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Timothy Ngwira
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#41 Posted: Thu Sep 25th, 2008 18:45 |
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| It is my observation that most professors are not trained teachers and as such the training of trainers would feature as one of the outstanding issues. This is more relevant where trainers have to develop and promote quality culture in the institutions of higher education. Traditionally professors and university administrators use the quality criteria under which they themselves were trained. In many cases these criteria need major overhauls. It is therefore important that there be training and change of the mindset so as to accommodate ideas that lead to the improvement of quality in higher education. In turn, it is expected that the revised academic programmes together with the assigned resources will best be adapted to the mission and vision presented by AU as stated at the beginning of the discussions.
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RoseQ
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#42 Posted: Thu Sep 25th, 2008 18:49 |
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A few comments on Teaching & Learning capacity elements (may also apply to collaborative research):
At a practical level: Leveraging technology may assist greatly. Platforms can place faculty in “classrooms” around the globe, allow diverse groups of students/ faculty to work together (to the benefit of all) and allow for sustained levels of discussion, collaboration and mentorship. Sustainability of the interaction is key. I would also like to suggest that collaborative forums or discussion spaces and communities offer richer interactions (as we are experiencing) than the more conservative models of computer mediated communication such as e-mail or websites where information is either limited to a small group of people or limits the levels of engagement.
While Africa does not want a specific model of HE imposed upon it, it must also seek to judiciously leverage those educational elements which are exportable. As another contributor has already mentioned we do not want to reinvent the wheel.
- Core curriculum knowledge “units” can be presented by a knowledgeable academic from almost anywhere in the world (assuming they comply with international disciplinary guidelines). Applying this knowledge to a specific local (African) context may well be better handled in conjunction with someone who is “locally” aware and knowledgeable.
- In many areas the lack of appropriate faculty to teach/ supervise/ guide research programs is a major issue. E.g. We have difficulties with supervising postgraduate students due to the lack of adequately qualified staff in the School/ Department.
Mutually beneficial programs would seem to have greater chances of survival: As mentioned, US students can benefit from working with students in Africa. Later in the discussion I hope we will identify how our US counterparts can benefit, within their own structures, by being involved in these initiatives.
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RoseQ
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#43 Posted: Thu Sep 25th, 2008 18:54 |
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| @Latib (Thu Sep 25th, 2008 20:45) I support your comments
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Deborah M. Rosen
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#44 Posted: Thu Sep 25th, 2008 20:37 |
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Limiting the discussion to American Land Grant Institutions defeats the opportunity to draw from institution of higher education that spring from different traditions. It is unlikely that USAID in searching for ways to innovatively address the challenge of educational reform to produce economic, social and political development would want to exclude community building and community serving institutions that emerged in the 20th and 21st centuries versus the 19th. The partnerships that produce dynamic integration of academia’s mission with the requirements for work in the economy come from an identification of local needs and meshing them through enhanced skills and training to local opportunities. Training administrators and faculty to engage the business community requires the commitment of policy leaders and even politicians as it means the traditional mission of education is modified.
Developing curricula in the traditional disciplines produces a workforce with inappropriate or inadequate skills. Integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics offer one way forward for both post-industrial and developing societies. The U.S. and Africa actually have much to learn from each other as we both face the challenge of increasing partial literacy and limited numeracy among the rising cohorts of students.
Additional ways forward include educational models (Early College High Schools or Middle Colleges) that blend secondary and collegiate curricula to provide rigor and relevance through real world applications. Both of these models are producing remarkable results in employment, but also retention, graduation, and onward education for students heretofore considered “disadvantaged, at risk, and otherwise unlikely to achieve higher education.” There is even an emerging trend in Career and Technical Education using integrated STEM disciplines to provide job readiness and employment skills for high school students that we find also contributes to higher education. If someone wishes to learn more about these initiatives contact me in a side bar and I will be happy to share resources.
Finally, the institution I serve is a large (65,000+ students) multi-campus (6 campuses and 2 centers) serving the suburbs and ex-urbs of metropolitan Washington, D.C. The diversity of the student body (150 countries are represented) and the commitment of the administration to globalization of the curriculum ensures an openness to new ideas and potential partners.
