STAKEHOLDER MEETING IN KAMPALA ON CASE STUDY DEVELOPMENT

Our Partner Makerere University (MAK) through the Department of Environmental Management at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is introducing the use Case studies as a teaching methodology in order to produce better skilled students. This is a result of the DAAD Initiative and North-South-South Partnership led by Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.

A stakeholder engagement was convened at Esella Hotel Kampala Uganda, Thursday 22nd August 2024, with the objective of defining and explaining the purpose of case studies.The meeting that brought together selected stakeholders was aimed at enlisting their involvement in case study development and to discuss how effective case studies can benefit all the stakeholders involved.

Prof. John Tabuti, the Principal Investigator said the project, “Strengthening education and research capacity for enhancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resources use (SDG-Partnership) is aimed at creating best practices for university teachers for purposes of teaching conservation sciences. ‘We are looking at improving how teachers deliver the material, creating better capacities among teachers on how to deliver material’, he said while explaining the project background to the participants. He said the meeting was convened to facilitate the process of developing content for teachers but also to enable the teachers to learn how to develop content for the case studies under package one of the ten work packages in the project gaining from the experiences of the participants.

The meeting which was an interface between the staff getting trained in Case Study materials development and the stakeholders who are the sources of actual cases was attended by representatives from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda Wild Life Authority, specifically Mt. Elgon conservation area, Pallisa District Local Government among others.  The meeting gained consensus on the proposed cases to be developed from the experiences around the Kiteezi events of 10thAugust, 2024 in the area of governance, and environmental planning, the Lubigi wetland restoration efforts and the Mt. Elgon conservation area focusing on the conflict with the Benet communities.

Stakeholders pausing for a photo after the stakeholders discussion at Esela Hotel led by Prof. J.Tabuti (L)

Three staff from MAK have been undergoing training in case study development and were involved in developing materials. With support from DAAD the staff trained will later this year travel to Bavaria for further training and developments. The project is jointly implemented by Makerere University’s Department of Environmental Management, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Central University of Technology, South Africa. It supports staff capacity building in writing and teaching using case study methodology, as well as other work packages in statistical analysis, and geographical information system management.

Dr. Kenneth Balikowa one of the staff undergoing the training observed that, ‘Such projects are helping us. Once trained, we shall be able to translate this knowledge to other staff from different colleges who may utilize the case methodology in delivering parts of the course’.

For more information Visit; https://news.mak.ac.ug/2024/08/the-department-of-environmental-management-takes-on-case-studies-teaching-methodology-for-better-skilled-students/