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Midlands State University

Faculty of Education

Teacher Capacity Development Programme
Background
The Teacher Capacity Development Programme which was launched by His Excellence,
President R.G. Mugabe on the 24
th
of July 2014 is a brain child of the Ministry of Primary
and Secondary Education together with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and
Technology Development. The programme aims at improving teachers skills and capacity to
deliver their duties effectively. The programme covers a wide of disciplines including
sciences, mathematics, curriculum research and development, education planning, building
and design, technical and vocational education, languages and humanities. In addition, the
programme is expected to improve teachers skills to meet the demands of a modernising
education system through broadening of the curriculum to include ICT skills which will
allow learners to lead in the emerging e-knowledge based economy. As pointed out in the
Zim Asset blueprint, the infusion of technology into our curricula is imperative for helping
students become technology-literate and go beyond ordinary users of technology.
Technology-driven instruction ensures that both pre-service and in-service teachers will
develop technology skills that will make them comfortable with innovative technology
integration and effective utilisation of computer-based teaching and learning resources that
are available in our schools. In fact, using technology in schools gives many students an
advantage in tertiary institutions, as they will already be accustomed to the use of computers
as learning resources.

In the area of ICT, the leadership taken by President Comrade R. G. Mugabe to donate
computers to schools around the country triggered hype in the provision and use of computers
in both primary and secondary schools in the country. It has emerged that in line with the
Zim-Asset and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Educations vision of expanding the
provision for e-learning, schools are advancing in technology acquisition and use. In Gweru,
for example, almost all schools have at least 10 computers. Primary schools like CJR, Stanley
and Lundi Park, have well established computer laboratories/telecenters. High schools such
as Fletcher, Anderson, Midlands Christian College, have gone a step further to acquire state
of the art computer equipment and have established smart classrooms, with an interactive
electronic board and projector in every classroom.

With regard to humanities, the teacher capacitation development programme puts into
account Ubuntuism and the countrys history at the centre of education. The programme
should be viewed as an opportunity to refocus the teaching of history from infant to
secondary education, giving the opportunity for students to celebrate their sense of national
identity and pride through participation in activities that typify Zimbabwean culture.
Languages have been identified as powerful vehicles for the transmission of insights,
knowledge forms, cultural values, norms, and beliefs. Hence the need to improve teacher
capacity in all the national languages in the country is underscored.
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Mapping the role of MSU in the teacher capacity development programme
Midlands State University is among five Universities that have been selected to participate in
the Teacher Capacity Development Programme. In the programme, Midlands State
University has been mandated to develop teachers capacity in the areas of Humanities and
Information Communication Technology (ICT). This mandate in coming at a time when the
University is re-crafting its strategic plan to include the dictates of the Zim Asset economic
blueprint in which ICT has been identified as an important driver to economic growth. In this
competitive era of globalisation, ICTs are key to national development as they constitute one
of the indicators used to determine the socio-economic growth and development of a country.
With regards to ICT the Zim Asset blueprint has as one of its key result area in the
Infrastructure and Utilities, to improve standards of education through the E-learning
programme. The expected output in this area is increased computer literacy among pupils,
teachers and the community at large. It is also hoped that that through increased use of ICT
schools will be able to graduate innovative graduates for the market. Thus as a teacher
training institution we have an obligation to equip our teachers with competencies and
pedagogic skills that will enable them to teach using ICT.

Midlands State Universitys role is to prepare teachers who meet the nations expectations in
terms of competence to use computers and related technologies as teaching and learning
resources. The university, through the Faculty of Education needs to intensify its ICT
programmes in order to rollout teachers who have both the technology and pedagogical skills
to leverage technology for teaching and learning. This can be achieved through the rebranded
Bachelor of Education Degree in Computer Science degree. In addition the Department of
Educational Technology will mount short course in ICT professional development that are
aimed at giving teachers skills to use computers as teaching and learning tools across the
curriculum.

With regards to ICT training for teachers, there are two areas of focus, that is, training for
specialist teachers to teach ICT as a school curriculum subject and the training of every
teacher in the school to be able to use ICT as a teaching and learning resource across the
school curriculum. Specialist teachers are prepared through the Bachelor of Education Degree
in Computer Science offered in the Department of Educational Technology. This programme
is offered on both the conventional and block release model. The block release is ideal for
this teacher capacity development programme, because it will not disturb the smooth running
of schools since lectures will be conducted during school holidays. In order to train all the
teachers in ICT integration skills, various ICT professional development courses have been
planned (see appendix 1). These courses are aimed at giving in-service teachers ICT literacy
skill and develop in them skills to integrate ICT in their classroom teaching. For effective
ICT integration school support is very critical. Hence, the need to raise ICT literacy among
school heads or principals. ICT teacher capacity development will be extended to include the
training of school heads in ICT literacy, management and support systems.

There is a growing digital divide between the urban and rural communities in the country and
the same can be said about our schools. Most urban schools are staffed with ICT literate
teachers who are able to use computers to enhance their teaching at various levels. The
teacher capacity development programme should take cognise of this problem. Special
attention will be given to rural schools where the cascading model in ICT training will be
introduced using the schools that benefited from the presidential computerisation programme
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as focal points. The training will start by training of trainers course aimed at raising a critical
mass of ICT literate teachers who will be used top training others teachers at cluster level
under the supervision of MSU. This model has been pilot tested in the Midlands province
with the support of the then Ministry of Science and Technology and was found to be
effective.

Regarding in-service teacher we recommend that as a matter of policy all teachers who
graduate from all teachers colleges must have stipulated ICT skill that will allow them to
leverage technology in their teaching and student learning. For this to happen MSU has
planned a post graduate diploma in technology education which is aimed at raising ICT skills
among teachers college and Facilities of Education University lecturers so that they can be
able to impart the same skills to their students. Details of the programme can be seen in
appendix 2 of this document.

With regards to Humanities, focus is on teaching of History and languages to inculcate a
sense of belonging and patriotism among our children. Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu will be
emphasised through the teaching of languages, music and religious studies. The Faculty of
Education will work together with the Faculty of Arts to develop teachers of local languages
such as Venda, Tonga and Shangani among others. These areas of specialisation will to be
added to the current bachelor of Education degree in African Languages which has been
focusing on ChiShona and IsiNdebele only. These programmes will be offered on both the
conventional and block release basis to allow as many teachers as possible to enrol in in the
programme without disturbing the smooth running of schools.

Description of the strategy
The Teacher Capacity Development training programme will provide a comprehensive
framework and learning pathway for teachers to become competent to harness ICT
effectively to support high quality teaching and learning in all subject areas including
humanities and languages. The programme delivery strategy will take cognisance of the fact
that school have to continue functioning smoothly. Therefore courses will be offered on a
Block Release basis using appropriate blends of face-to-face learning and use of e-learning.

The ICT professional development training will seek to construct clear learning pathways for
teachers to move progressively from technology literacy to knowledge deepening through the
pre-service and in-service teacher training as well as continuing professional development.
The pre-service and in-service training will provide ICT specialist teachers for the teaching of
Computer Studies as subject. The continuing professional development training aims at
developing teachers capacity to integrate the use of basic ICT tools in their teaching and
student learning.

The following are the identified category of teachers and the proposed ICT training course.

Classroom teachers
Teachers are at the heart of delivery of the curriculum. As such, teachers play a pivotal role in
the adaptation and integration of ICT in education as they are a key element in curriculum
implementation and innovation. Insufficient understanding of the scope of an ICT resource
leads to inappropriate or superficial uses in the curriculum. Focus will be on producing
specialist ICT teachers who will teach Computer Studies as a subject and ICT integration
skills for all other teachers in schools. Specialist teacher are trained through the pre-service
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and in-service Bachelor of Education degree programme offered in by the Department of
Educational Technology.

Teacher professional development training in the use of ICT will be introduced in a context
of broader educational reform, which embraces a shift away from teacher-centred, lecture-
based instruction toward student-centred, interactive and constructivist learning.

School Heads
The growing consensus is that, for ICT to be implemented successfully, leadership and
administrative support are critical. To ensure effective use of ICT at schools, it is imperative
that leadership in schools is supported in the role of ICT leadership for the school. This
means that it is important that school heads who make policy and financial decisions are
trained in ICT and have the knowledge they require to make informed decisions. However,
the head need not be the ICT champion, but he/she does need to be aware of debates
surrounding use of ICT in education and of the important role that leaders play in ensuring
successful use. Leaders need to be aware of the consequences of working with and
maintaining ICT facilities, as well as the financial implications thereof. It is imperative that,
after their appointment school heads get training in ICT for them to provide leadership in the
implementation of the technology.