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jakin2
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#45 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 04:23 |
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My contribution to ‘the goals and vision we ought to be working towards’ is to stress the importance of relevance to the local society of higher education in Africa, and the need to make college instructors into teachers. Improving the quality of the curriculum through periodic review is a near zero-cost and an often neglected activity that local faculty should be encouraged (and trained?) to embark upon. For example, the focus for the training of doctors in Boston (say, cardiology, geriatrics) should most definitely not be the same as that in Accra (say, malaria, TB). The societal needs of Ghana at any point in time (in this example, tropical health) should define the intended outcomes of medical training and the curriculum should be developed accordingly. However, if in 10 years ‘the good life’ has descended upon the Ghanaian society, malaria and TB have been eradicated, many folks have begun living longer but the rat race has begun causing frequent cardiac arrests for others, then the emphasis of the curriculum in the Ghanaian medical schools should be adjusted accordingly. In effect, the curriculum should be developed backward from the intended outcomes. Bottom line is that curriculum development and improvement should not be dismissed as just a thing that is talked about only in colleges of education. Faculty in all disciplines, most especially in the applied sciences, should be trained in this also. This is an area in which partners can provide assistance.
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LeanaUys
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#46 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 05:37 |
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In response to the summary of teh moderator, I would like to address the issue of resources and collaboration.
In the first instance I do not believe African Universities can make sustainable progress unless the African governments ensure that they fund Higher Education at a level that will allow not only salaries to be paid, but maintenance on buildings to be done and equipment for both libraries and teaching to be bougth annually. Without such sustained funding, anything put into the University collapses after teh donor departs or the project is completed. This is a matter of priority, and unless a society understands teh role Universiteis play in developing society, the governments will not prioritize the Higehr Education sector.
But while we chrun out poorly prepared people, irrelevant to the needs and unable to make a difference, society will see no value in waht we do! I therefore believe that we have to strike a balance in the short term between the needs of teh masses for education, and the need for Universities to produce graduates who will actually illustrate to society the value of higher education. We have to concentrate more on quality than on quantity, before we will have the resources to address quantity. At the moment it seems to me that in many countries we are doing the opposite, and I am not convinced that this is a good choice.
As far as the US Universities are concerned, I believe that they should not engage with African Univerisites on a project basis - meaning they get funding for a project, implement it and then go. I believe a long term relationship, with one project following another, should be established. I also believe that the US Universities should be willing to invest in basic infra-structure, such as a computer laboratory, or a local laboratory on an ongoing basis in such a partner institution. This will enable the African parner to be an active research and teaching partner. At the moment I see too many "partnerships" where the relationships is an unequal one with the African University being the place where data/samples is collected, and the US University the place where it is analyzed and processed. This does not lead to indigenous expertise growing, and while better than no partnerships, is not ideal.
I would also like to see much more collaboration between African Universities. The recent AAU innitiative to stimulate such collaboration is an excellent initiative. African Unviersities share both a social and economic context, and even sharing the ways they run their Universities can assist others in similar situations to address their own problems more successfully.
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ayaye
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#47 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 06:29 |
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In order to improve relevance of higher educational institutions in africa, one priority area to focus on is to strengthen the capacity of African lecturers and trainers to properly deliver their courses. This could be one area for partnership between African and American institutions. An Initiative like the one we try to build, linking regional and national higher educational institutions in Africa and in the US or Europe and Asia could be far more efficient in capitalizing and sharing experiences and lessons than individual initiatives. There are many training programmes and courses developed outside Africa but run in Africa in partnership with individually selected African institutions to gain some legitimacy. We need to assess the relevance of these courses in order to see how Africa as a whole could benefit from them. Strengthening South-South collaboration in higher education is therefore of highest priority for institutions to support and build on each other’s strengths and mistakes. Development of African training centres of excellence, like the ones established by NEPAD, is another way of sharing resources and expertise throughout Africa. Recognized regional African organizations and networks have a role to play in putting together higher educational institutions in Africa and in helping them to build the capacity of their lecturers according to their needs. The starting point could be helping these institutions to put in place departments or units for staff capacity enhancement. These departments would be assisted in upgrading the teaching capacity of the staff on duties, and also in building the pedagogical capacity of the new coming lecturers. All these efforts would however not succeed without funding to support them, and this is another crucial issue that we need to discuss further.
