scholarly journals Engaging Academics in Training in Information Communication Technology (ICT): An African Experience with special focus on Uganda

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullahi Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Ict Training ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The University

Training academics in ICT utilisation has been widely regarded as a key to successful staff development practice in higher education and, hence, considerable efforts and resources have been invested into ICT training programmes. However, little is known about the extent to which higher education policymakers in Africa give attention to the issue of preparing academics for ICT usage. This paper reports the findings of a research study exploring the utilisation of ICT in Uganda, Africa. Qualitative research methods were employed and data were collected through interviews, observations and open-ended questionnaires. The findings indicate that the university has put resources into the development of ICT policies, including policies related to training academics. Subsequently, academic staff were trained in ICT utilisation. However, little attention appears to have been given to the issue of engaging academics in ICT training. The paper also highlights the importance of engaging academics in ICT training for successful ICT staff-development outcomes.

scholarly journals Academic staff perceptions of empowerment training programmes initiated by Durban University of Technology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bingwa Luyanda Loraine
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Routine Tasks ◽  
Correct Application ◽  
Education Academic ◽  
Training Programmes

Higher education in South Africa underwent a significant change during the last decade. Lecturers may not be necessarily equipped to face all the changes that are a result of changes faced by higher education. Academic staff needs to be trained so as to strengthen their teaching competencies. Training serves as an opportunity to upgrade their qualifications. Without training, it would be challenging for academics to perform their core activities. The problem that arises is that the type of routine tasks typical of the functions of academic staff does not require only training in the form of coaching but also learning in the form of gaining knowledge and competence within the academic disciplinary context. However, hands-on training seems to be the crucial component that will ensure the correct application of routine procedures. The purpose of this study was to identify the academic staff perception of empowerment programmes initiated by the Durban University of Technology (DUT), and the challenges involved in successfully empowering staff. This study also identified problems encountered during academic staff development process and further investigated if the academic staff were provided with reasonable opportunity to participate. In this study, a quantitative approach was used, and data was collected from academic staff, comprising of professors, head of departments, senior lecturers, lecturers and junior lecturers of the Durban University of Technology. A sample size of 132 was drawn from the population. Questionnaires were designed with both closed and open-ended questions, and were personally administered by the researcher to all academic staff members in all faculties of the Durban University of Technology. Analysis of data revealed that the University provide academic staff with sufficient and relevant training however staff felt that they should be included in the planning of these programmes. Furthermore there was a need for follow-up to evaluate effectiveness of the training programmes and if they served the purpose for which they were intended to. This study, therefore, recommended that respective faculties should involve their staff members in planning, and that a follow-up be conducted after completion of training.

scholarly journals Enabling learning through technology: some institutional imperatives

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey McCartan ◽  
Barbara Watson ◽  
Janet Lewins ◽  
Margaret Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Institutional Practice ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Technology Programme

The imminent completion of many Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP) projects means that a considerable number of courseware deliverables will soon be available to Higher-Education (HE) institutions. The Higher Education Funding Council's intention in funding the Programme (HEFCE Circulars, 8/92, 13/93) was to ensure their integration into academic curricula by providing institutions with an opportunity to review their 'teaching and learning culture' with regard to the embedding of learning technology within their institutional practice. Two recent workshops, conducted with a representative sample of newly appointed academic staff in connection with the evaluation of materials to be included in a staff development pack whose purpose is to encourage the use of IT in teaching and learning (TLTP Project 7), strongly suggested that the availability of courseware alone was insufficient to ensure its integration into educational practice. The establishment of enabling mechanisms at the institutional level, as well as within departments, was crucial to ensure the effective use of learning technology.DOI:10.1080/0968776950030115

scholarly journals Contextually responsive and knowledge-focused teaching: disrupting the notion of ‘best practices’

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SI) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceclia Jacobs ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Good Teaching ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Higher Education Teaching

The notion that universal ‘best practices’ underpin higher education teaching is problematic. Although there is general agreement in the literature that good teaching is not decontextualised but rather that it is responsive to the context in which it occurs, generic views of teaching and learning continue to inform practices at universities in South Africa. This conceptual paper considers why a decontextualised approach to higher education teaching prevails and interrogates factors influencing this view, such as: the knowledge bases informing this approach to teaching, the factors from within the higher education sector that shape this approach to teaching, as well as the practices and Discourses prevalent in the field of academic development. The paper argues that teaching needs to be both contextually responsive and knowledge- focused. Disrupting ‘best practices’ approaches require new ways of undertaking academic staff development, which are incumbent on the understandings that academic developers bring to the enterprise.

scholarly journals THE RELATIONSHIP between COURSE MANAGEMENT and EXAMINATION ATTRITION RATES among UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS at the UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harrison Daka ◽  
Sekelani S. Banda ◽  
Charles M. Namafe
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the relationship between course management and examination attrition rates among undergraduate medical students at the University of Zambia, School of Medicine between the years 2008 to 2016. An explanatory sequential research design was used for data collection. Data were captured using an evaluation survey instrument, students’ Focus Group Discussion schedule and an interview schedule for key informants. Quantitative data from the first set were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data from the second set were analysed using constant comparative method. The findings indicate that there was significant statistical difference in the course workloads in all programmes (p = 0.000, F = 4, 596, d f = 8.53). The course loads were heavy, had little time allocated to them. Course concepts were not taught in depth and led to students’ perceptions that the courses were difficult. As such, there is urgent need to revise or review course contents (i. e. curricular) of several programmes to be in accordance with the time allocated to them and that the Department of Medical Education and Development (DMED) should consider organizing specific pedagogical training programmes for existing and newly employed academic staff.

