic, all Level 2 Academies are designed and facilitated by DHIS2 core team members from the University of Oslo (UiO), and are intended for a global audience. Participation in a Level 2 Academy is a great opportunity to connect with and learn from DHIS2 experts and from around the world.
You find the current schedule for all Academy courses on the Academy Schedule page. Upcoming Level 2 Academies are listed here:
Web App Development
The DHIS2 core software provides a suite of built-in tools and applications for data capture and analysis, as well as the flexibility to extend the platform’s functionality with custom apps that can be publicly shared with the DHIS2 community. During this Academy, you will learn the basics of DHIS2 Web App development, testing and deployment using the DHIS2 Application Platform. You will also learn about key topics for developing DHIS2 Apps, such as the DHIS2 design system and user interface libraries and the DHIS2 REST API, and review as examples of full-featured applications utilizing various features of the platform, and get hands-on experience building a DHIS2 web app.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Best practices for developing modern DHIS2 web apps
- Working with DHIS2 Metadata and Analytics APIs
- Building DHIS2 apps with the new DHIS2 Application Platform
- Using the DHIS2 design system and UI libraries
- Deployment of DHIS2 apps to the app store
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for web application developers. Prior software development experience and proficiency with Javascript is required and familiarity with React is recommended.
Android App Development
While the DHIS2 Android Capture App provides a flexible, generic data capture solution, sometimes local requirements or program specifications mean that a custom mobile app is the best solution. The DHIS2 Android SDK is designed to accelerate development of customized Android Apps that offer offline support and easy integration with DHIS2 using a standardized toolkit. The Level 2 DHIS2 Android App Development Academy is a bootcamp on the DHIS2 Android SDK, focused on how to build an app on top of the SDK and how to consume its modules and repositories.
Themes of this Academy include:
- DHIS2 Android SDK architecture
- DHIS2 skeleton app
- Principles for UX/UI design
- DHIS2 rule and indicator engine
- Testing and debugging
- Publication channels
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for mobile application developers. Prior app development experience and proficiency with Java are required.
Android Implementation
Mobile implementation is a complex task. The DHIS2 Android Capture App offers a mobile solution for capture of aggregate and Tracker/Event data on Android devices that functions in both online and offline mode. During this Academy, you will explore all the functionalities and key aspects for a successful configuration of the DHIS2 Android app and associated DHIS2 server to guarantee the best user experience for the front-line worker. The facilitators will share best practices and lessons learned from existing DHIS2 Android implementations, and will guide you through approaches that are applicable across various projects.
Themes of this Academy include:
- DHIS2 Android app features
- DHIS2 configuration for a successful mobile user experience
- How to plan, test, pilot and scale DHIS2 Android systems.
- Enterprise Mobility approaches (including mobile device management)
- Guidance on the DHIS2 Android roadmap and online community
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for implementers/administrators. Completion of a previous Level 1 DHIS2 Academy (or DHIS2 Fundamentals) or equivalent DHIS2 work experience is required.
Community Health Information System (CHIS)
Getting closer to the source of your health data allows you to make more nuanced decisions, and putting information technology in the hands of Community Health Workers (CHWs) can support the effectiveness of their work at the point of care — but building a Community Health Information System (CHIS) is a complex task. This academy serves as a practical guide for national and local-decision makers involved in the design, planning, deployment, governance and scale up of successful DHIS2-based CHIS that supports CHWs and the communities they work in. This guidance covers the full information cycle, including data collection, analysis, dissemination (feedback loops) and data-driven decision making for improved and equitable community-based health services. It is applicable both to countries that are just beginning the design process as well as those with existing systems that are being strengthened, scaled up or integrated with other information systems.
- Themes of this Academy include:
Introduction foundational concepts of CHIS - Review of real-world DHIS2 CHIS case studies and research, with a focus on lessons learned and best practices
- Presentation of key considerations of design, development and use of large-scale CHIS
- Presentation of guidelines on how to configure DHIS2 as a CHIS
- Practical exercises on different facets of building a CHIS, including monitoring of integrated community case management (iCCM)
- Discussion on data use and decision making, primarily from the perspective of the community
- Discussion of building a plan for system training and support for effective capacity building
capacity strengthening for effective use of CHIS - Guidance on governance and sustainability of CHIS, including issues of participation, accountability and transparency and development of standard operating procedures
Prerequisite: No prior experience is required for the non-technical sessions of this Academy. For the technical sessions, completion of the DHIS2 Fundamentals course or equivalent DHIS2 work experience is required. We recommend that countries / organizations attend this Academy in planner / implementer teams.
Data Quality
In order to plan, monitor, evaluate, and strengthen health system performance and make evidence-informed decisions, you need reliable, high quality data. During this Academy, you will learn how to assess and improve data quality in DHIS2, and prepare the data for information and decision-making needs. In particular, this Academy will focus on how to use the WHO Data Quality Tool to identify highly suspicious values. Our expert facilitators will share practical examples and system demonstrations, and guide participants through hands-on exercises using our training database.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Overview of methods used for data quality review
- Detailed instruction on installation, configuration, and use of the WHO Data Quality Tool
- Exercises on validation rules, standard deviation, and predictors
- Overview of using the WHO Data Quality App to conduct annual data quality review
- Review of real-world data quality examples and country stories
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for implementers/administrators. Completion of a previous Level 1 DHIS2 Academy (or DHIS2 Fundamentals) or equivalent DHIS2 work experience is required.
DHIS2 for Education
While DHIS2 has historically been used for collecting and analyzing health information, an increasing number of countries have begun to deploy DHIS2 as an Education Management Information System (EMIS). This Academy offers an introduction to the application of DHIS2 software as an EMIS. The course includes conference-style sessions for education system stakeholders and program managers that offer an overview of the system, review of real-world use cases and demos, discussions of standards for EMIS data, and review of key planning, management and evaluation considerations. It also includes technical sessions that offer practical trainings and hands-on exercises to facilitate the implementation of a DHIS2 for Education instance, including aggregate and individual-level (Tracker) data, and design implications for analytics and mobile data collection with Android devices.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Review of real-world uses of DHIS2 for Education, focusing on best practices and lessons
- Key considerations for implementing DHIS2 as an EMIS
- Introduction to analysis of EMIS data (such as school attendance, etc.) using DHIS2 analytics tools, including pivot tables, charts and maps
- Creating custom dashboards for easy data sharing, presentation, and use
- Introduction to customizing EMIS data entry forms
- Introduction to designing data capture tools to track individual-level data, such as student and teacher attendance
- Design and implementation implications for using mobile devices for data capture
Prerequisite: No prior experience is required for the non-technical sessions of this Academy. For the technical sessions, completion of the DHIS2 Fundamentals course or equivalent DHIS2 work experience is required. We recommend that countries / organizations attend this Academy in planner / implementer teams.
Disease Surveillance
Both for managing outbreaks of endemic diseases such as Malaria or in response to unforeseen pandemics like COVID-19, effective disease surveillance is critical to coordinating timely and appropriate responses. This Academy will provide the opportunity to learn how to leverage the DHIS2 platform to support disease surveillance needs and efforts in your organization, through practical demonstrations and relevant real-world use cases presented by a global team of DHIS2 and disease surveillance experts.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Presentation of real-world use cases, focusing on lessons learned
- Demonstrations of the latest DHIS2 features for disease surveillance
- Discussion of best practices for DHIS2 implementation
- Hands-on exercises on system configuration and analytics
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for implementers/administrators working with case-based data. Completion of the Level 1 DHIS2 Tracker Academy or equivalent DHIS2 Tracker work experience is required.
Integration
The purpose of this specialized Academy on integration and interoperability is to provide an in-depth knowledge and promote good practices when it comes to connecting DHIS2 and other systems, as well as to review integration tools and share real-world experiences.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Integration patterns and principles
- Interoperability, standards and architecture
- DHIS2 data model and API
- DHIS2 integration toolchain: Java SDK, Apache Camel component, etc.
- Case studies
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for implementers who already have a good understanding of and the requirements for integrated systems.
Logistics Data Integration (LMIS)
As DHIS2 implementations mature and involve more aspects of country health systems, there has been increasing interest in using DHIS2 for health commodity data, either as part of a unified data system or as a standalone Lab / Logistics Management Information System (LMIS). This Academy focused on how we can use DHIS2 to better manage health commodity availability. This involves improved stock management at community and facility level, and the use of service data and logistics data to improve availability and reduce bottlenecks. The course will present options for using DHIS2 to collect logistics data, as well as options for interoperability with other existing systems.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Review of supply chain data flow models, terminology and meta-data
- Introduction to supply chain indicator calculations in DHIS2
Introduction to supply chain analytics configuration in DHIS2 - Visualizing supply chain data and comparing service data to supply data
- Discussion on interoperability between DHIS2 and other LMIS
Prerequisite: Completion of DHIS2 Fundamentals and/or prior experience with DHIS2 is strongly recommended. Participants should also be familiar with managing stocks, analyzing stock availability, and comparing stock data with health program indicators.