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afeti
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#48 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 08:46 |
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| Although a strong research base is a defining characteristic of a good university, research in Africa must be linked to and translated into development, given the continent's urgent development challenges and priorities. Knowledge generation alone is not enough. Africa also needs talent that can adapt and apply existing knowledge (available from anywhere) to solve existing problems of poverty, disease, and poor economic infrastructure. That is why there is need to rethink the African Union's strategy for higher education which seems to marginalize the non-university or alternative sector of tertiary education that includes post-secondary polytechnics and technical colleges with a practice-oriented teaching and learning focus (much like the American Community Colleges). There is therefore need for the non-university sector of higher education in Africa to be revitalized in order to help bridge the critical gap between knowledge production and knowledge application. Knowledge is not an entirely scarce commodity in Africa; it is the know-how of applying available knowledge to solving everyday problems that is lacking. The suggestion here is for some attention to be given to non-university higher education and short-term or short-duration vocational higher education.
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Kwach
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#49 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 10:01 |
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In reply to this question "If you are a policy maker, what policy changes do you think are necessary to ensure that institutions of higher learning meet the objectives articulated by the AU and contribute to national and regional development?"
Reply
Africa needs to embrace internal quality assurance in thier institutions of higher learning for any positive change to occur in our insititutions, funding is limited yes but we can insititute internal quality assurance systems in line with the US practices. In order to contribute to national and regional development for example in Kenya all public universities acts should be harmonized to allow for external quality assurance. Research funding and government funding to public insititutions should only be awarded to institutions which have undergone external quality assurance.
To encourgae development universities researchers should publish their research findings in international academic journals
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delugz
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#50 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 12:25 |
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For African Universities to achieve relevance to societal needs through the courses they offer, a system of obtaining and utilising feedback from stakholders such as goverment, employers, alumni, the wider community should be put in place. This aids in evaluation and improvement of content over time.
Partnerships with organisations and government can also be fostered as a way of encouraging research based on real needs and whose findings or products can be applied directly for relevance.
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susie5qt
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#51 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 14:16 |
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| "relevance of higher education institutions both in Africa and the United States to our modern, globalized societies" for me this means making sure that our interactions with African universities and other entities facilitate parallel golds and objectives. For example, UNC Tomorrow http://www.nctomorrow.org/content.php/about_unct/about_unct.htm clealy lays out how the university expects to move forward with education to improve lives regionally. In order to do this there are certain obligations necessary for each student, university and faculty member. The African Initiative should be focused on making sure that all participants are globally ready to engage the world at levels that will enhance the quality of their lives. What are the TOMORROW GOALS of institutions and other entities with whom we will affiliate ? Should we not build into our planning and relationships both visions?
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rai
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#52 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 14:54 |
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My comments shall start with the response from moderator's summary e-mail to us, and then suggets on the pending questions:
On Social Needs based and Relevant Research:
I strongly support the need for HE institutions in Africa focusing their research activties on addressing on local needs. However, I strongly reject the idea that Africa must ONLY focus research on such called relevant issues say AIDS, malaria, agriculture, clean water etc. We must also emphasize on globally relevant research -- Africa has a potential to contribute to not only global knowledge but to advancing new technologies as well.
Researh vs. Teaching Capacity:
If the emphasis is put only on teaching, an important point may be missed!!. experience shows that teaching is effectively delivered when delivered by an expert in the area. Particularly at graduate level, teaching methods must be based on research!. This initiative must equally stress on research and teaching.
Massification/ Increase in number of students.
New opportunities have beem slowly emerging in Africa -- more capacity, new HE institutions, international cooprerates who operate in varius regions. These, primarily, are some of the factors that have led to an increase in students enrolement in many HE institutions. Obviously, unless majors efforts are taken the increase in students number can have a negative impact on quality. However, we also must charish this trend, and perhaps this initiative could focus on translating this challenge into opportunity. Because, we know of countries that dont have enough students, and invest millions in encourage youngsters to specialize in some disciplines.
Cost effective ways to Increase Capacity.
