The
aim of any institution of higher learning is to train individuals,
impart them with the required practical skills that would enable them
work in their respective fields of specialization thereafter with
utmost competence. This objective cuts across universities, colleges,
polytechnics, among others, in a bid to maintain a continuous
transition among professional working classes from generation to
generation and even improve the same. Moi University, being one of
the high ranking public universities in the country, is not an
exception, or at least should not be an exception.
I study
Bachelor of Science in Media Science, a degree programme which,
according to the faculty, is designed to produce competent media
professionals to work in the print and the electronic media industry.
A course that is tailored to produce graduates who can work in the
field and also be effective managers of media institutions; a course
that has been developed and designed to meet increased demand for
personnel with specialized skills and knowledge in the various
aspects of the media industry. Teaching methods, still according to
the faculty, consist of lectures, seminars, practicals using
equipment commonly used in the media industry, written assignments,
project work, field visits, individual reading, research, problem
solving and practical attachment. Is this description not enough to
make a potential ECD teacher push for a course change in favour of
this one? Trust me, it happened!
When
I first heard that my third year’s second semester would include at
least one practical course, I almost pronounced the end of
theoretical training. I knew I would now not only sit down and listen
to lengthy narratives but also do something with a hand involvement
for MES 322 - Video and Radio Production. How I had been longing for
such a moment when I would proudly participate in such activities!
Despite all the sweet-sounding descriptions attached to my programme,
the only things whose existence I can never doubt are lectures and
written assignments. For the past three years of study, I surely have
gone through plenty of them – I am grateful for that.
Talking
about practical teaching using equipment commonly used in the media,
I would say that maybe the course is still undergoing revision and
reshaping to include this aspect in the future. Sincerely, I have
never gone through such a vital experience. One day, Ronald McAgak
and I decided to give it a test. Agak happens to be one of my
classmates from lake-side. Ooh I had not said it; he quitted ECD and
joined media in 2011! So we walked into our department office and
asked for a camera. There was nothing to surprise any of us because
what we heard was something we expected. They didn’t have films and
it would take time for them to be located and dust-wiped because it
was long since they were last used. This further justified my
suspicion that my programme description is merely meant for
publicity, to attract more potential students.
I
had mentioned something about MES 322, that ‘practical’ course!
Well, Miss Ruth Simam is the lecturer who was assigned the task of
taking us through video and radio production. Of course it would look
more awkward if it was also going to be theoretically taught, with
the presence of such courses as Media production, Radio &T.V
production and Radio &T.V communication in the same semester, all
which are taught through narratives!
Beside
MES 322, Simam was also assigned two other courses to take us
through, apart from the ‘countless’ others she lectures to the
first, second and fourth years. The lady deserves to be credited. She
did her best in making sure that we get to know that there is a
course called MES 322. She also mentioned about Adobe Premere, which
is a software collection of editing programs for video, audio, images
e.t.c. I remember her trying to install this software in some of the
publishing lab computers, although none of them accepted it. How then
were we supposed to do the practicals if the computers are not even
used to such programs? Nothing serious transpired thereafter,
although I recall her giving group assignments for project work,
that’s all!
The
only course that was meant to be a practical one therefore translated
into being an ‘absent’ one. But it is better than the Magazine
Publishing one, whose lecturer could not even see the essence of it
being assigned four hours in a week. For him, three hours per
semester was all he needed and he was done! I don’t know whether
this one can be better than the Research Methods, the course whose
facilitator would spend an hour trying to make us understand the
importance of the course itself! I also know about another one, Media
Production. The lecturer began by confessing his reluctance to give
out notes. At the end of the day, he had given out the highest number
of hand-outs! Still there is something called Subject Indexing and
Thesaurus whatever! I don’t even know what to say about that. I
will talk about it next time.
Those
examples are enough; I am now preparing to start a 7-month long
holiday before resuming for my final year of study. I will always
pray that in that fourth year, the number of practical courses will
probably exceed the number of absent ones.
