Adapting, not adopting: Barriers affecting teaching for critical thinking at two Rwandan universities

A recent study of student learning at three of Rwanda’s most prestigious public universities has suggested that Rwandan students are not improving in their critical thinking ability during their time at university (Schendel, 2015). This paper reports on a series of Faculty-level case studies, which were conducted at two of the participating institutions in order to investigate some of the reasons behind these results. Although educational practices likely to foster critical thinking skills are required elements of the undergraduate curriculum at both institutions, the case study analysis suggests that these practices are being fundamentally altered during implementation, due to a limited understanding of the rationale for pedagogical change and low levels of faculty motivation to implement more labor-intensive teaching methods. The findings suggest that teaching and learning policies are only likely to be effective if accompanied by pedagogical training and support for ongoing faculty development

Constructing departmental culture to support student development: Evidence from a case study in Rwanda

In recent years, there have been numerous attempts to improve the quality of higher education in Africa, but there is limited knowledge about the impact of these initiatives on student learning. The results of a study published in 2015 offered some initial data in this regard by identifying a lack of improvement in the critical thinking ability of students enrolled at three of Rwanda's public universities, despite extensive pedagogical reforms across the sector. However, subsequent analysis of the study data suggests that this lack of improvement is not a general phenomenon, as students graduating from the KIST Faculty of Architecture & Environmental Design appear to exhibit deeper approaches to learning and stronger critical thinking skills than graduates with similar backgrounds from other Faculties involved in the study. This paper examines the factors that appear to have contributed to this outlying Faculty's success and argues that departmental culture has played a crucial role, by fostering the conditions necessary for pedagogical innovation

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Beyond translation: Adapting a performance-task-based assessment of critical thinking ability for use in Rwanda

Critical thinking is frequently proposed as one of the most important learning outcomes of a university education. However, to date, it has been difficult to ascertain whether university students in low-income contexts are improving in their critical thinking skills, because the limited studies in this domain have relied on instruments developed in Western contexts, despite the clear dangers of such an approach. Cultural bias in assessment can best be overcome by explicitly developing tests for use in specific contexts. However, resource constraints often prevent this possibility. An alternative strategy is to adapt an existing instrument for use in a particular context. Although adaptation is the norm for high-stakes cross-cultural assessments, it is often not attempted for single country research studies. This may be due to an assumption that adaptation is excessively technical or will add significantly to a study timeline. In this article, which relies on data from a recent study in Rwanda, we present a methodology for adapting a performance-task-based assessment of critical thinking. Our experience with this methodology suggests that small teams can adapt instruments in a relatively short time frame, and that the benefits of doing so far outweigh any cost

2D-HSQC-NMR-Based Screening of Feruloylated Side-Chains of Cereal Grain Arabinoxylans

Arabinoxylans of commelinid monocots are characterized by high contents of ferulic acid that is incorporated into arabinose-bearing side-chains of varying complexity. Species-related differences in the feruloylated side-chain profiles of grain arabinoxylans are observed and lead to differences in arabinoxylan functionality. Here, a semi-quantitative assay based on $^1$H-$^{13}$C-correlation NMR spectroscopy (HSQC experiment) was developed to profile feruloylated side-chains of cereal grain arabinoxylans. Following acidic liberation of the feruloylated side-chains from the xylan backbone and a clean-up step using C18 solid phase extraction, the feruloylated oligosaccharides FA (5-O-trans-feruloyl-L-arabinofuranose), FAX (β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-5-O-trans-feruloyl-L-arabinofuranose) and FAXG (α-L-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-5-O-trans-feruloyl-L-arabinofuranose) were analyzed by HSQC-NMR. Marker signals were identified for each compound, and experimental conditions such as solvent and internal standard as well as measurement and processing conditions were optimized for a semi-quantitative determination. The approach was validated with respect to accuracy, precision, limit of detection, and limit of quantification. The newly developed approach was applied to several cereal samples including oats, popcorn maize, wheat, and wild rice. Data were compared to an HPLC-DAD/MS approach published earlier by our group, demonstrating that the results of the HSQC approach were comparable to the more time-consuming and technically more challenging HPLC-DAD/MS method

PROTOCOL: The Effects of School‐Based Decision Making on Educational Outcomes in Low and Middle Income Contexts: A Systematic Review

The Problem Education is internationally understood to be a fundamental human right that offers individuals the opportunity to live healthy and meaningful lives. Evidence from around the world also indicates that education is vital for economic and social development, as it contributes to economic growth and poverty reduction, sustains health and well‐being, and lays the foundations for open and cohesive societies (UNESCO, 2o14). In recognition of the vital importance of education, governments across the globe have made a substantial effort to expand and improve their education systems, as they strive to meet the Education for All goals, adopted by the international community in 1990. These efforts have borne remarkable results; it is estimated that the number of out‐of‐school children has halved over the last decade (ibid, p. 53). However, there are still serious barriers to overcome, particularly in terms of access, completion and learning (Krishnaratne, White, & Carpenter, 2013). Access to education ‐ particularly for girls, poor children and children in conflict‐affected areas ‐ remains a crucial issue. The 2013 Global Monitoring Reports claims that an estimated 57 million children are still out of school, over half of whom are in sub‐Saharan Africa (UNESCO, 2014, p.53).1 Furthermore, despite increases in enrolment numbers, there has been almost no change since 1999 in the percentage of students dropping out before the end of the primary cycle. The evidence also indicates that many children enrolled in school are not learning. Recent estimates suggest that around 130 million children who have completed at least four years of school still cannot read, write or perform basic calculations (UNESCO, 2014, p. 191)

Pedagogies for critical thinking at universities in Kenya, Ghana and Botswana: the importance of a collective 'teaching culture'

While critical thinking is widely regarded as a key outcome of higher education, research has shown that in practice it is only developed when certain conditions are in place, relating to the pedagogical approach, the nature of the curriculum and the level of challenge, amongst other factors. This article reports on findings from a four-year mixed methods study in Botswana, Ghana and Kenya, aiming to investigate the factors underpinning the successful development of critical thinking amongst undergraduate students. A two-stage critical thinking assessment was conducted with students in 15 sites, showing that only some of the institutions were ensuring significant gains in students’ critical thinking, even when endorsing learner-centred methods. The study points to the central importance of teaching orientations amongst lecturers, involving a deep shift in approaches to knowledge, and a facilitation rather than a transmission approach