The Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and the College of Education and External Studies through the Centre of Teaching and Learning Support are implementing the Pedagogy and Professionalism course, which is aligned to Makerere University’s strategic approach of promoting innovative teaching and learning.
Following a phased approach, the first cohort of the training targeted 50 teaching staff, with five members nominated from each of the ten Colleges to participate in a three-day training workshop (19th to 21st February 2025), focusing on enhancing the skills of academic staff in competence-based education in the ever-evolving academic landscape.
Addressing the participants during the closing ceremony of the training workshop, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi congratulated the first cohort of the academic staff upon the successful completion of the course.
Underscoring the importance of continuous learning and professional development, he disclosed that the training will be rolled out at the different colleges within the university to ensure that all academic staff are equipped with competence based teaching skills and methodologies.
He called upon those who had been trained, the University leadership and academic staff in general to always be conscious of the trends in the education sector, the emerging developments in the teaching profession and the world at large.
“The world is changing and different teaching methods must be employed to meet the diverse needs of students. The best way to remain relevant in the academia involves adapting to emerging developments and learning new technologies, “he said.
Dr. Dorothy Kyagaba, the Coordinator at the Centre of Teaching and Learning Support appreciated the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) for creating a supportive environment through research entities and centers that facilitate innovative teaching, learning, and strategic partnership.
Dr. Kyagaba implored the participants to use the knowledge acquired during the delivery of teaching and learning programmes. She lauded the participants for their active participation and recognized the facilitators for their contribution to the success of the training workshop.
Highlighting some of the courses tackled during the training namely foundations of university pedagogy, competence-based curriculum, active-based learning, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies, Dr. Kyagaba was optimistic that the knowledge and skills acquired would be used to cause a positive impact in teaching and learning at Makerere University.
On behalf of the Principal of the College of Education and External Studies, Prof. Anthony Mugagga, the Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Mathias Mulumba who is an Associate Professor at Makerere University, pointed out that one of the key takeaways from the Pedagogy and Professionalism training workshop is the need to train all academic staff in competence-based methodology.
The Principal emphasized the importance of training academic leaders in competence-based education. “For the next cohort, we will train Academic leaders namely Principals, Deputy Principals, Deans, and Heads of Departments,” he stated.
He explained that training academic leaders in competence-based education will empower them to appreciate the need to change their delivery approach towards competence-based methodologies, and also enable them to provide leadership in promoting interactive and learner-centered approaches.
“Training academic leaders, will help them to provide the much-needed leadership in interactive and learner-centered approach. By training academic leaders, the university aims to create a ripple effect that will transform the teaching and learning culture across the institution,” he said.
In his capacity as the Dean of School of Education, Prof. Mulumba informed the participants that the College of Education and External Studies through the School of Education was aggressively involved in the implementation of government programmes in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) and the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) to champion the rolling out of competence based methodologies in the country.
Prof. Mulumba cited the teaching staff at the School of Education, who in collaboration with resource persons from the National Curriculum Development Centre are executing the project titled: Capacity Building of Teacher Educators in Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in selected Public Universities in Uganda. According to Prof. Mulumba, the research project, which is being implemented at Makerere University, Busitema University and Mountains of the Moon University is funded by the Government of Uganda through Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF).
