National University of Science and Technology

From Researching Virtual Initiatives in Education

The National University of Science and Technology (NUST, Zimbabwe) is an university sponsored by the government of Zimbabwe. It is located in the southwest of the country. It has been identified as possessing interest and/or capability in e-learning: for example, Cisco Networking Academy is offered for students or teachers who want to improve their IT skills.

This program offers courses online using a Web-based format that has been used by more than one million students in more than 150 countries. This program is called Cisco Curriculum and it offers online courses, interactive tools, and lab activities to prepare individuals for ICT and networking careers in various industries.

The program uses blended-learning, and face-to-face teaching with hands-on lab exercises. Cisco provides multimedia delivery of challenging curricula and embedded assessment over the Internet. This method has several advantages, for example, unlike a text books, the curriculum can be updated with the last improvements.

Advantages:

• Students with different learning styles have access to several modes of explanation.
• Students receive feedback through comprehensive assessments where they apply their skills.
• Students discover what they’ve learned and what they need to review.
• The Academy program also has a significant hands-on component where students apply what they learn.

This university is member of AVU.

The National University of Science and Technology web site is at http://www.nust.ac.zw/

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