DIES Training Courses offer modular, practice-oriented training opportunities for management-level professionals from universities in developing countries. The trainings are based on a blended-learning approach. The training courses focus on specific challenges the university staff is confronted with at various levels of the organisation. They range from faculty, research, and financial management to quality assurance and third-party funding acquisition. In DIES training courses trainer teams with international experience support participants to implement practical change at their home universities.

Programme objectives

Participants from developing countries will acquire important skills in various areas of university management and implement individual reform projects as part of the multi-component course. The idea behind this is to initiate institutional change at the participants’ home universities.

Currently funded measures and participating partners

International Deans' Course (IDC) in Africa/Southeast Asia:

This training course on faculty management is aimed at newly elected deans and vice-deans from Africa and South-East Asia. The multi-component course is based on a blended-learning approach and includes modules on strategic, financial, research, and university management, quality assurance and internationalisation. The courses are run jointly by the University for Applied Sciences of Osnabrück and the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) in collaboration with international trainers and experts.

International Deans' Course (IDC) – Latin America (LA):

The IDC LA on faculty management is aimed at newly elected deans and vice-deans from Latin America. The multi-component course is based on a blended-learning approach and includes modules on strategic, financial, research, and university management, quality assurance and internationalisation. The training course is run jointly by the University of Saarland and the University of Alicante (Spain).

University Leadership and Management Training Programme (UNILEAD):

UNILEAD is aimed at prospective young managers from Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East who are employed in central administrative bodies at their universities. The course takes a blended-learning approach and covers three modules on the topics of project management, financial management and personnel management. The course is run by the University of Oldenburg.

Proposal Writing for Research Grants (ProGRANT):

The DIES proposal writing courses are practical professional development courses for young academics in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The aim is to teach and train the skills necessary for making a successful application for third-party funding. The courses are run by the ProGRANT coordination office at the University of Cologne.

Management of Internationalisation (MoI):

The DIES training course on the management of internationalisation targets the heads of international offices and university managers responsible for coordinating international activities at their university. In this three-part course at the Leibniz University Hannover, universities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia are given support to improve the management of key tasks in an international office. The main topics of the course are internationalisation, strategic management, management of partnerships, mobility at home and abroad, as well as counselling and marketing.

Online Training Course: Doctoral Supervisors of African Universities:

The University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) offers a flexible study opportunity to academic staff members, particularly novice doctoral supervisors, who are interested to advance their knowledge, skills and networks in doctoral supervision.
The online course consists of various modules that foster the competencies of doctoral supervisors to enhance the quality of doctoral education in African universities.

Results

DIES training courses contribute to the acquisition of knowledge by individuals and the improvement of institutional university management at participating universities in developing countries. Moreover, those completing DIES training courses actively multiply the impact of the courses by passing on their knowledge at their home institutions or in their home country, thus contributing to the sustainability of the course.

Supported by the