Teaching & learning

One of the founding pillars of the Afretec Network is a commitment by members to enhance engineering and technology teaching and learning excellence on the African continent. This is important in order to develop faculty, instructors, and students so that these individuals are better equipped to build an Africa poised for inclusive digital transformation. Through this pillar, members commit to creating a platform of shared excellence that enhances teaching and learning in Africa. This is done through promoting and sharing pedagogical and andrological best practices, student-focused programs, and co-creating new programs between university members.

This pillar will also provide opportunities for university members to engage in deep collaboration through staff, faculty, and student mobility. Activities will be determined by members each year in order to ensure that the Afretec Network responds to the most critical opportunities for university members.

2023 Prioritized activities

In accordance with the values and goals of the 2023-2024 Afretec Network Action Plan, the teaching & learning pillar has identified six target areas related to teaching and learning to review in 2023:

• Best practices in ICT teaching and learning
• Effective practices in faculty development
• Students’ ICT knowledge and skills
• Instructors’ ICT knowledge and skills
• Afretec Faculty Enrichment Programs
• Organization of Center for Teaching & Learning

The purpose of the reviews is to better understand how teaching and learning is conducted across the continent and to use this established baseline to guide and measure the impact of future Teaching & Learning Pillar activities. The goal of the reviews is to also share findings with other institutions across the continent to build capacity and support student learning within and beyond the Afretec Network.

Additional teaching & learning programs

In addition to the prioritized teaching and learning activities from the 2023-2024 Afretec Network Action Plan, each Afretec university has committed to offering the following teaching and learning related yearly programs at their institutions.

Faculty enrichment program

Each Afretec member offers a faculty enrichment program. Faculty enrichment programs target different areas of professional development, including teaching,research, and other professional skills, depending on the needs of each university’s faculty. These programs are designed to support the continuous development of instructors and ultimately support student learning, research, and other opportunities.

Bridge program

Bridge programs are designed to prepare students to transition to undergraduate or graduate studies or industry by teaching relevant technical and professional skills. Bridge programs may vary in length and content depending on the needs of their student population. Network members may host and co-deliver programs with other universities or industry partners.

Online certificate program

Each Afretec member is also designing and offer online courses or certification programs in a variety of technical and professional areas. The intent of this initiative is to increase access to quality instruction technical content on the African continent. Some of the programs will be offered as anThis program will be offered as open source to all Afretec members, who will use the program to supplement existing teaching or as a standalone online certificate program.