| The implementation of Academic Management System at SU |
Three SU members of staff presented two papers at the conference. SU's Deputy Vice Chancellor (Quality and Assurance) Dr Joseph Sevilla and Academic Registrar Mr Patrick Shabaya presented a paper titled "Change and Innovation in Higher Education: The Implementation of an Academic Management System (AMS) at Strathmore University" at the conference. The paper observes that although African universities are slowly adapting ICT, core functions such as student admissions, estate management, fees payment, examination records and library services among others are yet to be automated - leading to reduced quality in service and low staff productivity. However with the high cost of Integrated Academic Management Systems (IAMS) on the market, these universities must find alternative ways of meeting customer expectations within their constrained budgets. The paper outlines the reasons and processes SU took in selecting its AMS, the challenges faced within this strategic innovation and how it tackled these challenges to achieve what it has achieved and suggestions on implementing similar systems in other institutions in the continent. SU's Quality Assurance Manager Mrs Catherine Muchira Gatei presented a paper written in conjunction with Prof Helen Mondoh the Dean, Faculty of Education, Egerton University titled "Integration of Student Evaluation of Lecturers and Pedagogical Programmes: An Intervention to Assure Quality in Teaching and Learning". The paper examines the disjoint between student evaluation and pedagogical programmes for improving teaching and learning especially as universities, student numbers and programmes increase in the country. The UNISTAFF programme aims at strengthening individual competencies and institutional capacities to create a culture of innovation, and quality assurance in higher education through training and networking of university leadership. |
