tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16108280626308796402024-03-19T04:20:49.078-07:00AURA 2018: Engaged excellence in teaching and researchThis is the blog for the African Universities' Research Approaches Programme (AURA)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-24844249288032748762023-02-17T12:21:00.006-08:002023-02-21T06:15:04.327-08:00Evaluate your literature search results criticallycritique between google and google scholar, which one is better for literature searchingTandi Lwogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03274941504432993850noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-38188888673383762342016-09-23T04:30:00.000-07:002016-09-23T04:30:27.262-07:00Final reflections on the African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) Programme<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">What do you feel
were the strengths of the AURA programme?</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the onset of the
African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme, Strathmore
University administration was intent on getting a proof of concept on the most
effective approach to nurture a critical mass of dynamic research-engaged
faculty and students, and what approaches could inculcate a rich research
culture that is responsive to the society. In general, the AURA programme did
not last long enough for the University to draw on the lessons. However, the
AURA programme created the momentum needed to refresh the University’s approach
to interventions to improve teaching and research excellence among the staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In terms of
practical implementation, the novelty of the AURA programme and what was unique
included:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Co-creation model:</b>
The overall design and implementation framework of the programme has elements
and flexibilities that give room for the meaningful input from Strathmore. For
example, the curriculum and design of the course is shared in advance for input
by the Strathmore team. Our suggestions are taken seriously and acted upon. We
are consulted frequently and think together on evolving aspects of the
programme.</li>
<li><b>Experiential model
of facilitation</b>: This has worked very well with the young scholars. They were
effectively engaged meaningfully throughout the delivery of face to face
interventions.</li>
<li><b>Research Informed
Implementation: </b>It has been very helpful to have access to the data from the
participants and to try and use these feedbacks in real time to guide programme
implementation. This practice is also reflected in the design of the course and
is very highly appreciated by the participants.</li>
<li><b>Creative Commons
License:</b> This is a great way to promote free access to resources generated
during the implementation. It is a great boost to the programme.</li>
<li><b>Strengthened
individual research capacities of the staff participants. </b>These include
positive results from participating in scholarly conferences, progress in the
individual academic research projects by the participants and even in less
tangible outputs such as refreshment of theoretical grasp of research
methodologies (in AURA Research #1-2 [R1] and [R2] interventions).</li>
<li><b>Strengthened
individual research capacities of the Project Coordinators</b>: The demands of the
programme, particularly the publishing of reflective blog articles was a great
opportunity to improve the skills among the PCs.</li>
</ul>
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<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">How do you feel the
AURA programme could have been improved?</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Deliberately focus
on an outcome driven implementation</b>: The benefits of the programme in
refreshing the skill sets of the participants in teaching excellence and
research capacity was great. However, it would have been more productive to
design the programme purposely to achieve, in a progressive manner, tangible
results in teaching and research, for example journal publications, etc. this
requires reflection and an extensive multi-level design.</li>
<li><b>Deliberately
involve students as participants</b>: Our experience in the involvement of
undergraduate students in the Writer’s podium under the AURA Research Course 4
[R4] was very positive.</li>
<li><b>The consortium
should have comprised at least one university from the South</b>. The role of ITOCA
complicated the decision-making processes. In our opinion, it did not bring
what we expected it to do. Maybe a leading university on the topic of the
project would have been a better option.</li>
<li><b>Leveraging in on
functional linkages:</b> The programme should pursue the possibility of leveraging
in more resources from other partners to increase the effectiveness of
interventions. For example mentoring of participants could get a shot in the
arm from AuthorAID. Participants could also benefit from a competitive small
grants programme, or travel grants from other sources, open to young scholars
and students.</li>
<li><b>Deliberately focus
on continuity:</b> The programme will come to an end. Although institutionalisation
efforts may achieve a certain measure, largely there could be missed opportunities
if the programme does not deliberately work on exploring other platforms to
continue engaging even on a higher plane to keep the tide and momentum high.
This, for example, includes actively exploring more grant opportunities to
leverage on the winning aspects of achievement and take them to a new level.</li>
<li><b>Create more
opportunities for participants from implementing institutions to learn from one
another:</b> it could probably help to explore the possibility of having
participants from the implementing institutions to attend some sessions
together. It is critical to explore outcome driven learning opportunities for
ALIRT team members from implementing partner institutions from the consortium
institutions in specific areas. Explore opportunities for interactions between
young scholars in the consortium institutions and implementing institutions
could improve growth in personal trajectories of the participants.</li>
<li><b>Publish and
disseminate results of this AURA intervention to wider audiences:</b> There should
be a deliberate design in the second year to broadly disseminate outcomes,
including to the audiences in the implementing
institutions.</li>
</ol>
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<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">What would you like
to see from future programmes in this area of work?</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The general
technical design of the programme is very well thought out. The model at the
consortium level accommodates a north-south partnership to deliver the
programme. The implementing partners are a mix of public and private academic
institutions, at the moment concentrated in eastern Africa. This design has
impacted on the programme delivery as follows: a</span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">dministrative
and financial management was governed by unclear procedures and demands. This
made the life of PCs very frustrating in compliance. Better communication on
this would have been helpful in managing expectations on both sides of the
engagement.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">S<b>tephen Ng’ang’a</b>
and <b>Cavin Opiyo</b> are based at Strathmore University Business School, Strathmore University, Kenya.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-84595781171069778262016-09-23T04:29:00.000-07:002016-09-23T05:18:01.751-07:00The continuous learning curve of an academic-cum-manager<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Introduction</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInvP09o4ju3-kIsqakqulYu8r65F5ICBoNsqbpNi-RLBcY5kiTK_GnnQdAj2Ins_BvG0_Fh1RlHJmqdmGbsasgnezYYNbBpd6-zykkZeCqhLqGhlo3ecIoLcfZx_mCOZJ0CKbzzMsfR8/s1600/pixabaycom+en+users+geralt-9301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInvP09o4ju3-kIsqakqulYu8r65F5ICBoNsqbpNi-RLBcY5kiTK_GnnQdAj2Ins_BvG0_Fh1RlHJmqdmGbsasgnezYYNbBpd6-zykkZeCqhLqGhlo3ecIoLcfZx_mCOZJ0CKbzzMsfR8/s400/pixabaycom+en+users+geralt-9301.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US">I joined the
university after a ten year teaching position in a private primary and
secondary school in Nairobi armed with a bachelors from a local university in
education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">A Kenyan
undergraduate degree in education comprises of foundational courses in
education. The courses cover: philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, and
communication of education. In my personal reflections over the years I have
seen how disconnected the courses were managed (and possibly still being managed to
date). This disconnectedness continues to be the main issue that any dedicated
teacher has to learn after studies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">IDS Learning Event</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The learning event
came at a time that I had been struggling to engage technology in my teaching. The
theories that had been covered in the undergraduate course were not aligned
with the teaching environment. For a teacher, I felt it was a case of "dive in and swim by
self". To complicate the issue further, my role as an academic and manager requires appraising
faculty on pedagogy. My walk into the learning event was therefore one filled
with great expectation on my ever-expanding horizon in teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The event
facilitation, and the general presentation of work arising from the </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">African
Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) </span>programme, <span style="text-indent: 0cm;">brought out my
disconnected undergraduate experience. My personal discovery was how teachers
of the theories were also bent on one theory - the behaviourist approach.
Secondly it opened my eyes to the reality of how my present faculty is also
behaviourist in teaching and in use of technology. Thirdly, that arising out of
the learning is my personal struggle to teach using the connectedness of social
constructivist approaches. These three learnings are shaping my outlook as the
academic manager that I am.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The learning curve</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Ever since my
undergraduate education, I have held a curious mind on what it is to be a
better teacher. This curiosity has made me examine the foundational courses
deeply to unravel their value. The "three learnings" I have picked from the learning
event are part of the curious academic’s journey into education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The "three learnings" that I got from this event have awakened my desire to change in the following areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li>My teaching (which I
do on part time basis since my employment is a managerial one). The little
teaching I do, I have placed my emphasis on becoming more of a connectivist or
contructivist teacher. This I have found to be a journey that I will have to
undertake for a while.</li>
<li>My role as a
manager in a learning institution has to move away from the behaviourist model
and adopt some connectivist outlook to solving work related issues. This is
important especially where I manage meetings and academics are involved.</li>
<li>I have appreciated
the value of time in the learning process. Learning how foundational concepts
of theories after many years of practise means other academics might be going
through the same. It is therefore important to give faculty time to experience
teaching and see the value of growth in the profession.</li>
</ol>
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<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Professional growth
requires a mind that is in constant search of learning. The accidental meeting
with AURA has opened my horizons to teaching and research that I have not
covered in my undergraduate and post graduate education. The learning event, and
the entire AURA programme, has been like a volcanic activity in my growth as a
professional. It has provided me with several eureka moments that has given my
learning curve a new direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Stephen Ng’ang’a</b> is
trained teacher with a post graduate degree in education management. He works
as an Academic Manager at Strathmore University. In his role he is in charge of
the teaching and learning processes of the university. He is extensively
involved in the student experience from admission to graduation. This student
experience requires the development of faculty capable of delivery. The role of
faculty development is what has been his contribution to this programme.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-89036043321327314632016-09-23T04:14:00.000-07:002016-09-23T04:18:29.806-07:00How learning, teaching and research are changing around the world <h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">A personal
reflection on our impact on others</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is interesting
how, as an institution, we teach and create content for learners; the African
Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme has helped us to reflect
back on our impact: the impact of the learning journey of others. Even after so
many years of practice, there is always a new way that we could improve and
optimize the time offered us by the learners.
