Alfred Otara - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Alfred Otara
Creative Education, 2015
This article looks at the challenges involved and seeks to provide guidelines for leadership deci... more This article looks at the challenges involved and seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices for the Deans that can be effective in institutions of higher learning. This paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans, and assesses the degree to which deans exhibit the behaviors embedded in this leadership in addressing the challenges and expectations of this century. Deanship is therefore treated as the academic act of building programs and a community of scholars to set direction and achieve the expectations of stakeholders in the current challenging economic times. The need for transformational leadership is emphasized. The paper shows how academic leaders must be the purveyors of ideas and knowledge that shape managerial thought and practice. Further, academic leadership needs to develop a human resource network inside and outside the departments and university and at the local, national, and international levels. Academic leadership needs to have a clarified program for faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list and agenda. Deans will need to use technology effectively and communication innovations to improve access to knowledge. Keeping pace with change in the world of work means offering education programmes that are relevant, are of high quality and, increasingly, include practical or work experience, as well as working more closely with stakeholders such as employers in course design or delivery. They will also need significantly to streamline their operations by incorporating new teaching and learning delivery mechanisms. Finally it is observed that academic leaders should take the initiative by adopting measures of success that are truly useful management tools for their institutions and that have credibility with the institution's external stakeholders.
Decision-making in organizations is still a challenging process, and organizational management mu... more Decision-making in organizations is still a challenging process, and organizational management must implement some tactics to make things simpler and the decision-making process more efficient. Each organization deals with a number of internal and external variables that either directly or indirectly affect decision-making in many cases. This paper argues that while some organizations employ qualitative and quantitative methodologies to forecast the outcome of potential situations, some organizations use the quality management framework as a decision-making tool. Organizations equally encounter numerous obstacles and hurdles as they seek to make wise judgments. This implies that decisions can be expressed as gains or losses or as a benchmark by which the various possibilities can be measured. Finally the paper observes that the quality of decision-making depends on clearly defining the goals, offering choices for resolving issues, and considering and balancing values and interests.
International Journal for Educational and Vocational Studies, Mar 30, 2021
This study aimed to deepen our understanding of how school organization factors can be used to pr... more This study aimed to deepen our understanding of how school organization factors can be used to predict students' academic performance. In particular, factors examined were leadership skills, nature of students, parental involvement and the school environment. Using stratified and simple random sampling, a total of 152 principals were selected for the study. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data whose variance and regression was analyzed using ANOVA. The findings consolidate the importance of leadership skills, nature of students, learning environment and parents in predicting students learning success. All the four aspects of school organization contributed differently to predicting students' academic performance with the Principals' Leadership Skills having the highest impact while parental involvement made the least contribution. Findings of this study are important to educational administrators to ensure a supportive learning environment for the students. In addition education authorities both at national and local levels should enhance field inspections to rate the learning atmosphere. The study also serves to contribute to the body of knowledge on school organizational factors in addition to triggering the need for more research in this domain.
Journal of education and human development, 2015
While increasing access to higher education in Rwanda remains to be an important objective of nat... more While increasing access to higher education in Rwanda remains to be an important objective of national development, this paper shows that quality of teaching and learning in higher institutions needs improvement. The paper aims at informing instructors, policy developers and university management who want to reflect more deeply upon their practice or gain a greater understanding about how theory and practice can be mapped together. The findings revealed that instructors do not adequately understand what comprehensively constitutes the curriculum, that curriculum development does not follow due process and the quality of teaching and learning is wanting. It also emerged that the current assessment procedure are not effective in measuring competencies as expected. From the findings it is argued that reforming practice requires transformations of understanding of principles of curriculum, teaching and learning that are assumed or are sometimes implicitly in the practices. Higher education in Rwanda needs to move first to address these issues in a way that is comprehensible to society, rather than through technical solutions of channeling out graduates that can be appreciated only by those inside higher education
Looks at the need for quality education that will propel the African continent into the future. T... more Looks at the need for quality education that will propel the African continent into the future. The assesment of theory and industrial needs are addressed in the light of future demands. Change of current educational practices and forcusting on future trends of economic demands is emphasised.
Journal of Higher Education in Africa
This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and prac- tices that university... more This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and prac- tices that university deans can follow to be effective in their institutions and be relevant in an increasingly competitive African milieu. The paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans and assesses the degree to which they demonstrate leadership in addressing contempo- rary challenges and expectations. The paper shows how academic leaders must hold and convey ideas and knowledge that could shape managerial thought and practice. It also emphasizes that they must develop a human resource network inside and outside their departments and university and at levels – be they local, national, and international. Academic leadership needs to have a structured approach to faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list. Deans need to use technology and communication channels effectively to improve access to knowledge. The educational programmes must be d...