Capacity isnt enough in many HEI's in Africa, but not all. There are those universities, or individual faculties that have built or are building very strong capacity base. We have faculties that offer strong programs at all levels -- BSc, MSc, and PhD. My suggestion on this is to identify those units or universities -- could be regionally based, and use them to train HEIs capacity through this initiatives. Some resources available can then be used to support exchange staffs . Through this -- joint supervision (Africa-US) and thus joint project can be undertaken.
Coming to some of the questions of the moderator -- given the limited resources expected for the project, the US HEIs can best help in capacity building through joint research initiatives. Contributing to national and community development is crucial in Africa. In some fields, mainly those based on technological innovations, there is a lack of trust from the community and skepticisim against the HEIs; the belielf is that local HEIs dont yet have know hows to solve related issues. Private sector in particular is 100% reliant of exptertises from the west. Strong ties with US universities can help boost confidence of HEIs in Africa. This is likely to improve on the issues of staff salaries and thus their well being, through locally generated projects.
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Luis Borrallo
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#53 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 14:56 |
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We have to concentrate more on quality than on quantity, before we will have the resources to address quantity. At the moment it seems to me that in many countries we are doing the opposite, and I am not convinced that this is a good choice.
Although the above quotation from one of the respondents may not be very popular, I think there is a great deal of truth in it. The massification of Higher Education in Africa has had many bad effects, including lack of quality, growth in unemployment among graduates,etc.
Perhaps we need to identify a few African universities that work well and see what the other African universities can learn from them. It is easier to learn from an institution that shares a similar culture and problems, than from one in the USA that has little in common with what we do.
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Anne-Claire Hervy
Super Moderator
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#54 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 17:13 |
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MESSAGE DES MODERATEURS/ MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATORS
EN FRANCAIS CI-BAS
Dear Participants,
What an interesting discussion so far – thanks to everyone for their contributions. In today’s moderator’s post, we’d like to focus on two issues that have come up a number of times now in the last two day’s posts.
The first has to do with the question of funding in relation to the issue of relevance. A number of comments have been made suggesting that while investment in higher education is undoubtedly affected by a complicated set of factors within and outside of institutions themselves, the perceived (or actual) lack of relevance of African institutions plays a certain role. In other words, until African higher education institutions are recognized to be, as one participant put it, “providing services that are useful to the local economy” investment in these institutions will continue to remain low. One of the Initiative’s goals is to raise the level of investment (on the part of donors, national governments and the private sector) in higher education, particularly in Africa. The issue is: what should be done in the short AND long-term to increase the perceived value of HEIs in order to attract higher levels of investment? One participant has argued that African institutions need to “strike a balance in the short term between the needs of the masses for education, and the need for Universities to produce [high quality] graduates who will actually illustrate to society the value of higher education.” We return again to the issue of quality versus quantity. What are people’s reactions to this? What are other considerations in relation to this issue of relevance and funding levels?
Secondly, we’d like to hear more about what changes need to take place at U.S. institutions to increase the engagement of U.S. institutions in Africa. Again, we will talk in the coming weeks about best practices for how to work collaboratively and engage in capacity building partnerships. But what institutional changes need to be made at U.S. institutions to facilitate stronger, deeper engagement in sub-Saharan Africa?
(Our next post will turn some attention to the issue of information and communications technology.)
Best,
Anne-Claire Hervy and Olusola Oyewole, Moderators
____________________
EN FRANCAIS
Chers participants,
La discussion continue a être très intéressante - merci à tous pour leurs contributions. Dans ce poste de modérateur, nous aimerions mettre l'accent sur deux questions qui ont un certain nombre de reprises au cours des deux dernières journées de postes.
La première a à voir avec le lien entre la question du financement insuffisant des institutions d’éducation supérieure et de leurs pertinences au contexte social. Un certain nombre d'observations ont été faites suggérant que bien que l'investissement dans l'enseignement supérieur est sans aucun doute affecté par un ensemble complexe de facteurs au sein et en dehors des institutions elles-mêmes, la perception (ou la réalité) d’une manque de pertinence des institutions d'enseignement supérieur joue un certain rôle. Autrement dit, jusqu'à ce que les établissements d'enseignement supérieur soient perçus "fournir des services qui sont utiles à l'économie locale" l’investissement dans ces institutions continuera à rester faible. L'un des objectifs de l'initiative est d'élever le niveau de l'investissement (de la part des donateurs, les gouvernements nationaux et le secteur privé) dans l'enseignement supérieur, en particulier en Afrique. La question est: ce qui doit être fait à court et à long terme pour accroître grandir la valeur perçue des établissements d'enseignement supérieur afin d'attirer des niveaux plus élevés de l'investissement? Un participant a remarqué que les institutions africaines doivent "trouver un équilibre à court terme entre les besoins des masses pour l'éducation, et la nécessité pour les universités pour produire des diplômés [de haute qualité] qui vont illustrer à la société la valeur de l'enseignement supérieur. "Nous revenons à nouveau à la question de la qualité contre la quantité. Quelles sont les réactions à ce sujet? Quels sont les autres considérations en ce qui concerne cette question de la pertinence et les niveaux de financement?
