Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC) and Microsoft Leap have launched a new workshop specifically created for university professors who teach technology-focused courses.
This program aims to provide university professors with the chance to collaborate with other educators, enhance their skills, and learn about best practices to incorporate into their teaching.
The 12-week program, starting on March 6th, will use a combination of classroom and hands-on training to give instructors a deeper understanding of the technology industry’s requirements.
The program’s goal is to inspire a change in the university curriculum to better align with the needs of the tech industry.
The program will collaborate with engineers from the ADC, Nairobi, to improve skills through a curriculum taught by Microsoft Leap instructors.
Along with technical programming and hybrid classroom teaching, educators will also receive training on Microsoft tools that are commonly used in classrooms worldwide and could be implemented in Kenyan lecture halls.
Also, the program will equip technical educators with the necessary resources to introduce popular Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Power Platforms, and Microsoft Dynamics.
The first cohort of 23 educators is drawn from both private and public universities, including Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Multimedia University, and Kirinyaga University.
Strathmore University, KCA University, Kabarak University, USIU-Africa, Zetech University, and Africa Nazarene University are the others.
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“This program is the result of collaboration on many fronts, including university lecturers and their students. The training has been designed to provide lecturers with hands-on experience with industry needs, allowing them to design effective teaching for their students in an equally practical manner. The course will also expose them to advanced topics and allow them to learn and experiment with effective teaching techniques while obtaining essential aspects of carrying out research studies,” said Catherine Muraga, Microsoft ADC Managing Director, at the program’s launch.
“JKUAT’s Department of Computing is thrilled to participate in the Microsoft Skilling Program, as it will provide our staff with access to cutting-edge technologies and a leading global company. This opportunity to engage with industry-relevant skills and knowledge brings great joy to the university”, Dr. Lawrence Nderu, Chairman/Lecturer, Department of Computing, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology said.
