Training for new university lecturers
The aim of this initiative was to pass on modern and effective teaching methods and skills to young lecturers. Joint lecture courses were taught where a senior lecturer joined a younger lecturer to deliver a course together. The initiative built from teaching ideas that had been used in MSc Applied Statistics teaching at Maseno University.
Initially, the new lecturers attending an MSc course, given by a guest lecturer from the UK. They participated in the class as students and acquired the materials used in the course. One of them even sat for the course exam. The young lecturers were then involved in giving the same course to another MSc class. They used the already prepared notes from the guest lecturer for their teaching and some other materials and content from a basic statistics online course which they were participants. The composition and grading of the continuous assessment tests and the course final exam were done jointly between the young lecturers and the senior member of staff.
By giving teaching responsibility to young staff in a controlled environment with a mentor advising, the process provided a great learning experience for young university lecturers. The feedback from the lecturers was positive and they agreed that they now had an idea of the amount of work that goes into preparation and running a course effectively. Through this experience, they acquired the skills that are needed to engage with students and create a learning environment that encourages students to learn beyond the classroom.