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

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.

Fostering competencies in interactive online teaching and learning assessment

About seven faculty members from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), attended a two day workshop on teaching and learning assessment at Strathmore University 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 Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and drew on the work of the African Universities' Research Approaches (AURA) programme.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Conclusion

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.  

Professor Lwoga 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.

Dr. Doreen Mloka 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.

"Many cooks may not spoil the broth but may enhance it": A multidisciplinary approach to education

Photo:  Vocalcoach, Pixabay

Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain License

Adopting and modifying the best practices of  teaching and learning may be the key to fostering innovation in teaching and learning.  The concept of borrowing innovative experiential and interactive teaching and learning methods from unrelated disciplines may be a novel strategy to ensure that graduates acquire the competencies they require.

This novel approach was this year's Global Knowledge Exchange Network (GKEN) 5th Conference theme. The conference created a platform for professionals from a multitude of unrelated disciplines to learn and share experiences of  best practices of teaching and  learning that foster development of  competencies in graduates.  Educators got the opportunity to learn from each other's discipline in such a way that it facilitated the establishment of collaborative multi-disciplinary networks and groups dedicated to enhance teaching across unrelated disciplines.

As educators, we view this approach as an inevitable extension of the global trend of fostering collaborative multidisciplinary research from seemly unrelated disciplines. As educators we have forgotten that good research comes from acquiring good research skills.  Adopting the GKEN model will not only increase  the  number of educational methods available to us, but also the opportunity to develop better educational methods through interdisciplinary collaboration. 

In our view that is the future of educational innovation, in ensuring we have the best teaching methods to impart the professional competencies required.

Professor Lwoga 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 MuhimbiliUniversity of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania, together with an additional four projects working with international partners in Sweden, South Africa and USA.

Dr. Doreen Mloka 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.