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Friday, 23 September 2016
Final reflections on the African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) Programme
What do you feel were the strengths of the AURA programme?
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.
In terms of
practical implementation, the novelty of the AURA programme and what was unique
included:
- Co-creation model: 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.
- Experiential model of facilitation: This has worked very well with the young scholars. They were effectively engaged meaningfully throughout the delivery of face to face interventions.
- Research Informed Implementation: 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.
- Creative Commons License: This is a great way to promote free access to resources generated during the implementation. It is a great boost to the programme.
- Strengthened individual research capacities of the staff participants. 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).
- Strengthened individual research capacities of the Project Coordinators: The demands of the programme, particularly the publishing of reflective blog articles was a great opportunity to improve the skills among the PCs.
How do you feel the AURA programme could have been improved?
- Deliberately focus on an outcome driven implementation: 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.
- Deliberately involve students as participants: Our experience in the involvement of undergraduate students in the Writer’s podium under the AURA Research Course 4 [R4] was very positive.
- The consortium should have comprised at least one university from the South. 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.
- Leveraging in on functional linkages: 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.
- Deliberately focus on continuity: 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.
- Create more opportunities for participants from implementing institutions to learn from one another: 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.
- Publish and disseminate results of this AURA intervention to wider audiences: There should be a deliberate design in the second year to broadly disseminate outcomes, including to the audiences in the implementing institutions.
What would you like to see from future programmes in this area of work?
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: administrative
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.
Stephen Ng’ang’a
and Cavin Opiyo are based at Strathmore University Business School, Strathmore University, Kenya.
The continuous learning curve of an academic-cum-manager
Introduction
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| Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain. |
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.
IDS Learning Event
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.
The event
facilitation, and the general presentation of work arising from the African
Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme, 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.
The learning curve
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.
The "three learnings" that I got from this event have awakened my desire to change in the following areas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Conclusion
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.
Stephen Ng’ang’a 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.
How learning, teaching and research are changing around the world
A personal reflection on our impact on others
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?
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!
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.
Dealing with new learning environment for adult learners
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.
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.
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.
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.
Increasing role of technology in education
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.
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.
All in all we are
living in interesting times and we need to be more purposeful and proactive.
Julius Bwibo, B.COM
(1st class, UON), Msc Information Systems (UON), MBA (Strathmore), MAPE
(Strathmore), DBA Candidate (UON)
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.
There is no level at which taking in knowledge is enough
Impressions from the IDS Learning Event which took place at
Strathmore University in July 2016
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| Picture credit: Pixapopz/Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain. |
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Linda Nzavi is an
undergraduate student at Strathmore University. She is studying for the
Bachelor of Business Information technology.
Blend of learning theories and practise
Impressions from the IDS Learning Event which took place at Strathmore University in July 2016
Theory versus Practise
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.
It is based on this
premise that activity-based learning should be encouraged, and measured by use of
continuous feedback (avoid long lectures).
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.
Use of technology
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.
Impact on overall administration
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.
Are we doing enough to encapsulate the above?
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’.
What was the success factor?
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.
The above model has
also been done with Geoffrey Injeni, by his own words ‘this is wonderful’.
Currently, faculty
with the MBA for Executives are being lined up to pursue this approach.
David Shikuku 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.
Learning is not a spectator sport
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.
 |
| Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain |
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
In conclusion, I
had a good time at the conference. The lessons I picked up firsthand will
remain etched in my memory for eternity.
Michael Omugah is
an undergraduate student studying Bachelor of Commerce at Strathmore University
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