Deuxièmement, nous aimerions en savoir davantage sur les changements qui doivent avoir lieu dans les institutions américaines pour renforcer l'engagement des institutions américaines en Afrique. Nous parlerons dans les semaines à venir sur les meilleures pratiques pour savoir comment s'engager dans des partenariats de renforcement des capacités institutionnelles. Mais quels sont les changements institutionnels qui doivent être faits dans les institutions des États-Unis afin de faciliter, renforcer et approfondir l'engagement en Afrique sub-saharienne?
(Notre prochain poste sera son tour une certaine attention à la question du rôle de l'informatique.)
Anne-Claire Hervy et Olusola Oyewole, Modérateurs
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maceo dailey
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#55 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 17:34 |
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Thanks, I missed yesterday's conversation, but am pleased to read of the discussion on many wide-ranging issues. I would like to add that I think we must find a way to utilize "under-utilized" programs (African American Studies, Women Studies, and etc.) in American universities to provide examples and models of how such programs can contribute to community and national development both here and in African universities. Many such programs have outreach activities to deal with educational and economic development in the communities and countries in which they are centered. Such programs (as I have noted above) can be deployed as exemplars and involved in bridging the chasm between American and African universities--creating the sharing of ideas and the symbiotic relationships we need. I also would like to see a discussion of the "entrepreneurial ethos" as a means of development in the universities and countries. I underscore "entrepreneurial ethos" to distinguish it from traditional ideas associated with capitalism. Next, I think we must have a fundamental discussion of "Women In Higher Education" in both American and African universities and countries. Best regards, Maceo Dailey
Last edited on Fri Sep 26th, 2008 17:37 by maceo dailey
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Goolam Mohamedbhai
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#56 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 18:02 |
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Yes, indeed! What an interesting discussion this is turning out to be. And may it continue that way. Let me briefly react to the issues raised by the Moderators in their last posting.
First, the issue of quality v/s quantity. Actually, for Africa it should be quality AND quantity. It is unacceptable that while many developing countries have a participation rate in higher education of the order of 20-30% (in the developed world this goes up to 60-80%), in Sub-Saharan Africa the average rate is 5%. This must be dramatically increased, otherwise, in the long run, it will have a serious impact on the development of Africa. Hence the need for quantity.
But there is little use in producing graduates (at an immense cost) if these end up unemployed or under-employed. Relevance of the training provided is therefore crucial. There is often a misconception that all higher education in Africa should be provided by universities. That is wrong. What Africa needs is a highly diversified higher education system where there are universities, polytechnics, professional institutes, colleges (for teacher training or paramedical staff, for example), etc. Even within an institution, there should be diversifred programmes. And it should be possible to create linkages between the different types of institutions, and between programmes within an instituion. Africa certainly needs universites of very high quality - but not all its instituions should have that aim.
Also, quality in higher education does not mean that institutions should be comparable to Harvards or Cambridges or Sorbonnes. Quality means that the institutions do well and thouroughly what their mission and objectives set out to do.
Funding - that is a difficult topic. I would suggest that the problem be considered from two angles. First, funding for improving the infrastructure of existing institutions in Africa - some of them are in desperate need of that. There are many ways of doing that - both through external donor or grant funding and local funding. There are a couple of good examples of infrastructure funding in higher education by African countries themselves.
With regard to funding of the running cost of the institution, there is little option but to turn to funding by the beneficiarries themselves - the students -through tuition fees. In public institutions, the fees should represent only a proportion of the total cost, the state having to subsidise the rest. But provision of scholarships for needy students, and an attractive loan scheme must accompany the introduction of fees. In private instituions - and they are coming up fast in Africa - almost all the cost will have to be borne by the students. What is important however, is that the provision of private higher education be of quality - a lot of it is not at present.
