Higher Education Institutions In Africa Research Articles

Internationalization of African Higher Education in the Time of Emerging Global Realities

Abstract: This paper aims at exploring opportunities and challenges of internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa so as to encourage South–South partnership. In order to achieve this objective, desk review of experiences coupled with historical sketch were employed. Qualitative review of experience was selected to examine the comparative viewpoints of challenges and opportunities in internationalization. The approach and materials consulted were chosen depending on policy relevance and appropriateness to the context. Accordingly, research-based documents were thematically organized and analyzed. As African universities are part of the wider Global HEIs, academic activities of HEIs in the South are positively and adversely influenced by institutional culture and technological advancement of the North. Although Africa is endowed with strong communal culture and natural resources, most HEIs are in the ivory tower detached from real-life-situations and far from addressing existing and emerging problems of the society. Based on research findings and institutional examples, internationalization of higher education in Africa lacks experience and heavily relies on Western approaches, and considered as weak in terms of resource and network. Hence, the findings focus on how to maximize homegrown approaches for HEIs in Africa and address limitations in the direction of mobility and ICT.

Entrenching internationalisation in African Higher Education Institutions

In this paper, an attempt was made to locate the role of internationalisation in African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is argued that comprehensive international, intercultural, and global dimensions in the affairs of African tertiary institutions provide for a more nuanced and diversified higher education landscape. Through a desk study approach, dwelling mainly on existing literature, the paper examines the issues of internationalisation from the perspectives of diversity and inclusion, as well as the roles of the relevant key players within those institutions to practically deliver internationalisation strategies that will put the institution on a global pedestal while remaining locally and regionally relevant. More importantly, strategies for achieving comprehensive internationalisation are discussed drawing inferences from literature and documentary sources. The interrogation of these sources in relation to the expectations of the current and future HEIs to remain socially relevant and sustainable is carried out. HEIs in Africa must contribute to socio-economic change and engage with their quad-helix and eco-system partners to ensure that high end skills training, knowledge production, entrepreneurship and innovation are accelerated. In so doing, African HEIs must embrace diversity in its fullness including welcoming differences in gender, race, culture, nationality and providing platforms of engagement that allow for inclusion, and breaking silos to allow for a nuanced agenda of internationalisation.

Knowledge Retention for Enhanced Organisational Growth in Higher Education Institutions

Knowledge retention (KR) is when ideas developed over time in the human brain are retained, for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of job performance. KR is fundamental in every organisation. KR implies the ways through which the organisations grow, thus resulting in having a competitive advantage other their competitors. Therefore, retaining the individuals that carry diverse expertise in the organisation is important, because it helps to transform the knowledge economy. However, the issues of improper organisation of tasks, loss of experienced employees, the influx of young employees, thus resulting to transfer problem from one department/unit to another, low productivity causing a delay in operational excellence and achievement of timeous job specification, non-viability of the organisation, has made many staff members resign from their present organisation to join other institutions or organisations due to lack of KR. This study investigates KR for enhanced organisational growth in higher education institutions (HEIs). The qualitative research approach made use of the interpretive content analysis. The qualitative survey design made use of an unstructured monkey survey questionnaire in collecting data from respondents across different HEIs in Africa. The purposive and convenient sampling technique selected HEIs across Africa. The rationale behind selecting HEIs across Africa was due to the nature of activities that surrounds KR in transformative organisational growth and the ability to have a quick respondent’s response under the study being investigated. Results indicate that the understanding of KR was not uniform among respondents due to different contexts, fields of expertise, and the nature of work performed. Findings further indicate that KR has helped respondents to create new knowledge, strive to perform tasks in workplace learning, fostered and equipped individuals in their career pursuit, self-development, and deepen research drive. Different mechanism of memorising and keeping short notes, attending different courses, and helping others to solve their problem gives someone the experiences to always remember, and the tools of desktop computers, laptop, tablets, CD-ROM, emails, social media, flash drive, and YouTube are prevalent in support of KR among individuals. Diverse sets of print to electronic sources of information were used to support KR among respondents. Factors such as virus, lack of structures, no specific projects, lack of affirming organisational policy, environmental factors, electricity power supply, and lack of good reading facilities affected the individuals/staff members in their attempt to retain knowledge across sample HEIs. The study recommends attractive income, suitable provision of structure, favourable working environment, self-development opportunities, non-discriminatory treatment to staff, and opened organisational culture, which will enforce staff members to stay and be willing to retain their knowledge/potentials for the organisational growth in HEIs.