It is time to re-examine ourselves, our teaching styles, our approach to
research, and how these impact on others; the learners. As a provider of edu-technology; I ask myself, how can I demystify the technology, so as to
make it accessible to the faculty in a very simple yet profound way?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Therefore, to be in
a room with people who have been there before and who can speak to both the
faculty and the likes of me was a real honour and the only down side being the
number of people who needed to be there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There is a sense of
self-discovery; a sense of continuous improvement, even just from the sharing of
the challenges that lie before us. Those challenges that are new, and those
that are not so new, yet the solutions, the approach to the solutions, are
varied. This speaks to the diversity that was in the room. This offered different perspectives - the
public versus the private, and all of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Dealing with new
learning environment for adult learners</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Yet in all these
years of experience, there is yet so much that is new, so much yet unknown and
so much yet to learn. This field of education is expanding, and opening up in
new ways in different contexts. The presentation on connectedness was a good case
in point since it was on what Adult Learners bring to the learning environment,
and experience to the table, and how the role of faculty can be as facilitator;
not the sage in the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In short even, what
may appear to have been settled in terms of learning theories have been
sufficiently challenged with the newly emerging learning environment - where
the people you teach may be more knowledgeable about aspects of the knowledge
domain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Hence the need to
facilitate, concretise and formalise knowledge, and to encourage its utilisation as a skill. Encourage learners to learn from each other using
social learning and to become a community of learners from remote locations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Students learn how
to take more responsibility for their learning and the teachers; how to prepare
material for an independent learner and how to keep the learner engaged even in
your absence. Teachers require stills to manage an online community and on how
to measure the quality of their delivery as well as new ways to assess the
learning outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Increasing role of
technology in education</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In terms of the role
of technology, and the opportunity and challenges it affords, and how best to
navigate the thin line between success and failure. Another important point in
how to deal with the shortened feedback loop that has many more touch
points. The notes and curriculum that
has worked well in the past may require major modification when offered for a
technology mediated learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was good to learn
there are several attempts to structure the online delivery in the form of a
framework. Admittedly this is still a changing process and going forward, opens
a new avenue for research work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">All in all we are
living in interesting times and we need to be more purposeful and proactive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMtsaG5kj1D7piI1MgIL50LJLvbnWxXU6c0hPWtBWeLyoYgESFMuYLYHi_dhuL5QQI2e4W3KtCR1D5knAJGjasbnC_9n36Cw0XVdwq3TTEnnasJxvuvjQ0D8BVTefFdwL8ibpQJXsLtY/s1600/Julius+Bwibo+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMtsaG5kj1D7piI1MgIL50LJLvbnWxXU6c0hPWtBWeLyoYgESFMuYLYHi_dhuL5QQI2e4W3KtCR1D5knAJGjasbnC_9n36Cw0XVdwq3TTEnnasJxvuvjQ0D8BVTefFdwL8ibpQJXsLtY/s1600/Julius+Bwibo+image.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Julius Bwibo, </b>B.COM
(1st class, UON), Msc Information Systems (UON), MBA (Strathmore), MAPE
(Strathmore), DBA Candidate (UON)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have worked in the
IT industry for over 21 years, I also have experience as a teacher, as a
founding faculty member for the IDPM (now the IMIS certification) in Strathmore
in 1992. Now I am involved in development: the end to end eLearning offered in
Strathmore University, including consulting on how a proposed school of digital
learning could be structured. I have travelled and consulted widely in Africa. I
am currently working on my Doctoral Thesis having completed Degrees in formal
education. business, IT and philosophy.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-14499143133536430162016-09-23T04:13:00.000-07:002016-09-23T04:13:08.225-07:00There is no level at which taking in knowledge is enough<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">Impressions from the IDS Learning Event which took place at
Strathmore University in July 2016<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVb0BZF36uOxZxgymOeoEUEdZHPrasxiU1njcoTI4VGHhDI9cNWeem6GPb4mCAJqH_QE_ftvm-WfXddVXbmQZrNpwaHBl5iBJCVFKGrOrd5e786eOBQQI94aV6jElLtxwkJfRtZY61Tw/s1600/math-1547018_1920_Pixabay_Pixapopz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVb0BZF36uOxZxgymOeoEUEdZHPrasxiU1njcoTI4VGHhDI9cNWeem6GPb4mCAJqH_QE_ftvm-WfXddVXbmQZrNpwaHBl5iBJCVFKGrOrd5e786eOBQQI94aV6jElLtxwkJfRtZY61Tw/s400/math-1547018_1920_Pixabay_Pixapopz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picture credit: Pixapopz/Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I must say, when I
knew the programme was aimed at the lecturers, I really tried to think of how
it would help me in any way. Initially I knew that to become a lecturer you
must have gone through some type of study, and on completion, become a
lecturer, but what I did not know is that even when you become a lecturer, you normally
still undergo training here and there to become better at it, and also to learn
more!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the workshops
that took place over four days, there were four universities that were
participating namely: Kenyatta University (Kenya), Jimma University (Ethiopia),
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences/MUHAS, (Tanzania) and
Strathmore University (also Kenya). I was shocked that people who have studied
to PHD level would sit down and listen to what someone else had to say. Due to
ignorance, I thought that once you have a doctorate degree then ‘you know it
all’ but it turns out that no-one knows everything. This got me into great surprise
about how the people there were so eager to know and learn more as though they
knew nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">During the
sessions, we (the student volunteers) were encouraged to join in the different
groups and to participate. I was an active participant in the first group and
since, we were mixed, I learnt quite a lot from it. Some of the things I learnt
were that we, as students, have different levels of understanding and ways of taking
in knowledge hence it’s the work of the lecturer to make sure that each and
everyone understands and to make sure that students are moving at the same
pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">During the first
workshop I also learnt that in order to make a lecture interactive, we ought to
engage the students in discussions and group work so that they can also share
some of their ideas and not get bored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the last two
sessions, groups were mainly categorized into respective universities and the
main topic of discussion was e-learning, the need to implement it, and how to maintain
it. (By e-learning I mean using the internet to teach, for example, people who
are not in Kenya or Nairobi and want to enroll in Strathmore, e-learning means they
are able to do so and can learn from wherever they are through the internet.) I
saw the need to be part of a different university so as to learn more about the
education system in the respective country, and how their university functions.
I was honored to be part of MUHAS located in Tanzania. It came to my
understanding that their level of education is not as advanced as the one in
Strathmore University. For instance, in Strathmore it is almost obvious that
all lectures use the e-learning platform to either post slides, share videos or
give assignments while, at MUHAS, the number of lectures using the platform are
around two in every department and some departments do not use it at all. This
made me appreciate what Strathmore does for us as students and the different
opportunities offered by Strathmore and not to take it for granted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">During my free time
(that is during meals and breaks) I managed to interact with different
lecturers and they were very surprised at how the university functions, and
they loved the hospitality of the university in general, the structures of the
university and how disciplined the students are. I can proudly say that I do
not take lecturers for granted anymore and I now understand why they do what
they do and have learnt to appreciate their good work. Just as they were eager
to learn more, despite their high level of education, I am also eager to learn
more and have learnt that there is no level at which taking in knowledge is
enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Finally, I would
like to give thanks to the organizers of the workshop for giving me the
opportunity to be part of the workshop and to also be part of the great
experience. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Linda Nzavi </b>is an
undergraduate student at Strathmore University. She is studying for the
Bachelor of Business Information technology.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-50863049292958599732016-09-23T04:11:00.001-07:002016-09-23T04:18:45.194-07:00Blend of learning theories and practise<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<i style="text-indent: 0cm;">Impressions from the IDS Learning Event which took place at Strathmore University in July 2016</i></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Theory versus
Practise</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was a vivid
reminder of how learning theories simply laid out (such as constructivism,
behavioural and cognitive) can be used in a practical sense in the classroom
environment to enhance teaching and learning. It was contended that most
students are “passive learners” operating at the surface level. This, it was
said, has a lot to do with the teaching style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is based on this
premise that activity-based learning should be encouraged, and measured by use of
continuous feedback (avoid long lectures).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is clear that if
the content is too simple, then this leads the learner to boredom but if the content
is too complex, then the learner switches off. This is what is expressed as the zone
of proximal development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Use of technology</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Technology is
mainly used in a restricted manner, handing in assignments and retrieving
notes. The use of technology can be enhanced by identifying variables in the
teaching and learning environment that can be used to measure learning
activities, and if used effectively, can also predict performance and provide
clues to points of intervention to facilitate set learning outcomes. I see this
as an appeal to the “affective domain” in teaching, where the term “appreciate” (or favourable feeling toward) the outcome also becomes an objective in itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Impact on overall
administration</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">The administrators
in general are interested in variables such as retention and pass rates. Factors
affecting these variables include personal factors, in this regard, Strathmore University appears to do much more than other peer universities through the mentorship
programme. This is not the case with the experience from other universities, especially those with high enrolment numbers and a largely online offering of
their academic programmes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Are we doing enough
to encapsulate the above? </span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">In the blended
learning project at SBS, for instance, a unit such as Strategic Management (offered by Dr. Fred Ogola) was offered as a blended (online as well as face-to-face
sessions) as opposed to his other classes which were purely face-to-face. The difference
this time was the use of impactful short video sessions (max. 7 minutes, with
enhancements by use of technology), a pause to allow reflection followed with a
request to the students to answer some questions (activity); then the next
session proceeds, following a similar pattern. This type of approach was well
received even with fellow faculty members and is now the prototype of how a
blended session ‘should look like’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">What was the
success factor?</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">The faculty was
primed and given an opportunity to script his class, precise and to the point.
The take away is that a session of 10 minutes would be equivalent to a 45 minute, or more, session in class. The session is controlled, students are able to interact with
the content at a self-directed pace (containing the student within the proximal
zone of development) and if need be, the student can rewind. At the end of the
session, every student is "carried along" in the class. This is an enhancement to
the teaching and learning environment. This is evidence of learning theory put
into practise in an innovative way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The above model has
also been done with Geoffrey Injeni, by his own words ‘this is wonderful’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Currently, faculty
with the MBA for Executives are being lined up to pursue this approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHq0uwZLTX1fK4XaP_3Pno1DfPYSP_SZqSx7E6HDrtt4MAWV6rp017gsAY06pm1-Okgo5RZAAHu9jzmbZD_oE9t6Rp15sZjydKDVm-LaWmu3cOmK2_2Z2gnQMpJ83sUcg99mOTrebWrw/s1600/David+Shikuku+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHq0uwZLTX1fK4XaP_3Pno1DfPYSP_SZqSx7E6HDrtt4MAWV6rp017gsAY06pm1-Okgo5RZAAHu9jzmbZD_oE9t6Rp15sZjydKDVm-LaWmu3cOmK2_2Z2gnQMpJ83sUcg99mOTrebWrw/s1600/David+Shikuku+image.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<b style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">David Shikuku </b><span style="font-size: x-small; text-indent: 0cm;">is a consultant
at Strathmore University and the technical lead in the Blended Learning
Project. He has 20 years work experience spanning many areas including:
accounts, logistics and warehousing, sales and marketing, project management and
is currently completing his MBA (UoN). David
Shikuku holds a B.Ed (Maths) UoN, Diploma in Information Technology (IMIS),
Agronomy (Yara). He has an affinity towards operational excellence helping
deliver on overall strategic objectives. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-12582338653173940872016-09-23T04:08:00.001-07:002016-09-23T04:09:28.545-07:00Learning is not a spectator sport<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<i style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US">Many thanks for the opportunity to be part of the IDS Learning Event.
Through it I was able to network and learn quite a bit both from the
facilitators present and the lecturers from other institutions of learning who
were participating in the workshop.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KNykhhGipS0ABS2LBCY-t6R4JyTfTHgujkIIDU98pvQ70pu2w5WJzf2Qo-GPSe5fQptlnBdlM5qcZfmtqKY7k4wPCS1YQOXzd6ItnNYG1z7rItH5DkgJGOemheCOZ2Cnc5830UQNUeQ/s1600/stadium_arena_crowd_people_925266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KNykhhGipS0ABS2LBCY-t6R4JyTfTHgujkIIDU98pvQ70pu2w5WJzf2Qo-GPSe5fQptlnBdlM5qcZfmtqKY7k4wPCS1YQOXzd6ItnNYG1z7rItH5DkgJGOemheCOZ2Cnc5830UQNUeQ/s320/stadium_arena_crowd_people_925266.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US">Previously, I was
of the opinion that teaching was a routine job: lecturers were given a course
outline and handed content to teach. They then had to pass on the same to
students mostly through class lectures. I was familiar, to a small extent, with
this. Being at Strathmore University where use of IT (power-point slides and
the e-learning system) in teaching is highly embraced and encouraged, I was
really interested in knowing which other ways IT could be used in teaching and
understanding the process that goes on at the back-end before students receive
content to chew on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">During the first
session, an important revelation dawned on me: Learning is not a spectator
sport. Genuine learning is active and not passive. Students do not learn much
just by sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged
assignments, and spitting out answers no matter how diligent they are at doing
that so as I previously presumed. What a rude shock! I had relied upon the bare
minimum stated above for almost the whole of my life. It was evident
thenceforth that I was barely scratching the surface of just how much I could
internalize and grasp. I learned that when students are actively involved in
their learning, they learn more than when they are passive recipients of
instruction. You can imagine that I resolved to participate in class more. Then
came the resultant problem: how would I
be able to participate constructively in class?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Integration of IT
in learning through especially use of dashboards on e-learning sites would be
the answer to the problem that dogged me. I found out that through expression
of opinions and reading what other students posted on the dashboards, it was
possible to refine my thinking and to harness more knowledge from my fellow
students than I had previously been doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I also came to the
realization that, other than just passing on information required by the course
outline, lecturers passed on their “industry experience” when teaching. This
was an important aspect of the whole learning experience as information was
widely available on the internet and anyone could access it, however such
experiences gave classroom students an edge over others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The most important “pickups”
for me were the learning theories available to lecturers. I had always thought
of learning as a one-directional tool, not knowing that there were several
different approaches that taught specific skills. I often wondered what the
point of group work assignment was, for example, especially as in some cases
one person ended up doing the assignment for everyone else and submitting. (I
must say I am guilty of doing this too, as previously the emphasis for me was
on the marks available rather than the skills such an assignment was required
to confer on me.) However, after learning about behavioral, cognitive and
connectivism theories, I now get why different lecturers choose to use a
specific techniques or combine several.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Interacting with
lecturers from other institutions really made me appreciate Strathmore
University even more and the facilities it has availed for student learning.
