By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Nov. 7, GNA – Professor Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, has pledged management’s commitment to equip faculty members with the essential knowledge and skills needed to continuously enhance the learning experience for students.
She said the Mastercard E-Learning Initiative intervention was a step in the right direction, particularly considering challenges and lessons brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Indeed, we find ourselves in an era where traditional teaching methods are increasingly complemented, most certainly we cannot forget the lessons learnt from COVID-19.”
Prof. Dickson was speaking at the opening of a masterclass and content creation workshop, organised by the E-Learning Center of the university, as part of efforts to advance professional development of faculty members.
The workshop is part of a proposal titled “enhancing e-learning implementation at KNUST,” to build capacities in the areas of e-learning.
Beneficiaries would at the end of the workshop acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to design and develop content that reaches all manner of learners, particularly those disadvantaged by facilities, geographical location and physical impairments.
Prof. Dickson said the KNUST started benefitting from the project in 2020 when some faculty members were trained as e-learning champions with the greater aim of building capacities of 100 instructors in Africa.
The development and deployment of content, the VC said, also meant that faculty members could effectively utilise the virtual classroom to attain course objectives and desired outcomes.
Professor William Otoo Ellis, the Chairman, Mastercard Foundation, said technology and its applications had become an integral part of everyday life, and more relevant in higher learning education.
However, “in our part of the world especially, challenges continue to increase in higher educational settings.
These include higher student numbers, issues of access, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate logistics and limited exposure to new technologies,” he said.
Prof. Ellis noted that it was important to build the capacities of faulty members and affiliates, who would enhance the technological capacities of institutions.
Professor Eric Appau Asante, the Director of E-Learning Center at KNUST, highlighting activities involved in the seven week-long training, mentioned online pedagogy, online students’ success, instructor presence and action plan, course design and course content.
He said online pedagogy had become one of the areas dynamically evolving and faculty members must be abreast with.
GNA