Haramaya University College of Computing and Informatics conducted national curriculum review workshop on May 26, 2022.
While the review workshop focused on the existing and the newly coming postgraduate programs ( PhD in biostatistics (new), Master of science in computer science (existing) and Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (new)); the participants of the workshop were external reviewers from AAU, Adama Science and Technology University, the college members, and invited stuffs.
In his opening speech, Dr.Kassahun Takele , dean of Computing and Informatics College, said, “We all know that Haramaya University is a research University. Accordingly, the University’s mandate is to produce competent graduates who will be able to play a crucial role in academia and research industries; in particular, those who can independently plan, conduct, execute, and disseminate research findings in various disciplines. To achieve this, curriculum development and reviews are essential work of academic programs.”
Dr. Kassahun Takele added that launching post graduate programs in research Universities like Haramaya University plays an important role in achieving the goal set by the country. “In today’s workshop, we reviewed the curriculums developed by department of statistics and computer science; PhD in Biostatistics, MSc in Artificial intelligence, and MSc in Computer Science,’’ said Dr. Kassahun.
Especially, in eastern Ethiopia, there is a specific need for postgraduate specialization in computer science, artificial intelligence, and biostatistics that will provide a wide range of students with knowledge and skills necessary to overcome the crisis of computational analysts and there has been a strong need assessment report which proves this to step forward to further such activities in the higher education in eastern region, and all formal and needful procedures were initiated and completed by the college and departments in it, according to the dean.
Mr. Tesfaye Abera, a teacher and researcher at Haramaya University College of computing and Informatics, statistics department and former department head, said that Biostatistics is a critical and invaluable tool in developing public health, biomedical science, and life science policy and initiatives. For instance, public health officials, health care professionals, and the scientific community rely on accurate and timely data to deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, nutrition, etc. The needs for the program is coming to us from the non-governmental and governmental organizations, specially in the health sector, as well as biostatistics as it helps policy developers to generate valuable data and information used to make a decision, said Mr. Tesfaye.
Mr. Tadesse Kebede, a teacher and researcher at Haramaya University College of computing and Informatics, and head of computer science department, said that artificial intelligence leveraging computers machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision making capabilities of the human mind is highly important as it is applied in health, education, agriculture, transport sectors as well as public protection and safety.
Moreover, many disciplines have been influenced by the advancement of artificial intelligence as is seen in researches in the medical and public health industries. Many cutting-edge artificial intelligence algorithms including deep learning methods are adapted to effectively handle challenging problems in biomedical sciences. Understanding such importance, the government has put a direction to intensify and develop the artificial intelligence technology, which has not been well exploited in Africa, added Mr. Tadesse.
Finally, it was stated that the reviewed curriculums will be forwarded for further process, incorporating constrictive comments from reviewers, and participants.
By: Aweke Ayalneh
Camera: Fuad Ahmed
Public and International Relations Directorate