Learning Analytics on the African Continent

While learning analytics (LA) has been highlighted as a field aiming to address systemic equity and quality issues within educational systems between and within regions, to date, its adoption is predominantly in the Global North. Since the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) aspires to be international in reach and relevance, and to increase the diversity and inclusivity of the SoLAR community, it is pertinent to look at learning analytics use in higher education institutions in Africa. This paper reports the first scoping review of research in the field of LA conducted on the African continent. The coding and analysis show that LA research is still in its infancy on the African continent with only 15 studies, overwhelmingly from South Africa. The study also revealed several challenges, such as limited technical support and access to LMSs, the limited visibility of African scholars at SoLAR events and publication venues, and the limited focus on interventions that involve stakeholders. The article concludes with several propositions and provocations to advance the adoption of LA in Africa and open up space for critical conversations about the potential of learning analytics in contexts with characteristics different than those found in the Global North.

From mustard seed to master’s degree: innovation in global peace studies for sustainable development in Africa

The resolution to institutionalize peace studies across Catholic higher education institutions in Africa has been one of the major decisions of the Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institutes of Africa and Madagascar (ACUHIAM) since 2017. Whereas some institutions have implemented this resolution, some others have not been able to do so. Nevertheless, the resolution passed by ACUHIAM Vice-Chancellors sowed a seed of an academic innovation through a project “Peace Studies for Sustainable Development in Africa” which was initiated by a transcontinental consortium of peace scholars from Germany, Tanzania, China and the United States of America in 2019. This consortium aimed at supporting African peace and development scholarship. Grounded in Peace Studies and Development Studies, this paper analyses and showcases the implementation of the innovation commonly known as “Global Peace” in terms publications and events, namely webinars, conferences, book launches and internships where one book has been published, another has been reviewed for publication and a call for papers has been issued for the third book. Over 60 weekly webinars have been organized. Global Peace is establishing a Master of Arts in African Peace and Sustainability Studies (MAAPSS), which is an innovation worth pursuing through a global partnership for sustainable peace and development, thus contributing to the implementation of Agenda 2030. Global Peace encompasses all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on SDG 4 on Quality Education; SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 17 on Partnerships for the Goals.

COVID-19 and Prospect of Online Learning in Higher Education in Africa

Although its impacts on higher education functions are yet to be studied across regional, national, and institutional contexts, it is generally observed that COVID-19 disrupts teaching and learning, research and travels, and university community service worldwide. To improve our understanding of the strategies higher education institutions (HEI) can use for staying relevant and competitive in times of crisis and beyond, this essay reflects on current developments in HEI in Africa as linked to COVID-19. It subsequently highlights how African HEI respond to the pandemic, the prospect of online instruction, and the conditions that support the successful integration of technologies in teaching and learning. There is ample evidence that supports that African universities are more likely to significantly embrace digital technologies in the future than ever before. To inform successful technology integration, a generic conceptual model that explains success indicators and success factors in technology-supported learning environments in higher education is presented.

