Evaluation of a global MBA programme

E-learning continues to develop rapidly supported by increasing sophistication of information technology and by better understanding of how to make content and delivery more effective. Moreover, new forms of e-learning support system are being introduced to higher education institutions in an effort to meet the student-centred learning paradigms recommended by UNESCO (UNESCO, 1998). The creation and implementation of effective quality assurance for such learning processes has been identified as one of the most challenging tasks. Jara & Mellar (2010) and Martínez-Argüelles et al. (2010) point out that the collection of student feedback should be a central part of strategies to monitor the quality and standards of teaching and learning in higher education institutions for both conventional learning and e-learning. Jara & Mellar (2010) note also that while research into e-learning abounds, studies that focus on the effectiveness of the provision of e-learning are limited, and that this is a gap to be filled. This article reports on the evaluation of, and the consequent changes to, the global e-learning MBA programme from the University of Bedfordshire. The research was conducted by three members of the MBA team - two Senior Lecturers and the E-learning Development Manager. The aim was to investigate the learning experiences and perceptions of the students and to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-learning support system

Creating new markets via smallholder irrigation: The case of irrigation-led smallholder commercialization in Lume district, Ethiopia

Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Bumpy Road from Accra to Addis Ababa: Recollections of an Observer/Participant

This article tells the story of the creation of the first pan-African organization - the Organization of African Unity (OAU) - and of some of the most crucial political events of postcolonial African a airs that preceded its establishment, notably the All-African Peoples Conference (AAPC) convened by Ghana\u27s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Taking the form of an account of an observer-cum-participant of some momentous events in modern African history (such as the AAPC and OAU), it gives a sense of the passionate commitment to African freedom and dignity as well as the desire, on the part of some African leaders, notably Kwame Nkrumah, for African unity. The description of the proceedings of the first (founding) conference of the OAU catches the mood of the times

The Bumpy Road from Accra to Addis Ababa: Recollections of an Observer/Participant

This article tells the story of the creation of the first pan-African organization - the Organization of African Unity (OAU) - and of some of the most crucial political events of postcolonial African a airs that preceded its establishment, notably the All-African Peoples Conference (AAPC) convened by Ghana\u27s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Taking the form of an account of an observer-cum-participant of some momentous events in modern African history (such as the AAPC and OAU), it gives a sense of the passionate commitment to African freedom and dignity as well as the desire, on the part of some African leaders, notably Kwame Nkrumah, for African unity. The description of the proceedings of the first (founding) conference of the OAU catches the mood of the times

1987 - First Black Tenure-Track Professor, Alemante Selassie

Photograph of Alemante Selassie. In 1987, Selassie joins the faculty as the first Black male tenure-track professor. A political refugee from Ethiopia, Professor Selassie would teach at William & Mary until 2011.https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/blackhistorywmls/1008/thumbnail.jp

1993 - First Black Tenured Professor, Alemante Selassie

Photograph of Alemante Selassie. In 1993, Selassie, the Law School\u27s first Black tenure-stream professor, becomes the first Black tenured professor. Selassie would teach at William & Mary until his retirement in 2011.https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/blackhistorywmls/1012/thumbnail.jp

The urban labour market during structural adjustment: Ethiopia 1990-1997

The paper examines the effects of reform and structural adjustment on the urban labour market in Ethiopia using a combination of cross-section and panel data based on surveys conducted both pre- and post- reform. During this period Ethiopia has seen impressive growth in GDP but little in the way of private investment. Meanwhile, the labour market has remained remarkably unresponsive to the pressures of reform despite the growing queues of the educated unemployed. While the public sector has contracted over the period, real wages have been re-adjusted to almost pre-reform levels; furthermore, real wages have grown in the private sector, while returns to education have remained largely unaffected.

Prevalence of trachoma and risk factors for disease in Benue State, Nigeria

Background: Trachoma is a common contagious bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovariants A, B, Ba or C. It is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide and is responsible for about 3% of global blindness. World Health Organization (WHO) reports suggest that of the 2.2 million people who have been rendered visually impaired worldwide by trachoma, 1.2 million are irreversibly blind while an additional 7.3 million people are suffering from trachomatous trichiasis (TT) and are at risk of developing blindness. According to WHO 2007 reports, globally about 84 million people suffer from active trachoma while an estimated 299 million people still live in trachoma endemic districts. In order to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, The Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP) was initiated on 23 July 2012 as a first step in generating population-level prevalence estimates of the disease so as to determine the need for intervention. Between 2013 and 2015, the GTMP mapped suspected endemic districts including Benue state of Nigeria. This current study took advantage of this data to generate prevalence information on Trachomatous inflammation Follicular (TF) and Trichiasis for Benue state and to describe the some of the household risk factors associated with the disease. The thesis is structured in three parts 0(Preamble), A (Protocol), B (Literature Review), C (Article) and D (Appendix). Methods: A two-stage cluster random sampling technique was utilized in a population based prevalence survey to generate estimates for TF and Trichiasis. Results: Overall unadjusted prevalence of TF among persons 1-9 years was 2.00% (95% CI: 1.20 – 2.98) and that of trichiasis among persons ≥15 years was 0.11% (95% CI 0.06 – 0.12). Trichiasis was more prevalent among adult women 0.05% (95% CI: 0.03 – 0.07) compared to males 0.03 % (95% CI: 0.02 – 0.05), (p=0.13). LGA-level prevalence of TF and Trichiasis among persons 1-9 years and persons ≥15 years ranged from 0.30% (95% CI: 0.1–0.5) to 5.30% (95% CI: 3.30–7.70) and 0.00% to 0.35% (95% CI: 0.12–0.50) respectively. Two LGAs had trichiasis prevalence above 0.2%. TF prevalence was between 5% and 9.9% in 2 LGAs. The common risk factors identified included age, sex, inaccessibility to water and latrine facility. Adults ≥15 years were 8.94(95%CI: 2.79 – 29.64) times more likely to have trichiasis compared to persons between 1-9 years of age. Conclusion: Trachoma was found to be a public health problem in 3 LGAs of Benue state. One round of mass antibiotic distribution will be required in 2 LGAs. With an estimated trichiasis backlog of 1,064, about 173 individuals with trichiasis needed to be managed to reduce the prevalence to less than the elimination threshold