Makerere University Research Articles

How Internationalised Is Your Curriculum? University Graduate Students Speak Out

Internationalisation of the curriculum has created changes to the traditional curriculum but little attention in research has been paid to the student perspective on these changes, and how they experience them. This paper aims to fill the gap by reporting on the findings of graduate students’ perceptions of the internationalisation of the curriculum at Makerere University in Uganda. This study adopted a sequential explanatory survey study in which we collected both quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of 180 graduate students. The findings showed that the majority of the respondents agreed that their curricula had an international dimension. This was commonly seen by graduate students in terms of international academic staff, international students, travel abroad programmes for students, courses with an international focus, comparative studies and focus on ICTs. The participants voiced concerns about logistical constraints and the universality of knowledge. These findings reinforced the earlier research that proposed that the above aspects are critical in the IoC and can act as benchmarks to guide further work in the direction of the university’s internationalisation agenda. No earlier works had similar results, at least in the context of the Global South where this study was conducted. Further studies need to involve other actors in higher education to explore more fully the notion of IoC to explain better the basis of students’ perceptions and experiences of IoC reported in this study.

Why do different cultures form and persist? Learning from the case of Makerere University

AbstractCulture is a central concept in the social sciences. It is also difficult to examine rigorously. I study the oldest university in East Africa and a cradle of political elites, Makerere University, where halls of residence developed distinct cultures in the 1970s such that some hall cultures are activist (e.g. Lumumba Hall) while others are respectful to authorities (e.g. Livingstone Hall) even though assignment to halls has been random since 1970. I leverage this unique setting to understand how culture forms and affects the values and behaviours of young adults. Participant observation, interviews and archives suggest that cultural differences arose from critical junctures that biased group (hall) composition and from intergroup (inter-hall) competition. Hall governments promote cultural and institutional persistence through the intergenerational transmission of norms and practices, thereby highlighting the role of political hierarchy in reproducing culture.

Factors associated with HIV self-testing among female university students in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAdolescent girls and young women (AGYW) at institutions of higher learning are at high risk of HIV, and conventional HIV testing services may not reach them sufficiently. HIV self-testing (HIVST) scalability can be informed by identifying AGYW who have used or are interested in using HIVST. We aimed to determine factors associated with use and willingness to use HIVST among female university students.MethodsAn online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 483 female students at Makerere University, Uganda. Proportions of students who have used or are willing to use HIVST and their associated factors were determined. Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsThe median age of the participants was 22 (Interquartile range [IQR] 21–23) years, and 21% had never tested for HIV. Over 93% were willing to utilize HIVST, and 19% had ever used HIV self-test kits. Increasing age (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.23 per year, 95% CI 1.07–1.43) was significantly associated with HIVST use. Predictors of willingness to self-test for HIV were college type (arts vs. science-based, aPR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88–0.97), number of sexual partners (one, aPR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03–1.12 or ≥ 2, aPR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04–1.19, vs. none), alcohol (aPR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00–1.09) or injection drug (aPR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00–1.09) use, a history of sexually transmitted infections in past 12 months (aPR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.09), and HIV testing experience (tested in past 12 months, aPR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02–1.22 or over 12 months, aPR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.24, vs. never tested).ConclusionHIVST was highly acceptable despite its limited use. This study demonstrates female student characteristics that can be leveraged to scale up HIVST programs in higher institutions of learning.

Rationale and design of leveraging the HIV platform for hypertension control in Africa: protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial in Uganda

IntroductionThere is a high burden of hypertension (HTN) among HIV-infected people in Uganda. However, capacity to prevent, diagnose and treat HTN is suboptimal. This study seeks to leverage the existing...

Utilizing Social Constructivism to Cultivate Teacher Educators’ and Trainees’ Digital Competence: Energizing Leaner-Cantered Approach

This article examines the perspective of teacher educators and teacher trainees in an academic teacher education program regarding the application of social constructivist approach in cultivating ICT integration in teacher training, in order to have teachers fit for the 21st Century Education. This article provides an overview of social constructivism and its implications for ICT integration in classroom practices. Objectives of the study were to establish how social processes cultivate teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology knowledge and also to establish how social processes cultivate teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology skills. Participants were teacher trainers and trainees from School of Education, Makerere University and data were collected using focus group discussions. Data were analysed qualitatively by transcription. It was found out that; social interactions indeed cultivate a number of technology knowledge, but participants exhibited low levels of judgment and negotiation, low levels of data management, problem solving and critical thinking skills. It was concluded that; content analysis through team work is a basic technique for developing teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology knowledge and also, the digital skills require continuous active practice and they cannot be attained in isolation of technology knowledge.