I CT Coordinators
The term ICT coordinator we refer to the individual staff member at a school who is assigned
overall responsibility for developing and overseeing/driving implementation of a schools
ICT Integration Plan. This staff member could be drawn from the teachers in the school. One
of the ICT coordinators roles will be to act as the school point of contact on all ICT-related
matters. Another is to promote creative use of computers in the development of educationally
meaningful projects. There are also administrative requirements, where the ICT coordinator
needs to work closely with school heads to, for example:
Develop a School ICT Integration Plan.
Develop and ensure compliance with a code of conduct for computer usage within the
school.
Facilitate development and implementation of individual professional development
pathways for school staff.
Oversee the timetabling and booking systems for the ICT resources available in the
school.
Act as a point of contact for reporting maintenance and technical support requirements.
Identify areas that can be enhanced by the use of ICT and support the implementation of
suitable systems for various purposes including e-learning, finance, communication, etc.

Resources, communities of practice, training, and professional development opportunities
will be essential to support the person who is appointed to this role. They require support in
technical, pedagogical and leadership areas.

I CT Maintenance and Support Teachers
The professional development training of ICT maintenance and support teachers is aimed at
giving teachers skills and competences necessary to maintain the smooth running of
computers and other ICT hardware available in schools including the local area networks.
These teachers also need to be familiar with various ICT applications being used across
schools and able to support the installation, use, and maintenance of these software
applications. In a rapidly changing ICT environment, ICT support personnel need to be kept
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current with the latest security and maintenance techniques and offerings, so they will also
require ongoing support and contact from colleagues within the same environment. They also
need to be able to access specialist or expert support to resolve maintenance issues outside of
their competence.

The learning pathway which has been designed using UNESCO ICT CFT as its guiding
framework will seek to develop core competences for the identified categories of as mapped
out below.









































Figure 1: Pathway for teacher capacity development in ICT
Specialist Teachers
(Teacher Training Pre &
In-service Education)

Bachelor of
Education
Degree in
Computer
Science
(ICT specialist
teacher training
on teaching IT as
a subject, plus
ICT focuses in
other subject-
specific courses)

Advanced short
courses on ICT
integration in
Education
(Generic courses
aimed at
qualified
practising
teachers who
have done the
basic ICT course)

Post Graduate
Diploma in ICT
Education
(Specialised
courses on ICT
and on teaching
IT as a subject,
plus ICT focuses
in other subject-
specific courses)

Introductory ICT
training on the
use of ICT in
Education
(Generic ITC
training aimed at
qualified,
practising teachers
who have not
been taught about
ICT in their Initial
Education)

Advanced
Specific ICT
short courses
(Specialised ICT
training aimed at
practising
teachers,
qualified and
unqualified)

Basic ICT short
courses
(Generic
introductory
ICT training
aimed at
practising
teachers,
qualified and
unqualified)

All teachers with BEd
(Professional Development
Courses)
ICT support and
capacity building
courses aimed at
school heads,
principals, Cluster
Resources centres
teacher, etc.;
ICT
Integration
for School
heads/
Principals
The Role of
an ICT
Coordinator
ICT
Maintenance
and Support

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) ICT
Integration
(Practicing teachers who have done
advanced ICT courses)

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) ICT
Integration
(Practicing teachers who have done
advanced ICT courses)


Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) ICT Curriculum Integration
All teachers with Diploma in
Education
(Professional Development
Courses)
Introductory ICT
training on the
use of ICT in
Education
(Generic ITC
training aimed at
qualified,
practising teachers
who have not
been taught about
ICT in their Initial
Education)

Advanced short
courses on ICT
integration in
Education
(Generic courses
aimed at
qualified
practising
teachers who
have done the
basic ICT course)

Bachelor of Education
(Humanities, Sciences,
Primary, Foundations, etc.)
All School Heads
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All the professional development courses will be competency-based. Courses and modules
produced through for the Teacher Capacity Development have been built on and adapted to
existing MSU, national and international courses and modules wherever it was possible. It is
hoped that the programme will facilitate sharing of all courses/modules and associated
educational materials by releasing them as Open Educational Resources (OER) under an
appropriate Creative Commons (CC) licence.

