7. UPEI’s Commitment to UNAM Develop a cross-disciplinary team using a blended teaching strategy between UPEI and UNAM Foster an ongoing professional and collegial partnership between UPEI and UNAM Provide access to electronic and print tools and materials
8. Introduce the learning management system (LMS) Moodle Provide innovative active teaching strategies Provide peer mentoring with UNAM faculty to help them develop tenure and promotion files Establish a ‘learning community”
9. What is a learning community? Community is very similar to any community that exists. It is a collection of like-minded people who have a common goal and level of expertise, as well as an interest and passion for sharing their knowledge. The intent of a learning community is that participants will grow and learn together.
10. The Middle @ UNAM Changes to our program on the ground Adjustment to UNAM’s needs Serendipitous meetings with decision makers Fitting Moodle into this culture
11. The Schedule of Events Introduction to Active Teaching and Learning Theory and Models What is Active Teaching and how do you get started? What is Active Learning and how do we encourage learners to engage? Review UNAM’s faculty members learning by demonstrating an active teaching strategy: The Jigsaw Method
12. How to Teach a Really Great First Class: Demonstrate Quick Writes and Quick Thinks How to Keep Them Motivated Mid-Term: Demonstrate the RSQC2 Method How to WOW them in the Last Class: Demonstrate Think, Pair, Share and Start, Stop, Continue.
13. Using Technology to Enhance Active Teaching and Learning How to use a Learning Management System (LMS) to set up your course Demonstrate how to use Moodle as a LMS: Step by step instructions using a UPEI course as the exemplar.
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21. The End @ UNAM and @ UPEI Serendipitous outcomes Academic support for students Ongoing faculty development Opportunities for student/faculty exchanges
22. Actual Outcomes I have monthly contact via email with the faculty at UNAM development centre It has changed the way we ( 3 faculty members) conduct ourselves in teaching and learning We are hopeful to continue to advance our partnership
24. Next Steps Secure funding Sign MOU Return to UNAM Set up a Webster Centre at UNAM Begin student/faculty exchanges
Editor's Notes
UPEI statsOnly University on PEI, 4400 students, 12% international students, 250 faculty members, Liberal arts as well as faculties in Science, Nursing, Education, Business, and Veterinarian Medicine. Barb , Larry, WayneHistory of UPEI working with UNAMUniversity of Namibia came to the attention of UPEI when member of the UPEI faculty of sciences visited the country and University 2006. Since then three additional faculty has been spent their sabbaticals at University of Namibia while the UPEI Dean of science Dr. Christian LaCroixlayed the groundwork for partnership between the two institutions at the administrative level. That culminated into an agreement by the president of UNAM and the Dean of science for them to visit UPEI to further develop discussions which happened in May 2010.Some of the questions we anticipated prior to developing the program
At the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning we help students and support faculty in teaching and learning and this is central to everything we do. We serve Faculty members, program coordinators, course facilitators and we work with more than 50 student mentors to offer twelve areas of academic support for more than 4400 students at UPEI. The Webster Centre also has a faculty development office serving over 250 faculty members. The mandate of the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning is to create a dynamic hub of integrated academic support services designed to maximize teaching and learning success. We provide a central place for resources and people committed to the engagement of students, the professional development of faculty, and the integration of complementary programs that support teaching and learning.
Located in the capitalWindhoek population of 240,000 with Namibia having 2.2 million peopleUniversity of Namibia’s is the only University in this African nation. It was established in 1992 only two years after the country realized independence from South Africa.Since it was founded it has literally been built from scratch under economically difficult conditions. The South African authorities did not build postsecondary educational infrastructure in the 45 years that it controlled territory, so they was nothing in place to build upon. The University is a testament to the importance the Namibian government and people place upon the importance of higher education for the future of the nation, particularly when one considers that the Namibian economy, like those of many sub-Saharan African countries is not particularly vibrant.University of Namibia strives to deliver strong liberal arts programs to the 13,000 students who attend. It also offers undergrad to doctoral programs in agriculture education and health sciences. The infrastructure is respectable although necessarily frugal. There are challenges with such things as lab equipment for the science program, a lack of data projectors for classroom, and very limited Internet capacity. The academic staff are talented and dedicated but work under challenging circumstances. Teaching loads are quite high by North American standards, opportunities for research grant support is limited, as are opportunities for professional development. The constraints that the 36 faculty find themselves under become apparent in the type of curriculum that is offered to students as many of the courses listed are rarely offered and even when they are the curriculum that is delivered does not match what is advertised in the calendar. Academic Year: Lectures commence for first semester on February 21 and ends on July 1. Second semester starts on July 25 and ends on November 25.
