By Asenath Were
With the online transition of all postgraduate programs, it has become nearly impossible for lecturers and students to meet in person. On January 20, the Department of Computing and Technology under the Faculty of Engineering organized a meet and greet session for the students and lecturers at the university.
Considering that most postgraduate students work while they study, Dr. Innocent Ndibatya, the head of the department, said this was done to create a working relationship with the students.
“Some students end up taking longer in the program because they are overburdened with work,” he said. “By doing this, we are giving them more support to complete their projects and also taking them through the university systems that can aid their success.”
Doreen Natukunda, the co-ordinator and one of the lecturers, stated that the event virtually bridges the gap between lecturers and students. “It gives them a cordial kind of relationship, which makes it easy for them to interact freely during online classes,” she said.
Drake Tamale, a year one student pursuing a Masters of Information Technology said the bond between students has improved. “Before this event, we would hold online sessions in smaller cohorts but this has been an opportunity for us to put faces to names,” he said.
Emmanuel Isabirye, a student of data science and analytics, said seeing what other people have done encourages him to also find an area where he can make an impact.