Comparatively speaking Strathmore is a bit ahead of the other institutions. I
resolved this had to reflect in my understanding of the coursework and to reflect
on the nature of skills I would have at the end of the course. The same is
important, especially in light of the current IT-skewed society that we live
in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In conclusion, I
had a good time at the conference. The lessons I picked up firsthand will
remain etched in my memory for eternity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Michael Omugah</b> is
an undergraduate student studying Bachelor of Commerce at Strathmore University</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-46064228540176329042016-09-23T03:59:00.000-07:002016-09-23T03:59:03.093-07:00Networking opportunities and discussions on lecturing and teaching<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>My experience of the IDS Learning Event which took place at Strathmore University in July 2016.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I am very thankful
for having had the opportunity to be part of the IDS Learning Event that was
held at the Strathmore Business School in July 2016. Through the workshop, I
was able to network with lecturers from Kenyatta University (Kenya), Muhimbili
University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) (Tanzania) and Jimma
University (Ethiopia) as well as the facilitators from UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The workshop opened
with an ice breaker introduction session where we all had to introduce
ourselves and the institutions we had come from. The participation in the group
was the most amazing part - I sat with the Strathmore team and had a discussion
about ways lectures could be improved and the teaching methods in their classes
so that students do not get bored, or left behind, and the reasons why students
choose to come to Strathmore University, and the reasons why students do not
attend class, and why students fail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Before this
discussion, I was thinking that teaching was an easy job where lecturers just
come to class to give students the course outline and the contents. Then the
lecturers discussed the approach they use to interact with the students in
order to improve in the class. At Strathmore, IT is the most important aspect
of teaching (e.g. the e-learning system and PowerPoint slides). I got a better
understanding about the process it takes before we students receive this
content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Raj Patel is an
ACCA student studying at Strathmore University<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-66924420200625186082016-09-23T03:57:00.001-07:002016-09-23T03:57:55.824-07:00Education should focus on converting knowledge into life skills <div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is the process
and not a goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxYPKTofhQ7VmEIjUg5l6Pj9aImcmKsoYTtxa3sKca6V6PJzpgWC4_p7MuxuxSK0aU_WT3gUgZJNS-3L-cva0m8c3HwEJdHmjhp8Ko1natoeqnwWjP2tW_d6awVk1vVT-6E1hjAwHnCI/s1600/airplane-145748_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxYPKTofhQ7VmEIjUg5l6Pj9aImcmKsoYTtxa3sKca6V6PJzpgWC4_p7MuxuxSK0aU_WT3gUgZJNS-3L-cva0m8c3HwEJdHmjhp8Ko1natoeqnwWjP2tW_d6awVk1vVT-6E1hjAwHnCI/s1600/airplane-145748_1280.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US">As defined in the
<a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/knowledge" target="_blank">Cambridge Dictionary, Knowledge looks at a practical or theoretical understanding of a specific subject</a>. In this day and age, where technology has
simplified information dissemination, the distance between ignorance and
knowledge has radically been reduced. Students may not have to sit in a
classroom to know when airplanes started flying. The Internet has got very
comprehensive literature on this including videos, audio, images and text. And
all this content is available at no cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In a second stage,
little beyond a mere understanding of a specific subject, learning, is defined
by Karban, R. (2015) as the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing
existing, knowledge. At this stage the learner will need to convert acquired
knowledge to fit into a context in the environment they live in. The learner
will modify and reinforce existing, knowledge and see it adopted in his or her
context. We probably all spend 70% of our driving lessons on a free and quiet
road without any traffic or complex obstacles on our way, and 30% on a
relatively jammed road. Yet, in reality, 70% of our rides will be in down-town on
a jammed road, and only 30% in the countryside. From this illustration,
knowledge in terms of understanding how a vehicle moves is not enough. The
learner needs to adjust the leaning process to a new environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the third and
final stage, we talk about life skills. Howland, J.L. (2013), infers that given
key resources like time, energy, or both; learning should lead to carrying out
a task with pre-determined results. Along the same lines, in an education that
aims at facilitating acquisition of values, well-being, and habits, life skills
are the ultimate tools that learners should acquire. Although, the nature and
definition of life skills may differ across cultures and beliefs, Weisen et al.
(1997) provides a list of crucial skills:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Problem Solving</li>
<li>Decision making</li>
<li>Creative thinking</li>
<li>Critical thinking</li>
<li>Effective
communication</li>
<li>Interpersonal
relation skills</li>
<li>Self-awareness</li>
<li>Empathy</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">In summary, life
skills are the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable
individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday
life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion </span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">A quick analysis of
the three stages infers that knowledge, unless applied in given skills, may not
be of any significant value. A fundamental objective of our daily activities is
to solve problems. Problems are at the heart of what many people do at work
every day. Education today should focus on converting knowledge into life
skills and so impact the learners’ day to day activity. And given that life
circumstances are not always similar, this should be looked at as a process and
not a goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Benjamin Mundama,</b> Strathmore
University, Kenya.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-87722332893096063432016-09-23T03:54:00.000-07:002016-09-23T03:54:37.020-07:00From marketing boredom to a marketing academic<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>How the IDS
Learning Events’ training transformed teaching for me.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlbNqZsYPjyEREmv4tvsmrZteWi1gyhjtM-AgCKl4wKMX12Ymav_m86YKlpyO-I8LQX563Lux4MIRPyACgV3MCznsRhAwCS-609AWIYMG_xDPQWDR81ardzIfRQvttJHmI-Ys8QNzzas/s1600/board-953154_1920_geralt_Pixabay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlbNqZsYPjyEREmv4tvsmrZteWi1gyhjtM-AgCKl4wKMX12Ymav_m86YKlpyO-I8LQX563Lux4MIRPyACgV3MCznsRhAwCS-609AWIYMG_xDPQWDR81ardzIfRQvttJHmI-Ys8QNzzas/s400/board-953154_1920_geralt_Pixabay.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picture credit: Geralt/Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Introduction</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Teaching was
something that I got into accidentally. For very many years my major career
goal was to be a high flying, marketing executive in a large multinational
firm. I loved marketing, still do. In my opinion, it is the perfect blend of
psychology and business strategy, two subject areas that I find fascinating.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<h3>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">The marketing
executive</span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">However, three months
into my first employment (which was in a marketing firm) I realized that
boredom had become my constant companion. Yes, I was pursuing my passion. And
yes, every day was different from the next because of the different clients and
projects we were handling. But I was quite simply bored. It took me awhile to
place my finger on the reason for my boredom, but I eventually did. I was bored
out of my mind because I was barely learning anything new at my place of
employment.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The moment I came
to that realization, I started actively looking for a masters’ degree programme
and, approximately six months later, I got the opportunity to join one of the
best Business Masters’ programmes in Africa with the opportunity to offer
tutorials, and two years later, to lecture in a university. It has been four
years of teaching, so far, and I have loved every single minute of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Teaching is the
boiling down of hard concepts to small simple morsels of information that can easily
be understood. This process provides a unique opportunity of perpetual
learning, that I especially enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The IDS Learning
Event</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the things,
however, that has become very apparent is that teaching is a science that also
needs to be taught. I have a very robust academic background in Marketing and
Business Science, but I am mostly self-taught in the art and science of
teaching. So when the opportunity to attend the IDS Learning Event on teaching
and assessment practices was presented, I latched on with both hands and I was
not disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I learnt quite a
lot on the various pedagogies that can be used to teach. The training also
touched on how we can work Information Technology into learning and assessment
to make it more interactive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">At the end of the
training, two things became very clear to me. One, I needed to apply the
pedagogies I had learnt as soon as possible. And two, there was still so much
to learn concerning the science and art of teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The step forward</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Approximately three
weeks after the training, I started teaching a new cohort of students. I made a point of attempting to try out the
new pedagogies of learning that I had learnt in the training. I also made a
point of incorporating Information Technology (through our institutions
e-learning) in learning and assessment. One of the continuous assessments that
was given to this group of students was uploaded on a platform I created on
e-learning. The students were then instructed to engage each other on this
platform as they interrogated the work that each student uploaded and to provide
constructive criticism. The exercise is still ongoing but is proving to be
quite successful so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The classroom has
become livelier with the use of the various pedagogies. Students are more
participative and learning is spilling over and taking place even outside the
classroom hours. All these changes were brought about by a two day training. I
am excited, as I contemplate the magnitude of change that will take place once
I become a highly trained educationist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Lucy Nguti</b> is a Doctoral
Fellow at Strathmore School of Management and Commerce. She teaches marketing on
the undergraduate program offered by university. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-11847513162176729092016-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:002016-09-21T11:07:59.690-07:00Pedagogy before technology?<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Introduction</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA2kVGjACpRBW4YN9X7nUnhSOeAt43HUoS5kJ2zKOeZOqxAVtVMaRaz8MowZi1e3auLgKw4efvOeRHHQCNUPjCEKOdeDYZstv8fvNXBPhcjAHDvXq7bhOim59Gtk7yFruv9z2A4VbgLs/s1600/IDS+Workshop+July+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA2kVGjACpRBW4YN9X7nUnhSOeAt43HUoS5kJ2zKOeZOqxAVtVMaRaz8MowZi1e3auLgKw4efvOeRHHQCNUPjCEKOdeDYZstv8fvNXBPhcjAHDvXq7bhOim59Gtk7yFruv9z2A4VbgLs/s400/IDS+Workshop+July+2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Picture credit: <span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Mr. Tadele Mulat/Jimma University, Ethiopia</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">To implement online
learning, we need a technology platform. However, without the knowledge of
pedagogy, implementing e-learning is like being on a ship on the ocean without
a captain. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy" target="_blank">Pedagogy</a> is key for implementing all learning including online
learning. Pedagogy is a profession, or science of teaching, that is concerned
with the study of, and practice of, how best to teach. It is a tool for
managing teaching content in a specific manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Technology plays an
important and pervasive role in modern education, business and everyday living.
