UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
International Institute of Online Education-Kenya National Centre (IIOE-KNC)
Transformative Digital Pedagogy Upscaling Plan
Background
In 2019, "International Institute of Online Education" (IIOE) jointly founded by UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO-ICHEI) with 11 other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa and Asia, including University of Nairobi as one of the founding partner HEI. The partnership was meant to train university teachers to provide quality education in HEIs. Subsequently, the partnership has developed training programmes and resources of IIOE to support teachers on how to enhance learning in higher education institutions through online digital transformative teaching and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
To better suppoThe University of Nairobi’s Kenya National Centre seeks further collaboration with UNESCO-ICHEI to upscale this project to cover a large number of universities and lecturers to reach a critical mass that will organize and deliver training on digital transformative pedagogy in higher education institutions in the country.
Upscaling Pilot Project on Transforming Digital Pedagogy Plan
Outputs 1: Institutionalization of transformative digital pedagogy
Activity 1: Sensitisation of University Management and Senate
Virtual meeting will be held between the Kenya National office and University Management, Deans of Faculties, Directors of institutes and chairmen of Departments of partner universities to show-case on the courses developed and the best practices identified in various STEM courses.
Activity 2: Mount short courses in partner Universities
Kenya National office, University Management of partner universities and recently trained lecturers customize one of the courses delivered during the training to their needs. This will require observational visits, face-face meetings and online support
Activity 3: Review courses to allow for synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning delivery.
Each participating university will review all their STEM courses so that they can be easily re-designed for online delivery
rt the needs of lecturers at the national level in Kenya, the International Institute of Online Education, Kenya National Centre (IIOE-KNC) was launched on April 25, 2022. This was followed with the launch of a pilot project on Digital Transforming Pedagogy in Higher Education Institutions in Kenya on 30th September, 2022. The University of Nairobi has been holding the rotating presidency of IIOE Unit for 2022. During the tenure, the university launched the Smart classroom supported by IIOE-ICHEI , the centre recruited four partner universities, and trained 44 university teachers in the period between November 21 to December 21, 2022. The training involved teachers from the University of Nairobi and three other three universities:Umma, Pwani, and Egerton. In Kenya, there are 32 public and 30 private universities with a teaching force of about 15,000 lecturers. This pilot project covered way below critical numbers for realization of effective digital transformation in university pedagogy.
Activity 4: Inbuilt DTP as part of Performance contract
Kenya National office, University Management of partner universities and lecturers workout modalities of inculcating the practice in their annual work plans and performance contracts
Output 2: Upscaling the practice
This will target to train 75 percent of STEM teachers at the University of Nairobi and 1000 more in other partner Universities. This will take the following strategy:
i) Training of trainers (ToT): Recruit and train an additional 300 participants to support existing ones. Each partner institution to nominate suitably qualified teaching staff for the training
ii) Establishment of communities of practice: Each partner institution will establish an office that will support the teachers struggling with the transformative digital pedagogy. They will encourage those who trained to showcase on the achievements made in this digital transformative pedagogy in their classes and do practicum with participants in their areas of specialization during the training through face to face or blended learning training
Training programme(s)
Implementation Plan - 3 cohorts of 100 participants each
Module 1 Course Design
Introduction: This session invites participants to share their experience of designing courses that they would like to deliver online. It draws upon their variable experiences to immerse in various tasks that are fundamental to designing a course in a Learning Management System (LMS). Whether course content has already been placed on a LMS in their university or not, this session will enable them to discover and use a number of tools and resources that unlock their creativity. The session will provide an opportunity to chart and follow a personal learning map consistent with their vision for their course and their students. What learning experience would they wish to create for their students? What learning outcomes do they expect them to achieve by the end of the course/ programme? It all begins here with the choices they make in designing new or redesigning existing face-to-face courses for delivery on a virtual platform. The digital tools, strategies and resources they adopt during course design will determine what happens before, during, and after class.
Learning Objectives/outcomes:
At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
- Use multimedia gender-sensitive and inclusive teaching and learning materials to design online courses;
- Apply appropriate digital tools in the design of online courses; 3. Design online courses that meet established quality standards.
Activities
Asynchronous Sessions: LMS
Live Session: Zoom
The purpose of this session is to invite participants to share their experiences and learning outcomes from engaging in the Course Design asynchronous module in the DTP Learning Management System (LMS).
At the end of the session, participants should be able to:
- Identify appropriate multimedia gender-sensitive and inclusive teaching and learning materials to design online courses;
- Utilize appropriate strategies for designing online courses that meet established quality standards
- Design a constructively aligned outline for online delivery
- Incorporate peer and facilitator feedback for redesigning a module for online delivery.
Assignment Deliverables
More details about the Course Outlines Template available in the DTP LMS
Tools and Platform
Synchronous and Asynchronous Sessions: DTP LMS
Activities
1.Live Session: ZOOM
2.Other tools: Google Docs, H5P, etc.
Module 2 Course Facilitation
Introduction: This session prepares you to facilitate online courses both asynchronous and synchronous. If it is your first time, you will discover that it is a challenging yet exciting and rewarding experience. Your pedagogical practices will never be the same again; the new knowledge and skills you develop will influence how you teach not only online but also face-to-face. You will explore and practice a range of tools and strategies that enable you to ground students holistically in the 21st Century skills. Besides, your students will internalize positive attitudes and values to thrive in a dynamic knowledge economy. You shall be challenged to prepare and model best practice by delivering exceptional learning moments in your classes. This will involve organizing activities that bring participants at the centre of learning to co-construct knowledge and to drive creativity and innovation.
