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Project details: Strengthening Training and Regional Networks in Demography (STARND)

Duration

January 2009 - December 2011

Description

Strengthening Training and Regional Networks in Demography

This is a major collaborative partnership between higher education institutions (HEIs) in the South African Development Community (SADC) and in the UK to deliver high quality education in demography consistent with the socio-economic development priorities of the five participating countries. Specifically, the project will strengthen capacity in academic leadership in the HEIs in demography training; improve the quality of demography teaching; and review the content of demography programmes to align them more closely with development and emerging global priorities. These objectives will be achieved through a phased approach:

Phase I: Institutional and Developmental Needs Assessment

The UK and African partners will work together to identify the academic leadership development needs in relation to research and teaching in demography and any constraints to their development through internal (within institution) and external factors. This will involve building capacities and skills in academic leadership to facilitate the learning process, curriculum design and development, and application and integration of up-to-date research findings into the curricula.

Phase II: Strengthening Institutional Capacities in Leadership and Training

The second phase will involve the delivery of appropriate development activities with, and for, the partner institutions to include academic leadership themes such as curriculum change, partnership development, research into teaching, and other topics identified in Phase 1.

Phase III: Evaluation and Development of Sustainable Partnerships

Evaluation will be undertaken throughout the project and embedded in the design from the outset. Each component will be evaluated in relation to the programme’s overall objectives and the individual participants’ perspective on the nature and quality of the activity and its ability to meet their individual and institutional needs. Evaluation of the demography training material will be conducted by the academic staff in each HEI. Evaluation of the academic leadership activities and the findings will be disseminated throughout the partnership and will be used at each stage to inform the design and development of subsequent stages.

Expected Outcomes

• Improved teaching and learning in the participating HEIs through development of new teaching material and online resources for demography training programmes.
• Enhanced institutional support processes, academic leadership, and partnership development.
• Development of research-led teaching through examples of adult obesity and chronic under-nutrition and integration of this into curricula.
• Improved networks between academic staff within SADC and between SADC and the UK.
• Interaction between HEIs academic leaders and major employers in the region.

Project team

Professor Nyovani Madise (Social Sciences)
Professor Jane Falkingham(Social Sciences)
Dr Amos Channon(Social Sciences)
Dr Zoe Matthews(Social Sciences)
Dr Ros Foskett (Education)
Professor Nick Foskett (Education)
University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
University of Botswana; University of Zambia
University of Namibia