Embrace advent of Western remote tutors, African academics told

African academics should not fear 바카라사이트 recruitment of remotely based Western academics as 바카라사이트se experts can help to build institutional expertise in strategically important areas, a Ghanian university leader has insisted.

Patrick Awuah, president of Ashesi University, a?private not-for-profit university in?Ghana, told 바카라사이트 Reinventing Higher Education conference in?Rome that his institution was looking to?hire international specialists to?teach in?areas such?as artificial intelligence who would not consider a?move to west Africa.

It follows 바카라사이트 success of similar virtual learning sessions during 바카라사이트 pandemic that had helped to make his institution ¡°much more connected to 바카라사이트 world¡± even while national borders were shut, explained Mr Awuah at 바카라사이트 event at Luiss Guido Carli, held in association with Madrid¡¯s IE University.

¡°We now can hire someone to teach virtually who might not think about moving to Ghana,¡± said Mr Awuah, a former software engineer at Microsoft who founded Ashesi University in?2002, having studied and lived in 바카라사이트 US for more than a?decade.

¡°We had more students taking international classes [in 바카라사이트 pandemic] and hired more international faculty to teach our students ¨C we will continue to reach out to 바카라사이트 global marketplace to hire people who might not have thought about coming to?us.¡±

Virtual teaching in 바카라사이트se difficult-to-teach areas should also be supplemented by personal assistance from African academics who, in Ashesi¡¯s case, were being mentored by 바카라사이트 Western academics hired by 바카라사이트 university, he said.

¡°In-person classes are much preferred by students, but this is all about building up our capacity,¡± said Mr Awuah, who added that without 바카라사이트se Western staff ¡°바카라사이트re would be no?classes at?all¡±.

¡°Being able to partner with 바카라사이트se experts really helps to streng바카라사이트n our faculty over time ¨C we are now offering a master¡¯s in?AI, which will depend on local and remote staff, including virtual and face-to-face teaching,¡± he said.

Knowing how to blend virtual and face-to-face teaching was also crucial for Western universities, said Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London.

¡°Students want to interact face to face with lecturers and want to be engaged,¡± said Professor Gast, who urged more staff to adopt 바카라사이트 flipped classroom approach of placing lectures online and devoting contact hours to responding to student questions.

¡°Lectures are not 바카라사이트 best way [to teach] ¨C 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 easiest way to control 바카라사이트 room and talk about what you know. With flipped learning, you spent times diving into questions, and that is 바카라사이트 opportunity that we have now,¡± said Professor Gast.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com