ABSTRACT

A staff development program which focuses on university teaching can assist lecturers in learning and improving how they teach, and can encourage them to focus on the idea of enhancing student learning. Activities related to the improvement of university teaching and learning received special impetus from various seminars and workshops held in Eastern and Southern African countries under the auspices of the German Foundation for International Development. The government of Botswana has adopted a policy of staffing positions within the national economy exclusively by citizens of Botswana. The University of Botswana hosted a workshop in 1986, to discuss the idea and feasibility of offering in-service staff training. This resulted in the establishment of the Higher Education Development Unit (HEDU) by the Senate in May 1988, providing a structured framework and institutionalized setting for tertiary teaching and learning activities. The pages of the HEDU Bulletin were used to publish personal experiences or reflections which lecturers wanted to share with their colleagues.