By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Department of Computing and Technology is the latest beneficiary of the generosity of the benefactors of the USA-based, UCU Partners nonprofit. In October 2022, the department received electronics equipment worth $6,304 (about sh23,570,000) from the Uganda Partners executive director, Mark Bartels.
The donation of a flash forge 3D printer, an advanced virtual reality headset, a smart robot vehicle kit, a computer kit, a digital oscilloscope with a four-channel standard decoder and a triple output power supply, among others, comes at a time when the department has just introduced courses in robotics, mechatronics, electronics engineering and data science. It is hoped that the items will further enhance the learning and teaching of the courses.
Justin Mukalere, a lecturer in the department, said the equipment will go a long way in seeing that their projects achieve the intended results.
Bartels said the donors expect the equipment to facilitate the expansion of the department, as well as improve its output.
“People who are interested in information technology and computer science in the USA have funded these goods in order to support and promote the expansion of the departments at UCU,” Bartels said during the handover ceremony at the UCU main campus in Mukono on October 31.
He noted that UCU Partners seeks to provide opportunities for the teaching staff and the leadership of the departments to go to the US, if only they can develop partnerships with universities there, to exchange experiences and ideas, as well as continue to grow and encourage one another.
Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels talks about donation for new IT equipment
Terhemba Michael-Ahile, the coordinator of the Bachelor of Data Science at UCU, said that the program had been embedded in other course units in the institution, but noted that soon, it will be a fully fledged course of its own among the bachelor’s and master’s students.
“From the onset of our program, we want the students to appreciate its application and that can only happen if they have the hands-on experience, so this equipment will enable us achieve that,” Terhemba said, noting that there is deliberate effort to make the programme as practical as possible.
Anei Agany, a year-three computer science student at UCU, expressed excitement about the additional equipment, saying they will provide him the much needed opportunity to get hands-on experience for the many robotics projects he has been working on.
The Department of Computing and Technology at UCU is quickly expanding and looking out for learning and training opportunities for its students. Among the partnerships that have been secured is with tech giant Google, from which students will acquire certification for their work.
The October donation of equipment is the latest among several that the university has received from UCU Partners. In November 2021, Partners donated $50,000 (about sh170million) to the university for upgrading its elearning platform following the increase in the need to beef up its virtual learning infrastructure. The emergence of the Covid pandemic made virtual learning one of the alternatives if learning was ever to continue, especially during the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
