Sharing of resources and expertise to cultivate pool of experts

Universities in the least developed countries are often neglected when it comes to funding, even though they are the factories that churn out professionals and leaders essential to the strong societies they require. This was the reason why the academic Steven Davis founded the organisation Academics Without Borders in 2006.

The virtual organisation is based in Canada and works to build capacity and quality in degree-granting institutions.

With continued investment in primary and secondary education, there has been an overall increase in demand for tertiary education, a fact that led to a higher demand for more resources and expertise in the countries that are low or medium in the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index.

However, in developing countries, universities often lack quality educational programmes and research capacity to meet this growing demand, affecting their ability to produce professionals who can contribute to their country’s development. Academics Without Borders helps by sharing their academic expertise and resources, enabling universities to cultivate their own experts.

Volunteers from around the world

A university that is in need submits a proposal. The proposals can involve projects ranging from single courses to entire system overhauls. Once the project has been accepted, the university then selects a suitably qualified Academics Without Borders volunteer. The volunteer carries out the project activities at the university and is financially supported by Academics Without Borders and the institution.

“Academics Without Borders projects have taken our volunteers around the world, from Africa to Asia to South America. They devote their time, energy, and expertise to short- and long-term projects that foster the skills and knowledge needed by universities in areas such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and business —the building blocks of successful societies and countries,” said Greg Moran, Academics Without Borders executive director.

“The projects take place in all areas in which universities are engaged, including teaching, research, and back-office operations,” he told University World News.

The most recent projects of Academics Without Borders include upgrading the science and mathematics faculty at the University of San Carlos in the Philippines. Their aim was to help improve the institution’s ability to teach and run workshops on probability and statistics. The project was set to run for at least five years and its volunteer was Lionel Pereira-Mendoza, former associate dean (educational research), graduate programmes and research office at the National Institute of Education in Singapore.

Kenya’s Aga Khan School of Nursing and Midwifery was also helped to upgrade the nursing faculty. “In 2014, Aga Khan University established the network of quality teaching and learning, including blended and digital learning, to support faculty to ensure a strong student learning experience,” said Dr Tashmin Khamis, vice provost of quality, teaching and learning at Aga Khan University (AKU), based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Building capacity

According to Khamis, dozens of volunteers, the majority from Academics Without Borders, shared their expertise and time to develop frameworks and policies, build capacity to develop faculty, and provide mentorship in teaching with technology and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

“As the shutdowns due to the [COVID-19] pandemic occurred, our rapid response and readiness for remote and online teaching is a result of that partnership with Academics Without Borders,” she said.

“AKU quickly had a plan in place, developed an online course policy and procedures, established self-assessment online quality checklists, and instituted a suite of faculty training for the rapid transition from face-to-face or blended approaches to fully online learning. Indeed, we continue to consult those volunteer mentors,” Khamis said.

Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda conducted a research methodology workshop for healthcare workers in conjunction with Academics Without Borders. The aim was to empower healthcare professionals in Uganda to propose, conduct and write research projects that suit the community.

Three projects that focused on maternal and child health issues in the area was the result. The volunteer was Professor Noni MacDonald (MD) who is affiliated with the IWK Health Centre at Dalhousie University and co-director of Micro Research International in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Funds from donors, foundations

Academics Without Borders is able to achieve this through the help of public donors and various foundations that enable the volunteers to travel across the globe and help various higher education institutions in need.

“We raise funds from individual members of the public and from foundations who support our work. We recently received a grant from Mastercard Foundation to support our work in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Moran said. Other donors include the Peter Cundill Foundation, the Zeller Family Foundation and the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation.