Browsing by Author "Zami Atibuni, Dennis"

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    Assuring Quality amidst Political Intrigue in Higher Education Institutions
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2021) Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Kani Olema, David
    This article provides an anatomical analysis of the political intrigue within quality assurance and management mechanisms of higher education institutions in East Africa. Actionable strategies are hence proposed for circumventing the negative effects of such intrigue in order to ensure quality service delivery within the institutions while respecting the need for diversity and innovative practices in research and education. We recognize that the primary responsibility for quality assurance and quality management lies with the higher education institutions themselves, rather than with any outside body. The article therefore discusses issues of autonomy internal to the institutions and those external - between the institutions and regulatory cum oversight bodies that have perpetually riddled the efficiency of quality enhancement. The article draws its data and information from international, national, and institutional policies as well as refereed studies on quality assurance and quality management, especially those highlighting political intrigue in the processes. It has been observed that quality assurance of higher education processes is desired to enhance quality in the response of higher education to labour market needs. However, the article reveals the existence of immense negative politicking and intrigue in the quality assurance processes in higher education institutions in East Africa which are responsible for compromising the quality of services delivered by the institutions. It is argued that being an indicator for organisational performance, the continuous monitoring and enhancing of quality of higher education should be the primary goal and objective of all stakeholders of higher education in East Africa, meaning that quality assurance processes should be embedded in the conducting of the routine business of the institutions.
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    Challenges and strategies of research engagement among Master of Education students in Uganda
    (International Journal of Educational Policy Research and Review, 2017) Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Kibanja, Grace Milly; Kani Olema, David; Ssenyonga, Joseph; Karl, Steffens
    A qualitative investigation was done to explore the challenges and strategies of research engagement among Master of Education students in Uganda. Two focus group discussions (n = 12) and seven key informant interviews (n = 7) were conducted among purposively selected students and university staff respectively. Participants in the focus groups included Master of Education students of 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2013/2014, and 2014/2015 cohorts who were still on or had completed their studies by January 2016. The key informant interview participants included heads of departments, deans of faculties, and directors of institutes and directorates. Challenges faced by the students were mainly work-life balance related: work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, and workplace support challenges. These challenges caused further challenges in the students’ research engagement in the aspects of active and collaborative learning, student effort, student-faculty interaction, and institutional support. Strategies to overcome the challenges included provision of work-life balance activities and opportunities to learn. Implications for educational practice were suggested.
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    Efficacy of information and communication technology in digitalized students’ records management in universities in Eastern Uganda
    (African Educational Research Journal, 2018) Ochwo, Deogracious; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Sekiwu, Denis
    This quantitative study examined the efficacy of adopting information and communication technology (ICT) in digitalized students’ records management among university staffs in Eastern Uganda. The study used cross-sectional and descriptive survey designs. The target population was 402 staff members involved in students’ records management, of which 129 participants were obtained using stratified, proportionate, and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that measured the levels of ICT adoption and effectiveness of digitalized students’ records management. Findings revealed that the level of ICT adoption and digitalised students’ records management in the universities was generally moderately high. It was further revealed that an increase in the level of ICT adoption was associated with higher effectiveness of digitalized students’ records management and vice versa. It was recommended that managements of the universities need to procure enough ICT equipment such as computers for the staff to promote effective digitalized students’ records management. Training needs assessment and continuous professional training in the field of ICT was required all the time for the staff to keep abreast technological changes in students’ records management.
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    How Quality of Supervision Moderates the Relationship between Student Teachers’ Preparation for and Performance in School Practice
    (American Journal of Educational Research, 2020) Kani Olema, David; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Birabwa, Elizabeth
    This quantitative cross-sectional survey examined the moderation effect of the quality of supervision on the adequacy of preparation for SP - performance in SP among 184 (98 second year and 84 third year) student teachers at Busitema University. Findings revealed high adequacy of preparation (M = 103.02, SD = 13.17), high quality of supervision (M = 37.13, SD = 6.19), and high level of performance (M = 43.16, SD = 4.75) in SP. The quality of supervision was a significant moderator of the preparation—performance link, R2 = .0136, F (7, 176) = 3.767, b = .006, t (176) = - 1.941, p = .05. The findings imply need for tagging SP preparation and supervision to student teachers’ performance.
