Graduate labour market competitive skills has enforced new forms of modern teaching and learning which requires new skills to design and facilitate both online and face to face learning. The efforts to transform learning had its roots from the teaching skills and distance learning unit under the then known as Directorate of External Linkage and Distance Learning (DELCE) supported by some targets in the corporate strategic plans in the history of Mzumbe University history. Example of those targets are such as ensuring  at least 50% of all academic programmes at available in blended or e-learning modes,   ensuring at least 80% of academic staff are equipped with relevant digital skills for modern academic delivery (4^th MU CSP), all existing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes delivered in blended learning mode, each academic staff provided with capacity building training on the delivery of online programmes; at least one (1) Online and Distance Learning Programme developed and operationalized by each academic unit; at least five (5) Online/Blended Learning Programmes developed and operationalized by each academic unit (5^th MU CSP).

What role did collaborative projects played to support CoEITL establishment?

Apart from the university efforts to operationalize the aforementioned targets, the CoEITL establishment was also supported  by collaborative projects such as TESCEA, 4SITE and  recently  the HEET project activities Area 2 “Updating curriculum and introducing innovative pedagogical methodologies” and Area 5 “Capacity building in the development of online and ODL learning and pedagogy” as prescribed in the University Strategic Investment Plan (USIP).

All the aforementioned initiatives called for a centrally coordinated and organized centre to deal with innovative teaching methodologies, online content creation, development of multimedia content, staff and students training as well as support of both online and face to face teaching and learning its effective implementation and that is the “Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning” (CoEITL) comprising of two units, namely the instructional design and multimedia development unit and the Educational technology, innovation and support unit under the Department of Education and Teaching, Faculty of Social Sciences. The centre’s operations are guided by the developed guideline and specified modules approved by the university authorities.