Higher Education and Skills Development in Africa: An Analytical Paper on the Role of Higher Learning Institutions on Sustainable Development

Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention of national governments, development partners and other stakeholders. HEIs also require new investment paradigms to maximize students’ acquisition of work-ready skills, knowledge and attitudes to enable students to contribute effectively to the workforce. The objective of this study was to identify reforms and investments needed to strengthen Higher Education (HE) in Africa and to inform the design and implementation of future investments and policy for sustainable development. A systematic review approach, involving a synthesis of literature on this theme in Africa in recent years, by African governments, education networks, academia and international bodies, was employed. The study used data from UNESCO and World Bank databases which were blended with the synthesis of the literature. The obtained literature was analysed and synthesized on the basis of its relevance and value to the HEIs study discourse. Textual and thematic analysis tookcentre stage with a view to establishing current reforms in HEIs and the concomitant investments that national governments and other key stakeholders need to make to have robust HEIs. The study used the Human Capital Theory that postulates that the most efficient path to the national development of any society lies in the improvement of its population, which is considered as the human capital. Despite criticisms of the human capital theory at the individual level on the extent to which education is directly related to improvements in occupation or income, human capital theorists generally assume that after all the known inputs into economic growth have been explained, much of the unexplained residual variance represents the contribution of the improvement of human capital, of which education is seen as most important (Merwe, 2010). The results of the study show that HEIs have done very little to promote Intra-Africa Academic Mobility and nurture HEI-industry partnerships to address demand and supply aspects of the labour force. The massification of higher education, resulting in a democratization of education, and the advent of the knowledge economy and globalization, among other factors, are being experienced without commensurate planning and with no corresponding accompanying increase in resources to enable the HEIs cope with the increased student population.  HEIs in Africa are sub-optimally capacitated to combat Africa’s pressing challenges such as unemployment, climate change and COVID-19 pandemic. The study points out that HEIs need to evolve in tandem with continental and global market needs to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 on quality education. Further, it recommends that HEIs should encourage Intra-Africa Academic Mobility and foster HEI-industry partnerships to address demand-and-supply aspects of the labour force. In this respect, HEIs in Africa should be developing curricula aimed at building capacity of leaders and professionals to respond to the need to decarbonize and dematerialize development in Africa and leverage on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Consequently, HEIs must prepare students to be entrepreneurial and resilient; able to continue to learn and reinvent themselves and their careers throughout their lives. Indeed, HEIs should view themselves as creative hubs where partners come together and harness each other’s synergy to innovate and solve societal problems.

A Study on the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in African Universities

This paper presents a study on how University students, lecturers, administrators and managers perceive the impacts of the of COVID-19 crisis on various aspects of University teaching and learning in Africa, and particularly in Kenya. The sudden closure of campuses as a preventive measure to community transmission shifted face-to-face classes to virtual learning modes. With a sample of 1,236 University students and staff from 18 universities in Kenya and Nigeria, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning, expectation by 44% of the students were met. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with internet connectivity, computing devices and electrical power. In addition, utilising e-Learning tools and platforms for effective student engagement posed limitations of accessibility and affordability for many students. The teaching staff on the other hand were mainly concerned with access to the teaching resources, conducting online teaching, capacity to handle the online mode of teaching, devices and eContent development. The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the current higher education system and the need for enhanced policy formulation and implementation on digital infrastructure to adapt to the rapidly changing education ecosystem of the world. In the post-pandemic situation, the use of eLearning and virtual education may become an integral part of the higher education system. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their University are also identified as internet access, quality of e-content and e-content development. Policymakers, stakeholders and higher education institutions in Africa may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support University teaching and learning during this and any future pandemics. Universities need to plan the post-pandemic education and research strategies to ensure student learning outcomes and standards of educational quality.

Adaptation of Student Support Services Considering Covid‑19: Adjustments, Impact, and Future Implications

