PREPARE

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Mar 23, 2016 - Charles Galabuzi Fred Kabi, William Ekere, Wilson Serwanga, Richard Batte, Gerald Eilu and John J. Okiror ...... 32 Peggy Nakalema.
Enhancing the Quality of Graduates of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences to meet tomorrow’s food security Challenge (PREPARE-BSc) in East Africa Proceedings for the Second PREPARE-BSc. Training of Trainers workshop at MAK By Charles Galabuzi Fred Kabi, William Ekere, Wilson Serwanga, Richard Batte, Gerald Eilu and John J. Okiror

Date: 18th -23rd of March 2016 Grand Global Hotel, Kampala © ACP-EU EDULIK II Program 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are grateful to the European Union through the ACP-EU Co-operation Program in Higher Education (EDULINK II) for funding this workshop. We acknowledge the contributions of partners on the PREPARE-BSc. Project including the Department of Science Education (DSE) at the University of Copenhagen (UC), University of Nairobi (UON) and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) for their contributions during the project inception and development of the training materials. We thank the MAK PREPARE-BSc project implementation team for facilitating the workshop and the participants in the training of trainer’s course for the time and ideas shared during the workshop. Finally we thank the support from the university management including the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs (DVC-AA) and the Principal at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) for honouring our invitations.

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................. iii ARONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... v 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE WORKSHOP ....................................................1 2. DAY ONE ACTIVITIES: MONDAY 21ST MARCH 2016 .................................................................2 2.1 Arrival of participants and registration ...................................................................................2 2.1 Welcoming and opening remarks ...........................................................................................2 2.1.1 Introductions, expectations and experiences of participants ........................................3 2.1.2 Remarks from the Dean School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS) Prof. Jonny Muigsha 5 2.1.3 Overview of the PREPARE-BSc. Project and Objectives of the workshop .....................7 2.1.4 Summary of the PREPARE-BSc. research findings ..........................................................8 2.1.5.1 Plenary discussion of the PREPARE-BSc. research findings .......................................9 2.2 Appropriate learner centered teaching methods ................................................................. 10 3. DAY TWO ACTIVITIES TUESDAY 22ND MARCH 2016 ............................................................. 11 3.1 Extension exercise of Problem Based Learning .................................................................... 11 3.2 Engaging and activating students to learn workshop ......................................................... 12 3.3 Assessing Learning in Higher Education Institutions workshop ........................................ 14 4. DAY THREE ACTIVITIES WEDSDAY 23RD MARCH 2016 ......................................................... 17 4.1 Constructive Alignment of Curriculum Review and Student Mentorship ............................ 17 4.1.1 Constructive Alignment of Curriculum Review ............................................................... 17 4.1.3 The closing remarks and awarding of certificates to participants ................................. 20 4.1.3.1 Remarks from the participants ....................................................................................... 20 4.1.3.2 Remarks from the Guest of Honor Dean School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS) ........ 21 4.1.3.3 The certificate awarding ceremony................................................................................ 22 5. APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................. 23 5.1 Program for the 2nd PREPARE-BSC TOT workshop at MAK................................................ 23 5.2 Advert for the Second TOT workshop at MAK .................................................................... 24 5.3 List of selected participants .................................................................................................... 25 5.3 List of selected participants .................................................................................................... 25 5.4 Sample of Certificate awarded during the second TOT workshop .................................... 26

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Participants in a group photo during the 2nd PREPARE-BSc. training of Lecturers in didactics and student mentorship workshop at Grand Global Hotel Makerere, Kampala. 1 Figure 2: Registration and participant identification tags during the 2ND PREPARE-BSc. TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala _____________________________________ 2 Figure 3: Prof. Fred Kabi addressing participants during a welcoming speech at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala.___________________________________________________________ 3 Figure 4: Participant sharing their first experience in class, expectations and pedagogical background during the second PREPARE-BSc. TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala. ________________________________________________________________ 5 Figure 5: Prof. Frank Matsiko addressing the participants at the second PREPARE-BSc TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala _____________________________________ 6 Figure 6: Summary of the project secondary schools, university and employers’ attitude and perceptions survey results, disseminated during the second TOT workshop at GGH, Kampala ________________________________________________________________ 9 Figure 7: Employing the meta-plan to identify real life problems and explore possibilities for employing PBL during the second Makerere University TOT at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala. _______________________________________________________________ 10 Figure 8: Group work activities during the second Training of Trainers PBL session at GGH, Kampala. _______________________________________________________________ 11 Figure 9: Dr. L. Orikiriza and Dr. E. Balirwa presenting their group work during the 2ND TOT workshop at GGH Kampala. ________________________________________________ 12 Figure 10: Exploring the current methods used by participants to assess students learning at the during the second PREPARE-BSC TOT Workshop at Grand Global Hotel. _________ 15 Figure 11: Comparing formative and summative forms of assessment: Adopted from Fisher and Frey, Checking for understanding ___________________________________________ 16 Figure 12: The feedback ladder: Adopted from David Parkins 2003 ____________________ 16 Figure 13: Dr. John James Okiror explaining the curriculum review session at during the second TOT workshop at GGH, Kampala _____________________________________ 17 Figure 14: Prof. Gerald Eilu facilitating the mentirship session during the second TOT workshop at Makerere University, Kampala. __________________________________ 19

iv ARONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACP CAES CONAS DSE DVC-AA EU GDP GGH Gulu Univ. HEIs ICT KIU KU ILOs MAK PBL PCT PIT PMU PSC SAS SUA TOT UC UCUN UON

