Strengthening Agricultural and Environmental Capacity through Distance Education: Partnership between University of Nairobi and Makerere University in East Africa and University of Florida and CIAT

Strengthening Agricultural and Environmental Capacity through Distance Education: Partnership between University of Nairobi and Makerere University in East Africa and University of Florida and CIAT

Abstract
Collaborative MSC Distance Education Programme: Partnership between Nairobi University and Makerere University in East Africa and University of Florida and CIAT

1A. W. Mwang’ombe, 1G. Kironchi, 2M. Tenywa, 3S. Grunwald, 3L. Staal, 4E. Hesse and 1F. Olubayo

1University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
2Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
3University of Florida, P.O. Box 110282, Gainesville, FL 32611-0282, USA
4CIAT, A.A. 6713, Cali, Colombia

The University of Nairobi, Kenya, and Makerere University, Uganda, have partnered with the University of Florida and CIAT to start a distance education programme. The pilot project "Strengthening Environmental and Agricultural Capacities through Distance Education (SEAC-DE)" provides postgraduate training opportunity to candidates in the East Africa countries to obtain a Master Degree at the University of Florida, which has fully developed distance education programmes in Agriculture and Environment. The collaboration also aims to develop similar distance education programmes at Nairobi and Makerere. After a one semester testing phase using guest students in Fall 2005, four candidates were recruited, two each from Nairobi and Makerere, for Environmental Soil Science or Agricultural Entomology starting Spring 2006. The main mode of content delivery is electronic. The students will carry out locally relevant research under joint supervision of the universities professors and CGIAR researchers, thus acquire internationally recognized training. The collaboration offers a viable alternative by lowering education costs, increasing professional retention and not taking trainees out of their professional roles and away from their homes for extended periods. This initiative pioneers ICT-based postgraduate training in agricultural and environmental education in the region. Beneficiaries would contribute to increased agricultural production and development in their countries, hence alleviate poverty and improve food security.

Africa is a rural continent where agriculture is extremely important. For the region as a whole, the agricultural sector accounts for about 60% of the employment, 20% of total exports and 17% of GDP. Documentation in Africa's framework for agriculture, NEPAD's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)(NEPAD, 2003) indicates that 28% of Africa's population is chronically hungry. Thus, agriculture-led development is fundamental to cutting hunger, reducing poverty, generating economic growth and promoting sustainable use of natural resources. The challenges facing Africa's agriculture are many, but human-resource capacity building is undoubtedly one of the most important prerequisites for science and technology advancement of Africa's agricultural production systems. One strategy to address this need is development and promotion of partnerships with developed countries carrying out and developing research and development capacities in agriculture (FARA, 2004). Although there has been significant progress in building human capacity, the existing capacity fall short of meeting Africa's technological needs.

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's least developed countries, most of which are in Africa. However, achievement of the MDGs targets could be possible ”only if we break with business as usual”, according to the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi A. Annan. Traditional long-term degree training takes professionals out of their professional roles and away from their homes for extended periods. Distance education holds much promise offering alternatives fore increasing professional retention and lowering the high cost associated with degree education. To date, almost all the distance education programmes in universities in the region are mainly in humanities and social sciences. The initiative described in this paper pioneers ICT-based postgraduate training in agricultural and environmental sciences in the region.

The SAEC-DE programme (Strengthening Agricultural and Environmental Capacities through Distance Education) links international distance education with locally relevant research for agricultural development and environmental protection at diverse sites around the developing world. University of Nairobi in Kenya and Makerere University in Uganda, in collaboration with University of Florida (UF) and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have started a distance education programme at Masters level. The project aims at strengthening staff capacity not only at the two universities, but also at the national agricultural research systems (NARS). It has been realized that funded overseas training opportunities are diminishing, yet private funding is very expensive. This programme will therefore give an opportunity to staff from the East African universities and the NARS (National Agricultural Research Systems) to obtain a Master Degree at the University of Florida in USA, which has fully developed distance education programmes in agricultural and environmental disciplines.

The goal of SAEC-DE is to develop a working distance learning model for universities, CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) centres and research institutions to improve the contribution of agricultural research and education to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The specific objectives of the project include:

Students will carry out relevant research under the joint supervision of university professors and CGIAR researchers. The candidates will therefore develop research skills locally with internationally recognized scientists and programmes. This pilot project will provide an opportunity for professionals employed by a research centre or on faculty at partner universities to engage in a research degree programme that leads to a thesis while satisfying course requirements through distance education and maintaining their professional positions.