The global pandemic caused by Covid‑19 has impacted every facet of our lives and challenged service delivery to students within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) at Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa, is situated within the Division of Student Affairs (DSAf) and the centre’s reflective practitioners had to respond to the challenge of altering services to ensure continuous support to the SU community. The CSCD aims to provide the SU community with psychological, developmental and support services, with the focus on critical engagement, advocacy, personal growth, and optimising graduate potential. The CSCD has been functioning virtually since mid-March 2020. Each of the Centre’s five units had to respond to both the challenges and opportunities to adhere to social distancing and to accommodate students who did not have access to online devices. All support sessions – whether it be academic, social justice, career, social work, psychotherapy, crisis management, with individuals or with groups – had to be done virtually or via telephone. This depended on a student’s choice and practical reality in terms of space, privacy, and connectivity. This article aims to firstly share the risks and opportunities of rapidly shifting to an online supportive environment, as well as how each unit within the centre had to adjust its functioning to ensure minimum impact on student relationships and interactions. It secondly aims to portray the implications the rapid shift had on the centre’s practitioners and the lessons learned during the process. Sharing these lessons might empower other HEIs in Africa too. Lastly, considering the imperative shift to online functioning caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic, this article concludes with a discussion on the implications for the future functioning of the CSCD.

Assessing higher education institutional stakeholders' perceptions and needs for community engagement: An empirical evidence from Uganda

Community Engagement (CE) is an accredited path for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to address development challenges facing communities. However, establishing practical CE approaches is difficult due to a lack of information on stakeholders' perceptions and needs for CE. This paper intends to fill this gap by examining engaged stakeholders' perceptions and needs for CE. We conducted a survey among 450 stakeholders, categorised as dairy farmers, students, and faculty members of a case study HEI in Africa. One-way ANOVA findings showed that the three categories perceived CE differently and had multiple needs. To harness reciprocal engagement, HEIs should create more CE opportunities and address stakeholders' needs such as establishing structures, allocating time for engagement elements, financial support, and communication.

Rethinking A Framework for Contextualising and Collaborating in MOOCs by Higher Education Institutions in Africa

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses that are open to anyone with Internet access. Pioneered in North America, they were developed for contexts with broader access to technology and wider access to the Internet. As globally networked learning environments (GNLEs), MOOCs foster collaborative communities and learning in ways not conceived as feasible until recently. The affordances of MOOCs, such as the ability to access learning beyond one’s immediacy, exemplify their benefits for open and distance learning, especially in developing countries that continue to consume rather than produce online courses. However, the globality of MOOCs and their delivery mode pose a challenge of contextualising learning content to the local needs of educational institutions or individual students that choose to use the courses. This theoretical paper used a desk-research approach by revising literature to investigate and propose ways of contextualising MOOCs to the African higher education setting. It applied the principles of reuse and repurposing learning content, while suggesting the use of mobile learning as a technological delivery solution that is relevant to the local context. The paper also suggests a framework for inter-institutional collaboration for higher education institutions to guide future efforts in the creation and sharing of credit-bearing MOOCs.

Fostering Research Integrity in African Higher Education Institutions

African higher education institutions (HEIs) have been considering changing in the last twenty years. The realisation of knowledge synthesis as a critical driver for social-economic development, has led to countries promoting research in universities and related institutions of higher learning towards a knowledge-based economy. However, the increasing emphasis on HEIs' research productivity has raised questions of whether or not the parties involved in funding, conception, conducting, and review/reporting are upholding responsible conduct of research (RCR). Equally, concerns on adequate rules, regulations, and guidelines to foster research integrity (RI) amongst the research professionals prevail. In this paper, an in-depth understanding of the RI concept, and the strategies that the research fraternity in the African HEIs and policymakers use to foster RCR, are illuminated to address gaps that need to be filled. This is a new dawn for HEIs in Africa to strengthen their knowledge base by applying the best practices that are founded on high levels of RI to meaningfully inform, influence, and impact Africa's current and future development. This study provided a detailed literature investigation of the occurrences of irresponsible research conduct in Africa's HEIs, existing efforts to mitigate them, and the path forward to foster RCR. Unfortunately, Africa's HEIs have ineffective policies and structures in place to promote RI and research misconduct.

