KIU, here is food for thought
Jun 24, 2010
EDITOR—On Wednesday, Kampala International University (KIU) had an advertisement entitled “Savage attack on KIU†published in The New Vision.
EDITOR—On Wednesday, Kampala International University (KIU) had an advertisement entitled “Savage attack on KIU†published in The New Vision. As a former KIU member of staff I would like to offer the university ‘constructive criticism’ as requested. I am an academician and enriching students’ knowledge and experiences and therefore their lives is my passion.
If KIU is really interested in doing better but is still receiving complaints from the public, perhaps a special complaints desk should be set up at the university just for this particular period. It would be interesting to see how many ‘complaints’ the university receives and actually ‘handles’.
lPositive criticism:
During the five years I lectured at the university we had five different deans of the Faculty Business and Administration. This is just one little example of how complex administrative issues at KIU were (back in 2008) and from what I am reading in the papers, still are.
lMotivation of lecturers. Pay salaries in time! This is a general problem in Ugandan universities. Thankfully though, because of the increasing number of private universities, a lecturer can always look for greener pastures. It is wrong however for lecturers to ask students for money.
lProfessional ethics for lecturers:
Codes of conduct in the university may assist, but not give clear definition to a lecturer’s decision making. In other words, KIU can mandate what not to do in particular situations but it is impossible to list all possible ‘unethical’ situations that may arise.
This becomes the territory of ethical decision making. Therefore training related to professional ethics should be done.
Finally, since most of any university’s revenue comes from students I would concentrate on their motivation.
lEmphasise the most critical concepts during a lecture continuously.
lProvide students with a ‘visual aid’ when possible to explain abstract concepts.
lRely on logic when applicable.
lUse in-class activities to reinforce newly presented material.
lHelp students create a ‘link’ when teaching something new.
lRecognise the importance of vocabulary in a course.
lTreat students with respect.
lHold students to a high standard.
lDon’t put students in a position where they feel they have to ‘bribe’ their lecturers.
Each of the above rules can help motivate even the most lethargic student. Thank you for the work well done and we are proud of KIU.
Harriet Ssali
harrietssali@yahoo.com
If KIU is really interested in doing better but is still receiving complaints from the public, perhaps a special complaints desk should be set up at the university just for this particular period. It would be interesting to see how many ‘complaints’ the university receives and actually ‘handles’.
lPositive criticism:
During the five years I lectured at the university we had five different deans of the Faculty Business and Administration. This is just one little example of how complex administrative issues at KIU were (back in 2008) and from what I am reading in the papers, still are.
lMotivation of lecturers. Pay salaries in time! This is a general problem in Ugandan universities. Thankfully though, because of the increasing number of private universities, a lecturer can always look for greener pastures. It is wrong however for lecturers to ask students for money.
lProfessional ethics for lecturers:
Codes of conduct in the university may assist, but not give clear definition to a lecturer’s decision making. In other words, KIU can mandate what not to do in particular situations but it is impossible to list all possible ‘unethical’ situations that may arise.
This becomes the territory of ethical decision making. Therefore training related to professional ethics should be done.
Finally, since most of any university’s revenue comes from students I would concentrate on their motivation.
lEmphasise the most critical concepts during a lecture continuously.
lProvide students with a ‘visual aid’ when possible to explain abstract concepts.
lRely on logic when applicable.
lUse in-class activities to reinforce newly presented material.
lHelp students create a ‘link’ when teaching something new.
lRecognise the importance of vocabulary in a course.
lTreat students with respect.
lHold students to a high standard.
lDon’t put students in a position where they feel they have to ‘bribe’ their lecturers.
Each of the above rules can help motivate even the most lethargic student. Thank you for the work well done and we are proud of KIU.
Harriet Ssali
harrietssali@yahoo.com