HoDs, Lecturers undergo training on ‘UPSA Virtual’ App

The Distance Learning School of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has organized a three-day training workshop for Heads of Departments (HoDs), selected lecturers and trainers of trainees.

The capacity-building was aimed at equipping the teaching fraternity with modern technological modules in distance and open education delivery, while giving them a first-hand experience at the “rebranded” UPSA Virtual Application System.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Edwin Ayernor, the facilitator of the programme observed that it was increasingly becoming imperative for tertiary education providers to be abreast with contemporary trends if effective and quality teaching and learning are to be realized.

“These days of abundant technologies, we think that we can improve students learning experience by deploying mediated technology (such as the UPSA virtual) to augment the conventional face-to-face (FTF) approach, while we work towards introducing full-scale distance learning education for students online,” he said.

The UPSA Virtual would be a common platform for tutorials and research where distance learners can also interact with lecturers and submit assignments with or without the use of the internet.

Dr. Ayernor believed that the UPSA Virtual system would go a long way in reaching out to a larger audience when fully utilized; a feat he says the FTF approach lacks.

“After experimenting the online module system for 10 years and being one of the first public universities to have run student examinations online, it was time we took the learning platform a notch higher as we await approval from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to run online undergraduate programmes,” he revealed.

Participants were taken through online course structuring, guidelines for developing and blending course materials, learning management system, using open courseware among others.

The facilitator thus called on them to take advantage of the training exercise to improve upon the quality of teaching and learning.