DIES Workshop: High-level Higher Education Leaders in Kenya convene to explore AI in Competence-Based Education
In attendance were deans, vice-deans, and department heads, and quality assurance practitioners, under the invitation of the organizers. There were 60 participants from 36 different universities in Kenya. DAAD staff, CUE staff and experts added, totalled to 72 participants. Key attendees from the Government of Kenya, were Dr. Caroline Hunja, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Prof. Mike Kuria CEO, Commission for University Education. Key persons in charge from the DAAD Nairobi office included Dr. Dorothee Weyler (Director) and Margaret Kirai (Head of Admin and Finance, DIES Project officer) and Vera Bwire (Marketing). Key AI experts that took the attendees through the workshop included: Dr.Sospeter Gatobu, Dr. Miné De Klerk, Dr. Chris Odindo.
Major reflections from the three-day workshop indicate that the transition to AI-integrated, competence-based education (AI-CBE) requires coordinated efforts from all key stakeholders in higher education. As Kenya moves toward integrating artificial intelligence into higher education, key stakeholders outlined immediate steps to drive this transformation. The Commission for University Education (CUE) has been tasked with finalizing and embedding AI elements into the national Competence-Based Education (CBE) Framework. Universities, in turn, are now expected to establish internal taskforces and begin sensitizing faculty on the effective use of AI in teaching and learning.
The Ministry of Education, alongside its partners, will focus on mobilizing resources to support infrastructure development, educator training, and AI-related research. To foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing, a Community of Practice will therefore be launched, bringing together higher education practitioners to exchange insights and innovations in AI-CBE. All contributions from the leaders in higher education who participated in the workshop will be compiled into a comprehensive document for further analysis and action.
The events’ dialogue proceedings on the integration of AI into competence-based education (CBE); national policy direction and the key institutional commitments at the end of the workshop, attracted various media outlets in Kenya, and the reporting tone was positive. The top Media Outlets that covered the event included: KTN TV Kenya, the third main TV station in Kenya with a reach of 67% according to Geopol, aired the forum during lunch time news. The Star (Kenya) provided the main detailed coverage, with an article and a pictorial on half a page (Annex): Others grassroots media present were: Kameme Tv, Inooro Tv and Inooro FM. DAAD Kenya, is still following up on more coverage of the event. DAAD, CUE push for AI integration in higher education; Student enrollment to rise 30% as govt cuts tuition fees; universities embrace AI in learning.
This event had been organized by DIES, HRK (German Rectors’ Conference) and DAAD Kenya in partnership with the Commission for University Education, Kenya. Through the hands-on workshop, mentorship, presentations and project action plans, the high-level attendees from higher education are expected to implement tangible policy considerations that would lead to reforms at their respective universities.
