University students’ learning experiences: Nuanced voices from graduate tracer study

Abstract

To strengthen teaching and learning for university students in the East African region, universities can employ various strategies many of which resonate best teaching and learning practices. Around East Africa, good teaching and learning practices are highly sought by higher education governing bodies such as the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and in-country bodies such as Ministries of Higher Education (MoHE) and Commissions for University Education (CUEs). Universities have a variety of approaches they apply to ensure quality assurance of services they provide to students, who are their key stakeholders. These include quality manuals and academic procedures, that if judiciously utilised can ensure effective teaching and learning. These quality instruments that are informed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), aspiring to quality in teaching and learning, but to date this pursuit is in its early stages their application. One recent and innovative way of ensuring quality learning at universities worldwide, is the utilisation of feedback from graduates for improvement of teaching and learning spaces, conditions, provisions and programmes. This feedback can be obtained and used from graduate tracer studies (GTS). Moi University researchers in Kenya developed and conducted a GTS, which yielded results indicating that there are challenges in the teaching and learning activities of the university. The GTS results further, reveal weaknesses in teaching and learning, that the university should address by aligning improvement plans to the lessons learnt to improve teaching and learning. The GTS was conducted between 2010 and 2013, using a survey tool that examined the following objectives: sociobiographic characteristics of respondents; study conditions, provisions and experiences; job search and transition to work; employment and work; work and competencies; study and work link.