EVALUATION OF THE CHALLENGES OF INCLUSION AMONG STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN UNIVERSITY SPORTS: THE CASE OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, UGANDA

Sport can provide a variety of mainstream and disability-specific opportunities across the inclusion spectrum for persons with disabilities. This study described the status of disability mainstreaming at Makerere University, Kampala, Central Uganda. In particular, the study described the challenges faced and how students with disabilities can be best included in Makerere University sports programmes. The study used a cross-sectional survey design using the quantitative and qualitative approaches on a sample size of 54 respondents. Data was collected by the use of self-administered questionnaires and an interview guide. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data analysis involved the calculation of descriptive statistics namely, frequencies, percentages and means for analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed through content analysis. The study found that challenges faced when including students with disabilities in sports were: materials (not sufficiently) adjusted or available, facilities not (sufficiently) adjusted, lack of financial support, inferiority complex among the student with disability, lack of confidence, discrimination and stereotype in the population, lack of inspiration, lack of modified sports according to different disabilities, expensive adopted sports equipment. Ways students with disabilities can be best included in Makerere University sports programmes included: identification of students with disabilities and acceptance, avail specific equipment, introduce fitting sport for different disabilities, provision of special coaches/ specialist for the disabled, design facilities (sufficiently) adjusted, sensitization for support from the environment, ensure safety for the disabled athletes, give bursaries to disabled talented students in sports, collaboration with NGO’s for financial support, exposure to role models, need for protective gears for students with disabilities, increase incentives for the coaches, introduce adapted sports galas for the disabled, increasing the disability opportunity into university entry scheme, provide incentives to the disabled sport’s participants and the need for the disabled administrator to work as a role model. This study recommended that policymakers should ensure that students with disabilities are empowered in sports to give them the freedom to sports participation at home, in institutions, in workplaces and in the field. Managers of sports should ensure players attain full security of the players, provide protective gear and adopt tactics that reduce fear of injuries. Management of sports organisations that involve students with disabilities should provide quality playing fields, and modified equipment, introduce more games, provide players adequate attention and advocate the full implementation of counselling students with disabilities. Management of organisations of sports teams should engage students with disabilities in sports jobs in the sports associations, connect them outside sports and collaborate with non-governmental organizations that support disability-based activities and provide incentives for athletes with disabilities.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0456/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Promoting HIV-Related Behavioral and Social Science Research Training in Africa: A Case of Uganda.

HIV/AIDS is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Several gaps in HIV/AIDS care persist despite advancements in bio-medical care approaches. Socio-behavioral approaches have been identified to have the capacity to plug these gaps. This calls for HIV- related behavioral and social science research (BSSR) capacity building. Adopting BSSR in HIV may provide insights into the HIV care continuum that is contextual and cost-effective and reveal the missing layer in the fight against HIV on the African continent. The Makerere University Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (Mak-BSSR) program has responded to the call to strengthen capacity in BSSR. This commentary is a call to promote, support, and sustain the collaborations needed to integrate behavioral and social science research into HIV in SSA.

English

This mixed research study focused on the selection criterion and guidelines used by the Higher Education Students Financing Board (HESFB) in granting students loan scheme to University Students in Uganda with a sample from Makerere University. Findings revealed that the majority of the loan beneficiaries are aware of these guidelines and one to benefit from the scheme had to formally pass A level education stage with 3 principle passes in a science subjects combination and are selected after filling a standard application form. Although many come from low economic family status with heavy household poverty, the study concluded that the selection criteria favors students who have passed science subjects and thus leaving behind impoverished students from humanity study disciplines/courses. Thus it recommends a framework for the need to revise the guidelines to cater and consider all backgrounds of applicants for this loan scheme irrespective of their course, family background and economic status to achieve the program goal as it's done in other countries.   Key words: Loan scheme guidelines, Higher Education Students Education Financing Board (HESFEB policy program, financing higher education.