African Caribbean and Pacific College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences College of Natural Sciences Department of Science Education Deputy Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs European Union Gross Domesti Product Grand Global Hotel Gulu University Higher Education Institutions Information and Communication Technology Kamapala International University Kyambogo University Intended Learning Outcomes Makerere University Kampala Problem Based Learning Project Component Teams Project Implementation Team Project Management Unit Project Steering Committee School of Agricultural Sciences Sokoine University of Agriculture Training of Trainers University of Copenhagen Uganda Christian Universty, Nakozi University of Nairobi

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The second Training of Trainers (TOT) course in pedagogy and student mentorship was conducted at Grand Global Hotel from the 18th to 23rd of March 2016. The first three days (18th-20th of March 2016) were dedicated to development and refinement of training materials on student mentorship while the last three days (21 st-23rd of March 2016 were actually used to train the participants. The training attracted up to 47 participants including 40 scientists, two administrators, four PhD students and one teaching technician. The participants were from three public and two private universities. The public universities included Kyambogo University, Gulu University and Makerere University while the private universities included Uganda Christian University, Nkozi and Islamic University of Uganda (IUU). The objectives of the workshop were to; i) train a group of trainers who will introduce the new teaching and learning methods in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to match the graduated to the job market skill needs, ii) create awareness of the project activities and iii) disseminate the results of the project’s schools, university and employers’ surveys. This report focuses on the proceedings of TOT activities conducted from the 21st to 23rd of March 2016. The first day of training involved several sessions including; i) opening and welcoming remarks, ii) introductions, experiences and expectations of participants, iii) official opening ceremony, iv) presentations on the project overview and objectives of the workshop, v) communication of research findings and a plenary discussion of results and vi) session on appropriate learner centered teaching methods concluding the activities of the first day. The session on learner centered approaches was led by Dr. William Ekere and Prof. Gerald Eilu. The learning objective was to equip university teachers with appropriate learner centred teaching methods. The learning outcome on the other hand was to ensure that by the end of the session the participants were familiar with problem-based learning (PBL) methods. The activities involved, i) Eliciting the participants knowledge about PBL, ii) Engaging the participants through playing a video, iii) Exploration through group exercises, iv) Explaining the notion of PBL and v) Extension through further exercises and vi) Evaluation through group discussions and presentations. The second day of training opened with an extension and evaluation activities from the Problem Based learning session, where participants were tasked to identify a problem from their courses and demonstrate how they would use the PBL approach to transfer the ideas to the students. The other activities during the second day of training included a session on i) engaging and activating students to learn. During this session Prof. Fred Kabi highlighted the learning outcomes to include, that participants should be able to engage and activate students during a learning process. The other activities included a session on assessing learning in higher education institutions. This session was led by Mr. Charles Galabuzi. He begun by mentioning that this session was about a reflection on the various assessment activities in the participants practiced in the various HEIs. He mentioned that the learning outcome of this session was that, by the end of the exercises, the participants should be familiar with the effective methods/practices of assessing learning in higher education institutions. This session concluded this training day. The final day of training involved various activities including 1) Constructive Alignment of Curriculum Review. The session was led by Dr. John James Okoror. He begun by introducing the teaching objectives to include; i)understanding and improving the curricular review process, ii) assisting colleagues to achieve curricular change responsive to their needs, iii) adapting alignment of curriculum to teaching methods and identifying assessment process. As a learning outcome, he mentioned that by the end of the workshop, the participants should be able to: i)explain the curriculum review process, ii)determine the human and physical resources required to effectively implement the curriculum, and iii) align and integrate results of stakeholders’ needs with cultures, values and vision of university during curriculum review. 2) Mentoring Learners in Higher Education Institutions. The session was led by Prof. Gerald Eilu. He introduced the session by mentioning the aims and learning outcomes. About the aims, he mentioned that the session was designed to equip university teachers with appropriate mentoring skills, while on learning outcomes; he said that the participants should be able to apply mentoring skills during mentoring their students or progress as mentees. The closing session involved closing speeches from the participants and guest of honor. The speeches were followed by a certificate award ceremony, after which the participants departed to their respective homes.

