5^th – 9^th August, 2019

Chrismar Hotel, Livingstone (where the Victoria Falls is located), Zambia

Title of the Workshop

Quality Assurance & The Higher Education Learner-Centred Teaching Skills & QA in Research workshop for the 21^st Century Higher & Tertiary Education Personnel (Universities, Polytechnics & All Colleges)

Workshop Theme: Revitalizing and Quality Assuring the 21^st Century Higher Education Quality, Learner-Centred Teaching Skills and Research

Aim of the workshop

Intensive training to equip HE personnel with the foundations for efficient and effective operations in QA, Higher Education Learner-Centred Teaching Skills. Sharing knowledge and skills related to quality assurance, research and skills which are relevant for teaching and learning in higher education.  The target of this workshop is personnel and people who have an interest in updating/upgrading themselves to contemporary issues in African QA, Research re-tooling and new modes of teaching and knowledge dissemination in higher education. Key aspects to be covered include internal and external QA: Strategies for developing, promoting and sustaining the quality culture, QA policies, manuals and management systems, research quality, curriculum design and review, teaching and learning, effective student assessment, dealing with resistance to QA, preparing for institutional and programme accreditation. The designing and use of communication, documentation and data collection tools in QA for monitoring and evaluation of students and staff. In addition, the workshop aims to sensitize and bring awareness on what quality in HE is now all about, as well as the current continental and regional activities related to QA and assist to develop QA knowledge and skills of Higher and Tertiary Education personnel since most of them do not have the professional qualifications.

Objectives of the workshop

COURSE OBJECTIVES ON THE TEACHING AND LEARNING ASPECT

• Share knowledge on the important endowments and characteristics of a good lecturer
• Equip participants with the background knowledge that informs the teaching and learning practices
• Impart knowledge and skills of the diverse ways of teaching and learning using various Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
• Make known to participants the recommended new modes of teaching and the various associated activities
• Impart knowledge and skill on the management of tertiary education classes/classrooms
• To expose to participants the importance of students’ physical and socio-economic environments in teaching and learning and many more.

COURSE OBJECTIVES ON THE QUALITY ASSURANCE ASPECT

• The development of knowledge and skills for higher education quality assurance personnel because they are recruited with little or no due consideration of QA qualifications.
• The development of QA knowledge and skills for higher education personnel (lecturers, registrars, deans, chairpersons) because they are the custodians of quality in departments, faculties, student enrolments, staff recruitments, record keeping and examination process.
• Share with participants information on Communication, Documentation and Data Collection in quality assurance for record keeping as well as monitoring and evaluation of both students and staff.
• Share knowledge and information on the important endowments and characteristics of a robust higher education QA system including the formulation of a robust QA management system which is designed in such a way that it can effectively integrate QA into the university system.
• Discuss ways of dealing with resistance to quality assurance practices and activities in institutions as well as slow acceptance rate of QA in general by the HE community
• Coin strategies for developing and promoting a quality culture in institutions through education and training of management, staff and students to assure adherence to quality assurance practices by the institutional community.
• Train and sustain a pool of QA Officers in the region for the multiplier effect of quality assurance in African Higher Education Institutions, especially on the designing and formulation of instruments/tools and mechanisms to set up, check, control and maintain quality in a HEI.
• Equip participants with background knowledge that informs good QA practices in HE.
• Sensitization and bringing awareness of what quality in higher education is all about and the current continental and regional activities related to quality assurance.
• Encourage the harmonization of African Higher Education through the African Standards, Guidelines and Benchmarks as well as the African Quality Rating Mechanism (AQRM) tool for institutional evaluations for QA in HEIs.
• Foster cooperation with other Quality Assurance Officers of higher education within the continent.

COURSE OBJECTIVES ON THE RESEARCH ASPECT

• Help to equip and improve proposal, generic research and grant writing skills/techniques
• Impart knowledge on general and specific expectations of reviewers (in case of publications) and the ability to review research papers/articles for publication
• Upgrade knowledge and skills needed to assist & supervise students’ research projects well,
• Upgrade knowledge and skills needed to properly mark students’ research projects/dissertations and theses.
• Timely and effective response to breaches of integrity using e-tools and technologies for addressing academic misconduct
• Inculcate the ability to produce patents (in case of tangible products of research) & copyrights (in terms of written research work or software).
• Equip academic staff with grant winning proposal writing skills and how to transfer the skills acquired to their peers (in case of students and lecturers) and students (in case of lecturers).
• Communicate research results and recommendations to relevant stakeholders
• Sound evaluation of the climate of research integrity in academic institutions and the development and review of effective policies and procedures to curb the challenges
• Establishment of communities of practice to promote academic integrity
• Share knowledge and skills of the diverse ways of research using various Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
• Equip participants with the background knowledge and skills that inform better quality research practices and share knowledge on the important endowments and characteristics of a good research
• Selection of relevant and contemporary research topics, formulation of sound statements of problems, aims, objectives and research questions, carrying out relevant and appropriate literature review,
• matching of research approaches and paradigms to appropriate data collection tools and analysis.
• Involvement of students as active participants in institutional ordinary and grant research studies

Target Audience of the workshop

• All lecturers from Universities, Polytechnics and All types of Colleges
• Deputy Vice Chancellors
• Quality Assurance personnel in Higher Education Institutions, Colleges and Polytechnics
• Departmental Chairpersons
• Registrars
• Deans
• Directors of Academic and Academic support services
• Examinations officers
• Curriculum Designers
• Students in Higher & Tertiary Education
• Any person who requires capacity building in QA knowledge and skills

Workshop Dates

5^th  – 9^th AUGUST, 2019

Workshop Venue

Chrismar Hotel, Livingstone (where the Victoria Falls is located),  Zambia

REGISTRATION LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZAM59AUG19

REGISTRATION FEES FOR INDIVIDUALS

i) Zambian Nationals: US$350. 00 or Zambian Kwacha Equivalent (If you get a cheque from your institution, cash it and bring cash).

ii) Other Nationals: AAU Member Universities US$400. 00

iii) Other Nationals: Non-AAU member Universities US$450. 00

PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR MORE DETAILS AND LOGISTICAL ISSUES:

1. i) GHANA: Dr Violet Makuku, AAU: vmakuku@gmail.com or vmakuku@aau.org

WhatsApp Mobile No: +233 263 129 798

1. ii) ZAMBIA: Mr Davies Chengo, Supershine University: registrar@supershineuniversity.net

WhatsApp Mobile No: +260 979 718 215

1. iv) Kindly communicate with Dr Violet Makuku for discounted Institutional Group Special

Please download Concept Note for further information