It is associated with an efficient modern society and economic health. The use
of digital technology for improving the delivery of education has enormous
potential to raise standards and increase employability. It also requires a
change in teaching style, a change in learning approaches, and a change in
access to information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Online learning is
a way of teaching modalities to learners who do not need to physically attend
classes on campus. As it is a system of learning using the internet, online
learning means students can attend the classes without being limited by time, distance and
geographical constraints. This is an opportunity to provide online learning to
learners who may find it difficult to come to campus for a variety of reasons
and so providing online learning can be a way to ensure your courses are more
effectively designed and taken up by your target audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">For this reason the
<a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Institute of Development Studies (IDS)</a>, drawing on the work of the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities’ Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>, coordinated a two day workshop at Strathmore University,
Kenya on “Developing a strategic plan to operationalize investments in
strengthening research and teaching ” (July 27 & 28, 2016). The workshop was attended by <a href="https://www.ju.edu.et/" target="_blank">Jimma University</a>,
Ethiopia; <a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a>, Tanzania;
and <a href="http://www.ku.ac.ke/" target="_blank">Kenyatta University</a> and <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University,</a> both in Kenya. An important aim of the
workshop was to focus on strategies for implementing e-learning for research
and teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Producing an operational plan: a starting
point for online learning</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">On the first day,
our training focused on what the operational plan means and how it looks in
terms of the main content that needs to be included. This topic was presented
by Jagdeep Shokar, IDS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The content that
should be included in an operational plan include:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>An executive
summary (what the plan aims to achieve, why this is important and how it will
go about achieving this)</li>
<li>The lead person
(i.e. the individual who will lead the overall activities of the project)</li>
<li>Background or
content</li>
<li>Outcome and output,</li>
<li>Resources</li>
<li>Risks and
challenges.<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">As, at Jimma, we
have not had many opportunities to think about our operational plans in this
way before, it was useful to go over these basic steps. Since we are keen to address <a href="http://auraprogramme.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-e-learning-landscape-of-jimma.html" target="_blank">the challenges of developing e-learning at Jimma</a>, writing an operational plan that will
include strategies for implementing our e-learning was a useful starting point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Blended learning
can be a useful approach (using a mix of online and face-to-face)</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was interesting
to hear Professor Gilbert Kokwano, from Strathmore University Business School,
highlight the importance of online access even if the connectivity is not
perfect. He believes that using a blended learning approach is better than just
face-to-face learning and would be a good approach for education, in particular
in an African context. He also emphasized that multidisciplinary or
geographical variations, of learners coming together in one place (online or face-to-face) enables individuals to learn
through others’ experiences. After the
presentation we had the opportunity to reflect on how we relate to each
institution on online learning. What was significant here was there were
different experiences, and contexts, expressed in the group which allowed us to
appreciate that we are not alone in the challenges we face at Jimma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Open Access</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Professor Martin
Weller’s film on “<a href="https://youtu.be/B55Ke-UVt2c" target="_blank">Digital scholarship and openness in Higher Education</a>” made us
excited. Weller explores how digital network technology and open access
movements are very vital for sharing resources. In terms of promoting your
research to a wider audience, open access can be more vital for reaching out
than academic publishing channels as open access are available to the public and
academic journals can be costly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Weller adds that
the quality of online learning can be as good as face-to-face learning,
provided that it is designed appropriately for an online environment. In
sharing his insights - like the impact of new technologies, open education and
learning environments - Weller has given us some ideas and approaches that we
can take back and apply within our institutions. For me these are inspiring ideas because one
of the areas we want to develop at Jimma is our online learning. The concept of applying a pedagogical
approach to enriching our e-learning strategy and plans for the future is a
good place to start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Getting support is
key to developing online learning</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Irene Maweu,
e/merge Africa, talked about “E/merge Africa: unleashing the power of networks
in Africa”. E/merge Africa is a free
membership group created in Africa in order to share online support, IT
support, course delivery, facilitating webinar etc. Since she is an expert in human capacity
development and communication, especially in e-learning, course design and
content development, she had some valuable information for us (e/merge Africa
could be a way that we can get some support for our plans to develop our online
learning).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Esther Gacicio,
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), specializes in instructional
designer and content development as well as e-learning facilitation has talked
about “Moving teachers competencies in curriculum delivery to the 21 first
century”. KICD’s objective is to give
training for the Kenyan elementary and high school teachers on how they can
develop curriculum and implement on their activities of teaching and learning
processes in the entire nation (Kenya). Ethiopia does not yet have an
institution like KICD looking at this area – there is a clear need for an institution
like this in my country – although the Ministry of Education has played such
roles at different times for different universities, high schools and for elementary
teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Luis Arnoldo
Ordonez Vela spoke about “building collaboration interdisciplinary groups with
the support of technology tools and social media”. His current research
interests focus on the determinants of participation in society and the impact
of digital technologies, specifically, the role of information in
decision-making mechanisms in the Latin American environment and mobilization
of knowledge between universities and Latin American society. His presentation
was more on how we can share and transfer knowledge through social media,
libraries, culture, ICCT etc. He also shares how collaborative research is very
important for the development of any country. </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">This is an
interesting perspective for me because in Ethiopia, there is a need for a more
inclusive, interdisciplinary approach and developing our technology tools, and
fostering usage, would be a valuable step in progressing our country to being
an efficient modern society enjoying better economic health. In Jimma, we have
started working with an interdisciplinary approach and can really see the
benefits; however, good access to the internet remains a serious challenge
which, until it is overcome, prevents us from being in a position to take up
the challenge of sharing and transferring knowledge in this way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Preparing our
operational plans</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">We also had the
opportunity, during the two-day workshop, to prepare operational plans for each
institution which we did in groups with support from the presenters and
facilitators. Through the process, our guide reiterated that pedagogy, ICT and
content experts are very vital in order to implement successful online
learning. After the discussion, and once work on operational plans had
concluded, one presenter selected from each group presented the plan that had
been worked on. At the end of each group presentation there was several questions
and discussions in order to shape the operational plan of each
institution. I found it a useful process
to work on an operational plan for Jimma as a group as it allowed our group to
discuss our context in detail, in particular the challenges we face in
delivering online learning, and to work through our concerns with support from
the facilitators and experts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Exploring teaching
styles</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">On the second day,
we looked different teaching styles which was facilitated by Siobhan Duvigneau,
IDS, and utilized a number of quizzes on teaching styles which are available
online (through Google). We have got a lot of experiences from the sites that we
visited, and we tried to answer the quizzes to the best of our knowledge. The focus of Siobhan’s agenda was: exploring
how to improve teaching and learning experiences, behaviours and skills. She is
passionate about approaches that foster critical thinkers, independent and
self-directed learners who are confident networks, problem-solvers and
knowledge co-creators. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Teaching methods
are general principles, or pedagogy, used for classroom instruction. There are
different teaching styles in the world. Each country or university has its own
teaching styles depending on the curriculum they have. For me, a student-centered
approach is very important. It is a teaching method that focuses on student
investigation and hands-on learning. In this method the instructor role is
facilitating, providing guidance and supporting of students through the
learning process, so that students play an active and participatory role in
their own learning process. So, this is very important for Ethiopia/Jimma
University in order to create skillful students to have their own jobs than
seeking from the government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The next presenter
was Dr. Philipp Grunewald. He asked us to reflect on yesterday’s work
(operational planning) on how was that useful to me and to my university?
According to Philipp, when we are involved in teaching and research, we can
contribute knowledge to the community and to the entire nation. This indicates
that better teaching, and better teachers, will be created. He gave a strong emphasis on
knowledge and skill. As a teacher we have to teach students to gain more skill
than knowledge. To increase employability, we need to focus on active learning rather than
passive learning; train students to be job makers rather than job seekers. In that
context, Dr Grunewald is inquiring how creative commons and open source software can
support social systems (organizations, corporations, enterprises, social
movements, etc.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In order to
alleviate problems in Ethiopia, students who have graduated from the
universities should become involved in the private sector and look at creating jobs for themselves rather than seeking work from the government. So, the universities strategy, when they teach
students, should focus on skill rather than knowledge. If students are mature in skill,
they might have a possibility to create jobs rather than seeking them from the government.
I think this is the good idea that I got from the workshop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Do you believe that
pedagogy comes before technology? I am
still reflecting on this question as a result of all that I experienced in the
two day workshop and it seems to me that <a href="http://auraprogramme.blogspot.com/2016/04/applying-learning-theories-to-online.html" target="_blank">pedagogy is quite key for designing online courses,</a> and that e-learning (or a blend of face-to-face and e-learning)
could provide opportunities in an African context which will really progress
our education and research agendas. However,
it was also beneficial to look in detail at developing an operational plan that
includes strategies for online learning as this is what an institution really
needs in order to support teaching and research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Last, but not least,
I would like to thank the host organizer (Strathmore University, Kenya) and also
the sponsor organization IDS and the AURA project team members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Mr. Tadele Mulat,
</b>ICT Team Leader, Jimma University Library System </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-36524222560742633272016-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:002016-09-21T10:03:00.362-07:00Fostering competencies in interactive online teaching and learning assessment<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">About seven faculty
members from the <a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a>, attended
a two day workshop on teaching and learning assessment at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a>
from 25th to 26th July 2016. This workshop was immediately followed by another
workshop on strategic planning from 27th to 28th July, 2016. The workshops were organized by the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Institute of Development Studies (IDS)</a> and drew on the work of
the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Both workshops were
very useful to participants because participants were exposed to various issues
related to e-learning, including: learning
assessment approaches, how to use technology for assessment, technology based
learning and pedagogical theories that could be applied in a technology-based
environment. Furthermore, participants were taught about how to operationalize
what they learnt when they go back to their institutions by developing
Operational Strategic Plans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The teaching
modality throughout the two workshops was participatory, and focused on peer to
peer learning and assessment as well as on learning from instructors. Participants appreciated the fact that they
were able to learn from their colleagues and to share what they knew regarding
the topic that they were working on. They were enabled to expand their network
of researchers to work with, due to the task that they were given to write up in
groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Most of the topics
were completely new to participants (i.e. learning analytics, learning
theories. Given their medical science background, MUHAS faculty members were therefore
able to learn and appreciate many of the topics taught and of which they had not had opportunities to explore prior to the workshop. They also learnt, and appreciated, the
technology-based assessment methods which were completely new to
them. This kind of training was very
important, and timely, given the fact that MUHAS is implementing competency based
curricular by using blended learning approaches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Participants were
also able to develop operational plans which they will be able to implement
when they go back to their institutions with what they had learnt throughout the
workshop. Through the development of operational plans, participants expect
that they should be able to cascade what they have learnt back into their
institutions. Despite the fact that a learning management system (LMS) has been
implemented at MUHAS for over four years now, its' uptake has been very low.
