Did you know: New academic programs and support for student success at USIU-Africa
By Prof. Paul Zeleza
As an institution, USIU-Africa is committed to ensuring that its students enjoy globally competitive education, in line with its motto, ‘Education to take you places’. Below are highlights of some of the initiatives we have put in place to strengthen our academic output:
Quality Assurance
In the 2018/19 academic year, three programs were launched in the 2018 Summer and Fall semesters, with eight new degree programs developed and submitted to the accreditors.
New Initiatives
Two major initiatives were undertaken during the year. First, the E-Learning Directorate was established to create USIU-Africa Online as a premier center to leverage the use of modern technologies to enrich the overall educational experience of students. Second, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching that had been defunct for many years was reestablished to nurture faculty professional development in learning and teaching, instructional design, sound pedagogy, technology integration and other emerging areas.
Student support and success
The University invests significant resources and effort in providing services for student support and success. These include a wide range of counselling programs given the growing range of challenges facing students, awareness raising activities, and sporting activities, in which USIU-Africa performs exceptionally well. A variety of social programs are also offered including numerous club activities.
Exchange and Study Abroad Programs
The opportunities for study abroad for USIU-Africa students and foreign exchange students to study at the University continues to grow.
Trips Abroad
Several academic programs at the University incorporate trips abroad as part of the curriculum. For example, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences students in International Relations go to Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia as part of a field study class, while students in Criminal Justice go to The Hague where the International Criminal Court is located. There are also opportunities for students to go abroad as part of language training. In the 2018-2019 academic year, these included trips to Spain and China.
Foreign Students Enrolled at USIU-Africa
In the 2018-2019 academic year a total of 1044 international students from 73 countries were enrolled at USIU-Africa. Seven were doctoral students, 144 were graduate and 893 undergraduate students. These represented 16% of the total population of 6443.
Student Council
Successful elections were held for the Student Council under the new Student Council constitution. Among its many activities, the Council organized a series of events and participated in local and international leadership retreats.
Institutional Surveys
The implementation of previous surveys including those on student retention, employability, sexual harassment, and cafeteria services progressed. New surveys were conducted on alcohol and drug abuse, religion on campus, and institutional support for sports. The surveys are part of institutional commitment for continuous improvement in student life and wellbeing, which is critical for optimal student performance.