Perceptions of lecturers in teaching large classes at Kamuzu College of Nursing
Loading...
Date
2015-10-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Over the past 5 to10 years, nursing training institutions in Malawi including Kamuzu College of Nursing have been experiencing pressure from a number of societal forces such as increased demand for accessibility to tertiary education and shortage of nurses to increase student enrolment. The increased enrolment coupled with limited teaching resources and faculty consequently led to large classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of lecturers in teaching large classes at Kamuzu College of Nursing. A qualitative descriptive exploratory study was done among faculty members who teach large classes at Kamuzu College of Nursing, a constituent college of the University of Malawi. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit 15 participants for the study. A semi- structured interview guide was utilized to collect data and analysis was done using thematic content analysis. Clearance from COMREC and consent from participants were also obtained. Findings revealed that large classes affected students‟ learning and lecturers‟ functioning; teaching and assessment methods used by lecturers; and also resource availability. Students were affected with reduced teacher-student interaction and reduced clinical learning experiences among others. On the other hand, teachers had to cope with large numbers of scripts to mark which affected timeliness of feedback to students. Traditional teaching methods such as lecture were highly used for teaching and low quality multiple choice examinations had replaced essays. Recommendations for government, college management and lecturers were made.