Through developing an operational plan, it is expected that academic staff at
MUHAS will be able to adopt interactive teaching methods and engage students in
the e-learning platform more readily.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></h3>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">In conclusion, the teaching and learning assessment workshop enabled
participants to acquire skills on learning assessment approaches, how to use
technology for assessment, technology based learning and pedagogical theories
that could be applied in a technology-based environment. Participants also
learnt about how to strategically operationalize technology-based learning in
their institutions. Participants appreciated the teaching methodology and it is
expected that they will adopt this modality into their teaching, especially the
use of blended learning approaches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JiWH2oXZToXrb1ne6f-zDFave2COv5-eX7kkp9QEE_iNyCFj0jVq5cP0CbRDPQabd6Kc4mgYr4OpgT1O1y3xFVIMCgYE8L4weIu7I_0PDL_WlMV7vj9NJqwyzisAigy4OFaQw3NXek0/s1600/Tandi_imageResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JiWH2oXZToXrb1ne6f-zDFave2COv5-eX7kkp9QEE_iNyCFj0jVq5cP0CbRDPQabd6Kc4mgYr4OpgT1O1y3xFVIMCgYE8L4weIu7I_0PDL_WlMV7vj9NJqwyzisAigy4OFaQw3NXek0/s1600/Tandi_imageResized.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Professor Lwoga</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> holds a PhD in
information studies from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. She
teaches and supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has
facilitated a number of workshops and short courses. She has published widely and has presented
over 30 research papers in both international and local conferences. Professor Lwoga currently coordinates the
African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme at Muhimbili University
of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania, together with an additional
four projects working with international partners in Sweden, South Africa and
USA.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3SYMIjliYalrRzt51Wa_mkeIokBCbB_XzQfIBJSK2V72R10lThRsBp2jfXwMwvH8mIpCChsqkah7TV6dqV74XZHHgnMJLVTABOeDZVODTWDITeFa6DvjQN9Rn5Z8r_-ubVR_ifGnR3A/s1600/DoreenImageresized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3SYMIjliYalrRzt51Wa_mkeIokBCbB_XzQfIBJSK2V72R10lThRsBp2jfXwMwvH8mIpCChsqkah7TV6dqV74XZHHgnMJLVTABOeDZVODTWDITeFa6DvjQN9Rn5Z8r_-ubVR_ifGnR3A/s1600/DoreenImageresized.jpg" /></a></div>
<b style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">Dr. Doreen Mloka</b><span style="font-size: x-small; text-indent: 0cm;"> is a Medical Microbiologist/Molecular biologist. She is a Medical Education Fellow and the Director of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania. She currently coordinates two medical education projects and several microbiology projects.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-72872524286923242682016-09-15T02:55:00.000-07:002016-09-15T03:05:16.411-07:00The Impact of Stepping Up the Quantity and Quality of E-learning to Address Challenges of Human Resources for Health (HRH) in Kenya<h3>
<br /><b>Human Resources for Health (HRH): Can technology be the magic bullet in LMIC?</b></h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeChYFmBqFm9PJvJ1geTNNRfdoScBaJV5qXUffus8sgqGppiSlV3czZNaKLT7-t2XRe4MM_glKZrjc-lCi6DbhjS99Ow2Sij979IkBUSvdbTZGuwOjSx7T-cJTROtBukdi-cQGsS3y5gI/s1600/KU+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeChYFmBqFm9PJvJ1geTNNRfdoScBaJV5qXUffus8sgqGppiSlV3czZNaKLT7-t2XRe4MM_glKZrjc-lCi6DbhjS99Ow2Sij979IkBUSvdbTZGuwOjSx7T-cJTROtBukdi-cQGsS3y5gI/s400/KU+Photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Titus Muhu Kahiga, Kenyatta University, 2016.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The <a href="http://www.who.int/hrh/tools/planning/en/" target="_blank">Human Resources for Health (HRH) </a>challenges continue to pose a major headache to governments in many LMIC (lower middle-income countries) in Africa. Many traditional models (like increasing the number of medical schools) have been tested but face serious quality of training gaps. Some successes have been recorded with a symbiotic relationship of north and south, and south and south, collaborations but this has not gone far enough. The W<a href="http://www.who.int/hrh/workforce_mdgs/en/" target="_blank">HO recommended ratios of doctor to patients</a> continue to be unachievable in spite of deadlines by many governments in sub-Saharan Africa making periodic commitments. This is aggravated by emigration of health workers to developed countries where conditions of work and remunerations are superior. Within country, the distribution of available health workers is uneven and is not based on specific local health needs but on economic and social considerations. The ultimate consequence of this are poor health indicators. Can there be a solution to this state of affairs?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>The IDS Learning Event at Strathmore University (25th to 28th July 2016)</b></h3>
<b><br /></b>
The <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities’ Research Approaches (AURA) Programme</a> was mooted on the premise of bringing expertise and experience from around the globe to co-create a context specific educational framework and support locally generated research knowledge and its dissemination. In view of human resources for health challenges, approaches to mitigate this based on innovation then becomes a relevant area that demands deep reflection and concern. We can only thereafter ‘talk research’ once we have personnel with basic knowledge who then can be taught to become skilled researchers.<br />
<br />
Many universities in Kenya have e-learning programmes mainly in liberal arts and basic sciences. In health professional education there has been a palpable resistance to e-learning by traditionalists (although some acceptance of it has occurred partly by nursing professionals). This is not unexpected given that most of the trainers are products of old systems and practices. A strong legal and policy infrastructure to support e-learning is also lacking. However, where e-learning has been accepted, it has basically been interpreted as loading PowerPoint presentations on the institutional LMIS (Learning Management Information System).The interactivity aspect, the objective assessment need and the need for an examination to be a benchmark of evidence of learning, are clear gaps. We have had lots of conversations about the use of technology and many faculty members accept that it can make teaching an easier experience. Of course, instructional strategies differ from one institution to another one but all have one convergence: that ultimately, individuals will need to be fully trained to manage patients.<br />
<br />
Drawing on the work of the AURA Programme, the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Institute of Development Studies (IDS) </a>convened a learning event at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> in July 2016. This provided an opportunity to start questioning the quality of material, and the e-support, being given to the students taking these modules. The need for training the trainer on e-support facilitation became apparent. While the need to have many health workers is welcome, we also need to start a robust system of increasing the capacity of quality facilitators skilled in delivering e-learning. I was certainly encouraged by the sensitization given by the two consultants at the learning event. It made me wonder if big funders who are interested in health professional education would be interested in the approaches.<br />
<br />
A critical mass of facilitators skilled in delivering e-learning would then need to be trained and appropriately exposed so that they can train other health workers. I propose that this be piloted in one university and be done as a collaborative effort with regulatory bodies, in order to have their buy-in. Many curriculums in health disciplines have pre-clinical phases where subjects like physiology, biochemistry, and anatomy can be taught very effectively on an e-platform. These subjects do not have our trendy language (like ‘evidence base’) and are basically static. They can be taught in one ‘command zone’, as it were, and broadcast to thousands of medical, nursing, pharmacy and other allied health professionals, in one go. This can create a lot of time that can be utilised for face-to-face interactions. Certainly technology would not train, or assess, the psychomotor aspects of health professional learning, however it can have a valuable place in other areas.<br />
<br />
The learning event at Strathmore University also reflected on the difficult terrain of assessment. As we increase numbers it becomes a necessity to devise objective methods of confirming that learning has taken place. It is now accepted that competency based learning is the future of learning, and how to best use technologies to assess the same, needs serious interrogation.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Conclusion</b></h3>
<br />
Investments in infrastructure to support e- learning are already going on in many LMIC,and are being supported by funders. The investment in e-support capacity development, and the need to build a cohort of expert facilitators on e-learning, is of utmost need and urgency. This could well be the answer to addressing the human resource capacity needs in health in sub-Saharan Africa. I urge the funding community to consider paying attention to this gap, much as they continue to give infrastructural support. The learning event at Strathmore University was an ‘eye opener’ in terms of exploring and exposing this need. This will be of particular use in health related disciplines where the numbers and the quality of health workers fall far short of global recommendations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixv250V7kql7PZg0JeeYOeWCNTZ0mf7cUseYQi-Blp1_MvqCrpDUWHyJbxYc8mEDehPhRcft6TSSXPvdhNCzj2G_Gf57E6IEOpxXcLVaE3PLrUnmNqzzad6B9-yrv7KADxl3k0TiyDgEU/s1600/Dr+Kahiga+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixv250V7kql7PZg0JeeYOeWCNTZ0mf7cUseYQi-Blp1_MvqCrpDUWHyJbxYc8mEDehPhRcft6TSSXPvdhNCzj2G_Gf57E6IEOpxXcLVaE3PLrUnmNqzzad6B9-yrv7KADxl3k0TiyDgEU/s1600/Dr+Kahiga+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://medicine.ku.ac.ke/faculty/faculty-profiles?id=157" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank"><b>Dr Kahiga</b> </a><span style="font-size: x-small;">is a pharmacologist currently working as member of faculty at </span><a href="http://www.ku.ac.ke/" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Kenyatta University,</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> a public funded university in Kenya. He also serves as principle investigator (PI) in many donor funded projects including NIH and USAID. He has a special interest in health professional education and in the past has served as master trainer in a CDC/PEPFAR funded project called PACE. At Kenyatta University, he is currently the Head of the Ethics Review Board. In the past, Dr Kahiga has served in the National Drug Regulatory Board and in the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya, rising to the position of National Vice President. In his free time he serves as a volunteer pharmacist in a community based setting in the central part of Kenya.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-83062100944822943692016-04-28T10:20:00.000-07:002016-04-28T10:20:00.533-07:00Applying learning theories to online learning: Reflections on the T3 intervention at Jimma University, March 2016<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Through the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities’ Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>, <a href="https://www.ju.edu.et/" target="_blank">Jimma University (JU)</a>
recently offered the T3 intervention, one of a series of interventions designed
to build the capacity of universities in Sub-Saharan Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">T3, which took place at JU from 21st to 22nd March 2016, is a practical course focusing on how learning theories can be
applied to an online learning environment. The training was designed to enable
instructors from the various colleges of JU to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">• plan
and organize online learning effectively on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle" target="_blank">Moodle</a> – JU’s existing platform;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">• apply
pedagogical implementations to learning technologies such as Moodle;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">• assess
learners using learning technologies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Generally, T3 introduced a growing world of
technology that may help to facilitate learning and teaching by making learning
and teaching easier and more engaging, as well as cost-effective. Information
technologies are one of a number of revolutions which are transforming lives in
the 21st century and having an impact on countries like Ethiopia. Consequently,
education and training needs to be reinforced with technology if we are to
benefit from the opportunities offered through the digital revolution. If the instructors at JU are committed to
applying T3, then the training will impact positively on the teaching and
learning process in Jimma University. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Online learning: technologies, pedagogical
processes, and benefits</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">The mentors of T3 covered a range of
technologies applicable to online learning, including Moodle, which was
discussed and demonstrated extensively. According to the demonstrations and
theoretical discussions on pedagogical processes, Moodle can be used to create
courses for online learning with the use of various kinds of teaching methods
and theories. It is possible to apply social constructive, and any other
theories suitable for the course content, to online learning as well as face to
face learning. Moreover, various
learning materials (such as videos, podcasts, texts, documents, portable document
formats, PowerPoints etc.) can be easily embedded in the course page created in
the Moodle. It is also possible to incorporate chat and discussion forums in
the learning page we create in Moodle – these can also help us to apply social
constructive theories (encouraging the trainees to be more independent in the learning process, to
share the knowledge they have gained, and to benefit from opportunities for
greater online socialization with each other around their learning). Moodle
also enables us to assess the trainees online.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The task set by the training facilitators
at the end of the training, (to create a technology oriented course on Moodle),
and feedback after rating this, made us competent enough to translate the
skills developed by the intervention into concrete action because the task was
designed so that we would have to apply what we had just learnt by putting it
into practice on JU’s Moodle platform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In addition, other learning technologies
(such as Google Hangouts, Google Plus, Skype for Business, Second life, Facebook,
Twitter, email threads etc.) were discussed and demonstrated in terms of how
these could be used for online learning by facilitators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The T3 training was facilitated by
educators from various universities in Africa and highly skilled pedagogy experts
from UK. Their experience on online learning was another highlight of the T3
intervention - in addition to
delivering the training, they also shared their experiences on online learning
in the context of their institutions. Hearing about their experiences was an
additional motivation for the trainees to use technology for learning. The
facilitators also promised to continue to provide support remotely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">T3 key points of learning:</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The training intervention has yielded two
key changes to my ways of teaching and learning:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1. First,
I had not believed that you could use social constructive theory for teaching
online as online learning has little space for interaction between the educator
and trainees – or so I perceived before T3. After the training, I could see
that interaction between the educator and the trainees online is definitely
possible. Therefore, I learned that we can make online teaching and learning
interactive and share our knowledge among trainees online as well as offline.
