Overview

This project aims to revolutionise teaching and learning in large cohorts through improved pedagogy. It will propose a comprehensive faculty development programme, co-designed by faculty who teach large classes of 250 –500 students in three public universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, partner peers who teach the same with exemplary outcomes, and education technology experts. The project will focus on core curricula at entry-level Business, Social Sciences, and STEM courses. The pedagogical approach developed will incorporate critical and entrepreneurial thinking and essential soft skills development among students. The project will is led by Cavendish University in Uganda.

Objectives

• Identify challenges faced by faculty in large classrooms and assess their impact on teaching and learning outcomes.
• Design and adopt pedagogical strategies for such classrooms that develop students’ critical thinking, entrepreneurial thinking, and basic soft skills, incorporating technology where appropriate and sustainable.
• Develop a faculty training program that equips instructors with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement the designed pedagogy for effective teaching practices in their large classrooms.
• Establish a framework for conducting research on effective pedagogy using the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) approach and disseminate outcomes.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among public universities in Africa to promote the adoption of the designed pedagogy for their large classrooms.

Participant Profile

Participating Institutions are public universities from three different countries and regions in Africa. They are University of Embu in Kenya, University of Ghana Business School in Ghana, and Rongo University in Kenya

• Class Size: Classes with 250 to 500 students.
• Class Level: Entry level (year one).
• Disciplines to include: Business, Social Sciences, and STEM

Output

The project aims to create a documented innovative pedagogical practice for engaging large cohort sizes in public universities, a training process and manual to prepare faculty to meet implement the practice, publications on the process and outcomes.

Pilot timeline

The project is estimated to be from January 2024 to June 2025; Design and team set up from January to July 2024, and implementation and reporting from August 2024 to July 2025.

Expected Outcomes

• A refined and innovative pedagogical approach tailored to the needs of large classroom environments, considering the unique operations, resource limitations, and contexts of public universities in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Faculty members equipped with advanced pedagogical skills to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
• Improved student performance, including enhanced critical thinking, entrepreneurial thinking, and soft skills.
• A knowledge-sharing network that can disseminate successful teaching and learning practices across public universities in Africa.

Programme Design

A constituted design Team will engage with the participating institutions, experts, and research to design the pedagogical interventions to be implemented in this project. The team will:

• Brainstorm on and develop the design, the activities, and the training required.
• Consult on the faculty training sessions, workshops, and seminars, and the step-by-step guidance on implementing the new pedagogical strategies, and on collecting data for SoTL.
• Review, feedback, and recommend updates to the pedagogical practices designed based on the outcomes of monitoring and evaluation reports.