Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below are the most common ones we receive at SBC Learning Central. Click on a question to see the answer. If you do not find the answer to your question(s), please contact us. We are happy to help!
Getting Started
Review our “Getting Started” guide in English or French (PDFs).
Explore the FAQs below for additional information. If you do not find the answer to your question(s), please contact us. We are happy to help!
There are two ways to sign up for updates from SBC Learning Central.
- First, sign up to receive the latest SBC Learning Central announcements.
- Additionally, to receive occasional updates about a specific course/toolkit and related content, such as new courses that cover the same SBC approach (audience segmentation, community engagement, etc.) or address the same technical area (family planning/reproductive health, malaria, etc.), look for the “Stay Updated” section on the right side of the course and click “Subscribe”.
News and updates are sent periodically. You can update your email preferences at any time.
Breakthrough ACTION developed SBC Learning Central to provide public health professionals with foundational knowledge and skills to incorporate new social and behavior change (SBC) methodologies into their work. The online courses and toolkits include courses developed by Breakthrough ACTION and by Breakthrough RESEARCH and aim to increase SBC knowledge across a variety of health topics. Our goal is to help institutionalize SBC approaches and create a critical mass of skilled SBC practitioners and supportive decision makers worldwide. With an intentional focus on francophone West Africa, most courses and toolkits are offered in French and English.
SBC Learning Central offers self-paced online courses and toolkits to:
- Provide useful, timely, and convenient opportunities for SBC continuing education.
- Serve as a practical resource for increasing SBC knowledge in novice learners and seasoned professionals alike.
- Present new content on how to apply SBC to key public health topics, including sexual and reproductive health, malaria, nutrition, and emergency outbreaks, such as COVID-19.
The primary intended audiences for SBC Learning Central are French- and English-speaking SBC practitioners and stakeholders working across key public health topics (e.g., sexual and reproductive health, malaria, nutrition, and emergency outbreaks). This includes donors and staff from international, national, and local non-governmental organizations; universities; multilateral organizations; and government agencies.
Account Registration & Login
No. All the content on SBC Learning Central is free. Registration and login are required so we can provide personalized user support and course certificates.
To create a new account, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and click “Login.” The Login/Register page will appear. Click the “Register an Account” button and complete the User Registration form. All fields are required and you must choose a password that is at least medium strength. If your chosen password is not strong enough, you will be prompted to create a stronger password.
After clicking “Submit,” the “REGISTRATION SUCCESS” message will appear on screen and you will receive an email message from learning_admin@breakthroughactionandresearch.org with the subject line, “Activate your SCB Learning Central account”.
The email will contain a link to activate your account. Click on the link and you will be taken back to SBC Learning Central where you will see a message stating that your account is now active.
If you do not see the email in your inbox, please check your Spam folder.
To login, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and click “Login.” Enter the username/email and password that you used to register.
If you don’t remember your password, click “Lost Your Password?” to receive a password reset link via email.
If you have forgotten your password, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and click the “Login” button. On the login screen, click “Lost Your Password?” to receive an email to reset it. The password reset email will be sent to the email address you submitted when you created your SBC Learning Central account.
Course Access & Materials
To enroll in a course, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and click the title of the course you would like to take. (Use the SBC Approaches, Technical Areas, and Course Language drop-down menus to explore what is available.)
If you are not already logged in, click “Login to Enroll.” Or, if you have not created an account with SBC Learning Central, click the “Register an Account” button.
Once logged in, you will see the full course description and an outline of the course. Click “Take this Course” to enroll.
Some courses also have additional materials that are available from this page. Click on the “Materials” link to see these files.
Most SBC Learning Central courses need to be completed in order. You may go back and review lessons that you have already completed at any time.
For lessons that contain videos, you must watch the entire video to complete the lesson. That means if you move to another browser tab or a different application while the video is playing, it will stop. You will need to restart the video and watch it until it is done.
After finishing a lesson, click “Mark Complete” to proceed.
Most SBC Learning Central courses include PDFs you can download. If the course you are taking includes PDFs, you can find these by clicking “Materials.” In order to access PDFs, you will need Adobe Reader®. If you do not have Adobe Reader® on your computer, you will need to download and install a free version from the Adobe website.
To reinforce and enhance online courses, Breakthrough ACTION offers blended learning courses that combine asynchronous lessons with participation in virtual, synchronous discussions with course authors and peers. These blended learning opportunities include live office hours, question and answer sessions, project planning support, and “deep dives” during which course content is applied to practical exercises.
Springboard is an online community of SBC professionals. It is a place for ideas and learning, suited to those working at any level of expertise and in any SBC-related field. Specifically, Springboard offers:
- Access to SBC experts through interviews, live question and answer sessions, and online discussions
- A space to connect with and learn from other SBC professionals
- Learning opportunities through discussions and professional development announcements
- Links to curated tools through the Compass
- Public and private groups that enable country- or network-based interactions
- A space to ideate and problem solve
SBC Learning Central hosts discussion forums for our blended online learning courses on Springboard. Join through your blended online learning course, request to join on the Springboard website, or login as an existing member.