According to the new skills I have gained, the educator not only transfers
knowledge but also learns from the learners too because, when online learning
is created with the application of social constructive theory, the learners are
encouraged to be more independent in the learning process and to share
what they have acquired with both their fellow learners and also with the
educator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Second,
what I learnt from T3 is that pedagogy matters more than technology in online
learning. Before we start designing online learning we have to select
appropriate pedagogical theories to deliver the course effectively. Then, we
can develop an appropriate online learning page. “Pedagogy before technology”
was the interesting motto of our mentor – to remind us what is important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now capacitated by T1 (the precursor to
T3 – T1 focused more on the pedagogical theories and T3 on applying these to
online learning), T3 and the remote assistance of our mentors, I am getting
ready to revolutionize my way of teaching and learning in a way which benefits
both the trainees and the institution I am working for. Furthermore, some of
the departments in our college have also created opportunities to apply T3 so
there is more to come from Jimma University.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Melaku Haile Likka,</b> </span>Department of Health Economics, Management
and Policy at the College of Health Sciences, Jimma University in Ethiopia.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-77501345312751229142016-04-21T09:19:00.001-07:002016-04-21T09:19:05.372-07:00The E-learning Landscape of Jimma University<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/presentation-gui-e-learning-course-341444/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqa95mryTucTBxQAV0tG2-NNd_pF1JJzvh6wjOiwoI2-86Bc8Phnlymz70ieKv7nxJFPIu_kdBjlBeexiCZQwEhyphenhypheneGq31WcaMogTc7NE1_xpcTyLV6MRhUgofOxFvGCXiZImALNBSSaU/s1600/presentation-341444_640.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/presentation-gui-e-learning-course-341444/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">Photo: </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">sandra_schoen, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pixabay</span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/presentation-gui-e-learning-course-341444/" target="_blank"><o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/presentation-gui-e-learning-course-341444/" target="_blank"><o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/presentation-gui-e-learning-course-341444/" target="_blank">Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain License<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
Ethiopia is going through rapid economic
development at a time when technological changes are influencing many aspects
of human life, including higher education institutions. This context of rapid
technological change in the world, and economic development in Ethiopia, means
higher education institutions in this country need to carefully examine their
educational practices with a technological lens. This context of rapid
technological change is compounded by other challenges, such as the ever
increasing population of learners from a variety of backgrounds, with diverse
needs, motivations, abilities, and learning preferences, who are coming forward
now and are eager to participate in a 21st century education. There is, as a
result, an increasing demand for more responsive and flexible courses, and the
drive to use information communication technology (ICT) in teaching is becoming
a necessity for our universities – many of them ill equipped to respond to this
demand and drive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Following this, information communication
technology (ICT) is becoming more vigorous and easier to use; and it
increasingly permeates many academic activities in universities. <a href="https://library.educause.edu/resources/2004/7/supporting-elearning-in-higher-education-roadmap" target="_blank">According to Pirani and as early as 2004, "The use of technology in education, commonly defined as e-learning, has become a standardcomponent in many courses. Technologyapplications...are also replacing some classroom sessions with virtual sessions or fully replacing classroom courses with online courses." (Pirani, 2004)</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Cognizant of the importance of technology
in improving educational quality and access, many universities in developed and
developing countries have been trying to implement e-learning. Likewise, Jimma University (JU) has been
trying to implement e-learning for about ten years. In spite of the huge
investment made by the university on expanding ICT infrastructures, we have yet
to see real progress in the university as to the use of technology in teaching
and learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Four years ago a few staff members took
training on e-learning but no one has yet started using the e-learning Moodle
infrastructure of JU. Just a few interested staff members are currently
applying e-learning in the university. The majority of those staff members who
took the e-learning training have since left the university due to a variety of
reasons. Efforts made in this regard are clearly not satisfactory... The
university has offered training to academic staff members, developed the
e-learning Moodle and put in place some institutional arrangements for the
introduction and implementation of e-learning. However, the re-organization of
contents and change on mode of delivery of courses during the modularization
process seems to be one of the major factors that has led the university
management not to push the colleges to move further forward in this regard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Other major limitations with regard to the
sustained implementation of e-learning in Jimma University include the
following:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Poor follow up and
support from the university’s leadership (department, college and corporate level);</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">An absence of
incentive mechanisms for academic staff members who are champions of
e-learning;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">An absence of
awareness raising and capacity building trainings; and</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">The malfunctioning
of e-learning offices.</span></li>
</ul>
Major challenges to the sustained implementation
of e-learning in Jimma University include the following:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Interruption of
electricity and internet connections;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">intolerable
student-computer ratio;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">deficiencies in
e-learning knowledge and skill on the part of teachers and students;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">centralization of
ICT related privileges; and</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">a confusing
structure of e-learning at the university level.</span></li>
</ul>
Based on these findings, the university has
been developing an e-learning strategy for the coming three years. There is
strong belief that the university will get invaluable inputs from the African
Universities Research Approaches (AURA) partnership universities to help us
with this challenging situation. We hope that the AURA partner institutions
will share their experiences around what they have done and are doing in their
respective institutions to develop technology- enhanced teaching and learning.
This will strengthen blended distance learning programs like JU’s Health
Economics Masters program.<br />
<br />
<h3>
References:</h3>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pirani, Judith A.
2004. <i>Supporting E-Learning in Higher
Education Roadmap</i>, July 2004. EDUCASE Center for Applied Research.
Retrieved 19<sup>th</sup> April <a href="https://library.educause.edu/resources/2004/7/supporting-elearning-in-higher-education-roadmap">https://library.educause.edu/resources/2004/7/supporting-elearning-in-higher-education-roadmap</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<b>Shimels Challa </b>is the ICT Development Team Leader at <b>Jimma University, Ethiopia.</b></div>
<br /><b>Bekalu Ferede</b> is the E-learning Coordinator at <b>Jimma University, Ethiopia.</b><br />
<b><br />Elias Ali Yesuf </b>is based in the Department of Health Economics, Management, and Policy at <b>Jimma University, Ethiopia.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-37446156672747868612016-04-20T07:07:00.000-07:002016-04-20T07:20:26.249-07:00Fostering Competencies in Research through Project-based Learning<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu70QmQ6T7X-UMCgbnaRWkZduhO5jHhiHzb_N7BHn4EBS10YP3jQ4KpPsi50ZeVUbmjJbPe69gXsNBDS8x60vdK27uNNAjaHDPcpHovMptZYhfm234AWMPckaVoMIYM6tfsCxaGHlK-cs/s1600/r2+Highs+resized+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu70QmQ6T7X-UMCgbnaRWkZduhO5jHhiHzb_N7BHn4EBS10YP3jQ4KpPsi50ZeVUbmjJbPe69gXsNBDS8x60vdK27uNNAjaHDPcpHovMptZYhfm234AWMPckaVoMIYM6tfsCxaGHlK-cs/s320/r2+Highs+resized+cropped.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">R2 Highpoints<br />Photo: Emma Greengrass/IDS.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <b><a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a>,</b> through the AURA programme, recently conducted the
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/auraprogrammeinterventions/LearningInterventions/AURA-R2-2016" target="_blank">Research 2 (R2) workshop</a> focusing on strengthening the capacity of conducting
research among MUHAS academic staff. The R2 workshop was conducted over a six
week period from February to March 2016. It adopted project based learning
approaches and blended learning approaches which included pre-online, face to
face, and post-online learning activities. The teaching modality was
participatory, and focused on independent learning, learning from instructors,
and peer to peer learning and assessment. Some of the topics were completely
new to participants (i.e. social network analysis, mixed methods) while other
topics were familiar to faculty, such as topics on comparative and surveys
research designs. Given their medical science backgrounds, MUHAS faculty
members were not aware of some of the social research methods offered and were
able to learn and appreciate these through R2.
They also learnt and appreciated the application of qualitative research
approaches, and how they can combine both qualitative and quantitative research
approaches in their practice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Participants were also able to refine their
individual research methodology, and gained practical knowledge on how to apply
mixed research methods, especially sequential mixed methods. This kind of
training was very important and also timely given the fact that MUHAS is
currently implementing competency based curricular. Furthermore, participants
were able to develop a group proposal, which was multidisciplinary in nature,
to compete for funding. Through the group work, participants appreciated the
fact that they were able to learn from their colleagues and to share what they
knew regarding the topic they were working on. Participants were also able
to expand their network of researchers to work with, through the task that of
writing proposals as a multidisciplinary group. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In conclusion, the R2 workshop enabled
participants to acquire useful skills on how to develop competitive proposals
for grant application, various study designs, and to learn the advantages of
working in multidisciplinary research groups. Participants also appreciated the
teaching methodology and it is expected that they will adopt this modality into
their teaching, especially the use of project based learning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLaDgEzEBuW5TBaH0dx2uF5zxni51NcEGJXOdFPHj3Voml0-VeCnqun2GtEth21B6MMpqvUu9KGJEHy74ZZ4IvMOXUfp3Y5J9liTZs7uPOTp7zapdGqNYB9OvJlcCnB9hodUMTzhg10c/s1600/Doreenpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLaDgEzEBuW5TBaH0dx2uF5zxni51NcEGJXOdFPHj3Voml0-VeCnqun2GtEth21B6MMpqvUu9KGJEHy74ZZ4IvMOXUfp3Y5J9liTZs7uPOTp7zapdGqNYB9OvJlcCnB9hodUMTzhg10c/s1600/Doreenpic.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Dr. Doreen Mloka</b> is a Medical
Microbiologist/Molecular biologist. She is a Medical Education Fellow and the
Director of Continuing Education and Professional Development at <b>Muhimbili
University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania.</b> She currently
coordinates two medical education projects and several microbiology projects.</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-13890937049715461792016-02-28T05:55:00.000-08:002016-02-28T05:55:01.530-08:00Participants’ Reflections after the AURA Programme’s Research One (R1) Learning Intervention<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">There has been an
increasing stream of feedback since October 2015 that indicates the potential
benefits of AURA programme impacting individual participants at different
levels. What follows is a short summary
of the key moments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Application of
critical skills in information literacy</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">One of these
concerns application of critical skills in information literacy. One
participant, a young scholar, began reading more widely on the topic of her PhD
concept note and made an effort to contact the author of a paper she felt
contained content that was core to the concepts of her research. She received
positive feedback from the author and was motivated to keep working on the
paper and has since gone on to present a poster at the GKEN4Africa 5th
International Multidisciplinary Conference 2015 .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Opening up research
opportunities to undergraduate students</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other area is the effort to open up research
opportunities to undergraduate students, especially using approaches that
impact society. One of the participants has demonstrated how the learning
obtained in the AURA programme’s R1 face to face learning intervention has
encouraged him to involve his students in research activities that have an
impact in their communities. One of the student teams went on to present a
poster on this initiative at an internal research event at Strathmore.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">These developments indicate the potential impact of the AURA
intervention in promoting research amongst Strathmore students. Therefore,</span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">it is becoming clearer how learning
interventions can be beneficial in supporting young scholars in fostering
confidence, in developing skills to develop their work and to take up
opportunities to communicate about this both internally and externally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Application of
critical thinking skills</span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Another area is the
application of critical thinking skills. One of the participants has been
conceptualising a difficult research topic concerning the need for research
outputs to contribute to the transformation of the society. In the local
setting, most research findings remain on the shelves as scholarly outputs that
do not influence policy or practice in the industry or within the communities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The participant benefited
from the R1 learning intervention and became more confident that the chosen
topic was researchable and could be actualised, especially following detailed
feedback from scholars in the AURA network.
