As part of the University’s role in contributing to competitive standards in training teachers for quality education and sustainable development, the Institute of Education has organised a 2-day Workshop for Vice-Principals and Assessment Officers of the various Colleges of Education.
Relevance of the Workshop
Welcoming participants to the workshop, the Chairman, Provost, College of Education Studies, Prof. Eric Magnus Wilmot, acknowledged the relevance of the two-days training to the Vice-Principals and Assessment Officers. He indicated that the workshop would generate fruitful discussion and enlighten them to appreciate the implementation of the new ‘Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programmes. He urged the participants that UCC has been working with the Colleges and would continue to build their capacities to assess students learning. “I wish that by the end of this workshop, the interactions will help you improve on what is already happening in your Colleges,” he noted.
Purpose of the Training Workshop
Presenting the purpose of the training workshop, the Director, Institute of Education, Prof. Frederick Ocansey, explained that workshops were routine feature of the collaboration between UCC and the Colleges. He noted that this workshop focused on assessment practices and the implementation of the new B.Ed. programmes in the various Colleges of Education in the country.
Prof. Ocansey noted that the workshop would address: the content, structure and issues involved in the implementation of the new B.Ed. programmes; the review of the process of test construction, administration and scoring and the review of procedures for test item analysis and feedback. He also mentioned that participants would be taken through the continuous assessment practices at the Colleges; and the challenges likely to be encountered in the new B.Ed. programmes. He further indicated that the workshop, the resource persons would lead participants to discuss the processes and challenges involved in the managing of the newly designed programme for Students’ Information System (SIS), and share ideas and experiences for a collective decision.
Structure of the B.ED Curriculum for the Colleges of Education
Speaking on the implementation of the new B.Ed Curriculum, the Dean, School of Educational Development And Outreach, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, described the structure of the programmes as: B.Ed. Early Childhood Education (KG – P3), B.Ed Primary Education (P1 – P6), and B.Ed Junior High School Education (JHS1 – JHS3). He explained that “on every programme content, a student will have four broad areas, general education, pedagogy and college courses.”
Importance of the Structure and Content of the New Curriculum
Prof. Davis said the structure and content would provide to students a versatile opportunity for integration, double specialisation (with one major) and single major (Vocational/Technical Subjects) for the purpose of teacher-professional progression. Commenting on the planning and implementation, he charged the course coordinators to plan how they would ensure continuous interactions and communication with their team members. He emphasised on the role of the coordinators in the implementation of the new B.Ed. programme was to mentor; serve as link between the Institute of Education (UCC) and the Colleges; assess and create a common platform for discussion. Prof. Davis reminded participants that they were critical in the successful implementation of the curriculum because their interpretation would help determine the full relisation of the new B.Ed. programmes.