AHED is a Canadian bilingual NGO with its headquarters in Montreal incorporated in March 2007 and with Canadian and Quebec charity status in 2008. The mission of AHED is to support developing countries develop and expand institutions of higher education by sending volunteer to work on projects in those institutions. AHED achieves its goals with its own projects as well as with projects in partnership with other NGOs and with academic institutions in the developed world.The university partner for this project is the University of Namibia (U-Nam), which is a tertiary institution established in the city of Windhoek in 1992. With a student population of close to 13,000 students each year, academic programmes at the University emanate from the seven faculties of agriculture and natural resources, economics and management science, education, humanities and social sciences, law, medical and health sciences and the faculty of science. AHED covers associated expenses such as transportation, health coverage, and some per diem. UPEI covered our salaries for 2.5 weeks while we are working internationallyUNAM covered our accommodation in Windhoek
Using a “train the trainer” approach, the Volunteers will work with U-Nam colleagues to build on their existing academic, student and teaching support services. The Volunteers will share their experience, knowledge and philosophy with peers at U-Nam and build a framework for a sustained commitment to and delivery of integrated academic support services by:• Developing a programming framework adapted to the context of the partner institution, using existing infrastructure and human resources• Developing a cross-disciplinary team with a blended teaching strategy• Fostering ongoing professional and collegial support between UPEI and U-Nam• Providing continued access to electronic and print tools and materials,
Introducean online learning management system (LMS) Moodle• Providing innovative active teaching strategies• Providing peer mentoring with U-Nam faculty to develop tenure and promotion files Establish a learning community on Moodle between UPEI and UNAM around active teaching and learning strategies
A Learning community is where group of people share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. It was our intention at the University of Namibia to establish a learning community in active teaching strategies between University Prince Edward Island and the U of Namibia. A learning community does not just happen it has to be cultivated, nurtured, evaluated and redesigned to meet the needs of all of the participants. Communities of practice for learning communities provide value through their ability to develop new strategies. Successful implementation most often begins with the participation of highly competent front-line practitioners who understand products, are aware of market trends and needs, and know exactly what it will take to complete the purpose of the learning community.Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) have identified seven principles which we have based our establishment of the learning community upon:Designed for evolutionOpen a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives.Invite different levels of participationDevelop both public and private community spacesFocus on valueCombine familiarity and excitementCreate a rhythm for the communityOur intent was to establish the learning community through a moodle course which we called UNAM/UPEI community of active teaching and learning.
Pull up Moodle courseThe day that we were to fly to Namibia we received an e-mail stating that we had to adjust our schedule of workshops to go from 7/2 days to four full days. We were also asked to percent to 80 new college teachers who would be teaching at the university level for the first time it was at this session that we percent of the top 10 tips for good teaching.This was my first introduction into the African way of doing business. Was a lack of communication at the UN level so that some departments didn’t even know that we were coming to do faculty development.We did however get to meet the Dean of science, Vice Chancellor of the University, Dean of students, Dean of nursing, the assistant Dean of professional services, the deputy director of the teaching and learning improvement unit, and the director of external and international relations.The major problem was about faces as we were made aware of the limited bandwidth that is existing Namibia at this time therefore using modal in an interactive real-time manner was not going to happen.So to give you an idea of anticipated doing as we were on our flight to Namibia following slides will demonstrate schedule of events.which we changed throughout the time on the ground.
Welcome and IntroductionsUNAMs’ Expectations for Learning This WeekWorkshop Overview How to Link theTheory to PracticeWhat does ‘being a good teacher’ look like?Tuesday, February, 15th9:00 – 12:00 Introduction to Active Teaching and Learning Theory and ModelsKolb’s Learning Styles Model and Experiential TheoryBloom’s Taxonomy of Learning DomainsWhat is Active Teaching and how do you get started?What is Active Learning and how do we encourage learners to engage? Review UNAM’s faculty members learning by demonstrating an active teaching strategy: The Jigsaw Method
Wednesday, February, 16th9:00- 12:00 Moving Theory into Practice: Strategies to engage teachers in active teachingHow to Teach a Really Great First Class: Demonstrate Quick Writes and Quick ThinksHow to Keep Them Motivated Mid-Term: Demonstrate the RSQC2 MethodHow to WOW them in the Last Class: Demonstrate Think, Pair, Share and Start, Stop, Continue.