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1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE WORKSHOP Success of agriculture to meet Africa’s challenges depends on the quality of human resource available within the sector. The quality of knowledge possessed by the graduates to meet the job market skill needs is perhaps a reflection of the nature and quality of instructors at the institutions of higher learning in the region. Unfortunately, universities and other institutions of higher learning in the East African region have been slow to effectively address the knowledge gaps especially for agricultural science graduates in the region. In effect, the notion of the PREPARE-B.Sc. project was conceived to contribute to this knowledge gaps. The Project is funded by the ACP-EU Co-operation Program on Higher Education (EDULINK II). The overall objective is to enable the universities in the East African region develop competent, relevant and high quality human resources within the agricultural and related sciences. The second Training of Trainers (TOT) course in pedagogy and student mentorship was conducted at Grand Global Hotel (GGH), Makerere Kampala. The workshop was conducted from the 18th to 23rd of March 2016. The first three days (18th-20th of March 2016) were dedicated to development and refinement of training materials, while the last three days i.e. from 21st-23rd of March 2016 were actually used to train the participants. The proceedings of the first three days are excluded from this report. The workshop attracted participants from three public and two private universities. The public universities included Kyambogo University (KU), Gulu University (GU) and Makerere University. The private universities included Uganda Christian University Nkozi (UCUN) and Islamic University of Uganda (IUU). The training attracted up to 47 participants including 40 scientists, two administrators, four PhD students and one teaching technician (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Participants in a group photo during the 2nd PREPARE-BSc. training of Lecturers in didactics

and student mentorship workshop at Grand Global Hotel Makerere, Kampala.  The objectives of the workshop were to; i) train a group of trainers that will instigate the new ways of teaching in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to match the graduates with the job market skill needs, ii) create awareness about the project activities and disseminate results of the project’s schools’, university and employers’ surveys on attitude, knowledge and skill needs. The activities of the workshop are further described in the subsequent sections of the proceedings.

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2. DAY ONE ACTIVITIES: MONDAY 21ST MARCH 2016 2.1 Arrival of participants and registration  About 75% of the expected participants arrived by 9.30 am and registration proceeded by 

recording their names, affiliation, position at the university and email address (see Figure 2). The session was led by Mr. Charles Galabuzi and Mr. Wilson Serwanga. All the participants were seated by 10.00am and addressed by Prof. Fred Kabi in the welcoming remarks.

Figure 2: Registration and participant identification tags during the 2ND PREPARE-BSc. TOT workshop at

Grand Global Hotel, Kampala

2.1 Welcoming and opening remarks  The remarks were given by Assoc. Prof. Fred Kabi, the Uganda project leader (Figure 3). He started by introducing himself to the participants and thanked them for demonstrating the interest in the course by attending the second TOT workshop. 

He mentioned that the project had been running for two years and that it was in its final year of implementation. He added that it has undertaken three studies among other activities for which a summary of the results would be shared in the following sessions.



He communicated that the project is focused towards enhancing the quality of graduates produced by equipping their trainers with appropriate teaching and learning skills.



Observed that it is important to bring all stakeholders onboard including the students and that the project had conducted three surveys including i) secondary school students, teachers and parents, ii) Employers and iii) University students, lecturers and administrators.

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He added that all the studies aimed at understanding the attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders towards teaching and learning agricultural sciences in Uganda and E. African region. He highlighted some of the major results for example, and indicated that the secondary school science students preferred to undertake a career in health sciences to agricultural sciences.



Also he mentioned that from the employers’ survey, results showed that majority of the graduates on market did not match the job market skill needs. At this moment Fred added that he did not want to pre-empty the results session and referred the participants to read the posters.



Mentioned that majority of the participants preferred to be called lecturers to teachers and that would be happy to learn if their status would change after the workshop. Fred also communicated that the workshop would be as participatory as possible, and therefore implored the participants to be active throughout the workshop.

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He concluded by mentioning that the status quo reflected from the studies needed a serious intervention, and that the European Union (EU) as part of the EDULINK II program funded this Project in East African Universities inspired by University of Copenhagen.

Figure 3: Prof. Fred Kabi addressing participants during a welcoming speech at Grand Global Hotel,

Kampala.

2.1.1 Introductions, expectations and experiences of participants  This session was led by Prof. Gerald Eilu and Dr. John James Okiror. They commenced by presenting the format of the introductions including; i) participants pairing up in groups of two, ii) exchange names, iii) first day experience in class, iv) expectations and

4 v)pedagogical experience (Figure 4). The participants were after asked to present the information on behalf of their colleagues. 

Among the participants’ first day experiences in class included;  Being nervous at the beginning of the lecture but gained confidence midway  The students were happy to see some new young faces different from her aging professor.  Some had prepared adequately although there was tendency of students to keep asking her questions possibly to test their intelligence.  To others, the first day was terrible because they were taken by surprise by their professors to go and give their first lecture.  Some mentioned that the first day was not troublesome since the students seemed to be scared, so it went on well  Others mentioned that it was terrifying but relied on previous experience of teaching in for example secondary schools  To some it was scarily experience because it was a big class of over 100 students so managing such classes is still a bit complicated.  So mentioned that they were scared and short of words during the lecture  Others added that first day of doing something is always quite frightening since there is no prior experience



About the pedagogical experience, the participants mentioned that:  Some never had any pedagogical training and noted that teaching was dominated by the traditional lecture methods which usually encourage the students to regurgitate what has been taught.  Others mentioned that they had never had any pedagogical training despite their exposure to refresher training courses.