scholarly journals University Teachers’ Perception of Quality in Higher Education in Ethiopia: A Case Study of Dire Dawa University

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Melaku Masresha Woldeamanuel ◽  
Belay Sitotaw Goshu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Process Indicators ◽  
Perception Of Quality ◽  
Quality In Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Output Indicators

This article empirically assesses perception of quality in higher education in Ethiopia.  The data was collected from one higher educational institution where the staffs are graduates of 31 different universities in Ethiopia. The information used in this study was obtained through administration of questionnaires. The main participants are the academic staff of the University. The total number of staff that participated in the research was 365. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 365 teachers (302 male and 63 female) and seventeen classrooms were observed and twelve group discussions carried out with participants of Ethiopian educational roadmap. Data were analyzed by both descriptive statistics of percentages and inferential statistics of, t-test, correlation and one way ANOVA. Results indicated that teacher’ valued input indicators of quality of education more than process and output indicators. Output indicators received the lowest rating. Teachers’ practice also indicated that they apply process indicators in a reasonable manner. The results of relationship between practices of teaching learning processes revealed that, as teachers’ perception toward quality teaching learning process increases their practice of elements of constructivism also increases.

Professional community and student engagement in higher education: rethinking the contributions of professional staff

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaw Owusu-Agyeman ◽  
Enna Moroeroe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Culture ◽  
The University

PurposeScholarly studies on student engagement are mostly focused on the perceptions of students and academic staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) with a few studies concentrating on the perspectives of professional staff. To address this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine how professional staff who are members of a professional community perceive their contributions to enhancing student engagement in a university.Design/methodology/approachData for the current study were gathered using semi-structured face-to-face interviews among 41 professional staff who were purposively sampled from a public university in South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using thematic analysis that involved a process of identifying, analysing, organising, describing and reporting the themes that emerged from the data set.FindingsAn analysis of the narrative data revealed that when professional staff provide students with prompt feedback, support the development of their social and cultural capital and provide professional services in the area of teaching and learning, they foster student engagement in the university. However, the results showed that poor communication flow and delays in addressing students’ concerns could lead to student disengagement. The study further argues that through continuous interaction and shared norms and values among members of a professional community, a service culture can be developed to address possible professional knowledge and skills gaps that constrain quality service delivery.Originality/valueThe current paper contributes to the scholarly discourse on student engagement and professional community by showing that a service culture of engagement is developed among professional staff when they share ideas, collaborate and build competencies to enhance student engagement. Furthermore, the collaboration between professional staff and academics is important to addressing the academic issues that confront students in the university.

scholarly journals Internationalization at home: internationalizing the university experience of staff and students

Educação ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Robson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Strategic Partnerships ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Internationalization At Home ◽  
University Experience ◽  
The University ◽  
At Home

Internationalization has become a key strategic priority of many universities around the world. It is frequently regarded as a means to enhance the quality of higher education through strategic partnerships, collaborative research and teaching initiatives, for knowledge exchange and creation. Higher education internationalization often focuses primarily on the mobility of both staff and students as a means to improve their international outlook and intercultural capabilities. However, this paper argues that if universities are to become truly ‘international’, they should start ‘at home’. It considers how a review of current internationalization practices, involving educators, students, staff development and professional service units, and those in leadership positions, can help higher education institutions to move towards a more values-based and ethical approach to internationaliza ***Internacionalização em casa: internacionalização da experiência universitária de funcionários e estudantes***A internacionalização tornou-se prioridade estratégica para muitas universidades ao redor do mundo. É comumente considerada uma forma de ampliar a qualidade da Educação Superior, através de parcerias estratégicas, pesquisas colaborativas e iniciativas de ensino, bem como na troca e produção de conhecimento. Em geral, a Internacionalização da Educação Superior se concentra na mobilidade de pessoal e estudantes, de modo a melhorar suas perspectivas internacionais e capacidades interculturais. No entanto, este artigo argumenta que, se as universidades querem ser verdadeiramente “internacionais”, elas devem começar “em casa”. Para tanto, faz-se necessário realizar uma revisão das atuais práticas de Internacionalização, envolvendo educadores, estudantes, desenvolvimento de pessoal, unidades de serviço profissional, e aqueles em posições de liderança, ajudando as instituições de Educação Superior a se orientarem em direção a valores básicos e abordagem ética para Internacionalização.

scholarly journals Appointing and Removing Academic Staff in Public Institutions: The Level of Autonomy at Kyambogo University, Uganda

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Ayebare Justin ◽  
Kisige Abdu ◽  
Gitta Eric ◽  
Betihama Jackson ◽  
Kimoga Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Institutional Autonomy ◽  
State Control ◽  
University Autonomy ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Resource Manual ◽  
The University ◽  
Skilled Staff

Many governments, the university sector and the European Commission have recognized that increasing university autonomy represents a crucial step towards modernizing higher education in the 21st century. This study which was conducted at Kyambogo University highlights that in practice, public authorities still play a central role in the regulation of higher education systems more especially in the appointment and dismissal of academic staff. Despite the fact that the ministry has moved away from direct state control towards more “indirect” steering mechanisms, universities often continue to lack autonomy in many crucial areas, particularly in terms of filling staff positions. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the level of institutional autonomy in academic staff appointment and removal at Kyambogo University. The researchers analysed each dimen¬sion of university autonomy in terms of appointment and dismissal of academic staff. We found out that appointment and removal of the academic staff in Kyambogo University was not in line with what is provided for in the Human Resource Manual and national guiding Acts, Laws and Standing orders. We recommend that since universities have a unique duty to perform that requires specific skilled staff, they should be given autonomy in the appointment and removal of these staff.

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