The inception meeting brought together the partners in May 2005 in Kampala for joint planning. In the planning meeting the partners shared ideas on how to streamline the activities of the programme. It was attended by patners from Makerere University, University of Nairobi, University of Florida, CIAT and USAID. The major project implementation issues discussed in the meeting included institutional arrangements and environment, student recruitment and supervision as well as infrastructure (facilities) available for distance learning. Before the start of implementation, each East African university was requiered to sign a memorandum of understanding with University of Florida and CIAT.

In August and September 2005, 14 guest students drawn from Makerere University, University of Nairobi, CIAT Tanzania and CIAT Colombia participated in the modus operandi of distance learning and to identify likely constraints during implementation. The guest students were able to provide information for monitoring and evaluation.

A pilot project in Uganda and Kenya was successfully launched in January 2006 with four students enrolled in Master's degree programmes, two each from Nairobi and Makerere, for Soil and Water Science (Environmental Track), or Agricultural Entomology. Supported by academic advisors from the CGIAR, the University of Florida (USA), Makerere University (Uganda) and University of Nairobi (Kenya), each student is expected to complete the degree between two to five years.

The selected students have to be members of staff of the Universities, NARS or a CGIAR centre or if not yet recruited; there should be a long-term commitment from the institutions mentioned above to hire a recommended student. In addition, the selected students have to meet the admission conditions of UF, including having GRE scores of not less than 1000. No presence at UF campus would be required when on this programme, therefore selected students will continue working in their current positions on part-time basis. A Masters programme at UF generally takes two years but may take up to five years for distance learning candidates working part time.

The registered students freely access materials UF online. Other relevant material may be procured locally or are sent (e.g. CDs) to the students by courier from UF. Assignments are sent to the students electronically and the students submit their work online. Each of the students is assigned three academic advisors, of whom the major is from UF, and the others are form the host University and the third from a CGIAR centre in the host country . All the three advisors are involved in guiding each student on their thesis projects so that they can conduct research that meets both academic requirements as well as practical relevance. During the research phase of the study, each student is expected work closely with the two local advisors to develop a research proposal on a locally relevant topic, that is also in line with the host CGIAR's mandate of research. Students, faculty and scientists are required to report on their distance education experience at the end of each semester.

Initial grant funding for this pilot project has been availed from USAID through CIAT, which is only available for activities in Africa. Additional students can be accommodated if appropriate support funds are available through other projects or programmes. The sponsorship will cover tuition, materials (books and literature), stationery and laboratory fees, research and supervisory costs, and internal travel. Students must be provided access to good quality computers and accessories with proper Internet connection (preferably broadband).

University professors from Makerere and Nairobi universities are keen and active partners in the initiative, as they can clearly see the value of long-term collaboration between scientists, faculty, and students in CGIAR centers, northern and southern universities. Professors from University of Florida see an opportunity to broaden their research scope and make their course offerings more interesting for international audiences.

Students are enthusiastic about the guidance they obtain from their thesis advisory committee and the opportunity to do practical field work alongside CGIAR researchers. All partners are learning to deal with new ICTs, and southern partners plan to use these new skills in future distance education courses for their constituencies in Africa.

Although connectivity circumstances particularly in Eastern Africa are still very limited, creative ways have been found to deal with these in the mean time. For instance, distance education students are assigned computers with privileged access to the Internet; study materials are designed in a way to require little bandwidth, as well as are provided on CD-ROM; and, arrangements have been made with international centers in the region to allow students use their facilities. Furthermore, university professors are pushing decision makers to invest in better ICT infrastructure in their respective institutions. So far the major chalenges encountred include the following:

Through inter-institutional collaboration in teaching and research coupled with the rapid development in ICTs, there is a possibility of increasing the number and quality of graduates in developing countries through distance learning. However, key to success of this program will largely depend on establishment of wide internet connectivity among collaborating institutions so that students and instructors have access to computers and the Internet with appropriate band width. The East Africa universities need rapid transformation to electronic information systems and improvement in laboratory equipment and materials. The face-to-face approach cannot be avoided completely, especially for practical sessions, in which case short courses may be organised by the host institution to enrich practical aspects of the students.

SAEC-DE is a pilot collaborative programme aimed at strengthening institutional capacity through reduced costs by exploiting developments in ICT for distance learning. The programme is a unique model for partnering universities in the south (University of Nairobi - Kenya, Makerere University - Uganda,) and/or NARS with Universities in the north (University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Science and the CGIAR-CIAT, to improve education and research through distance learning. The strength of the model lies in its flexibility for enhancing self-placed learning in time and space at reduced cost. The major challenge remains in how to cope with limited bandwidth and Internet connectivity.

USAID is acknowledged for funding the project. CIAT, Makerere University, University of Nairobi and University of Florida are commended for undertaking the implementation and coping with the challenges.