On the other hand, the participants’ expectations included to;  Acquire new skills of teaching to so that they could equip the learners with skills to handle the challenges of change in the areas of food security.  Learn something new skills or different from the usual ways of teaching  Learn new assessment methods especially for large classes.  Acquire relevant pedagogical skills required in teaching a new breed of students in agriculture and related disciplines.  Learn new skills of teaching as a way of helping students improve on their careers.  Expects to learn how to conduct tutorials  Expects to change the way to handles students  Expects to learn skills on how to motivate students  Expects to be able to incorporate field experience into teaching and learning

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Figure 4: Participant sharing their first experience in class, expectations and pedagogical background

during the second PREPARE-BSc. TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala.

2.1.2 Remarks from the Dean School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS) Prof. Jonny Muigsha 

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The Deans speech was delivered by Prof. Frank Matsiko (Figure 5). He begun by mentioning that his job at the second TOT workshop was a humble task of conveying the Dean’s message. He added that he would not add or take away what was going to be offered at the workshop. He then introduced himself, conveyed the Dean’s apologies and welcomed the participants in their various capacities to the second TOT workshop. He observed that it would not be a good gesture to imagine participation in the workshop as volunteers and said that as already communicated in the welcoming remarks, the participants needed to keep thinking about what they were going to be doing after acquiring the knowledge. At this point Prof. Matsiko observed protocol as follows:  The European Union/ donor community  The Principal, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences(CAES), Makerere University  The Heads of Departments  Members of the PREPARE-BSc. Organizing Committee  Professors and Lecturers of the participating universities  Observers and Members of the Press

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He went on to mention that it was in his honour and pleasure to preside over the opening ceremony of a TOT workshop which was aimed at building a new breed of instructors in higher education institutions (HEIs) of agricultural and related sciences.



He added that he was reliably informed that the new approach to teaching and facilitating learning, would be unveiled during the workshop, and that would facilitate production of motivated graduates who are innovative and match the labour market demands.

Figure 5: Prof. Frank Matsiko addressing the participants at the second PREPARE-BSc TOT workshop at

Grand Global Hotel, Kampala





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On behalf of Makerere University, Prof. Matsiko welcomed the participants to what he referred to as an exciting and proactive approach of providing the undergraduate students with a “tool box of skills” and ideas towards developing a positive attitude towards a career in agricultural sciences. He therefore implored the participants to appreciate the efforts of the Department of Science Education (DSE), University of Copenhagen, University of Nairobi (UoN) and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) for working in partnership with Makerere University under the auspices of European Union to develop this program. He added that it was clear that success in the agricultural sector would heavily depend on human capital resource, the majority trained at universities and other tertiary institutions. Frank however, communicated that the academic staff at universities in the region were not adequately prepared to address the new challenges of un-employment among the youth and changing demands by employers in a dynamic agricultural sector. He further communicated that the type of agricultural graduates needed by employers was complicated by the negative attitudes of the youths admitted at universities towards a career in agricultural sciences. Prof. Matsiko also mentioned that this was still a challenge to both the graduates and their employers since there was no interest in the offered programs, which eventually

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created a disconnection between the employer expectations and graduates’ performance. He added that re-alignment of universities to national, regional and global development agenda, required a paradigm shift in the mode of training agricultural graduates, and that improving pedagogical skills and standardizing teaching and learning methods could help the universities in the region. He ended by mentioning that it was in his pleasure and delight to wish the participants fruitful deliberations for the next three days as they build for the future. He declared the workshop officially open.

2.1.3 Overview of the PREPARE-BSc. Project and Objectives of the workshop  The overview of the Project was given by Dr. John James Okiror and Prof. Fred Kabi. John started the session by mentioning that agriculture is a dominant economic sector in the Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for up to 40% of the GDP, 20% of exports and 60-80% of employment.  

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He added that success in this sub-sector depends on the human capital majorly trained from universities. John communicated that the EU developed a policy on supporting Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. He mentioned that the goal of the policy was to provide quality education through evidence based contribution to curricula review, capacity building in teaching and learning and strengthened cooperation and partnerships. He added that the PREPARE-BSc. Project was thus designed to address this unique regional capacity need of HEIs in agriculture and related sciences. John further mentioned that as a genesis of the Project, UON, MAK and SUA were inspired by the University of Copenhagen (UC) to Enhance the quality of graduates of

agriculture to meet tomorrow’s food security challenge. 

He added that the inspiration started in 2007 when UC noticed that it was a social global responsibility for universities in the North to inspire their counterpart in the south to collectively address social economic development challenges.



Prof. Kabi communicated the funding source and overall objective, where he mentioned that the project was funded by the ACP-EU Co-operation Program in Higher Education (EDULINK II).



He mentioned that the overall objective of the program was to enable the universities in the E. African region develop competent, relevant and high level human resource within agriculture and related fields, in order to address food security as part of the socio-economic development needs of societies in East Africa.



About the project Co-ordination and management, he mentioned that the project is coordinated and managed at three levels including the i) Project Steering Committee(PSC), ii) Project Manegement Unit (PMU) and iii) Project Component Unit (PCU).