I would welcome reactions to my views. Thank you.
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aayeni
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#57 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 18:48 |
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Contribution to Question 1 of the HED Africa-US Higher Education Initiative
Contributor:
My name is Albert Ayeni, Associate Director for the Global Institute for BioExploration-Africa (GIBEX-Africa) at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Tel: 732-932-9711 x211; Email: ayeni@aesop.rutgers.edu
What does Africa-US Higher Education Initiative mean to us at Rutgers University and the University of Illinois?
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (RU) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) jointly established GIBEX-Africa in 2005 to address the very core of the issues raised in Question 1 of this E-consultation. GIBEX-Africa evolved from our philosophy coined “Reversing-the-Flow”, which refers to the need for a “reversal” in the flow of resources, R&D capacity, and intellectual property to Africa in the 21st century to achieve meaningful socio-economic development on the continent. We base this on our strong belief that reversing the brain drain to build capacity in Africa is central to advancing development in all ramifications on the continent. To us this seems to be the theme of the HED Africa-US Higher Education Initiative, and we are excited to be part of this E-Consultation.
What does it mean for higher education institutions to be connected and relevant?
Strong institutional connections and relevance of institutions to the needs of their community, their country and the world are the principles we live by in GIBEX-Africa. Since 2005, GIBEX-Africa has advanced its vision to the stage of forming a consortium of 12 Universities distributed across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and two in the United States (RU & UIUC), set up primarily to engage in intellectual exchanges that build capacity in SSA Universities in the areas of medicinal chemistry and bioexploration. We believe firmly that a strong collaboration among African Universities on the one hand, and between African and US institutions is a core requirement for stimulating purpose-driven education in Africa and also helping US institutions to understand the opportunities presented by the challenges of socio-economic development in Africa. RU and UIUC are leading Land Grant Colleges that have contributed immensely to community development in the US through highly focused and purpose-driven education, research and outreach. The culture of commitment to making education, research and service relevant to human needs has been the hallmark of these institutions for years. GIBEX-Africa is designed to promote this culture in collaborating African Universities.
What changes need to be made at institutions of higher education both in Africa and the U.S. in regard to the issue of relevance and the other priorities of the AU’s Second Decade?
African higher education institutions: In Africa fundamental changes are needed by policy makers to attach due value to higher education and allocate essential resources accordingly. Currently, most African higher education institutions are government owned and funded almost exclusively by government. In most of the countries, Government leadership has not accepted that “knowledge is power” and that the future strength and well being of the countries rest on massive investment in purpose-driven education, research and service that address the peculiar and unique challenges each country faces. The poorly funded Universities are struggling under difficult conditions to “just survive”. Under this condition, they are ill equipped to provide sound education, do competitive research or offer world class service to their communities.
The African higher education institutions that concentrate on investing in the generation of mission-oriented intellectual property are the ones that own the future. What are the characteristics of such higher education institutions? Those that readily come to mind are the following (there may [and should] be more):
1. They (the higher education institutions) are highly focused on purpose-driven education that responds to the needs of their community, the nation and/or the world.
2. They aggressively source for the best faculty to generate the intellectual property needed to produce employable and respected graduates
3. They aggressively source for and admit the best students in strategic disciplines
4. They engage in purpose-driven and results oriented world class research
5. They render top quality services to their community, the nation and the world
6. They relentlessly pursue and procure prestigious grants and contracts to fund major research, education and outreach programs
7. They establish a formidable alumni association primarily to support university projects and establish valuable networks that promote university programs worldwide
8. They set up university endowments to advance major university initiatives
9. They are managed by a highly dedicated, disciplined and competent administration under the leadership of a respected and accomplished academia and administrator (Vice-Chancellor) who is fully accountable to the University Board of Trustees, Governors, Council or any other similar overall University authority; and stakeholders.
10. They run transparent operations and are open to the scrutiny of the stakeholders and the general public at all times
11. They are flexible and constantly seeking and employing the best strategies to implement university programs
12. They use all available means to promote university programs locally, nationally and globally, and
13. They promote and nurture good relations with the government and the private sector (including the non-government/not-for-profit organizations, foundations, funding agencies, etc.) but are not subject to the whims and caprices of the political class or the private sector.
