The Counselling Centre has organised an academic workshop for students on the topic: "Start Your Semester Right: Strategising Your Semester for Academic Success and Balance."
The Director, Counselling Centre, Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony K. Nkyi, in his welcome address noted that the workshop was to introduce and enhance students with the skills and strategies they could adopt or adapt to successfully finish their programme of study at UCC.
The Director indicated that it was the mandate of the Centre to provide the necessary atmosphere and requisite skills to students in the areas of person-social, academic, mental and emotional areas of their lives. He further noted that it was the Centre's mission to assist students to excel in the area of academic excellence among other needs because academic failure was painful and could crush self-confidence and self-esteem.
Learning Styles
Speaking on learning styles, Dr. Stephen Doh Fia, encouraged students to adopt the right learning techniques to suit their learning abilities and capabilities. He indicated that learning could be auditory, manipulative and visual; however, each student should determine the suitable style of learning that would help him/her to study successfully. Dr. Doh Fia stated that having enough rest, self-motivation, planning, drawing professional timetable, and developing a daily schedule would always help students to study effectively.
Life on Campus
Talking about life on campus, Dr. Sylvia Ocansey explained to students on the need to realize the independent nature of university life, where one has to plan and manage time and activities judiciously so as to affect their academic lives positively and effectively. She urged them to be self-disciplined through efficient planning, determination and resilience, hard work, keeping focused, collaboration and networking. Stressing on organisaton and preparation for learning, Dr. Ocansey advised them to always read over topics to be taught, leave their residences early enough for lecture and build constructive ICT skills. She counselled the students, "Never miss any lecture; to take brief and meaningful lecture notes, adopt early and consistent revision of lecture notes and use the library meaningfully and consistently." Dr. Ocansey encouraged them to keep their focus and work hard and be confident in themselves.
Procrastination
The Director, Counselling Centre, Rev. Dr. Anthony K. Nkyi, noted that procrastination was one of the major factors that could hugely affect learning negatively and cause academic failure. He indicated that "lack of motivation, trouble in concentrating, perfectionism and perfect time, low energy levels, and poor organisation skills are some of the causes of the procrastination." However, he admonished that they could be fixed by breaking projects into smaller tasks, setting clear goals or making a project plan and sticking to it, eating healthy and getting enough rest. The Director for the added that building up self-confidence and developing good study skills could also help curtail procrastination.
Counselling Centre Open to Students
The Dean, Faculty of Educational Foundations, Prof. Eric Nyarko Simpson, commended the Centre for its effort to introduce and enhance students with all the necessary learning skills, strategies and academic self-discipline. He said, "The Counselling Centre has this exercise at heart to help students achieve their maximum academic potential and excellence on campus, therefore, take advantage and participate. The Dean also encouraged students to visit the Centre for all planned and tailored programmes as well as services that would help them.