Managing Innovation for Sustainable Health:rethinking training of health officials in fragile states

Abstract There is great urgency for action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in fragile settings, which face acute and complex challenges. Yet, the public sector may be limited in its capacity to address these appropriately, with devastating effects on the health of people and environment now and in the future. The challenges to sustainable health require professionals who are trained relevant competences. In 2020, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and Makerere University, Uganda, developed the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health under which a new partnership was established with Benadir University, Somalia, Kinshasa School of Public Health, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tinkr, Norway to develop training on innovation for sustainable health. The aim of “Managing Innovation for Sustainable Health” (MISH) is to strengthen the capacity to contribute to achieving sustainable health through innovation in the public sector. It targets managers in Somalia, DRC and Uganda from the public and private sector, academia, and civil society. It is one year long, part-time and delivered online with one study trip. It features three modules covering Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Health; Multisectoral Collaboration and Implementation Science; and Innovation and Innovation Management. Integration of participants’ learnings into their professional role, mutual learning between participants, and an emphasis on applicability, all underpin the learning strategies of the program. Quality is monitored through expectation surveys, baseline mid and final impact assessments, module and final program evaluations. MISH has trained about 50 managers, 85% of which say that the training was useful. All partners are represented in both operational and strategic organizational bodies of the program. Our model shows what is possible through collaborative online international learning delivered by partnerships defined by teamwork, trust, and a dedication to true impact. Key messages • There is great urgency for action to achieve sustainable health especially in fragile settings. • There is momentum for higher education to leverage the opportunities of the covid-19 to rethink learning for the global challenges.

Social media use and alcohol consumption among students in Uganda: a cross sectional study

ABSTRACT Background Globally, alcohol use significantly contributes to the disease burden. Alcohol consumption in Uganda is related to several health consequences among young people, including university students. Social media is commonly used by students to share academic information and create social networks. Among young people in high-income countries, previous studies have also shown that social media use can have negative health outcomes related to alcohol use, and associated problems. To date, similar studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries are largely missing. Objective To assess the prevalence of and associations between social media use and alcohol consumption among university students in Uganda. Method This was a cross-sectional study among 996 undergraduate students at Makerere University. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Alcohol use in the previous 12 months was the dependent variable. The independent variable was social media use categorised as general use, alcohol-related use, and social media lurking/passive participation. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess associations. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were reported. Results Nearly all students (97%) used social media and 39% reported alcohol use. Regular alcohol use was significantly associated with moderate (OR = 2.22, CI: 1.35–3.66) and high level general social media use (OR = 2.45, CI: 1.43–4.20). Regular alcohol use was also associated with alcohol-related social media (OR = 6.46, CI: 4.04–10.30), and alcohol-related lurking (OR = 4.59, CI: 2.84–7.39). Similar, although weaker associations were identified for occasional alcohol use. Conclusions Approximately four in ten students reported alcohol use in the past year, and almost all students used social media. Alcohol-related social media use was associated with occasional and regular alcohol use, with stronger associations for regular use. These findings may guide further research and present an opportunity for potential alcohol control interventions to improve health among young populations in low- and middle-income countries.

Evaluation of a competency based medical curriculum in a Sub-Saharan African medical school

BackgroundMedical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa have adopted competency based medical education (CBME) to improve the quality of graduates trained. In 2015, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MaKCHS) implemented CBME for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme in order to produce doctors with the required attributes to address community health needs. However, no formal evaluation of the curriculum has been conducted to determine whether all established competencies are being assessed.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether assessment methods within the MBChB curriculum address the stated competencies.MethodsThe evaluation adopted a cross-sectional study design in which the MBChB curriculum was evaluated using an Essential Course Evidence Form (ECEF) that was developed to collect information about each assessment used for each course. Information was collected on: (1) Assessment title, (2) Description, (3) Competency domain (4) Sub-competency addressed, (5) Student instructions, and (6) Grading method/details. Data were entered into a structured Access data base. In addition, face-to-face interviews were conducted with faculty course coordinators.ResultsThe MBChB curriculum consisted of 62 courses over 5 years, focusing on preclinical skills in years 1–2 and clinical skills in years 3–5. Fifty-nine competencies were identified and aggregated into 9 domains. Fifty-eight competencies were assessed at least one time in the curriculum. Faculty cited limited training in assessment as well as large student numbers as hindrances to designing robust assessments for the competencies.ConclusionCBME was successfully implemented evidenced by all but one of the 59 competencies within the nine domains established being assessed within the MBChB curriculum at MaKCHS. Faculty interviewed were largely aware of it, however indicated the need for more training in competency-based assessment to improve the implementation of CBME.