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Prof. Kabi also communicated that the project has to implement several activities including the following: i. Inception meeting at UoN ii. A study tour to UC, Denmark iii. Baseline surveys (Schools, Employers & University staff) iv. Steering committee meetings (held once every year) v. Regional harmonization of teaching rules & regulations vi. Curriculum review & student mentorship vii. Staff and students appraisal on training needs viii. Developing regional curricula & materials for a TOT course at SUA ix. Academic staff training in didactics and student mentorship x. Establishing linkages between universities and industry players xi. Organize university agriculture students visits to secondary schools xii. Facilitate student professional debates on new approaches to learning xiii. Streamline student mentorship at department level xiv. Regional HEIs representatives workshop



They concluded this session by citing the second TOT Workshop objectives, which included to:  Create/build a critical mass of trainers in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of Agriculture that will implement/ demonstrate the modal teaching and learning methods starting with their academic programs, in order to improve the quality of graduates produced.  To create awareness on: i. Current Attitude, Perception, Knowledge and skill needs of employers of agricultural science graduates in Uganda ii. Knowledge Attitude and Perception of staff and students on agricultural science training in Uganda iii. Attitude and perception of secondary school teachers, parents and students towards a career in agricultural sciences

2.1.4 Summary of the PREPARE-BSc. research findings  This session was led by Prof. Fred Kabi. During the presentation he mentioned that he would be brief because he did not want to pre-empt the message embedded in the survey posters.  He added that the key findings of the research are highlighted in the poster materials displayed at the workshop (Figure 6).  He concluded this session by encouraging the participants to read the posters and seek for the full reports in case they needed further information.

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Figure 6: Summary of the project secondary schools, university and employers’ attitude and perceptions

survey results, disseminated during the second TOT workshop at GGH, Kampala 2.1.5.1 Plenary discussion of the PREPARE-BSc. research findings





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Communication in agreement with the results highlighting that when he joined the College of veterinary scinces, they used to refer to themselves as the veterinary bastards, emphasizing that it is important to appretiate the value of knowing the attitudes of the students towards the course. Information seeking for solution from the workshop. She mentioned that she teaches ethnobotany but students percieve the content of the course to be related with witch doctors. She woundered about what measures she could take to overcome this negative image the students had about her course. Sharing of a bad experience that during her undergraduate studies fellow students used to criticise her choice of subjects of study at Makerere University. Despite the critisism, she ended up studing with medical students which eventually redeemed her self esteem. Expression of thoughts that the project’s work is indeed a good contribution because perhaps every one was aware that for agriculture to be vibrant it’s a matter of policy implementation. At Gulu University there was at the moment no infrastructure to allow effective training of of students in agricultural sciences. Communication that afirming that knowing the attitude of students is very important if the student is to get and practice the right knowledge. Observation that the projects results were valid considering that the students were strugling with these negative attitudes. Addition that there was need therefore for reorientation in secondary schools, and hence glad that the project considered the scondary school students. Observation that every time lecturers are dealing with problems with students the focus is always put on the research problem based on already existing information. Hence there is always limited emphasis on community based problems.

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Information that there is need to motivate the students to learn. Pedagocal trainings need to be encouraged because they are never included in the conditions required during recuitments of teaching staff at universities of Uganda. Comment that it seems some people come to the university to grow instead of learning. Addition that the current students at universities in Uganda would like the teachers who are more equal to them interms of communication, technology compliant etc. Seeking for knowledge as to whether the job market is aware about the cardinal expectations from graduates in the respective universities in Uganda. Communication in agreement with the projects results that the attitude of students towards agriculture is poor basing on the student enrollment trends at CAES. For example the current numbers of first year class of BSc. in Agriculre is 34, droping from 65 in 2014 and 80 in 2005.

2.2 Appropriate learner centered teaching methods  This session was led by Dr. William Ekere and Prof. Gerald Eilu. The focus of the session was on problem based learning (PBL).  The learning objective was to equip university teachers with appropriate learner centred teaching methods, while the learning outcome was to ensure that by the end of the session the participants were familiar with problem-based teaching methods.  The activities involved group exercises, discussions and presentations.  During this session the team mentioned that PBL uses stimulus material to trigger discussion and that presents the problem as a real-life situation.  He emphasized that it was important to guide students’ critical thinking through group work and encouraging students to identify their own learning needs, evaluation of the learning strategies.  Among the elements that formed problem based learning, Dr. Ekere mentioned that: i) the group work needs to focus on the problem and ensure that learning is done in small manageable groups of about 4-6 people.  He added that the rules for collaboration need to be spelt out in order to ensure that the students were in control, develop feedback strategies and facilitators just guides the process (Figure 6).

Figure 7: Employing the meta-plan to identify real life problems and explore possibilities for employing

PBL during the second Makerere University TOT at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala.

11  He further mentioned that it was important to connect theory and practice; interdisciplinary and be exemplary or focused on competencies and skills  The PBL workshop was concluded by extending into a group exercise for transforming the ideas into the classroom.  The participants were tasked to identify a problem in one of their subject areas that could be taught using a problem-based learning approach.  In addition they were split into groups (Figure 8) and tasked to design a problem based learning session and prepare a 10 minutes presentation to be shared in the first session of the second day. At this moment the first day was concluded and participants departed.

Figure 8: Group work activities during the second Training of Trainers PBL session at GGH, Kampala.



