The Department of Communication Studies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  with the Department of Literature at Uppsala University, Sweden, to strengthen research work, promote developmental outreach and, cross cultural knowledge and understanding among staff, faculty and students of both institutions.    Other areas of the collaboration include exchange of students, exchange of faculty, collaborative research projects and curriculum development, exchange academic materials and published information. Also the two partners would jointly organise conferences, seminars, academic interactive sessions and professional development programmes, provide exchange internship opportunities for qualified students of the two universities and joint supervision of post-graduate projects and theses.   The Pro-Vice- Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, signed on behalf of UCC, while the Head of the Department of Literature at the Uppsala University, Dr. Patrick Mehrens, appended on behalf of Uppsala University. Speaking at the ceremony, the Head of the Department of Communication Studies, Dr. Eric Opoku-Mensah, said the preparations for the collaboration started last year following an invitation extended  to him to participate in an international conference on rhetoric at Uppsala University. In light of this, he said the Department seized the opportunity to engage their counterparts on how to collaborate to champion rhetoric, which happens to be an emerging discipline in Africa.    Welcoming the delegation, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, said the University was interested in fruitful collaborations, adding that "globally, universities are facing huge challenges and  no single university can cope with those challenges". He added that the collaboration between the two institutions would enhance mutual learning opportunities.    On his part, Dr. Patrick Mehrens gave a firm assurance of his Department’s commitment  to make the partnership successful.   Present at the ceremony were the Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan; the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh and some senior lecturers at the Department of Communication Studies.   Accompanying Dr. Patrick Mehrens were Prof. Mats Rosengren, the Chair of Rhetoric, Miss Louisa Therkildsen, a PhD student, and Erik Bengtson, all at the Department of Literature.

A lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Albert Ofori, has proposed to tertiary institutions to consider introducing Computational Chemistry as a degree programme to assist in solving chemical problems.

According to him, the old ways of solving chemical problems at laboratories was not  the best and, therefore, computational chemistry would help students with the tools to interpret experiments and understand chemical mechanism to make predictions that would guide future experiments. He said such a course would enable students apply existing computer programs and methodologies to specific chemical questions.

Dr. Ofori said this while delivering a lecture on the topic “Inter-and Intramolecular Interactions in the Stabilization of Metal Complexes: Computational Studies.” The lecture was organised by the School of Physical Sciences as part of its monthly lecture series.

He indicated that through computational chemistry, pharmaceutical industry, for instance, should be able to produce drugs that would heal exact medical conditions considering the gravity of a patient's  health. He further explained that “ for example, the computational chemistry can now define these problems in the pharmaceutical world and now they are developing drugs to target the broken tissues instead of having a combined medicine.... "

He said the introduction of Computation Chemistry would help faculty members to be innovative at the laboratory through the use of computers.

In another development, some past students of the Department of Physics in Finland have donated a 3D Printer to the Department.

The donation was a follow up to an earlier promise made by the past students by the Head of the group, Mr. Kofi J. Brobbey who also delivered a lecture in May 2017.

The Head of the Department, Dr. Benjamin Anderson, who presented the equipment on behalf of the students, thanked the past students for the donation.  He called on other old students to support the Department in their own little way, adding that “ the Department would appreciate it very much”.

On his part, the Vice-Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. Rulphino Zugle, who received the item, expressed gratitude to the old students and assured them that the equipment would be put to good use so as to prolong its lifespan.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, has noted that community schools has a role to play in nurturing  future leaders for sustainable development by  developing in younger ones the spirit of nationalism that will make them internalize the values embedded in the nation’s motto of “Freedom and Justice”.

Prof. Oduro said Ghana needed a type of leadership that would create opportunities for all citizens to enjoy freedom in job acquisition and career pursuit without political, religious or tribal discrimination, freedom to express constructive views on national initiatives and not being unnecessarily tagged on politically motivated attacks.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor made these statements when he delivered a speech on “ Nurturing Future Leaders for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Community Senior High School “ at the25th Anniversary Celebration of Odoben Senior High School in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District  of the Central Region. 

Prof. Oduro said the time had come for Ghana to have a new type of leadership that would allow structures in organisations to function without unnecessary interferences driven by partisan interests.  He therefore, underscored the need for community senior high schools to nurture young ones who would place Ghana first above all partisan interests.

As an agency for socialization, Prof. Oduro said there was no doubt that the school has a crucial role to perform in nurturing young ones towards the sustenance of Ghana’s development.  He added that considering the current complex challenges facing the nation vis-à-vis obligations posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  which among other things, oblige governments to expand access to quality education and health facilities within the context of equity,  it was clear that the nation need a  paradigm shift in leadership practices at all sectors of the economy.
 
 

Lecturers have been advised to be mindful of their delivery strategies during classes.

According to the Director of the Centre for Teaching Support, Prof. D.D. Adjei, the methods some lecturers adopt to teach make teaching and learning unattractive to students who sometimes lose interest in the subject.

He said: “Some of the methods use by lectures are largely teacher centered which brings about low cognitive learning”.

Prof. Agyei was speaking at a forum organised by the School of Agriculture on the theme “Enhancing the Competitiveness of the School of Agriculture of the University of Cape Coast as an institution of Choice in Ghana”. Prof. Agyei, who was speaking on the topic “ Being an Effective Lecturer”, said effective lecturing was characterized by enthusiasm and impressiveness, clarity and interaction.   The forum, held at the C.A Ackah Auditorium 900, was to take stock of academic activities of the School over the years and also find ways to address key challenges facing it. Prof. Agyei wondered why in the 21st century, some lecturers still dictate notes in the classroom for students to copy.

This method of teaching, Prof. Agyei pointed out, makes students to indulge in “chew and pour “ to pass quizzes, mid-semester examination and end- of -semester examination. He added: “there is hardly any kind of learning in class, concept formation is so much abstract and there is so much emphasis on assessment. So students are only interested about what will come in the quiz, mid or end of semester examinations".

Prof. Agyei stressed that such methods of teaching had adverse effects on students that were churned out each year by tertiary institutions. He said the time had come for lecturers to adopt a paradigm shift in their teaching methods to impact positively on their students.  “The kind of teaching we use in our classrooms has a role to play because it eventually impacts on the turnout of the students we are producing”, he said.  

Effective lecturers, according to him, combine the talents of the scholar, writer, producer, comedian, entertainer and teacher to promote student learning. Prof Agyei pointed out that some of the common lecturing errors included disorganization, over-reliance on teaching method, distracting dress, no break, nervous mannerisms, among others. He said an effective lecturer used the principle of good teaching, plans thoroughly, reflects, evaluates and manages problems strategically.He touched on the six principles of good teaching, which included seeking and incorporating feedback from students and ensuring research enhancement teaching.

Other speakers at the programme were a Senior lecturer at the Department of Animal Science, Sir. Kt. Prof. A. Annan-Prah, who treated the topic “Being an Effective Student,” and the Vice-Dean of the School of Agriculture, Prof Henry de-Graft Acquah, gave a presentation on "Enrolment Trends in the School of Agriculture." Also, a Senior Assistant Registrar at the Institute of Education, Mr. David Larbi, spoke on the topic “Being an Effective Administrator”.

In his remarks, the Dean of the School, Prof. Elvis  Asare Bediako, said the School was considering introducing Bsc. Agricultural Education and it would also collaborate with  Institute of Education to roll out sandwich programmes. He announced that plans were afoot to commercialise some of the activities of the University Farm and the Meat Processing Unit.   The forum was also used to discuss the general overview of enrolment trends in the School of Agriculture. The Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Onyame, was also present at the forum.