The learning pathway for the capacity development in the humanities is summarised in figure
2 below.

PRE-SERVICE IN-SERVICE
























Figure 2: Pathway for teacher capacity development in the Humanities

Financial Responsibilities

Based on the analysis concluded above, it is possible to locate financial responsibilities for
the ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers in at MSU. This can be summarized
as follows:





Bachelor of
Education Honours
Degree
(B.Ed Honours,
Venda, Tonga,
Shangani )
{Conventional and
Parallel}
Bachelor of Education
Degree
(B.Ed) B.Ed Honours,
Venda, Tonga, Shangani
(Conventional and Block
Release)
Post Graduate
Diploma in Education
(PGDE)
{Conventional &
Parallel}
Continuous
Professional Courses
(All trained teachers
with B.Ed and PGDE)
Master of Education (M.Ed) -
Humanities and Curriculum Arts
Master of Philosophy (MPhil) -
Humanities and Curriculum Arts

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - Humanities and
Curriculum Arts)
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Breakdown of Financial Responsibilities

Category Expense Responsibility
ICT
Infrastructure
Establishment of necessary ICT
infrastructure at MSU and Cluster
Resource Centres to support delivery
of relevant courses
To be delivered through MSU and
the Teacher Capacity Development
Fund
Establishment of necessary ICT
infrastructure at schools to support
delivery of relevant professional
development courses
NOTE: It is anticipated that the MSU
Education will use ICT infrastructure
at schools and Cluster Resource
Centres for decentralized delivery of
courses
Most schools have acquired
computers through the Presidential
Schools Computerisation programme

Further funding to be integrated into
schools budgets
Maintenance of broadband
connectivity at MSU, Cluster
Resource Centres, and the
participating schools
To be achieved through ZimREN
plans to establish National Research
Network
Course
Design and
Development
Design and development of modules
and module components for B. Ed.
Computer Science programmes
To be funded through the UNICEF
Teacher Capacity Development
programme
Design and development of CPD
courses as per requirements of CIT
Professional Development
Framework

Review of IT curriculum for
secondary learners
Partial funding to be available
through current MoPSE plans to
conduct curriculum review

Course
Delivery
ICT courses in B.Ed. and
Professional Development
programmes
Financed through the Teacher
Capacity Development Programme
budgets
CPD courses Financed through the Teacher
Capacity Development Programme
budgets

Proposed Technologies and Budget - Itemized Costs
The budget for the professional development courses for a group of 60 teachers is given
below. The costs indicated are averages from three quotations by three different suppliers.

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Category Item Unit Cost
ICT
Infrastructure
2 Laptops
2 Multimedia projectors
2 Projector Screen (Motorized wall mounted or ceiling
drop down motorized screens)
2 Television Monitor
Video camera
Local Area Network Infrastructure (At schools) VHS/DVD
player
Subject Specific Software
$ 1600.00
$ 800.00
$ 1600.00
-----------
$ 1600.00
$ 2000.00

$ 800.00
$1800.00
Course
Design and
Development
Module Writing (Content Developers)x 18 $ 2160.00
Module Printing $ 900.00

Course
Delivery
Tuition Fees See Below
Lecturers Allowances per module for 18 Modules $ 12960.00
Training Material $ 1200.00
Consumables $ 4800.00
Total Cost (60 teachers) $ 30 420.00


The proposed budget for the in-service bachelor of education degree programmes is
summarised in the table below.
Degree
Programme
Mode of
Entry
Number of
Semesters
Cost per
Semeste
r
Total
Tuition
Fees
Proposed
Number
of
students
Total Cost
B. Ed.
(Computer
Science &
Humanities)
Conventional 4 $602.00 $2408.00 60 $144 480.00
B. Ed.
(Computer
Science &
Humanities)
Block Release 6 $586.00 $3516.00 60 $210 960. 00
M. Ed.
(Computer
Science &
Humanities)
Block Release 4 $946.00 $3784.00 60 $113 520.00
PhD Part-Time 10 $807.00 $8070.00 10 $ 80 700.00
Total Cost $549 660.00