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    ICT Adoption Readiness and ICT Policy Implementation in Secondary Schools in Mayuge District, Uganda
    (American Journal of Educational Research, 2021) Mukhula, Gideon James; Manyiraho, Deborah; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Kani Olema, David
    This study explored the levels of and relationship between ICT adoption readiness and ICT policy implementation in Secondary Schools in Mayuge District. The objectives included determining the level of ICT adoption readiness, establishing the level of ICT policy implementation and examining the relationship between ICT adoption readiness and ICT policy implementation. A cross-sectional survey research design employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. A sample of 232 teachers was selected from both private and public secondary schools using simple random sampling technique to participate in the study. Three District Inspectors of Schools (DIS) selected purposively also participated in the study. A questionnaire containing closed ended questions was used to collect quantitative data from the teachers, while an interview guide was used to obtain qualitative responses from the DIS. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics: frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations, while the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results revealed a moderate overall level of ICT adoption readiness (M = 42.19, SD = 10.10), a moderate overall level of ICT policy implementation (M = 85.11, SD = 9.88), and a significant moderate positive relationship (r = .50, p < .01) between ICT adoption readiness and ICT policy implementation. From the results it was concluded that secondary schools in Mayuge District were in the early stages of domestication of ICT and ICT policy implementation. It was recommended that concerted effort be directed towards improving schools’ ICT adoption readiness in order to improve ICT policy implementation.
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    Mediation effect of performance appraisal management on the work environment – job satisfaction relationship among support staff in a university in Uganda
    (African Educational Research Journal, 2017) Namwagwe, Justine; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Sekiwu, Denis
    The suitability of work environment is an important antecedent of effective performance appraisal management process and job satisfaction among employees within an organization. This study examined the mediation effect of performance appraisal management on the relationship between work environment and job satisfaction among support staff at a public university in Uganda. The study employed crosssectional survey design. A structured, closed ended questionnaire containing mainly 5–point Likert type items was administered to a census of 207 support staff of the university; 172 (83.1%) responses were complete and used in data analysis. Findings revealed that the support staff ratings of suitability of work environment, effectiveness of performance appraisal management, and job satisfaction at the university were at moderate levels. In addition there was a partial mediation effect of performance appraisal management on the work environment – job satisfaction link at the university. Policy implications include deliberate effort on the part of management to provide suitable working conditions and enhance effective performance appraisal management so as to increase job satisfaction among the support staff.
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    Overcoming Policy and Practice Fragility and Enhancing Security of Science, Technology and Innovation Educational Achievement for Females in Uganda
    (Journal of the National Council for Higher Education, 2022) Okwakol, Mary N.; Suubi Ujeyo, Margaret Stella; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Saphina, Biira; Waako, Paul
    The Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG 4 and 5) provide for the attainment of quality education for all, including women. Africa Agenda 2063, Uganda Vision 2040, the Third National Development Plan (NDP III) similarly all provide unequivocal reiterations on the need for the provision of quality inclusive education that will drive national socio-economic transformation. This is particularly envisioned through a robust science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education that fosters relevant science, technology and innovation (STI) knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and competences to constitute the epicentre of the transformation. Promoting the achievement of women in equal measure to men in STEM and STI is critical to the socio-economic transformation agenda. However, there exist gaps in the policy framework and the implementation of STEM education that undermine STI educational achievement, especially for women. This conceptual paper is aimed at examining the fragility of legal and policy frameworks for STEM/STI education and the strategies for enhancing STI educational achievement for females in the Ugandan context. We argue that strengthening the policy implementation of gender-responsive STEM/STI education is a precursor of socio-economic transformation of nations and the entire world. The paper adopts a semi-systematic literature review methodology to examine legal and policy documents for strengths, flaws and implementation gaps with the aim of recommending strategies for enhancing STEM/STI educational achievement for females in Uganda.
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    Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Transformative Teaching and Learning in the Face of COVID-19: A Case of Busitema University-Faculty of Science and Education
    (Direct Research Journal of Education and Vocational Studies, 2022) Kaweesi, Muhamadi; Kani Olema, David; Zami Atibuni, Dennis; Manyiraho, Deborah
    Following the lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) rolled out a policy that required universities and their disparate academic faculties to, among other things, transform from the traditional face to face teaching and learning to the virtual online format. As such, the second semester of the academic year 2019/2020 for undergraduate academic programmes was delivered through distance learning (DL) as opposed to classroom learning (CL). Considering this sudden shift, several issues came into play and this quantitative empirical study that employed a questionnaire survey was carried out to shed some light on how students at the Faculty of Science and Education, Busitema University-Nagongera campus perceived institutional readiness to implement transformative (online) teaching and learning in the face of COVID-19. This study was inspired by concerns highlighted in publications and studies, as well as the voices of various stakeholders, that online teaching and learning inside regional institutions appear to have begun with inadequate preparation. According to the findings, research participants observed gaps in institutional readiness for transformative teaching and learning in the areas of human resources, self-development, technological readiness, and innovation readiness. We urge that lecturers and students be open-minded, adaptable, and motivated in self-development in order to adapt their teaching and learning approaches to the online environment. Campus leadership, through continuous online training programmes are also urged to focus on altering lecturers' and students’ mindsets to help them understand that the future of higher education systems involves the online environment, and that online teaching and learning has become the new normal.