POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

St. Lawrence University was founded in 2006 though took in the first class of students in September 2007.

The University campus is located in Mengo, Rubaga Division, in central Kampala, Uganda's largest city and capital. The university campus sits on 11 acres (0.045 km²) of land and is located near Kabaka's Lake, in Mengo, close to the main Lubiri (Palace of the Kabaka of Buganda), 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the central business district of Kampala.

It is a private higher education institution and officially accredited and/or recognized by the National Council for Higher Education., Uganda. St Lawrence University (SLAU) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education certificates, diplomas and degrees in several areas of study. In addition SLAU provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, housing, as well as administrative services.

About the programme:

The Post graduate Diploma in Education programme offers training to lecturers in the art of teaching. It is designed to enrich lecturers’ competencies so as to become more thoughtful and informed education practitioners. The programme fosters critical analysis of educational thought and ethics and teaching skills. Students admitted to this course will explore, consider and analyse techniques of needs assessment in University teaching, methods of teaching and learning as well as instructional media available in Universities. In the final analysis, the course will enhance teaching and learning in universities and contemporary issues affecting University education.

The course targets lecturers or education practitioners in institutions of Higher Learning who already possess acceptable qualifications to teach at there but did not receive exposure in the art of teaching.

2.0 RATIONALE

The 21^st Century has come with its own challenges and hopes; the population is rapidly increasing bringing in its wake developments such as rise in children population, underdevelopment, and strain on socio-economic infrastructures.  Therefore, the need for educational programmes in the history of civilisation has never been much more needed than it is now.  As a result of this, at global and continental levels Action Plans like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) have been formulated to deal with among others the problem of education, having identified illiteracy, poverty and ignorance as worldwide problems.  At the level of a nation, Uganda is busy putting up modalities for the full realisation of the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education.  It is therefore prudent and imperative that if these two blights are to be decisively dealt with on one hand, and if the above programmes are to bear fruits on the other, the training of teachers be given a lot of priority and right emphasis.

Currently, there is a serious demand for teacher training(s).  Some teachers who are in service for various reasons have wished to upgrade from one level of education to another say from a Diploma to Degree.  The Faculty of Education, Arts and Vocational Studies has responded to this call by providing avenues through which one can enhance professional growth and development. There are individuals who have obtained various qualifications at degree level but have never been employed and so wish to join the teaching profession. To do this, they need to train as teachers and hence the need for this programme. It is hoped therefore, that by going through this one year programme in education, they can make good teachers.

It is a reality that every scholar who must teach needs some aspects of training as a teacher. Many graduates leave University Education with general academic contents e.g. in Geography, History, English, Literature, Physics, Chemistry Biology etc. without training in pedagogy. The Ministry of Education and Sports has directives to these graduates who find themselves teaching to go back to universities for retraining as teachers. Needless to say that teaching is a professional in its on rights and therefore the need for training those who handle children in the classroom. It is also the objective of the Ministry of Education and Sports to have other professions e.g. Doctors, Engineers, Accountants who eventually find themselves training students in their respective professions to have do of pedagogy.

 3.0 PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

By the end of the programme, students will be able to:

a)    Use different methods of teaching in their day to day practices to achieve desirable results.

b)   Demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in handling individual students, and or groups in schools setting.

c)    Analyse the syllabuses and make the necessary schemes and lesson preparations for effective delivery and transfer of knowledge and skills to learners.

d)   Act as a role model to the school and community.

e)    Assess effectiveness of delivery methods basing on the performance of learners.

4.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the programme, students should be able to:

a)    Appreciate the need for diligence and skills of extra ordinary patience with all types of persons in the school setting.

b)    Provide students the full multi-dimensional concept of education that caters for the head, heart and the hand. (The 3 Hs)

c)    Apply technological knowledge and comprehension to solve problems related to the educational field in new situations and multi-disciplinary contexts.

d)    Integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes from different fields to manage complex education matters.