Semester #2 at the University of Botswana

Plant Systematics Lab

This is my second semester at the University of Botswana and it is certainly smoother than the first because I have a better understanding of how to do things here.  I am teaching Plant Systematics this semester, which I also teach at SUNY-Fredonia but there the course is called Plant Taxonomy.  Amazingly enough, Plant Systematics is a required class for the future biology high school teachers in Botswana.  Considering that there is only one University in Botswana, this class comprises ALL of the future Biology teachers who are presently University juniors, and approximately 90% of the 48 students are future teachers.  In previous semesters, this class has been taught with a theoretical bent, but I would rather acquaint the students with, and hopefully get them excited about, the plant kingdom so that they can transfer this to their future students rather than emphasize the ins and outs of cladogram construction.  Although there are momentary frustrations, which are not unique to this University, I am happy that I was given the opportunity to teach this large group of rambunctious and enthusiastic students.  I will say that young people are NOT the same the world over. 

Termite mound across the street from UB

The Dept. chair also wanted me to teach a Basic Bio2 tutorial (just like last semester where I had ~30 of the 700 students in Basic Bio for reviews and essays and other exercises), but because of the complete and total lack of communication about anything that should happen in the tutorial last semester and the ethical implications of this, I reluctantly but adamantly said “no” to this request. 

Students stop for candies on the way
 to collect their plant

When Plant Systematics class first met, it turned out that the class had been scheduled at the same time as another required class for junior future teachers.  This is quite common.  The negotiations then began, which took about 2 weeks to sort out.  Of course, no time would work for everyone but we came up with the best time for the majority and a few students will miss a class that they claim is “stupid” each week in order to attend my class.  It turned out that only one student, who was absent for the discussion, had serious scheduling issues with the new class time.

Despite these complications, I began the first class with a lecture and the students were a little taken aback that their education would start “right away”.  According to the students, classes don’t generally “get going” until 3 or 4 weeks have passed.  Nonetheless, we launched into the subject of how people in antiquity classified plants.  On that first day of class I was also scheduled to hold the first lab, which, despite student protests, I did not cancel.  About half of the students showed up and we took a walk over to the nice but somewhat tattered Botswana National Botanical Garden to see some very pretty indigenous plants.

To assist me with the lab, I have the pleasant and botanically-astute technician Mr. Sethebe, and way-over qualified Ms. Shoniwa as a demonstrator.  Mr. Sethebe knows the answer to questions like “where is there a Podocarp (a plant family) on campus?”.  Ms Shoniwa was reassigned after 2 weeks.  I had to search for available classrooms for the new schedule, but this actually worked out and after 3 weeks or so, and this semester (unlike last semester) I even have Powerpoint in these classrooms – photos and illustrations are extremely helpful for a botany class as you might imagine.  So I was very pleased to have these issues settled so quickly-wow!   An hour before each class I go to an IT office and make sure someone will be coming to the classroom to unlock the Powerpoint and get it going.  The guy is often poking wires into sockets and other ghastly things to get the program going.  The students are very cheerful, clever and quite talkative with each other (except about asking questions in class – no way!).  Their interest in botany is lukewarm, but that is not uncommon for non-botany majors.  They also have a variety of essays throughout the semester one of which I am grading now.  Unfortunately, due to the UB policy that finals must be 60% of the class grade nothing that happens during the semester is worth much point-wise and the students know this.

Three of these students are teachers in in-service training

If you know about the bureaucratic nightmare of photocopying here at University of Botswana you might be wondering what I do these days for photocopying.  Although the photocopying situation has improved the solution is easy – I do not use any photocopies at all!  The class and lab has been going along okay.  In lab, the students will not stop chatting among themselves so having a quiz was not successful (no more quizzes).  Previous to my class, they have been taught that the most important thing to do in lab is to hand in very neat lab reports, so immense amounts of time are spent making perfect drawings with little effort toward the learning, so it is a struggle to get across the goal of the lab exercises.  Last week we went out and collected our first plant specimens in a weedy alley across from the University using the ragged presses and straps and amidst plenty of mayhem (including a driving school taking place in the alley) surprisingly we were successful and every student collected a specimen!  

Many Africans have never been to a park in their own country and Batswanas are no different in this regard. This is a critical problem to the future of conservation. Since January, I have been irrationally but optimistically jumping bureaucratic hoops to try to get approvals to take all 48 students on a field trip to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary for two nights in March. Luckily Mr. Sethebe and another technician have been helping me negotiate the bureaucratic pathways to gain this ability. Everyone along the way has been quite friendly.  It is late February and I am still working on this – it appears that the funds are available for this field trip but the steps have been slow. Time is running out so we shall see who will “win?  If the trip happens I’ll summarize it in a future blog so stay tuned!