Yes, please do! You can link directly to SBC Learning Central to provide a full list of courses and toolkits or link to individual courses as needed. Please include a citation noting SBC Learning Central as the original source.
Sample citation:
SBC Learning Central. (n.d.). Introduction to behavioral economics [Course]. Breakthrough ACTION.Yes, SBC Learning Central courses and toolkits are licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). You can adapt course content as long as the original source is cited.
Sample citation:
SBC Learning Central. (n.d.). Introduction to behavioral economics [Course]. Breakthrough ACTION.
Password & Profile Updates
If you have forgotten your password, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and click the “Login” button. On the login screen, click “Lost Your Password?” to receive an email to reset it. The password reset email will be sent to the email address you submitted when you created your SBC Learning Central account.
Yes! You can change or update your personal information including your name, email address, password, country, and occupation, and even upload a photo by logging into your SBC Learning Central profile and clicking on “Update Your Profile”. Note: Your username cannot be changed.
Important: Be sure to type in your first and last names exactly as you would like them to appear on course or program certificates.
Taking Notes
The “Take Notes” feature allows you to type, copy, and paste relevant notes and save them on SBC Learning Central. Most lessons have a notes space, ensuring notes are organized by lesson.
In the bottom-right hand corner of your course, click “Take Notes” to open the notes pop-up window. You can move the notes window around as you work. Use it to type, insert URLs, make bulleted lists, and save the notes you take. You can also print or download your notes for future reference outside of the course space.
All lessons and topics have a separate notes space, ensuring notes are organized by the name of the section you are working on when taking the notes. To find saved notes, click “Access Your Notes” in the column on the right or return to the lesson and click “Taking Notes” in the bottom-right hand corner of the page. (One way to revisit a lesson is to go to your SBC Learning Central profile, click the course title, then use the COURSE CONTENT menu on the right to move between lessons.)
You can also print or download your notes for future reference outside of the course space using the icons at the bottom of the Taking Notes pop-up window.
Language & Translations
Yes, Breakthrough ACTION aims to strengthen SBC knowledge and skills across the globe. With an intentional focus on francophone West Africa, nearly all of SBC Learning Central’s courses and toolkits are available in French and English—and several were first developed in French and later translated into English.
To see courses and toolkits offered in French, visit the SBC Learning Central homepage and select “French” from the “Course Language” drop-down menu.
If you select a French course from the course menu, the website will also appear in French.
Yes, SBC Learning Central courses and toolkits are licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). You can translate and adapt course content as long as the original source is cited.
Sample citation:
SBC Learning Central. (n.d.). Introduction to behavioral economics [Course]. Breakthrough ACTION.
Certificates
Certificates are available for SBC Learning Central courses that have a posttest. You must complete all course content, including the course feedback form, and earn a score of 80% or better on the posttest to receive a certificate.
Because accreditation varies by country and by profession, SBC Learning Central does not provide continuing medical education (CME) or continuing education units (CEU) credits for courses.
Yes. Most SBC Learning Central courses include a posttest. You must achieve a score of 80% or higher on the posttest to pass the course. You may retake the posttest as many times as needed to pass.
You must also complete the feedback questions at the end of each course before you can download your certificate. We appreciate your feedback! It helps us continuously improve SBC Learning Central courses.
Once you have earned a score of 80% or higher on the posttest and submitted the course feedback form, you can download your certificate.
Immediately after submitting the “Course Feedback” form, you will see an option to “Download Certificate.”
You can return to SBC Learning Central at any time to view and download your certificate(s).
On your SBC Learning Central profile page, you will find a list of YOUR COURSES with one of three buttons: Start, Resume, and Certificate.
- Start appears next any courses you are not yet enrolled in. Clicking “Start” will automatically enroll you in the course.
- Resume appears next to courses you are enrolled in but haven’t completed yet. The “% complete” indicates your completion status. Clicking “Resume” will take you back to where you left off in the course.
- Certificate appears next to courses that you have successfully completed with an 80% or higher score on the posttest and for which you have submitted a course feedback form. Clicking “Certificate” will open a PDF that you can print or save. You can return to your profile page at any time to access your certificate(s).
Yes, login to your SBC Learning Central profile to view and download your certificate(s) at any time. Click on the “Certificate” button for the course certificate you wish to access. Your certificate will open as a PDF that you can save or print.
At this time, we are unable to mail certificates. We encourage you to either print the certificate or save it to a storage device to print in the future. Please note you can login to your SBC Learning Central profile at any time to view and download your certificate(s).
