Midlands State University’s Faculty of Education recently equipped 33 Zimbabwe Military Academy and Zimbabwe National Defence University staff with advanced pedagogical and research supervision skills during a three-day intensive workshop held from February 4 to 6, 2026 at the military academy in Gweru to strengthen academic excellence under an existing bilateral partnership.
The capacity-building initiative brought together 33 military personnel and 15 MSU academic facilitators to enhance teaching quality, assessment ethics, and research supervision standards.
Professor M. Maphosa, MSU Pro-Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs and Administration, officially opened the session by emphasizing that effective pedagogy is central to higher education and national development priorities under Education 5.0.
Professor Maphosa also challenged the military academy to develop reciprocal initiatives that could benefit the University, further deepening the collaborative framework.
The ZMA Commandant welcomed the delegation, noting that the engagement was timely and critical for maintaining high professional standards within the academy’s training environment.
The Faculty of Education Executive Dean, Dr. A. Moyo clarified that the workshop was a developmental exercise designed to foster professional growth rather than serve as a corrective measure.
Day one focused on adult learning principles, where facilitators encouraged the adoption of learner-centered approaches specifically tailored for the unique military training landscape.
The second day shifted toward assessment and evaluation, featuring practical sessions on Bloom’s Taxonomy and the ethics of marking to ensure fairness and transparency in grading.
The program concluded with a deep dive into research methodologies, covering everything from philosophical underpinnings to qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures.
This workshop marks a significant milestone in the MSU-ZMA memorandum of understanding, which mandates the University to provide professional guidance and supervision to the academy.
Participating staff expressed appreciation for the collegial nature of the sessions, noting the immediate applicability of the strategies to their current academic roles.
The Faculty of Education reaffirmed its commitment to providing ongoing support to ensure the sustained alignment of academic quality and excellence between the two institutions.