Review on Higher Diploma Training Experiences, Quality Teaching and Its Challenges in Mizan_Tepi University, Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to examine the existing practices of quality teaching in Mizan_Tepi University.  Specifically, it is to discuss on how the knowledge, experiences and skills acquired from higher diploma program training is linked to quality teaching-learning. Higher diploma program training is effectively undertaking in Mizan_Tepi University. About 572 university academic staffs have been completed this training program within the last ten years. However, the impact of this training on the effective teaching of academic staff is not conducted yet. For this matter researches that have been done by different universities on this regard has been reviewed and compared with the real practices. Session observations of higher diploma trained academic staff classrooms, focus group discussion with the program candidates and teaching experiences were used as a base for this review. In general, the long period of time teaching experiences in the university and frequent session observations made indicates that the real practice of teaching and learning situation in Mizan_Tepi university looks like similar with the traditional teaching approach in which students are considered as passive listeners.  Most teachers failed to make their lesson active and increase students’ engagement by blaming the mismatch between the contents of the subject in terms of its scope and the modular teaching approach. In practice it is observed that instructors are unused this skills and experiences that they have gained from higher diploma training in spite of the real use of it to facilitate students’ better learning. Some instructors with being less reflective of themselves, they attribute every failure to students though the program is supposed to help the realization of reflectiveness of teachers based on the constructivist teaching approach. Student engagement is most powerful in the process of quality teaching. To make such culture happen first teachers expected to believe that students learn better when they become active participant and create an environment which gives an opportunity to engage into learning. And also students must take responsibility for their learning and work hard to achieve the desired objectives. Lastly, the reviewer strongly recommends the academic community that to realize the usage of knowledge, skills and experiences gained from the training there has to be genuine focus, concern and commitment towards the quality teaching in the University.

Keywords: Higher Diploma Training Experiences, Quality of Teaching

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-10-11

Publication date: April 30^th 2019