The first day closed at 6.00pm and participants departed

3. DAY TWO ACTIVITIES TUESDAY 22ND MARCH 2016 3.1 Extension exercise of Problem Based Learning  The opening session begun with explain the stages of facilitating Problem Based Learning and this was followed by an extension exercise about identifying a problem in the courses taught and uses the PBL methods to transform the ideas in to their lecture rooms.  The participants were divided in to five groups, tasked to design a problem based session and present during the workshop (Figure 9).

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Figure 9: Dr. L. Orikiriza and Dr. E. Balirwa presenting their group work during the 2ND TOT workshop

at GGH Kampala.

3.2 Engaging and activating students to learn workshop  This session was led by Prof. Fred Kabi. He commenced by highlighting the learning outcomes of the session.  As a learning outcome, he mentioned that by the end of the session, participants should be able to engage and activate students during a learning process.  He added that it was very important to Elicit in order for the teacher or instructor to know what the students know about the subject or topic.  He also mentioned that this should be followed by engaging the learners. At this stage he demonstrated the effective and effective ways of motivating studentS during teaching (Figure 9).  About the effective ways of engaging learners, he mentioned; using a relevant video or photographs, story or role-play could be useful. For this particular session a video was used engage the participants.  He indicated that the third stage that should to be at the back of the instructors mind is the Exploration. He demonstrated this stage by giving group exercises, discussions and presentations by groups. At this stage of the session, the participants had a tea break

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Figure 9: Demonstrating the effective and un-effective ways of engaging students during a learning process at Grand Global Hotel, Kampala.

Tea Break during the second TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel Kampala

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The workshop continued with Explanation stage in which he communicated that the facilitator provides concepts and theories about the topic. He further mentioned that the facilitator introduces models, laws and theories and guides the students toward generalizations or develops terminologies and questions that help students to explain their ideas. He mentioned that the fifth stage is the Extension: WHERE the learners apply the knowledge to real situations while the facilitator provides additional challenges that allow the students to apply knowledge. He added that the facilitator can provide new contexts for application of knowledge that allow students to go one step further. During the presentation it was mentioned that it is necessary to alert the learners about the 5Es during preparation and teaching sessions. The session was concluded by emphasizing the need to conduct an evaluation of the teaching methods and approaches from the learners in order to identify areas of improvement.

Lunch Break during the second Mak PREPARE-BSc. TOT workshop at Grand Global Hotel Kampala

3.3 Assessing Learning in Higher Education Institutions workshop  The facilitation of this workshop session was led by Mr. Charles Galabuzi. He begun by mentioning that this session was about a reflection on the various assessment activities the various HEIs.  He mentioned that the learning outcome of this session was that, by the end of the exercises, the participants should be familiar with effective methods/practices of assessing learning in higher education institutions.  He proceeded by eliciting the participants’ methods/practices used to establish if their students learn during their teaching session.  At this stage, the participants were tasked to list the methods and display their findings to the rest of the participants for a later discussion.  The participants further explored the methods and practices used to assess learning at their respective universities (Figure 10).

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Figure 10: Exploring the current methods used by participants to assess students learning at the during

the second PREPARE-BSC TOT Workshop at Grand Global Hotel.

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To enhance the participants understanding of the assessment processes and relevance in higher institutions of learning, Charles explained the concept of assessment. He mentioned that assessment is a process by which one attempts to measure the quality and quantity of learning and teaching using various techniques or methods. He added that there two types of assessment including; formative and summative, and that during this process, there is need to understand: i) Why you assess or the purposes of the assessment, ii) What to assess or the issues and content, iii) How to assess or appropriate methods/practices of assessment, iv) How to interpret concepts or ways of communicating & providing feedback and v) How to respond or methods or ways of taking actions. To explain the methods of assessment, he compared formative and summative assessment as indicated in Figure 11. He mentioned that it was critical to assess students in order to improve their performance, and added that during assessment, it was necessary to focus on constructive rather than the negative feedback. He communicated that constructive feedback involves letting students know in a helpful way how they are doing, what to maintain, what worked well or simply the strengths and what to improve or suggestions of what could be better (Figure 12).

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Figure 11: Comparing formative and summative forms of assessment: Adopted from Fisher and Frey,

Checking for understanding

Figure 12: The feedback ladder: Adopted from David Parkins 2003

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He concluded the presentation by breaking the participants into five groups of six people. He tasked the groups to;    

Identify the methods used in assessing student learning in large classes Identify the main challenges in applying the methods identified above Suggest other methods that could be used Mention what could be done differently to improve their current methods of assessment.

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4. DAY THREE ACTIVITIES WEDSDAY 23RD MARCH 2016 4.1 Constructive Alignment of Curriculum Review and Student Mentorship 4.1.1 Constructive Alignment of Curriculum Review  The session was led by Dr. John James Okoror. At the beginning of the session, he introduced the workshop objectives and purpose with which he said included to; i)understand and improve the curricular review process, ii) assist colleagues to achieve curricular change responsive to their needs, iii) adapt alignment of curriculum to teaching methods and identify assessment process  As a learning outcome, he mentioned that by the end of the workshop, the participants should be able to: i)explain the curriculum review process, ii)determine the human and physical resources required to effectively implement the curriculum, and iii) align and integrate results of stakeholders’ needs with cultures, values and vision of university during curriculum review.  About the alignment of curriculum with teaching methods, vision and mission, he tasked the participants identify the good pointers and challenges faced during curriculum review.  To explain the curriculum review process, he mentioned that there should be pointers within a system demanding the review, and using recruitment issues as an example, he mentioned that there has to be indicators in modules and program evaluation responses from current students (Figure 13).

