College of Natural and Computational Sciences at Hawassa University, in collaboration with NORAD NURTURE project, has organized a two-days' training for mathematics instructors on blended teaching methods entitled, “Blended Teaching: Redesigning the Basic Mathematics Course and Providing Practical Training on Open-EdX”.
HU's Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Fiseha Getachew, stated in his opening speech that blended learning would play important part in enhancing the quality of higher education. He also outlined the steps the university is taking to advance digital learning and indicated that work is underway to incorporate postgraduate programs into this approach in the future.
Dr. Zufan Bedewi, Dean of CNCS, on her part noted that the Department of Mathematics has taken improved steps to deliver its courses both through face-to-face and digital platforms. She emphasized that the resources gained from the training should be utilized to ensure its effective implementation.
Professor Shegaw Anagaw, the NURTURE project coordinator from University of South Eastern Norway, also spoke about the educational development objectives of the project and its impact on Ethiopian universities. He stated that such trainings play a significant role in modernizing the country’s university education system.
The Director of e-Learning directorate and NURTURE Project coordinator at Hawassa University, Dr. Tesfaye Bayu, on his part elaborated on the tasks carried out in the development of the university’s e-learning system and the utilization of Open-EdX platform, and said the training will help strengthen instructors’ competencies.
Finally, Hawassa University signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration with the African Digital Innovation Technology Academy (ADITA) after launching the training.