Learning Objectives/outcomes
At the end of the session, participants should be able to:
- Apply synchronous and asynchronous tools and technologies to facilitate an online course.
- Plan and deliver asynchronous sessions using innovative pedagogical strategies.
- Develop mechanisms for creating and sustaining positive attitudes towards synchronous and asynchronous online learning.
Activities
- Asynchronous LMS session (1 week)
- Live Session 1: Session Plans (2 Hr)
- Live Session 2: Micro-teaching Plans (2 Hr)
Assignment Deliverables
Prepare a plan for a 7-minute session that you will deliver synchronously using innovative pedagogy. Use their Session Plan Template for Facilitation of Online and Blended Courses to indicate: appropriate supporting technologies; teaching and learning methods; and, expected student learning outcomes. Upload the delivery plan for comment by the course instructor.
Tools & Platform
- Asynchronous Session: LMS
- Live Session: ZOOM
Other tools: LMS
Module 3: Innovative Assessment
Introduction:
If they have taught a course, then they must have experience in assessing their students. When they assess students, they are able to gauge whether they have learned and whether the learning outcomes have been achieved. Assessment can also enhance student motivation. All these make the assessment a critical
Component of learning. However, for assessment to contribute to learning, it has to be realistic, relevant, and ‘what to assess’, ‘when to assess', When assessment is realistic and relevant and focusing on learning, we refer to it as an innovative assessment. In this session, they will examine and practice a variety of innovative ways of assessing learning using online tools.
Learning Objectives/outcomes
At the end of the session, participants should be able to:
- Examine tools to assess learning during synchronous online learning sessions.
- Determine the most effective tools for assessing 21st century skills asynchronously.
- Use online assessment rubrics to assess learning.
Activities
- Asynchronous: LMS (1 week)
- Live Session: Zoom
- Innovative assessment, E-portfolio, Rubrics, Journals, etc
Assignment / Deliverables
- e-Portfolio
- Rubric
- More details about the e-Portfolio & Rubric Template are available on the LMS platform
Tools & Platform
- Asynchronous Session: DTP LMS
- Live Session: ZOOM
- Other tools:
Output 4: Monitoring, evaluation, and Learning
Members of institutional offices and national office to meet regularly to review progress, address emerging issues and prepare reports
Carry out follow- up sessions on the people who are trained to check if they are using the skills in their teaching
Output 5: Dissemination of best practices and innovations
Organize international/ national conference(s) to share views, best practices and innovations on transformative digital pedagogy
List of Facilitators:
SN
Name
Faculty
Department
Email address
1.
Prof.
Justus
Inyega
Education
Educational Communication, Technology Pedagogical Studies
justus.inyega@uonbi.ac.ke
2.
Dr.
Boniface
Ngaruiya
Education
Educational Communication, Technology Pedagogical Studies
bngaruiya@uonbi.ac.ke
3.
Prof.
Cecilia M.
Onyango
Agriculture
Plant Science and Crop
Protection
cecilia.onyango@uonbi.ac.ke
4.
Prof. Luke
Okunya
Odiemo
Arts and Social Sciences
Psychology
lukke7@gmail.com
5.
Dr. Mutua
Bessy Eva
Kathambi
Science and
Technology
Earth and Climate Sciences
bessyk@uonbi.ac.ke
6.
Dr. Janet
Kamenju
Education
P.E & Sport
janet.wanjira@uonbi.ac.ke
7.
Dr. Davis
Karanja
Veterinary
Medicine
Veterinary Pathology,
Microbiology and Parasitology
dnkaranja@uonbi.ac.ke
8.
Prof.
Raphael
O. Nyonje
Education
Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies
raphael.nyonje@uonbi.ac.ke
9.
Dr. Daniel
Gakunga
Education
Educational Foundations and Social Sciences
daniel.gakunga@uonbi.ac.ke
10.
Dr. Jared
Ongaro
Science and
Technology
Mathematics
ongaro@uonbi.ac.ke
11.
Dr. John
P. O.
Obiero
Engineering
Environmental and Biosystems’ Engineering
jobiero@uonbi.ac.ke
12.
Ms. Betsy
Mugo
Engineering
Geospatial and Space
Engineering
betsy@uonbi.ac.ke
13.
Ms. Lindah
K. Kiirinya
Engineering
Electrical and Information Engineering
lindah.karea@uonbi.ac.ke
14.
Prof.
Richard
Ndemo
Onwonga
Agriculture
Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology (LARMAT)
richard.onwonga@uonbi.ac.ke
15.
Dr.
Ibrahim
Khatete
Education
Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies
Ibrahim_khatete@uonbi.ac.ke
16.
Dr.
Petronilla
Mutinda
Kingi
Education
Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies
petronilla@uonbi.ac.ke
17.
Prof.
Robert
Oboko
Science and
Technology
Computing and Informatics
roboko@uonbi.ac.ke
18.
Ms Selina
Atwani
Ochukut
Science and
Technology
Computing and Informatics
selinao@uonbi.ac.ke