The internationalisation of universities is vital for economic development/opportunities, international student learning experiences, staff development/recruitment, curriculum relevance, and improved service delivery. Following two fact-finding missions between the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany (FUH), UNAM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the FUH in 2023. The MOU aims to promote diverse student experiences in teaching and learning (student exchange), staff exchange to develop teaching and research, international research collaboration and the economic functioning of these institutions. FUH is the largest university and the only public distance education university in Germany. As part of the collaboration between UNAM and FUH, Dr Jan-Bennet Voltmer (lecturer at FUH) and Dr Juma Kalyegira (lecturer at FUH) visited UNAM this month.
During their visit, Dr Voltmer facilitated a three-day R statistics workshop with staff from the Department of Psychology and Social Work; Department of Radiography; and Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy. Dr Voltmer emphasised the importance of R as a free and open-source statistical software package and the benefits of using the software. Dr Voltmer applauded the participants for their continued engagement and attention throughout the workshop, emphasising his impression that workshop participants were eager to learn and apply their newly acquired R skills. Similarly, in a post-workshop feedback questionnaire, participants expressed their satisfaction with the workshop and their desire for future follow-up workshops.
During the second part of their visit, Dr Kalyegira gave a presentation to psychology students from UNAM, describing opportunities to visit and collaborate with FUH in Germany, as well as different career paths for psychologists in Germany. Following the presentation, the students engaged in a lively question-and-answer session and expressed interest in future collaborations with FUH in Germany.
As the final part of the visit, colleagues discussed specific future collaborative activities between UNAM and FUH, highlighting the mutual benefits of working together. Benefiting from the rich experience in distance education at both UNAM and FUH, future plans include co-supervised courses and theses for both UNAM and FUH students, student and staff exchanges, research collaboration with a specific focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and further internationalisation of these institutions.
