Dr. Cleophas Achisa Mecha

Description

Dr Cleophas Achisa Mecha is a lecturer at the department of Chemical and Process Engineering at Moi University in Kenya. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Industrial pollution control, Renewable energy, Organic chemistry and Material science.  He is passionate about applied teaching and research and supervises 5th year undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral students working on projects in Wastewater treatment and Renewable Energy.

Motivation

My participation in the East Africa Network of Excellence in Universities of Applied Sciences was motivated by the desire to improve my capabilities in Applied Teaching, Applied Research and Transfer of knowledge. These are the core aspects that the workshops organized by HNU and THI addressed and thus are important to me as a lecturer and researcher. My Masters and Doctorate degrees were obtained from Universities of Technology in South Africa which emphasized the need for application oriented teaching and applied research. Hence, the themes of these workshops are very relevant to me as a teacher (workshop on application-oriented teaching); a researcher (applied research) and as an innovator (knowledge and technology transfer). The model of teaching and research employed by the Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany is unique and important to enable the development of appropriate skills to address challenges in society especially in developing countries such as Kenya.

Relevant insights gained during the first workshop

  1. Receiving first-hand information on how applied teaching and learning is conducted at HNU and THI e.g. the Usability laboratory.
  2. Learning about curricula development for undergraduate and postgraduate levels engaging both the University and industry.
  3. Learning how University-Industry linkages are developed through participation in conceptual seminars and Bachelor Theses done in Industry.
  4. Company visits were very useful and I had a chance to see how industry values the cooperation with Universities.
  5. The use of conceptual seminars as a way of providing the students with practical industry challenges to solve is useful for their eventual transition to industry.
  6. I appreciated the way the lecturers in the Universities of Applied Sciences are trained prior to lecturing at universities and the requirement for them to have at least five years’ experience in industry.
  7. The close collaboration of industry and the universities of applied sciences in teaching and research was an eye opener.

Areas of application of these insights in my home University and Faculty

  1. I endeavour to include project work and problem based learning in my teaching activities
  2. I will be proactive in approaching nearby industries to start developing linkages aimed at enhancing internships and joint research
  3. I will also pursue other modes of teaching such as e-learning and student presentations
  4. I will include conceptual seminars in my teaching and encourage my students to be proactive
  5. I will encourage students to develop a wide range of skills that can enable them to solve real life challenges in industry which often require team work and are multidisciplinary in nature.