SAGE Open, 2019
This study sought to determine the relationship between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices... more This study sought to determine the relationship between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices and academic staff motivation in higher education, from a Rwandan perspective. Particularly, the study aimed at describing the M&E practices applied, assessed how quality of feedback affects academic staff motivation, and determined the relationship between M&E practices and academic staff motivation. The study employed a mixed-methods approach to collect data from academic staff. A total of 105 faculties were sampled. The study established that M&E practices, including staff self-evaluation, students–staff evaluation, peer evaluation, and evaluation by supervisor, are applied at varying emphasis. Furthermore, both the supervisees and supervisors agreed that the quality of feedback provided during evaluation is fairly effective, although recognition of their performance is rarely appreciated. It was further established that weak to moderate correlations exist between M&E practices and a...
SAGE Open, 2019
Learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) is one of the best approaches in developing knowledge, skills, an... more Learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) is one of the best approaches in developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes of learners to cope with the changing world. Implementation of LCP practices tend to vary from one context to another. It is within this perspective that this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the teachers’ attitudes toward LCP in public primary schools located in Nyarugenge District. A sample size of 165 teachers was selected from 13 public and government-aided primary schools. Simple percentages, and chi-square analysis were used to analyze data, and the findings were triangulated with questionnaire and interview responses. Results show that primary school teachers manifested negative attitude toward LCP. The study also indicates that both institutional and individual factors, such as insufficient and inadequate trainings, lack of clear indicators on LCP, and lack of prior experience on LCP among colleges and university tutors during preservice training, aff...
Journal of Management and Strategy, 2011
Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and th... more Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and through to realize organizational objectives. In organizations, perceptions of leaders, managers and employees shape the climate and effectiveness of the working environment. Perception is the way we all interpret our experiences. Having the right perception is significant skill for any effective leadership. It is important to understand that perception is often portrayed through communication in any organization be it big or small and therefore, it is a pertinent tool in leadership. What sets great leaders apart is their ability to manage perceptions in the process of handling people and organizational issues. What people often observe or assess as your ability to be a leader and your effectiveness becomes their perception, which in turn becomes reality.
International Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning, 2020
Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and th... more Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and through to realize organizational objectives. In organizations, perceptions of leaders, managers and employees shape the climate and effectiveness of the working environment. Perception is the way we all interpret our experiences. Having the right perception is significant skill for any effective leadership. It is important to understand that perception is often portrayed through communication in any organization be it big or small and therefore, it is a pertinent tool in leadership. What sets great leaders apart is their ability to manage perceptions in the process of handling people and organizational issues. What people often observe or assess as your ability to be a leader and your effectiveness becomes their perception, which in turn becomes reality.
This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices that university d... more This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices that university deans can follow to be effective in their institutions and be relevant in an increasingly competitive African milieu. The paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans and assesses the degree to which they demonstrate leadership in addressing contemporary challenges and expectations. The paper shows how academic leaders must hold and convey ideas and knowledge that could shape managerial thought and practice. It also emphasizes that they must develop a human resource network inside and outside their departments and university and at levels – be they local, national, and international. Academic leadership needs to have a structured approach to faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list. Deans need to use technology and communication channels effectively to improve access to knowledge. The educational programmes must be dynam...
According to a survey by the American Management Association, managers spend 24% of their time ma... more According to a survey by the American Management Association, managers spend 24% of their time managing conflicts. This is a waste of time as a resource, reducing this time wastage would mean improving the quality of management. Conflict is inevitable and a natural phenomenon, the secondary school principals in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties have not been spared of the challenges of conflict management on teacher job satisfaction. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the principals’ conflict management techniques on teacher job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties, Kenya. It was guided by Engle& Kane, M. J. (2004 Herzberg's two-factor theory and a conceptual framework used to show the interplay between the principals’ conflict management techniques and teacher job satisfaction. The research employed a descriptive survey design to obtain information. The target study population consisted of 1960 teachers, 87 principals in 87 secondary scho...
Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning, 2014
The paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of student internees in the College of Educa... more The paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of student internees in the College of Education under the University of Rwanda. The primary aim of the study was to reveal how internees perceive the internship program that was newly introduced. Findings reveal that where as internees consider the internship program as being beneficial in their career development, the level of supervision by both mentors and supervisors in regard to action research needs improvement. In addition emphasis given to action research during training was not sufficient. They also expressed their dissatisfaction by saying that they receive supervision on writing their action research report too late and that there is no harmony in presentation as there seems to be different viewpoints from supervisors
Globalization has placed organizations everywhere in new and different competitive situations whe... more Globalization has placed organizations everywhere in new and different competitive situations where knowledgeable, effective behavior has come to provide the competitive edge. This paper makes important contributions to academicians and practitioners by showing how the academic community needs a rapid shift in understanding of firms as knowledge-based systems by increasing institutional focus on the organization of the knowledge development and application. This can sharpen the knowledge-based students who can be able to face challenges in today’s dynamic world. Challenges of education in the knowledge economy are highlighted with a focus on the exponential growth of information. The need to restructure university education to meet the knowledge demand is explained and this can be achieved by incorporating indigenous knowledge, defining the role of university knowledge in globalization, creating networks, working towards knowledge that will lead to change and also preparing students...
Innovation is the foundation of a successful business, Applegate and Harreld (2009). They argue t... more Innovation is the foundation of a successful business, Applegate and Harreld (2009). They argue that entrepreneurs can be found and a culture of entrepreneurship can be developed in organizations of any size and age. Emerging opportunities must be nurtured and the transition to high growth must be managed. Once breakthrough innovations catch hold, growth must be funded and managed to exploit the full value of the opportunity. Different organizational structures, cultures, governance and risk management systems, and leadership styles are needed to manage the business innovation lifecycle from an initial idea to a sustainable business. Education therefore can play this critical role. The overall aim is to explore how educational organizations themselves should understand and prioritize innovation. This article has been designed to advance our understanding of the gap between words and deeds regarding innovation.
This study aimed at investigating the relationship between educational inputs and quality educati... more This study aimed at investigating the relationship between educational inputs and quality education in day secondary schools. The study aimed at providing empirical data upon which policy makers, education planners, administrators and teachers would base critical decision making for the provision of quality education. Using a purposive sampling, 17 head teachers from 17 sectors were selected. Data was gathered using a questionnaire. Analysis of the findings using Pearson correlation between educational inputs and quality of education, was found to be positive and insignificant in the relationship (r = .138, p<.001) though funding and school characteristics were found to intervene. It was noted that there is inadequate funding for the schools which greatly affected the acquisition of educational inputs that are critical in the provision of quality education. It is recommended that education planners should utilize the available data regarding inputs as a prerequisite to wellground...
Creative Education, 2015
This article looks at the challenges involved and seeks to provide guidelines for leadership deci... more This article looks at the challenges involved and seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices for the Deans that can be effective in institutions of higher learning. This paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans, and assesses the degree to which deans exhibit the behaviors embedded in this leadership in addressing the challenges and expectations of this century. Deanship is therefore treated as the academic act of building programs and a community of scholars to set direction and achieve the expectations of stakeholders in the current challenging economic times. The need for transformational leadership is emphasized. The paper shows how academic leaders must be the purveyors of ideas and knowledge that shape managerial thought and practice. Further, academic leadership needs to develop a human resource network inside and outside the departments and university and at the local, national, and international levels. Academic leadership needs to have a clarified program for faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list and agenda. Deans will need to use technology effectively and communication innovations to improve access to knowledge. Keeping pace with change in the world of work means offering education programmes that are relevant, are of high quality and, increasingly, include practical or work experience, as well as working more closely with stakeholders such as employers in course design or delivery. They will also need significantly to streamline their operations by incorporating new teaching and learning delivery mechanisms. Finally it is observed that academic leaders should take the initiative by adopting measures of success that are truly useful management tools for their institutions and that have credibility with the institution's external stakeholders.
Decision-making in organizations is still a challenging process, and organizational management mu... more Decision-making in organizations is still a challenging process, and organizational management must implement some tactics to make things simpler and the decision-making process more efficient. Each organization deals with a number of internal and external variables that either directly or indirectly affect decision-making in many cases. This paper argues that while some organizations employ qualitative and quantitative methodologies to forecast the outcome of potential situations, some organizations use the quality management framework as a decision-making tool. Organizations equally encounter numerous obstacles and hurdles as they seek to make wise judgments. This implies that decisions can be expressed as gains or losses or as a benchmark by which the various possibilities can be measured. Finally the paper observes that the quality of decision-making depends on clearly defining the goals, offering choices for resolving issues, and considering and balancing values and interests.