Success in the 21st century depends on collaborations and networking that explore the entire globe for resources that advance institutional competitiveness. For the African higher education institutions to be able to play the role expected of them, it is imperative that they show the world that they fully understand their own environment and have the intellectual capacity to project their country and the continent as a force to reckon with in all the disciplines where Africa should have comparative advantage technologically and in the sociological realms.
US higher education institutions: Many US higher education institutions need first hand knowledge of the opportunities that the challenges of socio-economic development present in Africa. News media reports or third party stories have never presented (and may never present) the true situation on ground from all perspectives. US institutions need to engage in collaborations with African institutions that offer opportunities to visit and see first hand the challenges on ground and discuss possible strategies for addressing the issues. The recent NASULGC led initiative on US student study abroad as it relates to African institutions (The Lincoln Commission on Study Abroad Fellowship Program) is a good step in this direction. However, students and faculty from African institutions also need similar short term visits to US institutions to advance purposeful missions. Such cross fertilization is far more mutually beneficial than a one-sided approach. NASULGC may seek cooperation with the government body responsible for higher education in each of the African countries targeted for the study abroad initiative to identify key areas where collaborative programs between US and African students should advance a common goal for US and Africa.
GIBEX-Africa counterparts from RU and UIUC have made several trips to Africa to have personal interaction with faculty and students in member institutions. Such visits have opened our minds to some of the real challenges that need to be confronted in Africa to make progress and impact development the way we have envisioned. We now know more about what to look for in faculty and student exchange programs that have the potential for high impact, and also know more about what collaborative research activities we should engage in to advance our capacity building objectives.
What changes do we need at RU and UIUC?
The current economic challenges we face at our institutions as Land Grant Colleges has compelled the administration to cut back on several programs, and also slow down on (or cancel) new initiatives. Among the areas that are most hit by such realities are the International Programs that need substantial upfront funding to survive and thrive. Since 2005, GIBEX-Africa has survived on grant money from donor agencies in the US and Africa. In the present dispensation, such outside sources must be relied on more than internal funds to meet the expensive demands of US-Africa collaborations. At RU and UIUC, an institutional framework that facilitates the sourcing for funding for viable international collaborations from external sources will certainly help.
What development role should institutions of higher education play?
As stated in earlier comments, RU and UIUC, like several other reputable higher education institutions across the US have been central to community, national and global development since the 1700s. They still continue to excel in this role today. Their priorities have been on:training students and preparing them for the job market and also teaching them to be good citizens, capable of taking on the challenge of leadership in various spheres of life.
conducting purpose-driven research to solve community, national and/or global problems, and
providing knowledge-based world class services (contracts, consultancies, advisory, cooperative extension, etc) to their communities, the nation and the world.
The above are the roles expected from institutions of higher education at all times since they are the backbone of sustainable development for any nation throughout the world; and Africa cannot be an exception to this rule. Higher education institutions in Africa have responsibility to shape development on the continent by becoming vigorously involved in focused and purposeful education, research and service driven by the peculiar and unique opportunities the continent offers. Collaboration with US institutions should facilitate and also accelerate this process, especially in an atmosphere of democratization and free market economy spreading rapidly across the continent.
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TonyVodacek
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| Country: | Rochester, New York USA |
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#58 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 19:39 |
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This post is primarily in response to the quality versus quantity issue raised by the Moderators on Sept 26. I second the notion put forth in some of the other posts that research is necessary to drive the quality. Research being done by US institutions in Africa does have the potential to impact the quality of African HEIs provided that research is done in collaboration with African scientists. Those African scientists may be scientists in training, either at US or African institutions, or it can be with established faculty at African institutions. Having African students work on research projects in Africa with African collaborators has the potential to slow a brain drain. In terms of quality, the brain drain can have a large impact. Part of the need to prevent/slow this is to have existing faculty participating in research. They cannot only teach the masses and expect to have a lasting impact. Support for existing faculty to do research not only develops a culture of scientific excellence but it also provides the substance for a framework of science research for new PhDs to fit into and contribute their newly acquired expertise. Adding new PhDs and reinvigorating existing faculty will add excitement to both teaching and research and bring a better quality of education to the masses.