Competency-based pre-service education for clinical psychology training in low- and middle-income countries: Case study of Makerere University in Uganda.

Reducing the global treatment gap for mental health conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires not only an expansion of clinical psychology training but also assuring that graduates of these programs have the competency to effectively and safely deliver psychological interventions. Clinical psychology training programs in LMICs require standardized tools and guidance to evaluate competency. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF developed the “Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support” (EQUIP) platform to facilitate competency-based training in psychosocial support, psychological treatments, and foundational helping skills, with an initial focus on in-service training for non-specialists. Our goal was to design the first application of EQUIP to implement competency-based training into pre-service education for clinical psychology trainees. With Makerere University in Uganda as a case study, we outline an approach to develop, implement, and evaluate a competency-based curriculum that includes seven steps: (1) Identify core clinical psychology competencies; (2) Identify evaluation methods appropriate to each competency; (3) Determine when competency evaluations will be integrated in the curriculum, who will evaluate competency, and how results will be used; (4) Train faculty in competency-based education including conducting competency assessments and giving competency-based feedback; (5) Pilot test and evaluate the competency-based education strategy with faculty and students; (6) Modify and implement the competency-based education strategy based on pilot results; and (7) Implement ongoing evaluation of the competency-based curriculum with continuous quality improvement. This approach will be formally evaluated and established as a foundation for pre-service training in other low-resource settings.

Performing African Studies at El Colegio de México: neoliberal colonialism and the globalectical South

ABSTRACT By analysing a talk by Ngugi wa Thiong’o at Colmex in Mexico City as an academic performance, and his memoir of the early 1960s at Makerere University in Kampala, I explore different ways of engaging with Africa as subject/object of knowledge, in classic colonialism and neoliberal colonialism, in Latin America and in Africa. In my first case study, analysing the Colmex event as an academic performance means to approach it as a set of naturalised rituals, which turn out to be symptomatic of neoliberal colonialist epistemic outlooks. In my second case study, I analyse Ngugi’s memoir as a set of narrative strategies that critically engage with classic colonial education in Africa. In each case study, I concentrate on the relation between place and perspective, a relation central to Ngugi’s theoretical formulations in Globalectics. The analysis of performative, literary and theoretical instances of the relationship between place and perspective allows me to interrogate the implications of the Colmex African Studies programme as placed in the global South but without a global South perspective. Travelling between continents, epochs and genres, I aim to assess the role of ‘neoliberal colonialism’ for a global South study of Africa today.

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Biobanking in East and Central Africa: A case of the Integrated Biorepository of H3Africa Uganda.

Biorepositories are essential because they guarantee the proper storage and distribution of biospecimens and their associated data for current and future research. In Eastern and Central Africa, the Integrated Biorepository of H3Africa Uganda (IBRH3AU) at Makerere University in Uganda was the first of its kind. It is strategically located at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, which is home to some of Uganda's most relevant and impactful infectious and non-infectious disease research. Since its inception as a pilot project in 2012, the IBRH3AU biorepository has grown into a state-of-the-art facility serving the H3Africa consortium and the rest of the scientific community. IBRH3AU has built a solid infrastructure over the past ten years with cutting-edge methods and technologies for the collection, processing, quality control, handling, management, storage and shipment of biospecimens. H3Africa researchers, local researchers, postgraduate and postdoctoral students, and the greater scientific community in Eastern and Central Africa and beyond have benefited from IBRH3AU's exceptional biobanking services.