International Journal for Educational and Vocational Studies, Mar 30, 2021
This study aimed to deepen our understanding of how school organization factors can be used to pr... more This study aimed to deepen our understanding of how school organization factors can be used to predict students' academic performance. In particular, factors examined were leadership skills, nature of students, parental involvement and the school environment. Using stratified and simple random sampling, a total of 152 principals were selected for the study. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data whose variance and regression was analyzed using ANOVA. The findings consolidate the importance of leadership skills, nature of students, learning environment and parents in predicting students learning success. All the four aspects of school organization contributed differently to predicting students' academic performance with the Principals' Leadership Skills having the highest impact while parental involvement made the least contribution. Findings of this study are important to educational administrators to ensure a supportive learning environment for the students. In addition education authorities both at national and local levels should enhance field inspections to rate the learning atmosphere. The study also serves to contribute to the body of knowledge on school organizational factors in addition to triggering the need for more research in this domain.
Journal of education and human development, 2015
While increasing access to higher education in Rwanda remains to be an important objective of nat... more While increasing access to higher education in Rwanda remains to be an important objective of national development, this paper shows that quality of teaching and learning in higher institutions needs improvement. The paper aims at informing instructors, policy developers and university management who want to reflect more deeply upon their practice or gain a greater understanding about how theory and practice can be mapped together. The findings revealed that instructors do not adequately understand what comprehensively constitutes the curriculum, that curriculum development does not follow due process and the quality of teaching and learning is wanting. It also emerged that the current assessment procedure are not effective in measuring competencies as expected. From the findings it is argued that reforming practice requires transformations of understanding of principles of curriculum, teaching and learning that are assumed or are sometimes implicitly in the practices. Higher education in Rwanda needs to move first to address these issues in a way that is comprehensible to society, rather than through technical solutions of channeling out graduates that can be appreciated only by those inside higher education
Looks at the need for quality education that will propel the African continent into the future. T... more Looks at the need for quality education that will propel the African continent into the future. The assesment of theory and industrial needs are addressed in the light of future demands. Change of current educational practices and forcusting on future trends of economic demands is emphasised.
Journal of Higher Education in Africa
This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and prac- tices that university... more This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and prac- tices that university deans can follow to be effective in their institutions and be relevant in an increasingly competitive African milieu. The paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans and assesses the degree to which they demonstrate leadership in addressing contempo- rary challenges and expectations. The paper shows how academic leaders must hold and convey ideas and knowledge that could shape managerial thought and practice. It also emphasizes that they must develop a human resource network inside and outside their departments and university and at levels – be they local, national, and international. Academic leadership needs to have a structured approach to faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list. Deans need to use technology and communication channels effectively to improve access to knowledge. The educational programmes must be d...
SAGE Open, 2019
This study sought to determine the relationship between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices... more This study sought to determine the relationship between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices and academic staff motivation in higher education, from a Rwandan perspective. Particularly, the study aimed at describing the M&E practices applied, assessed how quality of feedback affects academic staff motivation, and determined the relationship between M&E practices and academic staff motivation. The study employed a mixed-methods approach to collect data from academic staff. A total of 105 faculties were sampled. The study established that M&E practices, including staff self-evaluation, students–staff evaluation, peer evaluation, and evaluation by supervisor, are applied at varying emphasis. Furthermore, both the supervisees and supervisors agreed that the quality of feedback provided during evaluation is fairly effective, although recognition of their performance is rarely appreciated. It was further established that weak to moderate correlations exist between M&E practices and a...
SAGE Open, 2019
Learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) is one of the best approaches in developing knowledge, skills, an... more Learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) is one of the best approaches in developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes of learners to cope with the changing world. Implementation of LCP practices tend to vary from one context to another. It is within this perspective that this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the teachers’ attitudes toward LCP in public primary schools located in Nyarugenge District. A sample size of 165 teachers was selected from 13 public and government-aided primary schools. Simple percentages, and chi-square analysis were used to analyze data, and the findings were triangulated with questionnaire and interview responses. Results show that primary school teachers manifested negative attitude toward LCP. The study also indicates that both institutional and individual factors, such as insufficient and inadequate trainings, lack of clear indicators on LCP, and lack of prior experience on LCP among colleges and university tutors during preservice training, aff...
Journal of Management and Strategy, 2011
Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and th... more Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and through to realize organizational objectives. In organizations, perceptions of leaders, managers and employees shape the climate and effectiveness of the working environment. Perception is the way we all interpret our experiences. Having the right perception is significant skill for any effective leadership. It is important to understand that perception is often portrayed through communication in any organization be it big or small and therefore, it is a pertinent tool in leadership. What sets great leaders apart is their ability to manage perceptions in the process of handling people and organizational issues. What people often observe or assess as your ability to be a leader and your effectiveness becomes their perception, which in turn becomes reality.
International Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning, 2020
Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and th... more Managers and leaders in organization are entrusted with employees whom they must work with and through to realize organizational objectives. In organizations, perceptions of leaders, managers and employees shape the climate and effectiveness of the working environment. Perception is the way we all interpret our experiences. Having the right perception is significant skill for any effective leadership. It is important to understand that perception is often portrayed through communication in any organization be it big or small and therefore, it is a pertinent tool in leadership. What sets great leaders apart is their ability to manage perceptions in the process of handling people and organizational issues. What people often observe or assess as your ability to be a leader and your effectiveness becomes their perception, which in turn becomes reality.
This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices that university d... more This article seeks to provide guidelines for leadership decisions and practices that university deans can follow to be effective in their institutions and be relevant in an increasingly competitive African milieu. The paper provides an overview of academic leadership by faculty deans and assesses the degree to which they demonstrate leadership in addressing contemporary challenges and expectations. The paper shows how academic leaders must hold and convey ideas and knowledge that could shape managerial thought and practice. It also emphasizes that they must develop a human resource network inside and outside their departments and university and at levels – be they local, national, and international. Academic leadership needs to have a structured approach to faculty and staff promotion and development, and it should be placed on a priority list. Deans need to use technology and communication channels effectively to improve access to knowledge. The educational programmes must be dynam...
According to a survey by the American Management Association, managers spend 24% of their time ma... more According to a survey by the American Management Association, managers spend 24% of their time managing conflicts. This is a waste of time as a resource, reducing this time wastage would mean improving the quality of management. Conflict is inevitable and a natural phenomenon, the secondary school principals in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties have not been spared of the challenges of conflict management on teacher job satisfaction. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the principals’ conflict management techniques on teacher job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties, Kenya. It was guided by Engle& Kane, M. J. (2004 Herzberg's two-factor theory and a conceptual framework used to show the interplay between the principals’ conflict management techniques and teacher job satisfaction. The research employed a descriptive survey design to obtain information. The target study population consisted of 1960 teachers, 87 principals in 87 secondary scho...
Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning, 2014
The paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of student internees in the College of Educa... more The paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of student internees in the College of Education under the University of Rwanda. The primary aim of the study was to reveal how internees perceive the internship program that was newly introduced. Findings reveal that where as internees consider the internship program as being beneficial in their career development, the level of supervision by both mentors and supervisors in regard to action research needs improvement. In addition emphasis given to action research during training was not sufficient. They also expressed their dissatisfaction by saying that they receive supervision on writing their action research report too late and that there is no harmony in presentation as there seems to be different viewpoints from supervisors
Globalization has placed organizations everywhere in new and different competitive situations whe... more Globalization has placed organizations everywhere in new and different competitive situations where knowledgeable, effective behavior has come to provide the competitive edge. This paper makes important contributions to academicians and practitioners by showing how the academic community needs a rapid shift in understanding of firms as knowledge-based systems by increasing institutional focus on the organization of the knowledge development and application. This can sharpen the knowledge-based students who can be able to face challenges in today’s dynamic world. Challenges of education in the knowledge economy are highlighted with a focus on the exponential growth of information. The need to restructure university education to meet the knowledge demand is explained and this can be achieved by incorporating indigenous knowledge, defining the role of university knowledge in globalization, creating networks, working towards knowledge that will lead to change and also preparing students...
Innovation is the foundation of a successful business, Applegate and Harreld (2009). They argue t... more Innovation is the foundation of a successful business, Applegate and Harreld (2009). They argue that entrepreneurs can be found and a culture of entrepreneurship can be developed in organizations of any size and age. Emerging opportunities must be nurtured and the transition to high growth must be managed. Once breakthrough innovations catch hold, growth must be funded and managed to exploit the full value of the opportunity. Different organizational structures, cultures, governance and risk management systems, and leadership styles are needed to manage the business innovation lifecycle from an initial idea to a sustainable business. Education therefore can play this critical role. The overall aim is to explore how educational organizations themselves should understand and prioritize innovation. This article has been designed to advance our understanding of the gap between words and deeds regarding innovation.
This study aimed at investigating the relationship between educational inputs and quality educati... more This study aimed at investigating the relationship between educational inputs and quality education in day secondary schools. The study aimed at providing empirical data upon which policy makers, education planners, administrators and teachers would base critical decision making for the provision of quality education. Using a purposive sampling, 17 head teachers from 17 sectors were selected. Data was gathered using a questionnaire. Analysis of the findings using Pearson correlation between educational inputs and quality of education, was found to be positive and insignificant in the relationship (r = .138, p<.001) though funding and school characteristics were found to intervene. It was noted that there is inadequate funding for the schools which greatly affected the acquisition of educational inputs that are critical in the provision of quality education. It is recommended that education planners should utilize the available data regarding inputs as a prerequisite to wellground...