91�� and Damu-Sasa to research on Improvement of Blood Management Services

enekesa — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:15:45 +0000

Monday, June 6, 2022

The 91�� was confirmed as the Public Research Organization for the Research and Development (R&D) Impact Project - a project conducted by the Damu-Sasa blood services management system - a cloud-based system that supports blood sourcing, inventory management, transfusion management, haemovigilance, referrals and deferrals.

The R&D Impact Project conducted by Damu-Sasa in partnership with the 91�� is expected to help in understanding the behavioural factors that influence blood donor decisions and also promote the uptake of this technology in local hospitals, in the management of blood transfusion. This project is funded by the International Devepment Research Center (IDRC), Canada through Vilgro- Africa, an incubator and impact investor supporting emerging healthcare businesses in Africa.

The Damu Sasa Project will be the beneficiary of a study to be conducted by the team from The 91�� led by Prof. Vincent Machuki from the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS). The other Researchers include Prof. Evans Aosa and Dr. Kennedy Ogollah (FBMS), Dr. Khamati Shilabukha and Dr. Kibet Shikuku of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) respectively.

The Executive Chairman Dr Matunda Nyanchama and the cofounders of Damu-Sasa System Limited, Mr Aaron Ogunde and Mr Kilemi Thambura deliberated about the project with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the 91�� (91��) Professor Julius Ogengo during a courtesy call visit.

“The 91�� will undertake the research whose output will help Damu-Sasa advance its technological leadership in this field, which will be of great benefit to the general public and the Ministry of Health to resolve the issues of blood shortages in the country”, remarked Dr Matunda.

The project will inculcate Industry-Academia linkages between the 91�� and Damu-Sasa and is expected to have an impact on all stakeholders, viz: the 91�� who will continue to raise the bar on research excellence through multi-disciplinary collaboration, Damu Sasa will use the findings to be able to enhance the technology and the Ministry of Health will benefit in terms of informing policy on addressing key issues in the blood services in the blood value chain in Kenya and the general public who will benefit in regards to the availability of blood reserves.

“From the health perspective, blood may be looked at as an important issue, but from a social perspective, it has a lot of cultural undertones that we may not be aware of until we dig into perspectives and superstitions” noted Dr Khamati. “This is why this project is very important to carry out and understand from a cultural perspective.” he asserted.

“This project is in line with the University's objectives and the University is committed to responding to those initiatives that have an impact on society” noted Prof Ogengo. He emphasized that the project should be able to inculcate student mentorships because it will help students have industry experience. He gave the go-ahead for the commencement of this project.

The technology developed by Damu-Sasa seeks to disrupt the blood services in the blood value chain. The blood reserves target set by World Health Organization - in regards to the size of Kenya is 1 million units, but Kenya doesn't get to that target. In 2020, the country collected 94,000 units, but due to the efforts made by Damu Sasa and other stakeholders, in 2021, the country collected 250,000 units - the largest amount ever collected in Kenya.

Damu Sasa came out of the first cohort of a programme run by the ministry of ICT called the Presidential Digital Talent Programme, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the programme at Taifa Hall in 2015.

91��, Damu-Sasa, Partnership, Health, technology

Innovation in teaching & learning - delivering lectures via YouTube

wmaina — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 07:09:41 +0000

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Dr. Lydiah Wambugu, a Senior Lecturer in the School of
Open and Distance Learning, College of Education and
External Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way teaching and learning is conducted. The world glares to technology as the new normal in education. Institutions of higher learning need to s prepare themselves by innovating new pedagogies to confront the teaching and learning crisis and provide more inclusive and creative learning models. This will ensure access to learning for all without widening the already existing inequality in education gap.

As a way of innovating new pedagogies, Dr. Lydiah Wambugu, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Open and Distance, College of Education and External Studies, Learning opened a You Tube Channel titled, 'Research Methods Class with Dr. Lydiah Wambugu'. This channel is modelled as a class where research methods content is presented in lessons from the basic to complex concepts. The lessons are sequenced as per the Social Science Research Methods Course Outline.

This is what Dr. Wambugu had to say about her initiative.

Why YouTube?

YouTube is a free open source software that is accessible to anyone with a Gmail account. YouTube creates an opportunity for remote delivery as well as providing a means for students to learn at their own pace and to have materials to come back and refer to when they need to. This channel is an additional academic resource for all students.

Why Research Methods?

Research Methods Unit is a foundational and compulsory course unit in the majority of courses offered at the university. Research Methods determines the progression of a student to graduation especially for the disciplines that require students to write a project or theses as part of their course work. However, a number of students get stuck at this point because they are not able to link theory and practice.

Presentation of Lessons:

Lessons are numbered for ease of access. The flow of lessons is from the basic introduction of the concept of research to the complex concepts;
The previous and the current lessons are linked through a recap of the concepts learnt in the previous lesson. This ensures that there is coherence in the flow of content;
Each lesson has learning outcomes to be achieved which a learner uses to gauge his or her understanding of the lesson;
The lessons incorporate interactive elements. Some of these are conversational language, practical examples where applicable and question and answer method;
Each lesson ends with a summary to remind the learners of what they have covered as well as alert them of what will be covered in the next lesson;
Learners are free to ask any question regarding the lesson in the comment section of the channel. In addition, the students are free to privately seek further clarification on the lesson by sending WhatsApp messages (in this case, Research Methods Questions) to 0799 632491which is a number attached to this channel;

The Research Methods lessons are also available on the following social channels:

So far the response to the channel has been very positive. This is because it offers an easy and flexible access to course content and lecture notes. Dr. Wambugu believes that the university should encourage all lecturers to create digital content where learning is removed from being teacher/lecturer centered to learner centered.

Research, teaching, learning, technology, youtube, 91��

91���� - technology

91���� and Damu-Sasa to research on Improvement of Blood Management Services

Innovation in teaching & learning - delivering lectures via YouTube

91�� - technology

91�� and Damu-Sasa to research on Improvement of Blood Management Services