University lecturers told to embrace technology

TECHNOLOGY    EDUCATION

Tutors at Universities have been implored to embrace the use of technology during lectures for better interaction with students.

According to the University quality assurance body, some University lecturers still depend on pamphlets to lecture students instead of using advanced technological tools like power point.

"At times they don't labor to explain their notes well yet the students pay money to receive lectures in a simple and easy way to understand," Dr. Ritah Makumbi, the President Quality Assurance Association said.

Quality Assurance Association is a group of people responsible for good service delivery in various departments of work, for example universities, companies among other work places.

The president of Uganda University Quality Assurance Forum (UUQAF), Dr. Rita Makumbi Oola (left) listen to the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, Dr. Krishna N. Sharma during the 23rd Uganda University Quality Assurance conference at Victoria University Kampala on March 7 2019. (Photo by Ronnie Kijjambu)

Speaking at a meeting of quality assurance officers at Victoria University, Dr. Makumbi said they have the capacity to check and ensure proper university performance and service delivery. 

She said some lecturers lack the knowledge of power point and come to lecture students with only pamphlets which are complicated and hard to understand.

Makumbi noted that former university students will be monitored and followed to their places of work to see if what they were taught is what they are practicing or not.

Makumbi urged lecturers to embrace technology and equip themselves with better and current skills every now and then.

"For a lecturer to offer better service delivery they should have evident based lectures especially those where the evidence is required," she said.

Peter Rwanga, a quality assurance officer said universities should hire officers who are independent from lecturing because lecturing can hinder them from working hard to ensure that quality service delivery is offered.

He also said every department in a University should have a quality check committee to ensure that their service delivery is up to date.

"Now a department like that of the deans of students how can it deal with students if they don't have quality assurance officers in their department?" Rwanga said.

He added the officers are to ensure value for money, adding that because some lecturers teach in various universities, they don't mind whether students have understood what they taught or not which leads to breeding of incompetent students, on the job market.

However, Rwanga said one of the roles of the quality assurance officers is to advise different departments on how to better their performance in their various departments.