Education

How Victoria University Has Championed Experiential Learning in Uganda

Group Managing Director, Mr. Rajiv Ruparelia, The Ruparelia Family, Victoria University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Muganga, and university staff at the opening of Market Plaza Campus of Victoria University.

Victoria University is by far the leading private university in Uganda and East Africa spearheading the new normal of Experiential and Work Integrated Learning.

VU as it is often referred to produces graduates with employable skills and the capacity to creatively employ themselves through this fast-spreading mode of blended learning. The University focus on primarily providing meaningful, hands-on work experience to enrich theoretical learning and this work-integrated learning program enables students to complete a program of three years with at least 2-3 years of work experience.

Opened in 2013, Victoria University has the capacity, facilities and determination to revitalize higher education in Uganda and in the region. VU offers a fresh and intellectually stimulating environment that natures critical thinkers. It is committed to playing a leading role in bringing and developing high-quality education, student centred learning opportunities based on standards of excellence that are unique, innovative and difficult to match.

Victoria University rides on promoters’ ability and enthusiasm to transform Uganda’s education and make it one that serves the interests of the country and people by ensuring that they support the university to develop productive human capital.

Victoria University is the only university in East Africa that is surrounded by over 47 sister companies all within the Ruparelia Group, giving students a big advantage to get work placements as student employees.

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Victoria University Team

Prof. Lawrence Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University.

Prof. Lawrence Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University leads a vibrant, talented, innovative and experienced VU Team. He is supported by Prof. Augustine Osamor Ifelebuegu, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor In Charge of Academic Affairs (DVCAA) to steer the team to greater heights. The university has and continues to put together a talented and experienced team whose role is to steer education innovation and transformation in Africa.

Prof. Lawrence Muganga is a Ugandan Born-Canadian Researcher, academic administrator and an award winning author of several books that have been ranked by Amazon as bestsellers around the world. He is the author of both “You Can’t Make Fish Climb Trees” and “Transform.” He is the first Education Scholar to research and introduce Authentic Learning Education in Uganda, with emphasis on Real-World Learning for all levels of education.

The astute Vice Chancellor obtained a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Economics from Makerere University. He obtained another Masters in Education and a PhD in Educational Administration and Leadership from University of Alberta, Canada. He did Post-Doctoral Studies focusing on Higher Education Teaching from Harvard University.

Some of his works as an educationist focus on transforming education to make it fit in the times we live in now and those we anticipate in the future, in fact, one of my education books focusing on authentic learning attracted several awards and grants including a $1,300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Prof.. Muganga is an ardent advocate for the implementation of a real-world Education Model that emphasizes both Experiential Learning (EXL) & Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) programs to ensure that students maximize their learning and gain meaningful education.  

Prof. Augustine Osamor Ifelebuegu
Prof. Ifelebuegu is described as a modern-day enterprising education leader who continues a tradition of outstanding leadership that focuses on embracing society’s transformation. His prolific experience richly exhibits his unrivalled determination to challenge the status quo and forge new relationships and his impeccable leadership quality is highly respected and admired by all universities he has served and the wider community in UK and beyond.

Prof. Ifelebuegu pioneered and led the development of Coventry University suites of energy programmes which grew to become a School of Energy, Construction and Environment in the Faculty of Engineering. He has many years of experience in international collaborations. He served as a Link Tutor to Ghana Technology University and a Visiting Professor to Kadir Has University Turkey, Saveetha University India, Cranfield University UK, University of Leeds UK, etc. He has severed as an external examiner for several UK Universities including, Newcastle University, Heriot-Watt University, DMU Leicester, Robert Gordon University and the University of Plymouth.
His teaching and research are in the areas of sustainable energy, environment, water, safety and project management.

VU and Experiential Learning

Victoria University is the first university in East Africa to introduce and implement authentic learning, an education model that allows students to explore, discuss and meaningfully construct concepts and relationships in contexts that involve real world problems and projects that are relevant to the learner. VU education model involves a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught in school to real world issues, problems and applications. It is delivered through both experiential learning and work integrated learning programs where we partner with several companies in the labor market to co-educate our students.

With authentic learning/experiential learning, students are more likely to be interested in what they are learning, more motivated to learn new concepts and skills, and better prepared to succeed while in university, careers and during adulthood if what they are learning mirrors real life contexts, equips them with practical and useful skills and addresses topics that are relevant and applicable to their lives outside the university.

Victoria University is working day and night to introduce Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology in education. The purpose of this is to make Victoria University graduates ready to face the labor market of the now and the future where technology is going to dominate the labor market. Through education technology we are creating graduates and a workforce that can work and serve anywhere in the world – a workforce without borders is being developed by Victoria University. And in the next 5 years Victoria University will become Africa’s Premier 4th Industrial Revolution Compatible Entrepreneurial University. Therefore, amidst this education revolution at going on at Victoria University we are happy to welcome every stakeholder that is interested in transform education. We believe that together we can create an education experience that will solve the unemployment pandemic faced by every school-going child in this country and beyond.