Figure 13: Dr. John James Okiror explaining the curriculum review session at during the second TOT

workshop at GGH, Kampala





He added that responses to recommendations and requirements established have to be established by professional statutory and regulatory bodies. John added that changing the nature of the discipline as a need to refresh the syllabus has to be guided by research and other developments in the field. He communicated the indicators that can trigger curriculum review to include; i) decreasing graduate employment rates, ii) recommendations from internal university review activities or iii) response to changing strategic priorities of a Department/ Faculty/University.

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Mentioned that the focus for the review should be on the curriculum content, structure of the program, nature of teaching and learning and assessment, Co-curricular opportunities. Requirements of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies, national and international trends in the subject area. He concluded this session by indicating the stages for curriculum review to include; i) collecting data, ii) first review, iii) Small or focus Group Review, iv) Large Group review for comparisons, v) Determining Immediate Revision Points, vi) identifying areas requiring research and planning, vii) plans for next review. About constructive alignment, he mentioned that the process could also be referred to as constructive arrangement where the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs), Teaching Activities and Assessment are streamlined in a clear and logical way. He communicated that a shift from knowledge towards competencies should be initiated, and explained that competence is the ability to mobilize knowledge, experience and skills. He mentioned that efforts should be made to distinguish aims from ILOs, where aims are the broad intentions and orientations of the course/program, indicating what the course or program offers students. He mentioned that the aims on the other hand, are general statements about a broad purpose, often at national or policy level; tend to be lifelong outcome resulting from schooling/learning situation. John also communicated that the goals are broader than objectives, and that should be used to indicate the desired direction for curriculum development. About the objectives, he said that they are specific statements about changes that are intended to be brought about in the learner i.e., the learning outcomes in learner’s behavior, stated in measurable terms. He concluded by extending into discussion about a self reflection exercise during which he tasked the participants to; i) identify ways in which they can apply constructive alignment to their courses.

4.1.2 Mentoring Learners in Higher Education Institutions  The session on student mentorship was led by Prof. Gerald Eilu. He introduced the session by mentioning the aims and learning outcomes.  About the aims, he mentioned that the session was designed to equip university teachers with appropriate mentoring skills, while on learning outcomes; he said that the participants should be able to apply mentoring skills to mentor their students or progress as mentees.  He proceeded by eliciting the participants knowledge on student mentorship, and further explained that to mentor is to:  To care for and educate  A nurturing process in which a more skilled or experienced person (mentor), serves as a role model, teaches, sponsors, encourages, counsels and befriends a less skilled or less experienced person (mentee) Figure 14.  Involves more than advising; develops from an extended relationship in which both the mentor and mentee focus on the mentees academic, career, and personal growth.  Mentoring takes different styles

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Figure 14: Prof. Gerald Eilu facilitating the mentirship session during the second TOT workshop at

Makerere University, Kampala.  He further communicated the differences between the mentor and supervisor where he indicated that;  Usually, a supervisor is allocated by the administration while a mentee should select their mentor  Relationship between supervisor and student may end with conclusion of the thesis/dissertation, sometimes spilling over to joint publications  Mentoring relationship extends beyond graduation and continues throughout the mentees career  About the roles of the mentor and mentee skills to develop, he mentioned that:

         

Roles of Mentor Motivate mentee Promote skills development Help in setting expectations Help in setting timelines Give feedback (positive and negative) Provide rewards Help in trouble shooting Guide in placement Promote career development

     

Mentee skills to develop Basic research skills Leadership skills Presentation skills Teaching skills Time-management skills Technical & scholarly writing

He added that before starting the process, there is need to set expectations defined by;  Roles in team structure  Milestones and deliverables ( clearly defined with each project & task, in a reiterative manner as mentee develops)

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Also mentioned that there is need to set timelines based on minor and major milestones  Mentee defines minor milestones while mentor helps with major milestones  Could be individual & or group milestones Added that it is important to promote the practice of giving and receiving feedback including;  Positive and negative feedback  Stick to the rules of giving and receiving feedback He ended the session by communicating that it is important to help the mentees to troubleshoot through  Identify problems early(Easy for mentees to get sidetracked, derailed)  Take action: Positive reinforcement (Special encouragement & aid, Change in assignment, redefine plans)  Take action: Negative reinforcement (Undesirable but necessary in some cases, Funding renewal tied to milestone achievements, Probation period, retry, reevaluate)  Identify the causes (Is problem a mismatch of student & activity? Can student develop mindset & skills necessary?). At 3.30 pm the participants got a tea break

