Discussing Recognition, Harmonisation and transformative approaches to Teaching and Learning in African Higher Education

The first steps of the HAQAA African Network on the Regional and Continental Integration in African Higher Education in the framework of the HAQAA3 initiative

Within the framework of the HAQAA3 initiative, the HAQAA African Network on the Regional and Continental Integration in African Higher Education strategically commenced its activities and embarked on a series of impactful engagements within the last trimester of 2023.

The members of the network have had the opportunity to learn, discuss and analyse different topics such as recognition, harmonisation, or teaching and learning in African Higher Education. These topics have been discussed between September and December through 3 different activities.

Two webinars and an online course

The inaugural webinar was held on the 25th of September and it was designed by the President of OBREAL, Ramon Torrent, and the Secretary General of the Association of African Universities, Olusola Oyewole, in which the participants learned and discussed the three aspects of recognition and how to tackle them in the African context.

The second webinar, held on the 22nd of November, was also designed by professors Ramon Torrent and Olusola Oyewole. Building on the discussions of the inaugural webinar, this session deepened participants understanding regarding the meaning of Harmonisation and the difficulties of finding the right approach to the issues embedded in that concept.

For the third activity of the Network, professors Torrent and Oyewole have applied an innovative approach: the design of an “asynchronous webinar” or “webinar on demand” that in fact becomes a one-session online course. The members of the Network can watch at their convenience the explanations of different trainers, download materials about the topic and write their views and opinions in a discussion forum. This online course, or “asynchronous webinar”, will be available until late January 2024 and has the objective of discussing the need to revise the mainstream approach to “Teaching-and-learning” or “Learning-and-teaching”.

The course is designed to give answers to the questions raised by professor Olusola Oyewole of the AAU about the current approach to teaching and learning in Africa. The participants can discuss the benefits and demerits of the current approach as well as the new ones that are being proposed or the role that digitalisation has on it. The trainers delivering this course are professor Ramon Torrent, president of OBREAL; professor Charmaine Villet, Head of Department: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Studies at University of Namibia; and professor Altagracia Cuevas, consultant for the World Bank Group and Program Advisor for different universities.

The network

The HAQAA African Network on the Regional and Continental Integration in African Higher Education is made up of the people who completed the online course organized under the second phase of the HAQAA initiative.

A bit more than a hundred professionals passed the course and therefore were invited to this network, which has the goal of analysing and discussing Integration in African Education at a regional and Continental level.

The activities of the Network are being opened to other HAQAA Networks, in particular the “Ambassadors Network“, which includes professionals who have completed training courses on Internal or External Quality Assurance either under the first or the second phase of the initiative.