It will be interesting to see how this student’s work progresses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Concluding remarks</span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These developments indicate the potential impact of the AURA
intervention in promoting research amongst Strathmore students. Therefore, it
is becoming clearer how learning interventions can be beneficial in supporting
young scholars in fostering confidence, in developing skills to develop their
work and to take up opportunities to communicate about this both internally and
externally.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Stephen Ng’ang’a
</b>and <b>Cavin Opiyo </b>are based at <b><a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> </b>in Nairobi, Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-78839950219429821472016-02-28T05:20:00.000-08:002016-02-28T05:34:48.299-08:00Experiences Beyond the Aura Programme’s Research One (R1) Learning Intervention<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The implementation
of the AURA progamme at Strathmore has become a reality. By September, 2015,
the participants had already engaged in various online activities such as: the
diagnostic and pre-online learning session undertaken in preparation for face to
face learning (The face to face learning took place at Strathmore from 30
September to 2nd October 2015.) What
follows are reflections on the approaches, processes and methodologies
encountered in the learning interventions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Blended learning
approaches</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">The implementation
of the AURA programme has involved a blended learning approach complementing
face to face interactions with online experience. The main benefit of this
blended learning approach is that the participants have the possibility of
internalizing, and practicing, specific skills from the interactions between
themselves and the facilitators. Non-mediated human interaction has a special
element that cannot be bridged effectively by technology hence combining face
to face with the online learning. This approach could be one of the key factors
contributing to the effectiveness of the AURA programme in transforming
participants’ research practices.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Benefits of a
diagnostic process to customize content</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the process of
the face to face delivery, it emerged that there was a difficulty in
maintaining the consistent participation by senior researchers, who were of the
opinion that the sessions did not address their specific capacity building
concerns but were more focused on the needs of young scholars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">An attempt had been
made to ensure that the content would appeal to a mixed audience, but it was
difficult in practice to achieve this objective without a deliberate content
re-design prior to running the intervention. This highlights the benefit of the
diagnostic process in customizing content and demonstrates that poor
participation in this process may have contributed to the problem of the
undifferentiated content arising in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Using an
experiential learning facilitation methodology</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The experiential
learning facilitation methodology that was employed by the AURA team is the
enduring strength of the face to face intervention. This methodology is
learner-centred and successfully engaged the faculty, who themselves are
teachers in their own disciplines and can be highly critical of traditional
teacher-centred approaches.. The assessment of learning at the end each day,
using the reflective journal, is a best practice tool that helped participants
internalize and document their personal learning. The R1 face to face learning
is a valuable precursor to, and has raised expectations for, the forthcoming
teaching intervention which will be rolled out in 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">The other
appealing, and motivating, aspect of the AURA programme learning interventions
is the practical assistance the participants received through detailed feedback
on their assignments from enthusiastic professors in the AURA network. An
opportunity presented by the GKEN4Africa 5th International Multidisciplinary
Conference 2015 for two participants
from Strathmore to showcase their “work in progress” – this opportunity has
further fuelled the excitement of other participants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Future
considerations</span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Looking to the
future, it is anticipated that individualised attention to the participants will
be critical in achieving the anticipated programme results, such as
publications. This is a strong learning point that Strathmore University would
like to carry into its internal capacity building programmes for teaching and
research.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><b>Stephen Ng’ang’a
</b>and <b>Cavin Opiyo </b>are based at <b><a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University </a></b>in Nairobi, Kenya.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-70867729057496297072016-02-17T11:07:00.002-08:002016-02-17T11:07:48.418-08:00The Benefit of Flexibility in Keeping the AURA Programme Vibrant<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There are two levels at which flexibility
has contributed to making the </span><a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches(AURA) programme</a> become vibrant: the level of
participants’ engagement; and the level of institutional collaboration - and
this vibrancy has developed in spite of a number of challenges encountered in
the initial programme conception as experienced at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> (which we have
written about in <a href="http://auraprogramme.blogspot.com/2016/02/managing-internal-bureaucracy-to.html" target="_blank">a previous blog</a> post). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Participants’ engagement</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Participants who have showed an interest in
this programme have been encouraged to retain their interest, and engagement,
in the activities through flexible arrangements. For example, as Project Cordinators (PCs) for AURA, we
negotiated new deadlines for completing the diagnostics, and made sure that
polite reminders to participants went out regularly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The management of email communication has
also been a key challenge, and an important point of learning for us as
programme coordinators. A significant number of participants suffered from
email overload and started to drop out of the programme on account of
repetitive communication from different contacts in the programme. As PCs, we took a proactive approach to
ensure that the issues experienced with email overload were communicated within
the programme, and we then agreed a communication strategy which was more
appropriate to the needs arising within our institution. This is now working adequately for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Institutional collaboration</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the level of institutional
collaboration, the true spirit of co-creation around content, and the
authenticity in which inputs from implementing institutions are accepted, has
helped to build trust within the partnership – an essential part of the
process. This is demonstrated by the on-going consultation between us as
Project Coordinators (PCs), and champions, for the AURA programme at Strathmore
University and the lead contacts within the AURA consortium and this on-going
consultation makes it much easier to resolve issues and maintain momentum
within the programme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Lessons learned</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The benefit drawn from these experiences is
that it is critical to be sensitive to the varying needs and interests of
participants and try to accommodate this in programme implementation and
management. This can mean changing procedures so that these meet institutional
needs, or negotiating a deadline where this is necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The AURA programme is developing good
flexibility to accommodate a participant-centred approach in meeting challenges
as they arise. It is this approach that
enables us as PCs to maintain momentum for the programme internally. This approach also supports programme
responsiveness at both the AURA consortium level and institutionally at
Strathmore University.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Stephen Ng’ang’a </b>and <b>Cavin Opiyo </b>are based
at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> in Nairobi, Kenya.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-16315522663436065252016-02-17T10:58:00.000-08:002016-02-17T10:58:13.677-08:00Early Experiences in Engagements around the AURA Programme<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a>, a member of the <a href="https://www.acu.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)</a>, accepted an invitation to
participate in their <a href="https://www.acu.ac.uk/focus-areas/early-careers/structured-training-for-african-researchers/" target="_blank">Structured Training for African Researchers (STARS)programme</a>. This took place in August 2015 when Strathmore was already in
advanced engagements with the Consortium to implement AURA programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Structured Training for African Researchers
(STARS) programme</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The STARS project is an online professional
skills course implemented collaboratively with African universities to develop and
refine professional development for academic staff early in their careers. The
project aims to institutionalize and embed early career support and build the
skills and confidence of early career academics. The resources in the programme
are collaboratively developed and are openly licensed under a creative commons
license so that universities can adapt and embed the material within their own
professional development offerings.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The programme was designed in a three year
cycle. The first year involved the design of online content for training early
career researchers. The second year involved piloting the online course in
twelve universities. The third year involved implementation of the course with
additional universities. This is the point at which Strathmore joined into the
programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Similarities and differences between STARS
and AURA programmes</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The major similarities are that both
programmes are focused on research capacity building among a more or less
similar target group. The key differences are that STARS is already at an
advanced stage of implementation while the </span><a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a> is still in its first year. The key
distinction in design and outcome between the two programmes is evident in the
implementation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the point of recruitment, faculty were
presented with details concerning the objectives and the implementation format
of the two programmes. It appeared that the majority of the young scholars and
early career researchers opted into the STARS programme, partly due to the
perception that the amount of commitment was shorter and less intense than the
AURA. However, early feedback shows that those in the AURA are making
significant and demonstrable transformation in their research undertakings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This experience highlights the importance
of taking a strategic institutional view and developing a strong implementing
capacity when taking on board similar programmes to avoid failure or collapse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This experience provides an opportunity to
learn and to better scrutinise future engagements against institutional
capacity and goals<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Engaging in both AURA and STARS provided
Strathmore with an opportunity to explore how to position both programmes in
the context of institutional goals. We
also had an opportunity to provide staff with a choice to enrol in either
programme. The model of co-creation in the AURA Programme required creativity
on the part of the champions in order to persuade staff to sign up for AURA
especially because the STARS programme presented a perception of lighter work
load commitment as compared to the AURA programme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Final reflections</span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Whilst it may appear that competition
between the two programmes could pose challenges in maximising the benefits,
this was not the view we took at Strathmore. Since there is an intended end in
both programmes to empower the institutions involved to deliver and implement
internally driven and sustainable capacity building programmes that will bring
research outputs to a new level, having the two programmes provides our
institution with an opportunity to complement the lessons learned from both
programmes. Furthermore, Strathmore has taken an active step to harmonise the
benefits by concentrating the programme management under a collaborative
approach between the Research and Teaching departments to avoid scattering and
duplicating efforts. This would be a key
recommendation for other institutions that when an institution is involved in
two programmes that are addressing similar areas, or include synergies, then it
is very important that the programme management is shared collaboratively
between departments in order to avoid a silo mentality, to ensure that the
programmes complement each other, and to prevent duplication. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<i><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Stephen Ng’ang’a </b>and <b>Cavin Opiyo</b> are based
at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> in Nairobi, Kenya.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-21241009967084814292016-02-17T03:34:00.002-08:002016-02-17T03:50:09.396-08:00When E-learning is Not Like a Duck to Water<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUVJa3IiAQrw41BfMUMeDtMtI46HE8Gse40umKULwmG6EEXmTJ5MsDK2HCIlHwg6K3rziyebbPfWdjcA9vMAYfJ621P30-WVZVYwIblGbj13M3ekD19NtegMU0srEqxQgcJV_sACKa_o/s1600/rubber-duck-997909_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUVJa3IiAQrw41BfMUMeDtMtI46HE8Gse40umKULwmG6EEXmTJ5MsDK2HCIlHwg6K3rziyebbPfWdjcA9vMAYfJ621P30-WVZVYwIblGbj13M3ekD19NtegMU0srEqxQgcJV_sACKa_o/s320/rubber-duck-997909_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/rubber-duck-bath-duck-squeak-duck-997909/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">Photo: </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">creisi, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pixabay</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/rubber-duck-bath-duck-squeak-duck-997909/" target="_blank"><o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/rubber-duck-bath-duck-squeak-duck-997909/" target="_blank">Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain License</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US">The advancements of information and
communication technologies have enhanced teaching and learning practices across
the globe including Africa. Through the <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">A</a></span><a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">frican Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>, <a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a> is also now using these technologies to deliver its teaching and research
intervention training programmes to faculty members and students. However, the
main question remains whether MUHAS researchers and students are prepared to
fully embrace these technologies to enhance their teaching and learning and
research practices amidst the multiple challenges they face?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Research One (R1) Learning Intervention</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Through the AURA programme </span>from September to October 2015, MUHAS rolled out AURA's Research One (R1) learning intervention. This involved a pre-online
session, a face to face session and a post-online session. Research One (R1) was followed by an online
regional event on the “Future of research in the 21st Century” organized from
2-4th November 2015. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A high participant
attrition rate was observed during the online training sessions mainly because
participants were instructed to join the training individually in their offices.
