Abstract:
Curriculum and degree profile harmonisation strategy is at the heart of continental African
higher education policy. This paper describes the contribution of the Tuning Methodology
which harmonises the undergraduate mechanical engineering programmes in Africa. This
methodology is an interactive process in which academics develop high quality curricula and
learning standards for students through the identification of generic and subject specific
competences in consultation with employers, students, graduates, peers and other
stakeholders involved in Mechanical Engineering higher education. The current Tuning
process involves academics in ten universities drawn from across Africa. The aim is to
collaboratively contribute to revitalizing and reforming Mechanical Engineering higher
education in Africa to make it more responsive to Africa’s developmental needs. The results
so far show that such a project is not only highly feasible but also holds a promise to help
establish compatible academic structures and reference standards across Africa, which would
facilitate student and staff mobility as well as enhance cooperation not only among African
academic institutions, but also between African institutions and those in the rest of the world.
Eighteen generic competences and nineteen mechanical engineering-specific competences
have been developed, analysed and synergised to form a meta-profile that will inform the
next phase of the project, which is the actual curriculum development. This activity is part of
"Tuning Africa" project, which is funded through European Union-African Union
collaboration
