Abstract
Global reforms in the educational sector have laid critical emphasis on acquisition of relevant skills for individual and society development in the 21st century and beyond. Kenya rolled out the competency-based curriculum in 2018, which focuses on identifying and gauging specific learning competencies that are required for real world practice. Kenyatta University has begun to train graduate teacher trainees under the competency-based curriculum. The study sought to explore the level of graduate teacher trainee acquisition and utilization of 21st century competencies while undertaking the novel research methods unit offered to 2nd year undergraduate students. The results showed that students acquired and utilized digital literacy and collaboration while undertaking the course. The study provides critical and useful information that would assist in designing interactive online course units and activities hence enhancing learner engagement, acquisition, and utilization of 21st competencies and skills.
TopIntroduction
To address education quality issues, Kenya is currently transforming its education system from the Knowledge Based Curricula to the Competency Based Curriculum (RoK, 2010). This was necessitated by the Summative evaluation of the curriculum (KIE, 2009) that established that the previous curriculum was academic and examination oriented. The Competency Based Curriculum is designed around a set of core competencies as prescribed under the 21st Century skills. These competencies comprise communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and imagination, self-efficacy, citizenship, learning to learn and digital literacy (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2017). The Kenya government is currently implementing the Competence Based Curriculum for basic education learners with the hope of equipping them with the relevant technical and life skills that will enable the youths to fit in the society. Universities are also expected to review their curricula and train their graduates in the context of Competency Based Curriculum. Kenyatta University has already aligned her curriculum and started training graduates in the context of Competence Based Curriculum. Kenyatta University is the largest graduate teacher training institution in East and Central Africa and has therefore taken the lead in this front with the first cohort of graduate teacher trainees under Competence Based Curriculum the being in their 2nd year of their four-year course of the four-year Bachelor of Education programme.
The School of Education. Kenyatta University was charged with the responsibility of mounting a core Research Methods Unit to be offered to all graduate teacher trainees at second year under the Competency Based Curriculum. The Research Methods Unit was mounted at year two with a view to introduce learners to research skills early enough in their training programme. This course was facilitated via face to face and online modes. The course content was uploaded into the University Learning Management System(LMS) and students were expected to engage with the content, faculty and peers. They were also expected to upload their individual and group assignments and receive feedback. They trainees were expected to acquire and utilize digital, collaboration and problem solving skills as they worked on their assignments and research project. Digital literacy is very essential as it creates new ways of teaching and learning in a classroom set up. More so students discover other new ways of interacting and collaborating with their peers. On the other hand, tutors in higher institutions are expected to deliver the content efficiently to ensure the expected competences are acquired.
However, the questions that need to be posed include:
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Have higher institutions been able to provide platforms through which learners can comfortably acquire the needed competences?
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What are the perceptions, experiences and perspectives of learners with regard to online engagement and acquisition of 21st century competencies and skills?
Key Terms in this Chapter
Competencies: This is knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and even skills that lead to the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
Action Research: Studies carried out in the course of an activity or occupation, typically in the field of education, to improve the methods and approach of those involved.
Skills: Specific learned abilities to perform a task.
Asynchronous: A type of learning where learners interact with online materials usually designed by the facilitator at their own time and convenience.
Graduate Teacher trainees: Student teachers undertaking a Bachelor of Education degree course.
Synchronous Learning: This refers to a type of learning where learners log into the system and participate in real-time discussions during the class usually with a facilitator.