INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN LEARNING AND TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS NATIONAL CREDIT AND QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK SYSTEM

Abstract

The use of learning outcomes in higher education has gained a crescendo and loudening as the
education and the learning experiences are now outcome-led. The National Credit and
Qualifications Framework from the Botswana Qualifications Authority has put demands on
higher education sphere to change the image of education in Botswana and to align their
programmes offerings with such. Higher education in its contemporary mode deals with a
diverse nature of students, young and mature adults, who require to be capacitated to face the
real world upon completion of their learning programmes. I argue in this paper that new ways
of learning and teaching need to be established that critically engage students in rich learning
environments. Innovative approaches to learning and teaching in higher education are very
crucial as they ensure that students find relevance in their learning, and that the pedagogical
and andragogical approaches use are robust with the demands of the twenty-first century.
Experiential learning, collaborative learning, and other pedagogical approaches in teaching
such as constructivist and inquiry-based approaches need to be further explored in higher
education institutions for their benefits to learners. The pedagogical and andragogical
dichotomy should be unpacked and educators be capacitated in handling these as part of the
innovative approaches in the era of learning outcomes. I suggest in this paper and provoke
thoughts on key issues that need to be taken into account when developing learning outcomes,
qualifications and learning programmes in higher education.