Impact on Quality of Higher Education By Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, PhD - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Open, Blended and Flexible Learning- Impact on Quality of Higher Education

By Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, PhD Vice Chancellor, Kampala International University www.kiu.ac.ug

Paper presented at the 2016 Malaysian Qualifications Agency & IQA International Seminar on Quality Assurance of Higher Education and Round Table meeting, Kuala Lumpur, 17-18 October 2016

Appreciation

 MQA  IQA Secretariat  Kampala International University  The Organizing team and the

Government of Malaysia for the hospitality and hosting

Geographical Scope

• Founded fifteen years ago in August 2001
• KIU is a chartered university, a member of the

Inter-University Council

• f

East Africa, Association of African Universities and Common Wealth Universities

• Main Campus is located in Kansanga, a rapidly

growing suburb of Kampala City

• Western campus (School of Health Sciences) is

located in Western Uganda, Bushenyi district in Ishaka town

• Kenyan Campus located in Nairobi Kenya, and

Dar es Salaam Campus located in Gongolamboto Tanzania

• Runs two study centres located in Tororo and

Lira in Uganda

The main administration Block

Key Highlights

• The Leading Private University in

Uganda and The Private University

• f Choice
• A conducive learning environment

with adequate facilities

• Exchange

programs enable students complete their studies in foreign and industrialized countries

• Offers

a flexible admission schedule with three intakes per year; January, April and August

Free Wi-Fi Access to Students on Campus

Key Highlights

• Conducts two graduations a year

to avoid prolonged waiting after final exams

• Adoption
• f

E-Learning as a strategy to reach more students and deliver to a wider geographic scope

• KIU connects University education

to society needs though

• ur

Community outreach programs

• We apply the use of I.T in all

academic and administrative functions of the University

We build Medical careers at our Leading Private Hospital

Academic Structures

• Three Colleges which include the

following:

– College of Economics and Management – College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Education – Open and Distance Learning

• Three Schools:

– School of Law: – School of Engineering and Applied Sciences – School of Computing and Information Technology

• Other academic units include the

following:

– Directorate of Higher Degrees and Research, – Institute of Social Research and – Centre for Research, Innovation and Extension

The IBML library is the largest in Uganda with a 5000 sitting capacity

Quality in Higher Education- The Driving forces

 An increase in Private Higher Education provision in the

last 3 decades

 Elite to Mass Education- Increase in Gross enrollment

(varies with region)

 Resource base Versus resource needs- (global financial

constraints)

 Stakeholder expectations (individual, Institution, Employer,

Nation, Society, Global)

 Technology adoption in higher education

The Perspectives

 Access and equity 

Relevance and quality of graduates, outcomes, and value to society- globalized environment



Efficiency and Effectiveness



Sustainable financing of Higher Education



National and International (including Higher Education cross border accreditation and regulation) (Mpezamihigo, M. (2011).

 Change and innovation management  Cross institutional Collaboration  Focus on measuring learning (student centred)  Open education resources (public domain

access)

 Blended learning (face to face and online

mixture)

 Redesigning the learning space

T echnology Adoption in Higher Education

Open, blended and Flexible Learning- defined

Illustration by Ann Griffins, University College London, Medical School, 2013

What is blended learning?

• An integrated approach to teaching and learning

that includes multiple modes of instruction and student practice

• "to combine or mix modes (e.g., live virtual

classroom, self-paced instruction, collaborative learning, streaming video, audio, videotape, CD- ROM, Web-based training, film) with face-to-face instructor-led training.and text)…”

• "to combine various pedagogical approaches

(e.g., constructivism, behaviorism, cognitivism) (Driscoll, 2002 and as adopted from A. Griffin, 2013)

Aims of Blended and flexible learning

 To provide the most efficient and effective

instruction experience by combining delivery mode.

 To combine the best of classroom teaching

and learning with the best of online teaching and learning (A. Griffins, 2013)

 Blended Learning is a combination of multiple

learning components and learning events to enable effective learning.

Considerations for blended learning

 What curricula is to be delivered?  How will students learn? (system?)  What basic skills and competencies do

the learners need? (IT, reading, writing and research competencies?)

 How will the blended learning take

care of the practical aspects) (Labs, field experiences?)

Practical Considerations

 IT infrastructure, facilities and technical support  Training of students and staff  Student Assessments  Regulation and Accreditation  Plagiarism and Copy right issues  Available MOOCs and other Open Access

materials

 Implications for interaction with other levels of

lower education training (Primary, Secondary or

• ther tertiary

 Role of government and official bodies  Potential for development cooperation  IT gadgets, devices in the hands of learners  Institutional and Government Policies

The Teaching and learning in HE

Adaptive systems: field trips, lab sessions, simulations, models Expositions: lectures, study guides, slides, podcasts, videos Formative assessment: feedback from peers, digital systems Readings: books, papers, websites, pdfs Collaborations: projects, workshops, role play simulations, wikis Peer group discussion: seminars, discussion forums Formative assessment: tutor feedback offline, feedback online Tutored discussion: tutorials, small groups, discussion forums Summative assessment: exams, essays, designs, performance Is open and blended learning fit for the purpose?

Stakeholder Expectations

Stakeholders Student, guardian/parent, government, employer, public/society Student Perspective Value for money, quality and relevant education conveniently received within the expected time period

Challenges of open, distance learning in the Ugandan Context

 Infrastructure for Higher Education  The Cost of Higher Education  The Relevance of the Curriculum  Inadequate Expertise in Distance

Education

 Poor Attitudes towards Distance Learning  (Ref: G.N. Basaza, N.B. Milman and C.R.

Wright, 2010: “The Challenges of Implementing Distance Education in Uganda: A Case Study)”

Issues of Quality Assurance in Open, blended and flexible learning

Tools for:

a) Institutional policy development and

implementation

b) Content development c) Content delivery d) Assessment and evaluation e) Research, innovation and product and

business development projects

f)

Multi-site, Multi-campus/university or Multi-delivery- collaborative or joint qualifications

Way Forward

 How can the IQA collaborate with the

National Agencies and other partners to benefit from systems performance and improvements in the open, blended and flexible learning?

 Sharing of best practices and online

databases

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION