UNRE Academics Upgrade Curriculum Development Skills

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Workshop participants with Fullbright Scholar Dr Aishat Balugun and Vice Chancellor Professor Aisak Pue.

PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment is committed to improving its academic programs for effective delivery to students.

Last month about 60 academic staff attended a four-day workshop from November 18-21 on Curriculum Design, co-sponsored by USAID in PNG.

The workshop was facilitated by Fullbright Scholar Dr Aishat Balugun, a distinguished academic from Indiana University with extensive expertise in curriculum design, instructional development, and higher education quality assurance.

Dr Balogun’s experience in curriculum innovation, assessment strategies, and faculty training guided PNG UNRE academic staff in aligning their curriculum practices with both institutional goals and national standards.

The workshop was specifically designed for personnel involved in teaching and learning and forms part of the Vice Chancellor’s broader endeavour to promote a culture of quality assurance and continuous improvement across all academic programmes and service delivery.

Participants noted in their presentations that the workshop helped them develop courses that are industry-relevant and aligned with national standards.

Daniel Waldi from the Forestry Department said, “Doing AI and comparing benchmarking against the best international and national quality standards that have put UNRE on the global frontier in terms of REDD+ and Carbon marketing.”  

He said the training provided valuable insights into improving course content to better support student learning.

Acting Head of the Animal Science Department, Mr Limai Lan, described the workshop as significant because it reinforced the importance of having clear and relevant Standard Operating Procedures for quality assurance. 

He said these procedures are essential as they help transform curriculum into quality learning outcomes.

Mr Lan added that the workshop will strengthen teaching and learning in the department through the effective use of standard requirements for academic operations.

One immediate improvement, he said, will be the review of course content under the current curriculum, applying the newly acquired skills to enhance modules, teaching methods, and overall staff capacity.

Pro Vice Chancellor Academic and Research Mr Peter Navus emphasised that this marks the beginning of a new chapter for UNRE. 

He reminded academic staff that students are their priority and deserve excellence in their learning experiences.

Pro Vice Chancellor Planning and Development Dr Livingstone Tavul told staff that plans are underway for UNRE to establish additional schools, which will require the skills gained during the workshop. 

He also reminded them that curriculum development requires passion, determination, critical thinking, and full engagement to produce curricula that are relevant and address PNG’s Medium Term Development Plan IV and Vision 2050.

On behalf of the University Management and Council, Dr Tavul conveyed appreciation to Dr Balogun for her time, commitment, and valuable contribution to the University.

PNG UNRE acknowledges with appreciation the support of the United States Embassy in Port Moresby and USAID for enabling this important capacity-building workshop.

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