Zambian Research Centre to Pilot New Online Degrees

Three new courses will signify the Centre’s migration to the state-of-the-art facilities, which are scheduled to open in September and October and offer 120 students an academic culture unlike any other in Zambia. And to successfully do this, the Centre will Offer “Educational Lifeline” to the Vulnerable participants through partial scholarships.

Press Release

September 5, 2022

The Centre for eLearning and Information Technology Research (CeIR) has announced new degree and diploma courses in technology, humanities, business, fashion and Art & Design as preparations continue apace to open its iconic new centres this year.

Three new degree courses will mark the Research Centre’s move to the state-of-the-art centres, due to open in September, which will provide an academic home for 120 students, with a student experience like no other in Zambia.

Recognized by the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Research Centre already delivers a range of fully internationally accredited courses in Zambia and – from September – will offer the following new courses, subject to accreditation:

As the initiative “tops out” at its peak, the Center recently noted rapid and consistent progress on the establishment of its new centers.

The new centers will encourage students to conduct research in interdisciplinary teams across all academic disciplines. They are designed to replicate real-world working methods. Having adaptable study areas will guarantee that students have a learning environment that meets their needs, whether they are working in groups, laboratories, or more intimate lecture and lesson rooms.

The Centers were specifically created as “Online Learning” environments and are equipped with flexible, cutting-edge technology to support creative, multidisciplinary instruction. Smart sensors placed throughout the halls will map people flows, enabling the Centers to be used as effectively as possible. Through specialized mobile apps and intelligent scheduling, students will be able to plan their time on the center. The center’s guests will be able to maximize their time by using the “Express Check-in” features.

Online Learning Centres

The facilities will use shaded open-air courtyard spaces to foster a positive and successful learning environment for students, drawing inspiration from the modern technical designs on the Centers. The Centers will offer a computer lab and office space for activity coordinators.

The pilot centres will be setup in Mufulira, Mansa, Kitwe and Ndola. Upon completion of registration of students the teams will be appointed to take the lead.

Centre’s Chief Instruction Officer, Kilby Lungu, said: “Everyone – staff and students alike – is eagerly looking forward to moving into our brand-new, bespoke centre spaces later this year. We are confident that we will offer a unique educational experience to Zambian students in our new academic setting.

The outstanding educational options we can provide to students in Zambia and around Africa are expanded by our new courses. We continue to put a lot of effort into making our center a top-notch, all-encompassing institution.

With recently-signed MOUs with Colleges and Universities, which are delegated to provide grading, assessment, and certification, the Research Center has improved its capacity as well. While the universities grade the students, the Center will offer the online learning option.

Since the Center is hiring its own instructors in Zambia, the top-ranked international institutions will provide a good learning environment during the trial. They have been educatively designated to provide the Massive Open Online Courses.

The centre will identify and to choose disadvantaged people who might have been unable to attend college owing to financial hardship and with inspiration from the difficulties faced by many high school graduates in entering tertiary education.

School Leavers who have completed their secondary school and have full certificates will be selected by the Centre and chosen to take part in the 2-year program, which will be staged at district level and providing them with the tools they need to study the newly established degree courses. To enable them to continue their education without interruption, all lessons will be taught using a online learning approach – though the centre will provide facilities such as computers and Internet connectivity for the students to easily have access anytime they plan to learn. The Centre also will offer industrial practice at recognized companies so students can learn by doing and improve their experience so they can be deployed in the labor market. This gives students hope for a better future once they have finished their studies.

The Center won’t impose any tuition fees, and all course materials are freely accessible online. Following a one-time application and admission fee of K2,500 charged by the Center – at the beginning only, students will only be required to pay minimal assessment fees of K380/semester for writing exams as set by the colleges and universities designated to carry out grading and assessments at the completion of each undergraduate course. However, the Centre will support students in engaging into micro-jobs to raise these funds for sustainability – covering for transport costs and other basic needs. The Centre will make every effort to lessen the financial strain on parents and guardians.

“The people of Zambia are suffering greatly as a result of the high tuition fees charged by colleges and universities, and we want to provide an alternative to the mainstream as well as give people educational lifelines so they know they will have a future whenever they complete secondary education,” said Kilby Lungu, the Centre’s Chief. Our Centre, which is a research institution with a preference for online learning, is like a university in a box that students can carry with them wherever they go—even if they have to leave the country.

The Centre, which will establish centres in Zambia as the country’s first national research centre, offers the highest quality education supported by a rising research focus in a key international educational hub. Visit https://c-eir.org/graduate-level-courses for additional information on how to apply for courses at the centre4eLearning.

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For more information, please contact: Kilby Lungu, Chief Instruction Officer on kilby@c-eir.org or call +260 211 237995/0976034121. You can also email to admissions@c-eir.org

About the Centre

The Education Revolution is being led by the Centre for eLearning and Information Technology Research (CeIR). It is the first recognized, private, eLearning-based research institution in Zambia. Under its “Alternative Education for All” strategy, the Centre is now implementing more than three new curriculum degrees, 22 new curriculum diplomas, and fifteen new curriculum digital skills. The Centre assists competent secondary school leavers in overcoming the financial, geographic, and personal barriers preventing them from pursuing post-secondary studies. It was created to increase access to higher education in Africa. The Centre is running the MOOCs Online Platform, which is scaling new courses around Zambia.

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