Leading the Charge in Student-Centered Learning

Strathmore University

As employers increasingly prioritize onboarding graduates who excel in critical thinking, adaptability, and technical proficiency, student-centered learning (SCL) has transitioned from an ideal to an imperative. Yet, while many institutions particularly in regions like Africa grapple with shifting away from traditional lecture-based models, Strathmore University in Kenya offers a roadmap for success.

In an interview with Ian Wairua and David Irungu from Strathmore’s Centre for Teaching Excellence, the duo shared insights into the university’s transformative approach through their three main pillars.

1. Structured Faculty Development

When Kenya adopted its Competency-Based Education (CTE) framework for K-12, teacher training programs lagged in integrating the new approach. As Wairua shared, “We have four years to prepare and map out where we are going; this requires understanding what CTE is within the university context, because it had not been defined very well.” As a result, Strathmore University proactively began training faculty ahead of the 2029 cohort, advancing curriculum alignment while keeping the regulators informed.

The transition was systematic. Strathmore’s faculty development initially centered on annual teacher-focused forums to improve job satisfaction. Over time, however, it evolved to include topics on transforming professional development and aligning with modern pedagogies through:

• Mandatory induction for new faculty
• On-going workshops for new, mid- and late-career faculty
• Sessions on emerging trends and technologies
• Individualized support for faculty and departments (by request)
• Workshopd on effective teaching with technology

This took shape through initiatives like Strathmore’s “Coffee in One Gulp” series, a weekly 25-minute peer-learning webinar for faculty. In October 2024, Strathmore celebrated its 100th session. Since its inception more than 3,000 participants, including repeat visitors, have tuned in. As Irungu observes, “These weren’t compliance exercises, but authentic communities of practice.” Futhermore, drawing on the successes of the “Coffee in One Gulp”, Irungu launched a similar concept. This time, a technology-focused webinar called “Byte of Learning” was born, geared toward technology-enhanced learning.

2. Purposeful Technology Integration

Meanwhile, Wairua focused on innovation through active participation in forums such as E-learning Africa, ensuring the university’s methods aligned with global best practices. For example, Strathmore addressed the challenge of large classes through adaptive learning technologies, inclusive teaching methods, practical solutions that made personalized, competency-based education achievable at scale.

Anticipating the risk of Edtech becoming a superficial add-on, Strathmore also focused on alignment with its pedagogical goals. In fact, institutions that strategically align technology with pedagogy report higher student satisfaction. Generally, institutions where faculty leverage LMS tools report graduate employment rates 51% higher than their national averages (IFC Vitae, 2024). “Technology is not the only solution,” Irungu clarifies, but “when paired with sound pedagogy, it remarkably improves learning outcomes.

3. Culture of Learner Agency

Moving from instructor-led to student-driven learning requires reimagining institutional norms. Strathmore accelerates this shift through building a culture that embraces SCL:

• Visible leadership engagement
  The Deputy Vice-Chancellor personally participates in faculty inductions, signaling institutional priority. Wairua states, “No one should teach without training and induction first, and the DVC meets with new faculty during the induction.”
• Active community inclusion
  Parents attend forums organized by Strathmore Business School, bridging academia and real-world expectations.
• Collaborative policy advocacy
  The CTE collaborates with leadership to redesign curricula around competency-based outcomes. The annual forum also drives this overarching theme for Strathmore. 

In March 2025, Strathmore University’s annual academic staff workshop highlighted student-centered learning as its core theme, a focus the institution plans to sustain for years to come.

Reshaping Teaching & Learning in Equal Measure

Strathmore’s journey shows that SCL adoption is neither quick nor effortless. It begins with incremental steps: piloting faculty workshops, experimenting with targeted tech tools, and nurturing peer-led communities. The lesson for institutions worldwide? Sustainable change in SCL requires investing in educators as much as students. As Wairua reflects, “Lecturers cannot champion SCL if they haven’t experienced its principles firsthand.”

For institutions embarking on this path, his advice is pragmatic, begin with structured peer discussions. Those brief but regular exchanges become the catalyst for broader transformation.

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