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In low- and middle-income countries, cascade models of teacher professional development are often used as routes to educational reform. In these models, external agents deliver professional development, which is then disseminated by in-country facilitators. However, little is known about how to support facilitators of professional development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we report on a model of capacity building for professional development in Ghana. In...

Background: “Capacity building” is an international development strategy which receives billions of dollars of investment annually and is utilized by major development agencies globally. However, there is a lack of consensus around what “capacity building” or even “capacity” itself, means. Nurses are the frequent target of capacity building programming in sub-Saharan Africa as they provide the majority of healthcare in that region. Objectives: This study explored how “capacity” was...

One of the observable problems facing most developing nations today is the non-availability of adequately trained and well-motivated professionals with the capacity to solving problems of national development. Many University graduate professionals complain of unemployment. However, there exist substantial employment opportunities in Africa and other developing nations but the major challenge being that, the skills to match up with imminent challenges are missing. There is, therefore a need...

Abstract Local coastal communities are highly dependent upon the marine environment not only for protein but also as a primary source of income. In addition, there are growing economic opportunities offered within the coastal zone. As populations increase in these areas there is an increasing demand on coastal resources. This in turn requires effective management initiatives at regional, national and local levels.The Marine Education and Training Programme in Mtwara, southern Tanzania was a...

Despite the need to improve the quantity and quality of psychiatry training in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), very little is known about the experiences of psychiatric trainees in the region. This is the first study examining psychiatric trainees in a low-income country in SSA. It was carried out as part of the needs assessment for a unique Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) programme to find African solutions for medical shortages in Africa. We approached all doctors who had trained...

South Africa is a developmental state that suffers from a lack of management capacity in the public service. Hence, a national imperative focuses on addressing talent management and building a cohort of qualified and competent public servants. The synergistic link between public sector management and the content of public administration can be associated with and contribute to addressing critical skills shortages in the public service. Training in this regard with the demand for and supply...

Education is considered by many as an agent of human development, social mobility and socio-economic development of any society. However, it is arguable that the type and quality of education a nation offers to its citizens is a function of the level of progression of that nation. In this context, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been recognized as the wide-diversified education system instrumental in making the remarkable contribution to economic growth of a...

© 2017, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved. The 2014–2015 epidemic of Ebola virus disease in West Africa primarily affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Several countries, including Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal, experienced Ebola importations. Realizing the importance of a trained field epidemiology workforce in neighboring countries to respond to Ebola importations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Field Epidemiology Training Program unit...

Summary Advances in health professional education have been slow to materialize in many developing countries over the past half-century, contributing to a widening gap in quality of care compared to developed countries. Recent calls for reform in global health professional education have stressed, among other priorities, the need for approaches that strengthen clinical reasoning skills. While the development of these skills is critical to enhance health systems, little research has been...

In 1998, as part of what was then Zambia’s Department of Technical Education and Vocational Training’s (DTEVT) human resources capacity building initiative, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MSTVT), donor funding was secured to provide degree-level training for key teachers and managers within the technical education and vocational education and training (TEVET) system. However, the lack of degree-level courses designed for TEVET personnel at both of Zambia’s...

Abstract Kenya's tourism industry is relatively well developed (with first class hospitality establishments and tourist facilities that are juxtaposed in close proximity to pristine glistering tropical sand beaches and world renowned wildlife attractions in protected parks and reserves). Hence the country, in recent years, has become a popular destination for international visitors, especially European and North American tourists, haggling for safari tourism experience combined with...

Designing Teacher Learning Circles for Improved Foundational Numeracy Outcomes: Findings from the National Numeracy Programme in Malawi [Technical Report]

Correa de Oliveira, A., Plaut, D., Kanyoza, C., … Haßler, B. - 2024 - EdTech Hub

The Malawi National Numeracy Programme (NNP) was designed in 2020 in partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Education and Cambridge Education (Mott McDonald), funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Building on findings from a prior qualitative review of the NNP's programme components, EdTech Hub proposed a new phase of design-based implementation research (DBIR) to be undertaken in Term 2 of the 2022–2023 school year to refine the school-based teacher...

Tablet use in schools: a critical review of the evidence for learning outcomes

Haßler, B., Major, L., & Hennessy, S. - 2016 - Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 32(2), 139–156

The increased popularity of tablets in general has led to uptake in education. We critically review the literature reporting use of tablets by primary and secondary school children across the curriculum, with a particular emphasis on learning outcomes. The systematic review methodology was used, and our literature search resulted in 33 relevant studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 23 met the minimum quality criteria and were examined in detail (16 reporting positive learning...

Sustaining and Scaling Pedagogic Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Grounded Insights For Teacher Professional Development

Haßler, B., Hennessy, S., & Hofmann, R. - 2018 - Journal of Learning for Development, 5(1)

Developing sustainable and scalable educational initiatives is a key challenge in low-income countries where donor-funded short-term projects are limited by both contextual factors and programme design. In this commentary we examine some of the issues related to in-service teacher development in the context of sub-Saharan Africa, grounded predominantly in our work of over five years of iteratively developing, refining and evaluating an intensive school-based professional learning programme...

The OER4Schools professional development programme: Outcomes of a sustained trial in sub-Saharan Africa

Haßler, B., Hennessy, S., & Hofmann, R. - 2020 - Frontiers in Education, 5(146)

Sustaining educational initiatives beyond short-term pilot projects is highly challenging in low-income countries. We describe the outcomes and implications of our iterative Design-Based Implementation Research conducted in Zambia. This focused on a unique, school-based, peer-facilitated professional learning programme for primary teachers: OER4Schools integrates interactive pedagogy, open digital educational resources and mobile learning. Teacher interviews carried out 18 months after a...

Teacher professional development in sub-Saharan Africa: Equity and scale [preprint] [Preprint]

Haßler, B., Bennett, G., & Damani, K. - 2020

This chapter synthesises approaches to teacher professional development based on the evidence provided by three key reviews. A comprehensive and pragmatic set of eight principles for teacher professional development in sub-Saharan Africa is presented, including recommendations for: effective teaching and learning practices that facilitate a focus on student learning; professional status and motivation of teachers; design and conduct of professional development programmes; and the value of...