Most participants did not know how to use the e-learning platform due to lack of
skills and also due to their mind-set towards online e-learning systems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This observation may not be so surprising
as many African universities, including MUHAS, face a number of challenges
related to use of e-learning platforms including: frequent power outages, the lack of the online learning culture, the mind-set of teacher-centred (versus student-centred) on the part of many of the senior
faculty, as well as lack of ICT skills, unreliable internet services and many other challenges. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The low level of
attendance of participants to the online training sessions at MUHAS calls for
a need to build the capacity of faculty members and to cultivate a culture of
online learning within our institutions.
However, as short term measure, this experience forced the MUHAS project coordinators and ALIRT
teams to find a temporary solution to avert this situation. This short term measure included
facilitating the online learning sessions collectively in a single room until
participants were comfortable with attending online training individually in their
offices. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This solution however had cost
implications in that MUHAS would need to have some equipment to conduct
online learning to researchers collectively - headphones with speakers
for each participant, - in order for them to fully participate in the AURA programme online activities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The key lesson learnt from this experience is that before one adopts new technologies and strategies, you will need to prepare and assess end
users in terms of their
competence or attitudes. Mitigate these deficiencies early on to ensure
achievement of project objectives.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Dr. Doreen Mloka</b> is
a Medical Microbiologist/Molecular biologist. She is a Medical Education Fellow
and the Director of Continuing Education and Professional Development at
<a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a>, Tanzania and co-coordinates the African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme
at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0cm;">
<i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Professor Lwoga
</b>holds a PhD in information studies from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South
Africa. She teaches and supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate
students. She has facilitated a number of workshops and short courses. She has published widely and has presented
over 30 research papers in both international and local conferences. Professor Lwoga currently co-coordinates the
African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme
at <a href="http://www.muhas.ac.tz/" target="_blank">Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)</a>, Tanzania, together
with an additional four projects working with international partners in Sweden,
South Africa and USA</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-11891999787209545382016-02-10T11:09:00.000-08:002016-02-10T11:10:34.485-08:00Experience in Enlisting Participants<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The findings of the AURA background study
in southern African universities, "<a href="http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/2301#.Vo1KJvmLQgu" target="_blank">Building Research Capacity: EnablingCritical Thinking Through Information Literacy in Higher Education in Africa" (Hepworth, Mark; Duvigneau, S. IDS. 2012)</a>, documented the realities of a
burdened faculty with heavy teaching loads and little practical time to
undertake any research activities. The findings of the study are applicable at
<a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a>, especially in bringing staff into the </span><a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA)programme</a>, as
it can be difficult to get commitments from staff who already feel
over-burdened. As the project coordinators (PCs) for AURA at Strathmore, we had two options for enlisting
participants: a formal process and a
targeted approach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Formal process: pros and cons</span></h3>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the formal process, the management
direct the faculty to participate in the programme and are required to brief
the appointing authority on their progress. The advantage of the formal process
is that the recruitment of participants is simplified and there are usually a
good number of participants in the specific programme. However, the downside of
this formal approach is that it does not tap into the intrinsic motivation of
the participants, hence the personal commitment of the participants may be
lacking. Occasionally, the organizers of the programme events may have to keep appealing
to authority for participant mobilisation. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Targeted approach: pros and cons</span></h3>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the targeted approach, faculty are
offered the opportunity to participate in the programme on their own volition.
This is done by arranging open fora where faculty are inducted into the
programme and those interested then sign up. The advantage of this approach is
that those who sign up are usually self-motivated and are more intensively
engaged in the project. The downside is that the number of participants may be
lower than anticipated.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Targeted approach at Strathmore</span></h3>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We opted for the targeted approach having
carefully considered the deep level of commitment in time and involvement from
the faculty demanded by the AURA programme.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The targeted approach requires a continuous
level of personal engagement with the individual faculty to retain enthusiasm
among the participants and to grow the number of participants to a critical
level. Personal engagement implies: managing the different levels challenges
that create barriers to effective participation of busy faculty. For example,
scheduling events properly, effective time management, clear actionable
communications amongst other factors. In
effect, as the PCs for the AURA programme at Strathmore, this targeted approach
required both of us to take on the role of champions of AURA to encourage and
foster the personal engagement and enthusiasm of faculty and to enlist
participants. For us, this approach was
the better of the two options as it meant free to respond to the programme
needs as required without involving an authority unnecessarily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Lessons learned</span></h3>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The lessons from the Strathmore approach to
enlisting participants as outlined above highlights the benefit of the role of
champions who can keep the interests of participants alive without necessarily
appealing to an authority. The role of
champions is a critical role because it is a key way of engaging individuals’
interest once an intervention has passed in the on-going programme and for
building a critical mass of support within an institution.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span>
<i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Stephen Ng’ang’a and Cavin Opiyo are based
at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> in Nairobi, Kenya.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-56195996928153100472016-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:002016-02-10T10:59:28.193-08:00Managing Internal Bureaucracy to Facilitate Project Inception<a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a>, like all corporate
entities, is structured in a manner to facilitate the achievement of its
objectives. Usually, and over time, institutions develop a culture informed by
experience and new knowledge. In the case of external engagements, the
partnerships in Strathmore University have grown rapidly and this growth has
come with new management procedures and regulations both to govern and to
ensure value addition. These procedures can sometimes slow down project
conceptualisation and inception.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the case of the </span><a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>,
this process was further complicated because the programme has a design that is
co-creative, hence aspects of programme design are left open to be developed in
collaboration with participating partners. This more open approach in the
programme design made it challenging to sell as an idea to university
management, and potential beneficiaries, who were not so familiar with a
co-creative approach. This led them to perceive the co-creative approach as ‘lack of clarity’ in the design at the onset which was likely to pose a
greater risk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Establishing internal collaboration</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br />The first step in taking the AURA
collaboration forward internally was to establish, in June 2015, a bridge by
having the Strathmore Learning Teaching Services Department (LTS) and the
Research Office as the key drivers of the programme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">LTS has a mandate on faculty development
and this was a key pillar in the AURA application process. The Research Office
has a mandate on research management and therefore plays a key role in
contributing to the achievement of the strategic goals of the University in the
area of Research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The AURA programme provided an opportunity
to establish an internal collaborative venture between the two departments and,
in effect, to situate the programme at the confluence of teaching and research
objectives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The <a href="http://auraprogramme.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-potential-of-alirt-team-in.html" target="_blank">concept of the ALIRT team</a> is a
collaborative one, bringing on board the academia as well as critical service
departments of the Library and IT. This collaborative platform between Strathmore project coordinators and the ALIRT team added credibility to the inception efforts for
implementing the AURA programme. The visit by the AURA team for the institutional
assessment also provided an opportunity for advocacy with the high level
university management team. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The university management and the
participants in the AURA programme developed high expectations from a
collaboration that has the prospect to
break new grounds in teaching and research at Strathmore. The potential benefits
of the AURA programme are reflected in these internal collaborations as well as
through cordial external engagement with the consortium partners for the
programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Stephen Ng’ang’a and Cavin Opiyo are based
at <a href="http://www.strathmore.edu/en/" target="_blank">Strathmore University</a> in Nairobi, Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562860742000832871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-43718664144691601152016-01-28T00:47:00.002-08:002016-02-18T08:42:40.565-08:00AURA e-Newsletter Issue 1, January 2016<div style="text-align: left;">
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The <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) Programme</a> is pleased to announce a monthly e-Newsletter. Catch up on all the latest information and updates concerning our work. Also get more information on how to access all our online learning resources.<br />
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What to expect in Issue 1:<br />
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<li>News on the AURA Research One (R1) Intervention - the first of the research capacity interventions (focusing on research philosophy, epistemology and research orientations) which
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<span lang="EN-US">was took place at Strathmore University and
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) during September to November 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Information about AURA Research Two (R2) Intervention - the second of
the research courses; this one focuses on researcher-led (analytical)
research methods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li>An update on the Researchers of the future, Regional Learning Event which took place online in November 2015.</li>
<li>Highlights of the Global Knowledge Exchange Network (GKEN) December 2015, where AURA was represented in Ethiopia.</li>
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Also the e-newsletter will give you more information about AURA's learning management system where you can find a variety of resources including lesson plans, videos, presentations and handouts.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6m6xF9NMikyVDI0elNXRU0xVGM" target="_blank">Download a printable version</a><br />
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<a href="mailto:aura@ids.ac.uk" target="_blank">Sign up </a>to receive the AURA monthly e-newsletter.<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610828062630879640.post-56818448979481659452016-01-19T04:02:00.000-08:002016-01-19T10:24:40.630-08:00Teaching and Learning: Which way to go in Africa? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">Teaching and Learning in Africa: Is there a
connection with poverty eradication?</span></h3>
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There has been a silent revolution in teaching and learning methods over recent years throughout the world. While the more developed countries have been quicker to adopt new methods and new technologies in teaching and learning, from apprenticeship to digital methods, it has been more of a roller-coaster experience for other parts of the world. Large populations in the developing world, particularly in Africa, for example, continue to invest and to use traditional teaching methodologies that are passive and do not permit unhindered critical thinking so are likely to miss out on new methods and new technologies in teaching and learning.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">While this is, perhaps, common knowledge, the many
problems that afflict the developing world have never really been extensively
interrogated, or possible recommendations to redirect donor or partner
resources into efforts that would promote these new learning methodologies. </span>New knowledge may then translate into an ability to address common maladies, like poverty and disease, in a cheaper and a more sustainable manner.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>GKEN4AFRICA 5th
International Multidisciplinary Conference and Workshop, Addis Ababa,
December 2015</b></span></h3>
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The recent <a href="http://www.gken.uk/conference2015/" target="_blank">Global Knowledge Exchange Network (GKEN) workshop</a> held in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in December 2015 had a stimulating theme that interrogated knowledge and innovation. A multidisciplinary galaxy of academics from around the world, who are originally African, gave a good exposition of issues which through new methods of learning and research may drive a paradigm shift in this continent.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/project/african-universities-research-approaches-aura-capacity-development-programme" target="_blank">African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme</a>, through a rigorous scientific process, is determined to explore these new possibilities of enhancing teaching and learning and increasing capacity in research.<br />
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These are definitely the game changers in our New Africa. Watch this space!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Dr. Kahiga Titus
Muhu</b> specializes in Clinical Pharmacy. He is a Lecturer at <a href="http://www.ku.ac.ke/schools/medicine/faculty/faculty-profiles?id=157" target="_blank">Kenyatta University,School of Medicine</a>, Nairobi, Kenya.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135993038514511442noreply@blogger.com0