A cross-section of participants at the retreat
In a proactive move to cater for the ever-evolving educational needs of its diverse stakeholders, the College of Education is set to develop and roll out more demand-driven courses to meet the unique educational needs of its stakeholders. Providing high quality education to its diverse stakeholders is of key importance to the College.
The School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE) has been tasked to collaborate with schools, departments, and universities worldwide to develop and offer more demand-driven courses. The School is also set to offer continuous development programmes for students’ career progression. These courses will be delivered through online and blended learning modes to effectively meet the diverse educational requirements of stakeholders within Ghana and internationally.
During a 3-day retreat, internal stakeholders of the Distance Education (DE) Programme at the College extensively discussed plans to restructure the DE programme and addressed issues at the University’s Learning Centres.
Prof. Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe addressing participants at the retreat
Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost of the College, admonished Coordinators of the University of Ghana Learning Centres to be proactive in identifying the educational needs of prospective students in their regions. He added that, this will help in designing suitable programmes to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills that enhances their abilities both at work and within their communities. The Provost highlighted, the College’s commitment to offering support and ensuring that the educational needs of workers and students are met.
Prof. Olivia Kwapong, Dean, School of Continuing and Distance Education
According to Professor Olivia Kwapong, Dean, School of Continuing and Distance Education, inclusivity has always been a priority for the School in its efforts to make education accessible. One way the School has achieved this is by the establishing of eleven Learning Centers across different regions in Ghana. She also shared that once accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), postgraduate programmes will be rolled out under the Distance Education mode. Prof. Kwapong expressed gratitude to the Provost for his support in facilitating programme accreditation through the creation of an Accreditation desk at the College Secretariat.
Dr. Kwaku Darko Amponsah delivering his presentation
In a presentation, Dr. Kwaku Darko Amponsah, Head of the Department of Teacher Education mentioned a collaboration between his department and the Department of Distance Education to to offer some undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through distance education. He emphasised that, these programmes would need to be approved by GTEC before they could be implemented. Also, he stated that his department and other departments within the School of Education and Leadership (SEL) were prepared to incorporate their courses into distance education in response to the demand from prospective students who desire flexibility in studying at the University of Ghana.
Contributing to the discussions, Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Coordinator of International Programmes at the College of Education proposed the introduction of courses specifically designed for international students. He underscored the potential partnerships that could be formed with other universities and advocated for making entrance examination more internationally accommodating to allow prospective foreign students access enrolment opportunities at the University of Ghana. He stressed that necessary measures would be taken to enable each department within the College to offer programmes aimed at attracting international students to enrol in their respective departments.
A group picture of participants at the retreat
Participants took a group photo at the end of the event.