Experiential learning education model, the ability of promoters to support Victoria University and belonging to the Ruparelia Group of companies have enabled VU to strategically keep moving in the direction of becoming a top provider of transformational education in the region.

Employability

VU believes that employability is a function of one’s interest + personalized teaching + work integrated learning (WIL). When a student joins Victoria University, an interest assessment is conducted where students are asked about their interests, passion, strengths and where they see themselves in the next 10 years. After obtaining feedback, then learning is personalized to students’ interests and passions – then lecturers support them accordingly. The major part of VU education formula is where every student is attached to a job of his/her interest through the university’s work-integrated learning program which is implemented through several partners in the industry.

The education approach we follow at Victoria University is one that enables students to graduate with 2-3 years of experience as may be required by different employers. Most students who leave with this experience end up actually becoming job creators and self-employed.

Academic Programmes
Victoria University runs four faculties of Business and Management, Health Science, Science and Technology and Humanities and Social Science, Institute of Education and Life-Long Learning and The School of Law.

Faculty of Business and Management

Masters:      Master of Business Administration (MBA Generic) , Master of Business Administration (MBA Acc. and Fin), Master of Business Administration (MBA Human Resource Management), Master of Business Administration (MBA Marketing), Master of Business Administration (MBA Real Estate and Property Management) and Master of Monitoring & Evaluation.

The faculty also offers a Post Graduate Diploma in Monitoring & Evaluation.

Bachelors: Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Real Estates and Property Management , Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance, Bachelor of Procurement & Logistics Management , Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management , Bachelor of International Business, Bachelor of Science in Oil and Gas Accounting, Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management and Bachelor of Business Administration-Accounting & Finance.

Diplomas:   Diploma in Procurement & Logistics Management , Diploma in Banking and Finance, Diploma in Business and Administration, Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management , Diploma in Human Resource Management  and Diploma in Real Estate and Property Management.

Faculty of Health Science

Masters:      Master of Science in Global Health Nutrition (F/P T), Master of Science in Public Health (F/PT), Masters of Science in Sexual and Reproductive Health (F/P T), Masters of Science in Health Service Management (F/P T ) and Post Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Leadership.

Bachelors: Bachelor of Science in Public Health (F/PT), Bachelor of Midwifery Science (TOP U P) , Bachelor of Nursing Science (DIREC T), Bachelor of Nursing Science (TOP U P) and Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

Faculty of Science and Technology

Master of Science in Information Technology and Master of Science in Big Data Analytics.

Bachelors: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Business Information Systems, Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Industrial Art and Innovative Design, Bachelor of Agriculture & Rural Innovation and Bachelor of Science in Animation and Visual Effects.

Diplomas: Diploma in Information Technology, Diploma in Visual Effects and Animation, Higher Education Certificate (HEC) and  Physical Science

Faculty of Humanities and Social Science

Masters:Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management (MA-PAM), Master of Arts in Mass Communication and Masters in Diplomacy and Global Studies.

Bachelors:  Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration & Management , Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Int. Relations & Diplomatic Studies and Bachelor of Development Studies.

Diplomas:   Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Diploma in Int. Relations & Diplomatic Studies and Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies.

Institute of Education and Life-long Learning
Masters:      Master of Educational Management and Administration.
Bachelors:  Bachelor of Arts in Education (BA. Ed), Bachelor of Science in Education (BSC. Ed) and Bachelor of Development Studies.

School of Law
Bachelor of Laws

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Victoria University students perform during a Cultural Galla

Cultural Diversity
Victoria University has the most diverse multicultural student community consisting of a wide range of students from different nationalities across the globe. VU has a mix of students coming from Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Kuwait, Haiti, Oman, Afghanistan, India, Comoros, Nigeria, Chad, Liberia to mention but a few. VU gives students an opportunity to learn different cultures and languages from fellow students coming from different countries. VU provides a platform for making new friends with a diverse group of people. We are non-discriminatory institution and we call ourselves ‘The University of You.”

VU and Golf

VU Vice Chancellor Lawrence Muganga on the golf course

Victoria University’s goal is to bring education closer to people and they know that golfers around the world attract multitudes of people as their fans. Victoria University is happy to lend its brand to the golf community. We welcome the opportunity to work with Uganda’s Golf community as providers of meaningful education and sponsors of different golf activities. We, therefore, call upon the golf community in Uganda to join us on a productive journey transforming education through sport and become our co-educators.

Join Victoria University on This Journey of Transformation Education.
Visit Victoria University Kampala at www.vu.ac.ug

Credit: TGF

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