Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies
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Item Managing large classes in virtual teaching: experiences of university teachers in Ghana during COVID‑19(Education Tech Research Dev, 2022) Salifu, I.; Abonyi, U.K.This research used a qualitative multiple-case study and phenomenological designs to explore how, without training, university teachers in Ghana managed large student numbers in the virtual environment during COVID-19. The study examined further the challenges the teachers faced in their virtual instructional delivery. Twelve participants, drawn randomly from four large Ghanaian universities, participated in individual interviews and follow-up virtual class observations. The findings revealed that the participants employed two management techniques in their virtual teaching—regulating the behaviour of learners and controlling instructional content. The research further uncovered that, although the teachers’ complaints generally centred on environmental constraints and inadequate institutional support, those whose difficulties included using virtual tools did not have virtual teaching experience before the COVID period. The study supports the clarion call for university teachers involved in virtual teaching to personally seek a continual update of skills and competency in virtual delivery because it is an approach hinged on evolving technology.Item COVID-19 Pandemic and the Shift to Digital Learning: Experiences of Students in a Community College in Ghana(Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2021) Addae, D.; Amponsah, S.; Gborti, B.J.The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impelled many countries all over the world to institute sweeping measures to help reduce infection rates and ultimately its utter elimination. One of the many measures is the closure of schools which concomitantly implied that other innovative strategies to the delivery of subject matter to students while they remain at home be employed in order to avert the likely disruption to the academic calendar of schools. In Ghana, many higher education institutions have turned to the use of digital tools to facilitate teaching and learning. While this was an inevitable move given the prevailing circumstances, it represents a major shift in the teaching and learning experiences of many students in the country due to their familiarization with the traditional face-to-face classroom sessions. This present study explored the unique experiences of 15 conveniently selected students from a two-year college in the country with regard to the sudden shift to digital learning necessitated by the pandemic. This paper identified three main experiences: 1. the use of unregulated social media platforms for learning; 2. high data costs for surfing the internet coupled with instability of internet; and 3. empathy from the lecturers contributed to students’ online learning engagement. These findings serve as an invitation for profound reflection on the unique place of technology-mediated teaching and learn ing in higher education in current and future pandemics.Item Perception of Risk and Compliance With COVID-19 Safety Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Healthcare Workers in Ghana(Health Services Insights, 2023) Kayi, E.A.; Ottie-Boakye, D.; Ansa, G.A.; Appiah-Agyekum, N.N.Although healthcare professionals are on the “frontline” of providing effective and quality healthcare delivery, they face several occupational risks when giving care, particularly during a global health crisis. This study examines healthcare workers’ compliance with COVID 19 safety protocols and identifies factors associated with their perceived risk of COVID-19. Between October and December 2020, this cross sectional survey utilized online and paper-type questionnaires in data collection. Non-probability sampling techniques were used in selecting clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers in various health facilities within 4 regions of Ghana. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with the perceived risk of COVID-19. The results showed that healthcare workers are highly compliant with hand hygiene practices and wearing PPE. The category of health professional, number of working years, type of health facility, region of work, fre quency of COVID-19 test, and compliance with hand hygiene practices were significantly associated with healthcare workers’ perception of risk of COVID-19 at P<.05. Findings suggest that both individual and health system factors are significant in increasing the risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Efforts at enforcing strict compliance with infection prevention should be implemented to protect all healthcare personnel.Item Online student engagement in times of emergency: Listening to the voices of students(E-Learning and Digital Media, 2022) Addae, D.Abstract The closure of schools and colleges worldwide, as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown and stay-athome protocols, were timely actions given the surge in infection rates. It became immediately necessary for innovative strategies to be put in place to engage students while they remained at home. In Ghana, many traditional universities adopted the use of online learning tools to promote learning amongst their students during this period of uncertainty. In this exploratory case study, I explore the experiences of final year undergraduate students (N = 18) in the University of Ghana with the intention of examining: (1) the various strategies adopted by lecturers to engage students in online learning during this time when they were at home; (2) the challenges the students experienced; and (3) the students’ views on ways of promoting effective student online learning engagement during future emergencies. Three strategies were identified by the students as being used by the lecturers for online learning engagement, namely videoconferencing, use of discussion boards, and use of regular assignments. It was found that the students experienced manifold engagement challenges in online learning including data and network problems, technical difficulties, assessment overload, as well as administrative issues. In order to ensure effective student online learning engagement in future national emergencies, it was suggested that resources such as internet facilities should be made available to students; assessment load should be reduced while interactive and active online learning engagement strategies are prioritized; and administrative support should be offered to students. The study’s findings have significant implications for the planning, design and the implementation of online learning programmes in higher education.