Description

Title:Kinyarwanda Teaching Assistant

Reports to: Head, Humanities and Social Sciences

Program: MBBS/MGHD

Duration:1 year (renewable), October 1st, 2024 to September 31st, 2025

Location: UGHE Campus, Butaro, Burera district, with occasional travel to clinical clerkship sites of medical students

Background

Effective communication is a cornerstone of medical practice, making it an essential skill for physicians. At UGHE, we recognize that the ability to engage in meaningful conversations with patients and community members is not just important—it is imperative. The model of education at UGHE emphasizes hands-on, real-world learning, taking students outside of the classroom intothe community. Here, students learn directly from community health workers, health facility staff as well as community members through household visits and other community activities.

Throughout their time in the community, students are encouraged to identify social determinants of health and engage deeply with community members to learn from their lived experiences. During their clinical training, UGHE medical students spend considerable time with hospital personnel and most importantly, with patients.

This daily interaction requires them to hone their communication skills, ensuring they can effectively collaborate with patients and the broader community. Developing strong communication skills is critical in building trust and fostering successful community partnerships, ultimately shaping our students into compassionate and competent physicians.

Role Overview

The primary role of the Teaching Assistant (TA) will be to assist the Kinyarwanda Teacher in the instruction of Kinyarwanda to international MBBS/MGHD students who are pursuing their medical education at UGHE from their first to their last year of study. The TA has a specialized role focused on teaching conversational Kinyarwanda and supporting the main teacher in creating an immersive, practical language learning experience for medical students. The TA’s main role is to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, providing medical students with the language skills and cultural understanding they need to communicate effectively in Rwandan communities. This involves curriculum development, development of self-teaching materials, one-on-one tutoring, small group teaching, organizing community-based experiences, and collaborating closely with the Kinyarwanda Teacher to achieve these goals.

The Teaching Assistant will work closely with the Kinyarwanda Teacher to ensure that all international MBBS/MGHD students become conversant in Kinyarwanda before they start their clinical clerkships and support their progress during the clinical part of their studies.

Responsibilities

The Teaching Assistant will be responsible for the following:

1. Intensive Support to International Students for Kinyarwanda learning

• Conversational practice: The TA will facilitate small group sessions where international medical students practice conversational Kinyarwanda, focusing on language relevant to medical contexts.
• Interactive language exercises: The TA will create and lead activities such as role-playing scenarios, dialogues, and language games that encourage international medical students to use Kinyarwanda in real-life situations.
• Cultural context: The TA will integrate cultural education into language learning, helping students understand the nuances of communicating effectively in Rwandan society.
• Individualized support: The TA will provide one-on-one tutoring sessions to international medical students, especially to those who are slow language learners, and according to their needs and specific requests.

2. Curriculum Development

• Designing a practical language curriculum: The TA will collaborate with the Kinyarwanda Teacher to develop a curriculum tailored to the needs of international medical students. This curriculum will emphasize rapid language acquisition and practical use in medical settings.

• Incorporating community-based learning and immersive experiences: The TA will organize and facilitate experiences in local villages or communities where students can practice Kinyarwanda in a real-world context. This will include collaborating with the Department of Community Health and setting up partnerships with local healthcare providers or community organizations, taking on the responsibility of liaising with community leaders, organizing logistics for exeriential learning, ensuring that all activities align with the course objectives, mentoring students during these immersive experiences, and providing immediate feedback on their language use.

• Teaching and self-learning materials development: The TA will create teaching and self-learning materials for Kinyarwanda, such as vocabulary lists, conversation guides, and multimedia resources, that focus on medical terminology and scenarios.

3. Development of Assessment Plans

• Tracking student progress: The TA will maintain records of student participation in community experiences, monitor their progress in conversational Kinyarwanda, and provide reports to the Kinyarwanda Teacher.
• Designing assessments: The TA will help the Kinyarwanda Teacher design assessments that evaluate students’ conversational skills, comprehension, and ability to use Kinyarwanda in practical settings. This will include oral exams, role-playing assessments, and community-based evaluations.
• Ongoing feedback: The TA will develop tools for providing continuous feedback to students, helping them track their progress and identify areas for improvement.

5. Supporting the Kinyarwanda Teacher

• Collaborative planning: The TA will work closely with the Kinyarwanda Teacher to align the curriculum with the overall educational goals of the course. This might involve regular meetings to discuss progress, adjust lesson plans, and develop new teaching strategies.
• Classroom assistance: In addition to providing individual support and leading small groups, the TA will assist in larger classroom settings, helping manage activities, and ensuring that the lessons run smoothly.

6.Other responsibilities

• Adhere to the UGHE Code of Conduct.

• Perform additional tasks as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• A bachelor’s degree in education, linguistics, language studies or a related field.
• Experience in developing language learning curricula, especially for adult learners or specialized groups like medical students. This includes creating lesson plans, assessments, and learning materials.
• Demonstrated experience in teaching Kinyarwanda to foreign students and/or professionals.
• Demonstrated experience in using innovative teaching methods to engage learners who may struggle with traditional language learning techniques or in finding resourceful ways to incorporate practical language use despite limited resources.
• Excellent communication skills in both Kinyarwanda and English.
• Ability to collaborate effectively as a team and with culturally diverse students.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and problem management skills.
• Excellent time management skills, with the ability to provide detailed and comprehensive follow-up, and keep records.

Desirable:

• A certificate, degree or work experience in a healthcare-related field would be an asset.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating experiential learning opportunities, such as community engagement projects or language immersion experiences.
• Track record of thinking creatively to overcome challenges in educational settings.

How to Apply

Applicants should provide: (1) curriculum vitae, (2) Degree, (3) A cover letter describing your interest in UGHE and relevant experience. Please upload these under the ‘Additional Files’ tab on the application page. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

University of Global Health Equity is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Organizational Profile

UGHE is a new kind of university focused on training the next generation of global leaders in health care delivery. The university launched in Rwanda in September 2015. Through an academic experience uniquely rooted in the values of equity, students are empowered to both ease suffering at the bedside and drive transformational, systemic changes to the health system.

UGHE is an initiative of Partners In Health (PIH), an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. In over nearly three decades of operating alongside public sectors in countries around the world, PIH has developed a model to deliver high quality healthcare to some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Nowhere has this impact been more profound than in Rwanda, where Inshuti Mu Buzima—PIH’s sister organization—and our government partners have driven innovation for a decade.

Members of the UGHE community are tenacious and resolute in our drive to attain social justice, make common cause with those in need, listen to and learn from others, and operate with honesty and humility as we uphold academic integrity and intellectual curiosity. The University of Global Health Equity seeks individuals committed to these values to join the team.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

At UGHE, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including community members – as well as our students, contractors, staff, and visitors to our campus are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and any form of systemic abuse, whilst reducing risk and vulnerabilities. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with UGHE’s policy.

UGHE will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of fraud, harassment, sexual harassment and any form of systemic abuse or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.