The potential role of European professors in the context of Rwandan civil engineering education: Reflections after a teaching experience

The number of students in civil engineering in some sub-Saharan African developing countries is stronglyincreasing, as consequence of an increasing demand of their capabilities. However, current efforts to educate civilengineers in Africa and, specifically, in Rwandan higher education institutions are hindered by the lack of localqualified teachers. On the other hand, in some European countries, university teachers are increasingly consid-ering the effects of globalization on both civil engineering education and profession. In this situation, theeducational potential of a European teacher can gain an innovative perspective, since it would be of great use if itwere beneficial to a big number of students in a country where qualified teachers are scarce. It cannot be hiddenthat thanks to such a change of perspective, the inner motivation to carry out academic activity would alsobenefit.The Authors try answering three main questions: In which way a European teacher can contribute to civilengineering education in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular reference to the Rwandan context? What impact cana European type of teaching have in the Rwandan context, especially with regard to the methodologicalapproach? How do Rwandan students perceive a learning experience with different characteristics from the usualones?Beyond writing a report of the activities done during a personal teaching experience of one of the authors in aRwandan university, this paper aims at explaining the lesson learnt from this experience, under both human andprofessional viewpoint. Although the experience of a single teacher has proved to be a privileged way to build alarger project in the framework of the Erasmus Plus program, which was subsequently eligible for funding, thispaper is not focused on the network construction, but only on the preceding indispensable step. In fact, the paperdescribes on the one hand the challenges faced by the teacher during a direct teaching experience and, on theother hand, the results obtained and the perception by the students, expressed through an evaluationquestionnaire.The paper proposes an example of successful and profitable experience of a European professor in thefield ofcivil engineering in the context of a Rwandan higher education institution, with the awareness that it cannotbecome paradigmatic of a wider academic practice orientation, but at least an example of a professional way ofbeing. This model offers opportunity of knowledge sharing, in the wider perspective of future Rwandan devel-opment, but it is also an opportunity for exchange in terms of culture and values.