4.1.3 The closing remarks and awarding of certificates to participants 4.1.3.1 Remarks from the participants  The closing remarks from the participants were given by Dr. David Ocan from CAES. He begun by observing protocol as follows;  The Guest of Honor  Members of the donor community  Members of the PREPARE-BSc organizing committee  Heads of Departments  Professors and all participants in their respective capacities  He continued by mentioning that he was grateful to see the Guest of Honor practicing that level of commitment and being punctual to the event.  He mentioned that on behalf of the participants, he was grateful for the training opportunity and thanked the facilitators and the participants for their all their contributions during the meeting.  The thanked the European Union through the EDULINK II Program for funding the workshop and the partners for developing the course. He added that he had learnt so much from the three days educative and refreshing activities.  He commended the project team for tackling an important yet ignored aspect of learning reflected in the project survey results. He hoped that all participants would agree to this observation based on the evidence provided in the research outputs.  He noted that there challenges of handling big classes across the East African region at the time when the employment community is demanding changes in teaching approaches in order to supply the right graduates.  David mentioned that he was happy to see the participants from a broad spectrum of training institutions and very well balanced in terms of gender. He added that this meant that the organizers were serious, sensitive and aware of current global campaigns and that the skill acquired will be widely spread.

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He ended by requesting the participants use the skills during their classes and pass on the knowledge to their colleagues who were not able to attend the training.

4.1.3.2 Remarks from the Guest of Honor Dean School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS)  The closing remarks were given by Prof. Frank Matsiko on behalf of the Dean SAS. He began his remarks by thanking the Dean SAS and the organizers for giving him the opportunity and requested the participant to allow him continue from where he stopped during the opening.  He commended the PREPARE-BSc partners for writing the project, the European Union through the EDULINK II program for funding it and the facilitators for putting together the training materials.  He observed that the funds are provided by the EU tax payers contributed from many countries. He added that this was a very big opportunity which the participants needed to be mindful of and respect through paying back by helping the people of the Republic of Uganda.  Frank reminded the participants that their invitation is a reflection of their being the top cream of the country and imagined that the facilitators to have found it easier to engage them during the various training activities.  He observed that the idea of organizing the training was not easy but the comfort he got was that most of the assets needed were fragile. He added that it was therefore good in a sense that the more the participants utilized the knowledge the more they should expect to master what to do  He communicated that he was confident that the trainers exposed to the new teaching methods would able to improve the quality of graduates especially if they implement the issues discussed.  He further praised the current modal to teaching methods being promoted relative to the earlier methods, and added that the new methods are based of experiential learning which facilitates quick memorizing of ideas just learnt or communicated.  Frank urged the participants to develop a sense of satisfaction by learning how to keep the learners engaged, and that this will bring about a sense of accomplishment. He emphasized that the training would only be meaningful if the participants are sure of what they will be able to memorize and apply.  He also mentioned that he was aware that the participants were coming from different cultures, hence important if they could influence their communities in order to produce the demanded products.  He observed that there was general attendance of wanting to do things the way they were trained, or instructors wanting to recycle their own notes or things that they came across when they started teaching.  He concluded his speech by mentioning that the learner centered approaches were interesting but had challenges which the trainers needed to be aware of during implementation.  He encouraged them to start the process because it is job doable is a sure way. At this moment he declared the workshop closed and awarded the certificates to participants.

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4.1.3.3 The certificate awarding ceremony

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5. APPENDICES 5.1 Program for the 2nd PREPARE-BSC TOT workshop at MAK

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5.2 Advert for the Second TOT workshop at MAK

25 5.3 List of selected participants No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 39 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

Name of Participant Lawrence J.B. Orikiriza Kenneth Balikoowa Agnes Kyamulabi Fred Kabi Gerald Eilu William Ekere Serwanga Wilson Charles Galabuzi John James Okiror Margret L. Kyakuwaire Robert Kambugu Collins Bulafu Lucy Mulugo Margret Atim Sylvia A. Baluka Esther Katuura Amos Ochieng Suzan B. Tumwebaze Lawrence Mugisha Patrick Byakagaba Lydia Nabyonga Abubaker S. Musitafa Jamilu E. Ssenku Sadati Walusimbi Joachim Idibu Davis Rwabu Monica Karuhanga Fred B. Lukwago Ivan Mukasa Hedwig Ocham Monica Kabahenda Peggy Nakalema Samuel Okech Gladys Nakimuli Kanifah Kamatara Mary Tibezinda Pamela N. Kabod Agnes Akwero Benard Tabu Paul Sserumaga Doreen Nakirya Cyprian Osinde Kasujja Geofrey Alemu S.O

Affiliation CAES-MAK CAES-MAK DDS-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK PREPARE-BSC PREPARE-BSC CAES-MAK Kyambogo Unv. CAES-MAK CONAS-MAK CAES-MAK CONAS-MAK COVAB-MAK CONAS-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK COVAB-MAK CAES-MAK CONAS-MAK CAES-MAK CONAS-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK COVAB-MAK COVAB-MAK COVAB-MAK CAES-MAK CAES-MAK UCUN CAES-MAK GULU UNIV. CAES-MAK CONAS-MAK CONAS-MAK CAES-MAK KIU

Position Lecturer Asistant lecturer Asistant lecturer Professor Professor Senior lecturer Finance assistant Administrative assistant Senior lecturer Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer Assistant lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer Professor Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Senior Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer PhD student MAK Teaching Assistant Assistant Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Teaching Assistant Teaching Technician Lecturer

Email-address [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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5.4 Sample of Certificate awarded during the second TOT workshop