Employment status of AFROHUN-Uganda one health alumni, and facilitators and barriers to application of the one health approach: a tracer study

BackgroundThe One Health (OH) approach integrates multiple competencies in the prevention and control of disease outbreaks. Through a range of OH competence-based activities, the Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN) built the capacity of selected students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. This study applied the Systems Theoretical Framework (STF) of career development to establish the employment status of AFROHUN-Uganda alumni, and the facilitators and barriers to application of the OH approach in their organisations.MethodsWe conducted an embedded mixed-methods study among a random sample of 182 AFROHUN-Uganda alumni of the 2013–2018 cohorts. For quantitative data, descriptive statistics were computed using Stata 14.0 statistical software. A total of 12 in-depth interviews were conducted, and NVivo 12 Pro was used to organise data during thematic analysis.ResultsWhile the majority, 87.4% were or got employed after participating in the AFROHUN Uganda capacity building programme, 68.1% were employed at the time of the survey, 57.7% had worked with their current employer for at least a year, and 39% held managerial positions. The facilitators of applying the OH approach into employing organisations included being knowledgeable about OH, the presence of a multidisciplinary workforce, the nature of activities implemented, and existing partnerships and collaborations between organisations. The barriers to the application of the OH approach included limited funding, a negative attitude towards working with people from other disciplines, and limited knowledge of the One Health approach.ConclusionNotably, more than two-thirds of the OH alumni were employed, and more than a third held managerial position. While these findings portray a fairly good absorption rate of the OH alumni into the workforce, they also highlight the facilitators of application of the OH approach that need to be promoted as well as the barriers that need to be addressed if the application of the OH approach is to be improved within the workforce.

Dynamics in the Pursuance of Higher Education’s Mandate Amidst Workload Policy: The Optimism for Academics’ Career Growth

The paper explores multiple challenges encountered by academics in an attempt to fulfil the mandate of higher education institutions in Uganda of; teaching, research and service to community. Whereas teaching is the core function of any university, research and the third mission had majorly been used to inform most personnel decisions, thereby threatening not only quality but academics’ enthusiasm and growth. Two HEIs; Makerere University and Uganda Management Institute (UMI), were purposively selected to unravel the underlying dynamics using a descriptive design. It was revealed that university teaching was the most gratifying profession, and a cardinal role why universities exist, but research was a prerequisite for exception instructional delivery, evidence based teaching, institutional and individual visibility. Similarly, masterly through research was provided effective service to the community. Nonetheless, as individual academics strive to balance the three roles of teaching, research and service, the policy on minimum workload that majorly focuses on teaching load, has remained a hurdle, thereby jeopardizing academics’ career growth and progression. Paradoxically, even those who have endeavored to publish, suffer not only serious burnout and lack of adequate time to prepare for teaching, but their contract renewals that are constantly in jeopardy due to workload deficits. These stringent benchmarked evaluation tools, is threatening not only individual and institutional profiling, but also, diminished professorial collegiate. Further, it is recommended that institutions review their workload perimeters to take into consideration other aspects such as; number of students one has supervised, program development and review, representation on professional bodies and leadership.

Developing digital contact tracing tailored to haulage in East Africa to support COVID-19 surveillance: a protocol

IntroductionAt the peak of Uganda’s first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in May 2020, one in three COVID-19 cases was linked to the haulage sector. This triggered a mandatory requirement for a...

Peter Waiswa: building better health systems in Africa and beyond

Growing up in Iganga, a rural town in Uganda, Peter Waiswa was influenced by his late father, who instilled a love for education in him, and by the newborn deaths he saw in his large family. Waiswa now leads the Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Kampala, Uganda, and the INDEPTH Network's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Working Group. His work involves paving the way locally, nationally, and globally to develop health systems and health policy in maternal, newborn, and child health, development, and health services.

Collaborative research to respond to the HIV epidemic: a case of Uganda (Makerere University)-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration 1988-2021

Collaborative research between institutions may not yield results to transform communities. Many research collaborations come to the end of their life time without achieving their originally set goals and with a dearth of community transformation to show for it. To delineate and highlight the achievements of the Uganda (Makerere University)-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration. We retrospectively compiled and reviewed the data on research, training and policy impact achievements of the Uganda (Makerere University)-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration over a period of 30 years of its existence. Over the last 35 years, the Uganda (Makerere University)-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration trained a total of 104 Ugandans with Masters, PhDs and other varied graduate training programs. More than 70 large tuberculosis/TB+HIV studies were conducted with more than 360 manuscripts published including landmark local and global TB/HIV policy impact publications. The Uganda (Makerere University)-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration has in the past 35 years built the capacity of Ugandan and international students through conducting landmark research, training and mentoring and contributed to TB HIV management policy changes in Uganda.