Towards re-defining communication skills courses at Sokoine University of Agriculture: Lessons from selected African universities

Abstract

Tanzanian universities, including Sokoine University of Agriculture, have been offering Communication Skills courses in addressing students’ language and communication needs. Despite this initiative, there have been some concerns from both students and lecturers that the teaching of Communication Skills courses has little impact on students’ development of English language and communication skills. In response to this view, the Department of Social Sciences, at Sokoine University of Agriculture, conducted a study to collect information from an international perspective on the best practices in English language and Communication Skills programs. The study involved five universities found in two African countries: Three universities from South Africa and the other two from Ghana. Data were collected through interviews, checklists and review of documents and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Although there were some similarities in the ways English language and Communication Skills courses are offered in the visited countries and at Sokoine University of Agriculture, the findings revealed that there were better practices in the visited countries in terms of administration, curricula, and utilization of resources, which have an implication on the conduct of Communication Skills courses at Sokoine University of Agriculture and other Tanzanian universities.