The Institutional Affiliation Office (IAO) has begun series of workshops to build the capacities of tutors in Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges (NMTC) across the country offering Diploma in Midwifery for Post Nurse Assistant Clinicals and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAC/NAP) students. 

The workshops which are being held in the various campuses of the Colleges are aimed at building the capacities of tutors in Assessment to improve their instructions in the classroom and helping students to learn.

Addressing participants, the Head of IAO, Mr. Justice Agyenim Boateng, said the workshop has become necessary because UCC would be awarding Diploma to the students, hence the tutors would need certain skills to enhance their teaching and assessment of the students.  He noted that the University would expect the tutors to conduct continuous assessment which constituted 40 per cent whiles the final examinations would be scored 60 per cent. “We have entrusted 40 per cent out of the100 per cent total score of the students into your hands and we want to be sure that you assess the students based on their performance in assignments and quizzes you conduct and not just giving them marks they don’t deserve,” he emphasised.

Mr. Boateng said the programme could achieve its objectives if the tutors applied what they were going to be taught at the workshop. He noted that UCC would not compromise on its quality standards, and therefore, they should take the workshop serious. “After the workshop, students should see some improvements in the way you handle your lessons and this should influence their learning” he noted. He said the calibre of students they were teaching have been working and needed to be encouraged to learn and acquire the relevant knowledge and skills to progress professionally and academically. “These students are your junior colleagues who have been disadvantaged for a long time so you need to help them to excel on the programme” he urged them.

He noted that the University had outlined several workshops to build their competence in the areas of teaching and research. He said the University would soon introduce M.Phil programmes in Nursing and Midwifery which the tutors could take advantage to enrol. He added that discussions were ongoing to also run a Bachelor of Science programme in Midwifery on sandwich basis for Diploma holders in some selected NMTCs. 

The resource persons for the workshop were Dr. Godwin K. Aboagye and Dr. Kofi Acheaw Owusu. They took the tutors through “Types of Assessment (Feedback Mechanisms), Learning Outcomes/Blooms Taxonomy of Cognitive Learning, Multiple Choice Items” and Essay Type Questions. Other topics included Effective Project Work Supervision, Table of Specification (TOS), Preparation of Marking Schemes and Rubrics and Preparation of Course Outline”.

Tutors from Cape Coast, Twifo Praso, Agogo , Asamang SDA and Mampong NMTCs participated in the first phase of the workshop.