Maps & GIS
Maps are a powerful and popular data visualization tool that allow you to see where things are happening, to quickly discover variations between places, to see “patterns” in the data and to understand “spatial relationships” of public health. When used well, they can display a lot of information in a small space. But what makes a good map? This Academy provides a detailed introduction to tools and techniques for mapping data using the DHIS2 Maps app, and also offers an introduction to how you can use external geographic information science (GIS) software for with your DHIS2 data for expanded functionality.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Introduction to GIS and DHIS2 Maps
- Practical mapping exercises on our DHIS2 training instance
- Hands-on work with your DHIS2 instance
- Introduction to QGIS and practical exercises
- Planning for how to enhance your use of maps in your DHIS2 instance
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for implementers/administrators. Completion of a previous Level 1 DHIS2 Academy (or DHIS2 Fundamentals) or equivalent DHIS2 work experience is required.
Planning & Budgeting DHIS2 Implementations
The countrywide rollout of DHIS2 is a task that requires a lot of resources, highly skilled personnel, and stakeholder engagement, with a number of different elements that must be planned and budgeted for. To help make this process easier, we have combined our knowledge gained from the experience of implementing DHIS2 in many countries and contexts to provide a series of critical topics, recommendations, lessons learned, and best practices together in one place.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Identifying the main DHIS2 features that support its use as an HMIS.
- Distinguishing the roles and responsibilities of the DHIS2 teams that guarantee the system’s governance, sustainability, and relevance.
- Identifying the main activities and best practices when planning and budgeting for large-scale DHIS2 implementations.
Prerequisite: This is not a technical «how to» Academy on configuring DHIS2 systems. No prior hands-on experience with DHIS2 is required. Rather, participation is intended for those who have a position of responsibility for planning, overseeing or maintaining a DHIS2 project – to include project and program managers, tech leads and architects, HMIS managers, DHIS2 development partners, and others with similar responsibilities.
Server Administration
The performance and stability of your DHIS2 system depends in large part on your server configuration. During this Academy you will develop a range of skills and gain knowledge of possible approaches required to install and maintain the DHIS2 software in a variety of country settings. The course facilitators will share best practices and real-world experiences, and guide you through practical exercises to help optimize your server configuration. Note: All practical work will be done on the Ubuntu server linux distribution.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Essentials of linux server administration, including use of ssh for access and unix fundamentals
- Overview of DHIS2 architecture, including its dependencies and installation options
- Overview of various logging, monitoring and alerting tools
- Overview of security concerns, concepts, standards, and technical tools (including special concerns for personal data in Tracker programs)
- Discussions on “next-generation” features of DHIS2 and their implications for server administration
Prerequisite: This is a technical course for server administrators. Prior experience doing server-related back-end work and proficiency with linux are required.
Tracker Implementation Management
Using Tracker to add individual-level data to your DHIS2 system allows you to enhance your data analysis and potentially streamline processes at the point of care, but it also adds to the complexity of your DHIS2 system. This Academy will help you prepare and plan for your Tracker projects, to give you a better understanding of how to perform internal readiness assessments, navigate legislation and policy concerns, set up and train your core team, and build a long-term implementation plan. The goal for the academy is for each participant to leave with a framework for how to assess and plan their Tracker project.
Themes of this Academy include:
- Review Tracker features and real-world use cases
- Overview of how to design implementations for high-quality analytics outputs
- Discuss strategies for capacity building
- Learn frameworks for outlining implementation requirements
- Review of security considerations
- Review of system assessment frameworks
- Develop an implementation / maintenance plan
Prerequisite: This is not a technical «how to» Academy on configuring a Tracker instance. No prior hands-on experience with DHIS2 is required. Rather, participation requires that you have a position of responsibility for planning, overseeing or maintaining a Tracker project – to include project and program managers, tech leads and architects, HMIS managers, DHIS2 development partners, and others with similar responsibilities.