Lecturers’ competence and the Quality of University Graduates; The Case of Private and Public Universities in Uganda.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of lecturer competence on the quality of university graduates in Uganda. Quality of university graduates was measured by satisfaction of students with their current university experience and their labour market expectations. Competency of university lecturers was measured by their content knowledge competency, methods competence, professional competence and techniques that they use to assess students' work. A correlational, cross-sectional survey design was used with quantitative approaches to collect data from a sample of 300 university students of the graduating class and qualitative approaches were used to collect data from 12 university heads of academic departments and 12 human resource managers of selected employers. The study found a positive significant correlation between lecturer attributes and the quality of university education in Uganda. The study recommends that increasing the numbers of staff with higher qualification will improve efficiency not only in teaching but also in research engagement and supervision which in the long run should improve the quality university graduates.

Validating the Influence of School Learning Environment on Students’ Academic Performance in Selected Universities in Central Uganda

“…Tahir and Hanapi (2017) agree, stating that the best lecturer is one who possesses expertise in the subject matter and a variety of teaching strategies. Meanwhile, Bagonza et al (2019) identified lecturer characteristics as content knowledge, methods, professional competence, and techniques used to assess students' work. This study, however, conceptualizes lecturer characteristics as attitudes, qualifications, and experience in teaching.…”