Thursday, February, 17th9:00 – 12:00 Using Technology to Enhance Active Teaching and LearningHow to use a Learning Management System (LMS) to set up your courseDemonstrate how to use Moodle as a LMS: Step by step instructions using a UPEI course as the exemplar.Friday, February, 18thWrap Up and Q & ACurriculum Revision for Science Faculty from UNAM with instruction provided by UPEI Faculty of Science during the afternoon sessions. We will offer these educational sessions when UNAM faculty are available on an individual or small group basis.Due to the lack of bandwidth we decided to take screenshots of each stage of each one of our courses and explain them as we went through them slide by slide how to set up of course using little and how they could start to use some of the strategies that we have been successful using our courses.
Cafeteria for 13,000 students seats 90
Library with 3 rows of stacks for 13,000 students. You are not allowed to remove the books. Most classes do not have any books and not one student has a laptop and there are only a handful of computer labs on the campus.
Wayne helping John with his new course that Wayne has already taught using Moodle...Larry looks on what a pivotal moment
Found a chameleon on the street. Larry being a biologists was very interested in this little fella.
Me teaching a course on the 10 ten tips that make a good teacher.
2 students who wanted us take them back to Canada. The $5 Cdn bill.
Opening to their semester where the Pres of SU ranted for 1.5 hours.
In February 2011 the three Faculty members from UPEI met with the Vice-Chancellor Professor Lazarus Hangula to present a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UNAM and UPEI to formalize this long standing partnership that has be informal for four years. It was during this latest visit that UNAM faculty members stated that first year students fail Math at the rate of 75% during their first year of university. They wondered what UPEI could do to help mitigate those dire statistics.As Director of the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning, I explained the successful academic support programs we have developed and delivered at UPEI over the past 5 years. From the Vice- Chancellor to the Assistant Dean of Students, request for assistance in implementing a ‘train the trainer’ model of student academic support at UNAM was repeatedly voiced. Based on discussions I had with Dr. Rakel-KavenaShalyefu, Deputy Director: TLIU, Lifelong Learning and Community Education, UNam, as well as e-mail correspondence withDr. EnosKiremire, Dean of Science, UNam, it was identified that academic support for the UNAM student body is absolutely needed. As Dr Kiremire stated in the attached email, the “poor academic background of students from secondary school (high school)… entering the university is a major concern” for UNam. Therefore, The Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning along with faculty and staff from UNAM are quite interested in building on this established partnership, proposing a focus on academic supports for students with an emphasis on transitioning skills.
Anticipated short-term results include:sharing our programming and philosophy for academic supportpartnering with talented and committed peersmatching our services with our partner’s needstraining workshops with peers including facilitating academic support workshops for studentsongoing development of a collaborative virtual environment to facilitate the sharing of ideas between the partner institutionsoffering access to all of our curriculum and resources online and in printencouraging and facilitating the partner institution to develop and deliver services to studentsoffering peer to peer support from Webster staff to partner colleaguesidentifying barriers and enablers for university education Long-term impact includes:enhanced retention of students in the partner institutiona valuable recruitment tool for the partner institutioncontinued development in minimizing barriers to student successongoing supportive relationship with UPEI’s academic supports and broader partnerships to ensure sustainability of programming opportunities for faculty, student and staff exchanges
We have applied to AHED again for more fundingWe want to get the MOU signedWe want to go back to continue the workAs a group of interdisciplinary professionals comprised of faculty and staff, the team at the Webster Centre we can offer a wide range of training, mentorship and ongoing professional support and dialogue to colleagues at UNAM. Using a ‘train the trainer’ approach, we would work with our international colleagues to facilitate the initial development of support programs, replicating the Webster Centre model. Topics to be explored:Pragmatics of transitioning from high school, employment, etc. to universityBarriers/enablers for tertiary level educationStudy skills required for academic success Learning styles and learning strategiesContent specific support centres, ie: math/writing/sciences help centresBuilding a framework for a sustained commitment to and delivery of integrated academic support services within the partner institution: The intended outcome is to provide our UNAM colleagues with the tools, pedagogy and framework to build upon our initial on-site workshop to sustaining the project over the long term.Students in all tertiary institutions must know how to study, how to write, and how to be active learners. Faculty members need ongoing professional development in order to teach effectively and creatively. The Webster Centre model is easily transferable to variety of situations and contexts. We require little more than the time, talent, commitment and enthusiasm of our partner colleagues. Our model is easily replicated and has few barriers because it is personalized and needs-based. During 2011, three Webster Centre staff will visit the partner institution to deliver the following short-term outcomes, This would potentially be followed up in 2012, funding permitting, with another visit by Webster Centre staff.
