SCHOOL OF CONTINUING
AND
DISTANCE EDUCATION /
University of Nairobi
Newsletter
January to June 2014

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News and Activities in the School since January 2014:

  1. Research Activities in the School

Staff in the School of Continuing and Distance Education have continued to perform well in academic research. As a testimony to this, two members of staff from the School were elevated to the level Associate Professor in May 2014. These are Professor Joyce Mbwesa and Professor Guantai Mboroki and the Dean, SCDE takes this opportunity to commend them for this achievement and wish them well.

The promotions of Prof. Mbwesa and Prof. Mboroki has beefed the number of faculty in the School with Professorial qualifications. The School now has 2 full Professors, 4 Associate Professors, 7 Senior Lecturers, 14 Lecturers, and 2 Tutorial Fellows.

2.New Students

(a) PhD Admissions

The School admitted a total of 130PhD students in Project Planning and Management in January 2014. The students, who will be taking their coursework at the Nairobi Extra Mural Centre and Kisumu Campus, were officially received at the CCU on January 11, 2014 by the College Principal Prof. Isaac Jumba, the Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education Prof. Harriet Kidombo, College Registrar Mrs. Miriam Manya and the Chairman, DEMS Dr. Charles Rambo among others.

(b)Masters, Bachelors, and Diploma Admissions

Various programmes in the School admitted new students during the April / May 2014 admission period. The students were taken through the registration and orientation process to prepare them through their academic journey.

During orientation, students were taken through the structure of the University and also informed of the various resources and facilities available for use by students in their academic pursuit.

The Dean, School of Continuing & Distance Education, Prof. Harriet Kidombo, addressing new B. Ed (Arts) students at Ngara Girls High School

3. Residential Sessions for Distance Students

Distance students in the School had face-to-face tuition organized for them during the April 2014 school holidays. The sessions were held from14th April to 2nd May 2014.

4. Examinations

The three departments in the School have held examinations for their students as shown below:

  • DES

-MAPE 21st to 25th April 2014

-B. Ed (Arts) 21st April– 2nd May 2014

-PGDE 21st April– 2nd May 2014

  • DEMS

-MA in PPM1st, 2nd, and 3rdsemester exams were done from 10thto 22nd February 2014; and again from 3rd – 14th June 2014.

-BA in PPM examinations for 1st and 2nd year was done from 17th to 22nd February 2014.

-Diploma exams done from 12th to 24th May 2014.

  • DDS

-Master in Distance Education exams done from 22nd to 30th April 2014.

-Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education and Community Development exams done from 9th to 10th April 2014.

-Diploma exams done from 9th to 11th April 2014.

5.Central Marking

The Department of Educational Studies organized centralized marking forContinuous Assessment Tests which were done in December, 2013 in January 2014 at the CCU in Main Campus. Central Marking for end of semester examinations done in April 2014 started on 9th June 2014 and is ongoing and is expected to end on 24th June 2014.

6. University Open Day

The University of Nairobi hosted a successful Open Day that attracted thousands of prospective students, parents, private sector players and the general public. The three-day event that was held from 8th upto 10th May 2014, at the Great Court, Main Campus, provided an opportunity for the University to share information with its stakeholders on its programmes and services. It created a forum through which prospective students and the public at large were able to interact with faculty staff to find out more about university programmes and other activities and also provide feedback on the services rendered by the University.

The open day was officially opened by the Chancellor Dr. Vijoo Rattansi who challenged prospective students to sample the University of Nairobi’s unique offering and choose a University that will help them not only to meet their needs but also develop interests into a career thus achieving their goals.

The School of Continuing and Distance Education was among units that exhibited during the open day showcasing its wide varied of different programmes offered which include PhD, Masters, Bachelors, Postgraduate Diplomas, Diplomas, and certificate courses.

7.Digitization of B. Ed (Arts) Study Modules

The School has been using printed study materials to teach the B. Ed (Arts)distance students. However, with the current advancement in technology, the print materials are being converted to e-materials which can be accessible to students without them necessarily coming to the campus. Presently, a total of 169 units have been digitized and uploaded to the University e-learning platform.

8.Vision 2030 Flagship Programmes

TheSchoolhas two Masters programmes being offered on Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) which were launched as Flagship Programmesin the year 2012 in support of the outcomes of Kenya Vision 2030. This year, a third programme, Master of Arts in Peace Education, wasmounted as an additional programme on ODeL. The launch of the programme as a Vision 2030 Flagship programme was done on June 19, 2014 at the Education Lecture Theatre II in Main campus and was presided over by the Vice Chancellor.

Banners displayed in readiness for the launch of the MA in Peace Education Flagship Programme

Offering of the programme in ODeL will serve as one of the focal points for e-learning in the country and is aimed at increasing access to academic programmes.

9.Teaching Practice

Academic staff in the School are currently in the field supervising over 1,100 Bachelor of Education (Arts), Bachelor of Education (Science), and Postgraduate Diploma in Education studentsundergoing Teaching Practice during the secondary schools’ second term. Thestudents are attached to various secondary schools throughout the country.The exercise started on 1st May and is expected to go on up to 31st July 2013.

Students on Teaching Practice

UPCOMING EVENTS

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  1. Masters Defences & PhD Seminars

The School has scheduled project defences for Masters Students and proposal defences for PhD students who have successfully defended their proposals at the departmental level to be held in June 2014 in the College.

  1. Graduation Ceremony for Certificate Students

There will be a graduation ceremony for certificate courses at the Isiolo Sub-Centre on 28/6/2014.The graduation will be for students at theMeru Extramural Centre fromboth the Department of Extra Mural Studies and the Department of Distance Studies who have successfully completed their certificate courses.

  1. Graduation Ceremony

The School of Continuing and Distance Education expects to present a total of about 2,255 graduands during the upcoming 51stgraduation ceremony in August 2014. These will be categorized as follows:

PhD 1

Masters321

Bachelors775

Postgraduate Diploma18 and

Ordinary Diplomas1,140

Photos from the 50th graduation ceremony held in December 2013

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