The MANCOSA Deputy Dean, Dr Kiveshnie Naidoo, and the Quality Assurance Manager, Mrs Roxanne Bosch, participated in a three-day International Programme Management Seminar in Bled, Slovenia, from 15 – 17 April 2015.
The Seminar, hosted by CEEMAN (the International Association for Management Development in Dynamic Societies) was an interactive programme aimed at addressing challenges facing those in leadership positions who take responsibility for the design, execution and management of programmes within higher education and other educational contexts.
MANCOSA delegates said that they found the event to be an inspirational, educational and fast-paced seminar that focused on making effective and efficient academic programme management processes, including ways to streamline them. Having participants from different countries provided them the opportunity to share experiences, talk about good practice, exchange ideas and gain new perspectives on programme management processes.
“This programme gave participants an opportunity to share relevant experiences and insights which allowed for the improvement and effective management of programmes This was also a great opportunity to network and understand good practices in different institutions,” said Dr Naidoo.
Learning how to deal with cultural diversity at a professional and personal level provided new insights, according to Mrs Bosch.
“Attending the Seminar confirmed that whilst South Africa is considered to be a developing country, we at MANCOSA are favourably comparable to international institutions and many of our practices are aligned to what is done in countries which have highly developed higher education systems. This was very encouraging to note,” she said.
Programme highlights included sessions on understanding diversity, managing group dynamics, personal and organisational motivation, people and presentation skills, innovation in teaching and the role of embedding ethics in academic programmes.
The ultimate aim was to build relationships and recognise new opportunities added Dr Naidoo.