Data literacy for teaching and learning in higher education institutions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate data literacy (DL) for teaching and learning in higher education institution, as data has become a crucial component in the accomplishment of task and decision-making in diverse sector, specifically higher education institutions (HEIs), where students’ records, results and research activities are managed in data form.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted the interpretive content/document analysis harvested from database of Web of Science in this study. The use of content/document analysis became essential to establish appropriate empirical evidence that relates to this study. This was to support the argument of detailed systematic examination, which the author establishes in the study. The interpretive content/document analysis was based on systematic literature review on specific objectives.FindingsFindings indicates that DL is crucial in HEIs. Different types of data collection methods, such as rating scale, reporting, questionnaire, interview, observation, checklist, project, registration, assignment and performance test, were noticed in specific institutional cases. Subsequent conceptual and pedagogical foundations in processing data were obtain through continuous reskilling to acquire adequate knowledge and skills of DL. Social media and institutional repository are now used to digitise data. Different types of skills and abilities were used to search, analyse, adopt and share data in HEIs. This study recommends strategies of the use of different databases for data digitisation and creation of awareness on DL education in HEIs in Africa, specifically Nigeria.Originality/valueThis study is insightful with the understanding of DL in HEIs. The significance in this era of digital literacy become essential, as the need to have the knowledge and application of the use of data is important because of how it serves scholar in decision-making and planning in organisational productivity. The rationale towards this study on DL was on the basis that the world is a global village and without data, no organisation or HEIs could function adequately. Several types of data collected, such as rating scale, reporting, questionnaire, interview, observation, checklist, project, registration, assignment and performance test, have transformed institutional cases, for better and quality management operations. The subsequent conceptual and pedagogical foundations in processing data resulted in continuous reskilling, to sharpen learn and unlearn enterprise.

Towards Enhancing Service Delivery in Higher Education Institutions via Knowledge Management Technologies and Blended E-Learning

Higher education, as a service sector, offers various programs to develop the students which can add value to the society. People, knowledge and technology play vital roles in attaining high service delivery in higher education institutions (HEIs). Knowledge sharing (KS), which is an arm of knowledge management (KM), is a key factor in HEIs requires full usage of technology to disseminate knowledge from teaching and researches through e-learning. However, technology challenges are prevalent in Africa. Hence, this paper illustrates how e-learning system can be used to enhance KM in HEIs in Africa and provide the benefits of both. Characteristics of KM and e-learning system have been highlighted. The paper shows relationship among different types of KM, e-learning and blended e-learning (BEL). It has been enumerated that there is a meeting point between KM, e-learning and BEL towards enhanced service delivery in HEIs in Africa in the era of open distance learning for towards achieving mass education. Hence, African governments should step up their efforts in funding technology-enhanced training in HEIs and necessary policies to promote effective and efficient quality services in DL education using KM and BEL.

TRANSFORMING HIGHER EDUCATION FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA

Education is unarguably the bedrock of sustainable national development. As a major role player in the socio-economic development of nations, education has the potentials of infusing a culture of peace in the minds of the recipients. Education that fosters positive socio-economic development can help in pre- and post-conflict peacebuilding and of course prevent or solve armed conflicts. Higher education as a very important level of education, however, plays a dominant role in this direction. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have the mandate to build the human capital required to drive socio-economic growth in nations. This mandate is carried out in the form of training, research, and innovation for development. In Africa, tertiary education is still developing in terms of socio-economic development and peacebuilding mindedness. HEIs in Africa are constantly accused of producing graduates that do not match the needs of the industry. These graduates receive less or no training in the area of entrepreneurship, ICT, and peacebuilding, making them completely dependent on governments after graduation which in turn actuates conflict. Poor educational reforms, indiscipline, corruption, poor governance, shortage of resources, and political instability are seen as the major problems. To solve these problems, universities are urged to orchestrate their training towards ensuring access to quality and relevant education that could divorce the minds of the receivers from being job seekers to job creators. African nations should transform higher education by including entrepreneurial, ICT, and peace-building courses in national education curriculums as such could empower youths for socio-economic development and peaceful living. Adopting peace education in all the facets of operations of tertiary institutions in Africa should be encouraged. Therefore, this study presents how transforming higher education can lead to socio-economic development and peacebuilding in Africa.

