Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching and Research in Human Physiology in Ethiopia

The aim of this point of view paper is to discuss the challenges and opportunities in teaching and research in the field of human physiology in Ethiopia. The challenges are seen as low availability of physiology teachers, especially those that have PhDs, low research productivity, absence of grants for basic sciences and brain drain. Opportunity for improvement is seen in the emergency of more medical schools in the country. However, close attention to standards of quality, particularly the provision of the full range of inputs required to support teaching and research, is urged.

Emerging Technology Mediation among Pre-service History Teachers at Makerere University

General pedagogy in higher education is constrained in terms of creativity and innovation. In the area of History Education, many teachers view history as a single accurate story about the past so they are slow in embracing dialogic and inclusive pedagogies that are mediated by emerging technologies (ETs) that can bring interpretation of the past in conversation with the present. This may become an impediment to improving the quality of learning since today’s students need to be taught using ETs that are aligned with the way they learn and think. Therefore, this study sought to support students’ participation in doing history mediated by ETs. Data was collected using interviews and observation from an educator and 20 pre-service teachers at Makerere University. The data were analysed through a Hermeneutic cycle-driven analysis. The findings revealed that historicity is constructed through active engagement in doing history by interpreting images, videos, pictures and texts as relics from the past afforded by ETs. Dialogical approaches to learning history through open conversations between the educator and students embedded by ETs helped the pre-service teachers to learn in a democratic way. If utilized this will be relevant to the pre-service teachers’ future students.

Editorial

I am delighted to welcome you to the eleventh volume of the Makerere Journal of Higher Education (MAJOHE). The two issues in the volume are being published at the same time, belatedly! However, it is a better volume, thanks to the insights (and energy) of the new additions to our management board and to the support of Mrs. Sioux Cumming (Programme Specialist at the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy [INASP]). Sioux’s support was given under the auspices of a training workshop on Improving Journal Publishing Practices and Standards hosted by the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (UNCST) in August 2019. At the workshop, I decided that, on returning home, we would upgrade some features of MAJOHE to reach the gold standard. As it turned out, however, it would take us some time and significant work to get there, which is why I am very proud to announce that we are now there. Moreover, the volume is also quite diverse—with writing drawn from Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda and touching on teacher education, technology in higher education, university governance, student loan schemes, pedagogy, TVET, student services and marketization. I hope you find the volume a useful resource. As usual, the Board and I thank the authors for submitting their work and for working hard to revise it as advised; the reviewers for giving the authors constructive feedback; and African Journals Online (AJOL) for hosting the journal online.

Sanitation Practices among Undergraduate Students at the University of Benin, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to identify the sanitation practices among undergraduate students in halls of residents in University of Benin. The study followed a descriptive research design. The students residing in the halls of residents in Ugbowo campus at University of Benin constituted the study population. The sample size for was 400 students. These were selected through multi stage sampling. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers titled “personal attributes influencing sanitation practices among undergraduate students” was used. The instrument was validated by three experts and when subjected to reliability testing, a reliability coefficient of 0.72 was obtained. Data collected was analysed using frequency counts and percentages. The findings were that sanitation practices among the students are poor and that age and gender influenced these practices. It was also found that inadequate water supply, poor toilet facilities, insufficient toilets, bathroom and waste disposal facilities and poor drainage system are major causes of poor sanitation in the halls of residents. It was recommended that there is need to educate the students on cleanliness during their orientation exercise and that keeping the environment clean on campus should be a joint responsibility of the school authority and students.

Constituents’ Participation and Commitment to the Governance Process of Universities in Ghana

This study investigated the governance system of universities in Ghana. Emphasis was put on constituents’ participation and commitment to the governance process. The explanatory sequential mixed method approach informed the study. Using questionnaire and interview, data was collected from 35 leaders and 465 members of various constituencies who were drawn from four public and two private universities in the country. The data was analysed using hierarchical multiple regression. The study revealed that whenever constituencies participate in the governance system of the university, it influences their satisfaction with and commitment to the university. Therefore, it is recommended that university managers ensure a congenial participatory governance environment—to motivate constituents to be committed to their universities.

Adaptation of the ADKAR Model to the Management of the Higher Education Student Loan Scheme in Uganda

The financing of higher education through student loan schemes is a recent phenomenon in Uganda. It constitutes a major change in the financing of higher education in the country and, naturally, it has not been without controversy. Its processes have posed challenges to both its beneficiaries and implementers. For instance, the loan policy’s sustainability is yet to be guaranteed. It is with this understanding that this paper discusses how application of the ADKAR change management model can promote the performance and sustainability of the policy. Designed to help individuals and organisations, the model prescribes a five-step process towards adopting change and leveraging its power to bring about improvement by enhancing ability to confront new situations. In this paper, this process is proposed for ensuring effective disbursement of student loans, determination of interest rates and recovery of the loans from borrowers.