Meta-Profiles to Enhance Competence Based Training, Case-Study of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA) Dschang Cameroon

Abstract

Nowadays universities are faced with the challenge of implementing continuous change and improvement of courses to develop a better educational offer for students. A core issue concerns the learner having a central position within the process. Expected learning outcomes concern knowledge as well as skills of both subject specific and generic competencies to equip the graduate for the job market. This paper focuses on the Tuning Africa methodology which is a student-centered approach to improve higher education institutions in Africa and worldwide. It aims at providing an overview on the development of meta-profile in the domain of Agriculture through the combination of appropriate competencies. The meta-profile is a useful tool for improving student-centered education. The empirical data for the development of the meta-profile were drawn from a qualitative questionnaire with open questions filled-in by the different stakeholders: students, lecturers, graduates and employers. The first degree program currently used in the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, Dschang, Cameroon (hereafter referred to as our local institution) has some similarities and differences in the subject specific and generic competencies respectively, with respect to the meta-profile proposed by the Agricultural team of Tuning Africa in design and content. The results of this study describe areas to rethink and restructure in the teaching and learning for a more efficient professional development of our local institution and other institutions of Higher Education in the continent taking into consideration the specificity of the systems approach. The findings have the potential to reshape undergraduate education in our local institution to facilitate transferability of degrees and facilitate international mobility of students as proposed by the Agriculture subject area of the Tuning Africa team. //Paper ID 21