I am not sure what to say about how US institutions can become engaged, since the science is more driven by the ability to convince external funding agencies, not to convince the home institution.
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gperrier
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#59 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 20:04 |
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I would like to address how US HE institutions can be more helpful. Unfortunately, US HE institutions have approached the creation of, as well as assistant to African HE institutions with the mindset of creating a model of higher education that they are comfortable with (which invariable is a local application of the American HE institution model). In fact, the model has been of a large American research university ignoring the other models of US higher education (small teaching colleges and community colleges). The American institutions that are assisting Africans HE institutions need to realize that they do not have all the answers; they might not even know all the questions. This changes the dynamic of the relationship between the US and African professionals from one of model transfer (which has proven ineffective) to one of a collaborative search for a new model that fits the local context. We have to remember that Africa is very diverse and there will not necessarily be an “African” model that works in all contexts within the continent. Because the problems with African HE institutions are more structural and administrative, research and teaching faculty might not be the best people to send over to help in this endeavor. It might be more appropriate to send HE administrators, chairs of boards of trustees, chairs of industry advisory committees, people from agricultural cooperatives and industry that are funding workforce development or research programs at US HE institution. The above comments point to a radical rethinking of the role of US HE institutions in providing assistance to similar institutions in Africa.
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David Sammons
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#60 Posted: Fri Sep 26th, 2008 20:55 |
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I have been following the online discussion with much interest and find that I am in general agreement with the observations of many of the participants (i.e., student quality vs. quantity issues; teacher preparation questions; teaching and research relevance; infrastructure issues; budgets; relational issues with Africa and African institutions, etc.).
The question of relevance is an especially critical question and one that confronts us in the United States as much as it does African institutions. The Land Grant Association (NASULGC), which collectively represents the views of the public Land Grant universities in the US, has studied this issue in some depth in recent years and has concluded that Land Grant universities have an obligation to provide “society ready graduates” at the end of the Bachelor’s degree program. More and more we are really talking here about outcome-based curriculum development – that is, we are considering educational quality from the perspective of what a graduate will be doing after graduation and asking ourselves what knowledge and skills are needed to make sure that these individuals are ready for the world into which they will graduate.
This perspective really summarizes the view of many in the university community that we have a responsibility to assure relevance in the educational programs that we deliver and that the best way to do this is to engage our stakeholders in a dialog to determine what we are doing well and what we need to do better to prepare our students for the working world. One of the interesting messages that we hear from these stakeholders in this dialog is that our students are very good technically (and here I am speaking specifically about the agricultural and allied sciences) but that they are not so good at working in cross-cultural contexts, in working as part of teams of people different from themselves, in understanding the global dimensions of what they will be doing professionally, in acquiring foreign language skills, etc. – in other words, they need more international exposure. I think that we can counter these perceptions by building study abroad opportunities for our students, and why not do that in the context of institutional linkages with African universities? Not only would this contribute to relevance in our educational mission (and perhaps help us to think about how we might work with African colleagues to contribute to their issues of educational relevance) but also it would strengthen the international dimensions of our institutions in the context of forming linkages with African institutions - a “win-win” all around. Finally, such efforts will necessarily work towards raising the “international consciousness” of our faculty, thus further internationalizing our campuses. Many major higher education institutions in the US are already moving in this direction not only in the educational (teaching) domain but also with respect to the research and outreach dimensions – or what some are now calling “comprehensive internationalization.”
Let me also offer some comments on the development role of institutions of higher education: in summary, it is my view that what we do best – education (both formal classroom and non-formal outreach) and discovery (research) – ought to be accomplished in the context of making the world a better place – i.e., we should and must contribute to development. This is an important role for US institutions as well as for African institutions. Certainly making the world a better place is a particular obligation of publically funded institutions such as mine. I would argue that the development role is an inherent part of our mission. This must be understood in the context that our development role concerns both at home development as well as development efforts that take us to other parts of the world in this globally integrated world in which we live. However, as we expand to the international arena with our development activities, it is essential that our stakeholders understand that we do this not only because we believe there is an international dimension to our mission but also because the experience of engaging internationally makes us better and brings something back home.
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