Nature and Perception of Sexist Humor at Great Zimbabwe University

For the majority of women, university represents a time of hopefulness and opportunities such that gendered incidences questioning their academic merit poses a serious setback. Sexist humor is one such incident which communicates a message that females are irrelevant and insignificant. This article discusses the nature and perceptions of sexist humor on University campuses. The views on how students on campus perceive sexist humor are crucial for understanding students’ response and offer a clear understanding of what justifies and normalizes sexist humor. The paper analyzes how the use of language can be connected to sexism and violence. Using a mixed methodology for data collection at Great Zimbabwe University, the paper attempts to link language, sexual violence, misogyny, and sexism as well as chronicle the overall pattern of exclusion and marginalization of women in higher education settings. The findings of the paper present evidence that the institutional and intellectual cultures of educational institutions are permeated with sexual and gender dynamics that have become embedded and naturalized in popular thought. Normalization of verbal harassment contributes to muting victimized women, thus perpetuating a culture in which violence against women becomes part of the social milieu. Thus, this study concludes that while one may consider higher education institutions in Africa as safer spaces for women, these are highly contested terrains as misogyny through sexist humor, among other hindrances, has created an obstacle for women’s equal participation in higher education.

A review on the prerequisites of Evidence-Based Curriculum as a driver to skills development of the leather value chain in Africa

The review study closely introspects’ on the prerequisites of evidence-based curriculum within the realms of specialized skills development agenda as pursued through higher education Institutions in Africa. Explicitly, the constraining factors that bedevil the leather sector are identifiable when appropriate research designs tools are applied. As such, in the process of identifying the constraints, renascence themes could, therefore, be beneficial in collecting evidence in support of developing curriculum. Such a developed curriculum stands higher chances of acceptability and aptly mitigates against challenges related to specialized skills development. The review succinctly indicates that in the process of identifying the themes, the scope of collecting evidence becomes attainable, thus, improving curricula that entails a participatory and transformative orientation. Indeed, during the review phase of the study, three main perspectives are depicted to be consequential in attaining a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum, such as; action research, backward curriculum design perspective and theoretical perspective. Therefore, about this perspective, a reflection based on personal experiences and related to new knowledge with what they already know leads to constructivism. The relevancy of a constructivist strategy is observed to facilitate the observatory and evaluative stance during the development of evidence-based curriculum. Moreover, in consolidating and sustaining the benefit of such a developed curriculum, threshold concept was found during the review that it complements the process and strengthens the collecting evidence for curriculum development. Accordingly, therefore, the result of the review study indicate that Africa would position itself for initiating transformational changes in aspects of specialized higher education, fruition towards socio-economic benefits (e.g. employment, wealth creation and technology transfer), reversal of urban-rural or inter/intra continental migration flurry.

Family-Owned Private Higher Education Institutions in Africa

Notwithstanding the dearth of research on the subject, the increasing global presence of family-owned institutions is introducing a special breed within the private higher education sector. This article broadly explores the nature, continental developments, and implications of this growing phenomenon across Africa.

Family-Owned Private Higher Education Institutions in Africa

Notwithstanding the dearth of research on the subject, the increasing global presence of family-owned institutions is introducing a special breed within the private higher education sector. This article broadly explores the nature, continental developments, and implications of this growing phenomenon across Africa.

Evidence-Based Practices of Promoting Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education Institutions in Africa

This research applies the changing of cognitive mechanisms of University students through Entrepreneurship Education (EE). The study hypothesises that entrepreneurial orientation (achievement orientation, personal control, innovation and self-esteem) improves after completing the entrepreneurship module. The context of this research involves undergraduate commerce students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. The study involves quantitative research using questionnaires through a longitudinal approach. The research design consists of a pre-test, post-test and post-test after the intervention. The impact of the training intervention was assessed over a 12 month period based on a randomised control design. This study indicates that entrepreneurial orientation was influenced through this Entrepreneurship module. The practical implications of this study emphasises the importance of training approaches that are based on empirical research. The uniqueness of this paper lies in the pedagogy used that allows the effectiveness of assessing a training program.