The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has launched the UCC-African Intellectual Database for Development and Excellence (AIDDE) Extended Library and Digitisation Project to help staff and students of the University to have easy access to educational materials.

Access to over 50,000 Educational Materials

Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor noted that AIDDE platform was an improvement over the existing e-library system which had limited access to educational materials and latest publications in some disciplines. Prof. Ampiah indicated that the AIDDE platform has over 50,000 materials from countries such as East Africa, South Africa, the Netherlands, USA, Canada and some other European countries. He said with the new AIDDE platform, lecturers could upload publications, text books and several educational materials on the platform to be accessed by other people.

The Head of E-Learning and Knowledge Management, of the Directorate of Information& Communication Technology  DICTS of the University of Cape Coast, Anthony Kwame Ardiabah, said the platform could be accessed on the University’s website and thus encouraged staff and students to register and  make effective use of platform adding that “ registration is free but the benefits are enormous”.

Background                                                                                                          

The AIDDE project  is an extension of the existing electronic library of the University. The project is aimed at  digitising journals, articles, textbooks and other educational material to promote effective and efficient teaching and learning. Currently, the educational materials on the platform include academic textbook, publications, journals and several educational materials.

It would be recalled that the University of Cape Coast signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Final Vision (FvTech), a technology solutions company based in Canada, to provide lecturers and students access to educational materials from (AIDDE).

Present at the launch were some provosts, deans , directors, heads of department and students.

A delegation from the Department of Forensic Sciences and the Institutional Affiliation Office of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has inspected facilities at the Detective Training Academy (DTA) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Ghana Police Training School in Accra.                                             

The visit formed part of processes leading to the affiliation of DTA to UCC through the Department of Forensic Sciences to run programmes at the certificate, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Facilities Inspected by the Delegation from UCC

The UCC delegation led by Dr. Richmond Afoakwah was made up of the Head of Institutional Affiliation Office, Mr. Justice Agyenim Boateng; Dr. Benjamin Aboagye, Mr . Isaac Kofi Badu and Ms. Fiona Kudiabor of the Department of Forensic Sciences.

Facilities inspected by the delegation included lecture halls, dormitories, washrooms, dining hall, administrative and academic offices. The team also inspected the newly constructed Library and Information Communications and Technology (ICT) Centre.

CID Team

Prior to the inspection of facilities, the UCC delegation held a meeting with the Director-General of CID, DCOP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah and her team including Deputy Director-General of CID, ACP George Tweneboah; Commandant of DTA, Supt. Benjamin Affisah.

Director-General of CID’s Remark

The Director-General of CID, assured the delegation from UCC that her outfit was working vigorously to upgrade facilities at the DTA in order to meet the requirements for affiliation and accreditation. She said a lot of efforts have been made by her team for the successful commencement of the programmes..

DCOP Addo-Danquah reiterated her desire to reposition the CID as a top-notch investigative body globally.  She commended UCC for showing keen interest in helping the CID administration to realise this vision.

UCC will Collaborate with DTA to Commence the Programme

Dr. Afoakwah noted that the level of commitment from UCC and CID team was commendable and gave the assurance that “UCC will do everything possible to successfully roll out the programmes”. He said the Vice-Chancellor was in support of the collaboration and therefore, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would soon be signed to seal the affiliation process for the commencement of the programmes. The Head of the Department of Forensic Sciences indicated that apart from personnel of the CID, the programmes would be extended to other security agencies in Ghana and other countries in West Africa. He said the curriculum was designed with the input of the CID and therefore, the University would continue to work together with them to train highly professional detectives to nib all forms of crime in the bud.

Signing of MoU

On his part, the Head of Institutional Affiliation said the draft MoU would be sent to the CID to make an input before the official signing ceremony. He was hopeful that the efforts made so far was an indication that the programme would be rolled out very soon.

The Centre for Child Development Research and Referral (CCDRR) has organised a training workshop for teachers of Saint Mary’s Girls School in Cape Coast.

 The training workshop was held to equip the teachers to identify and assist pupils with reading and other learning challenges in the classroom. It was on the theme “The Role of the Teacher in Identifying Reading and Other Learning Problems in the Regular Classroom.”

Inclusive Education for All

Opening the workshop, the Coordinator of CCDRR, Dr. Lebbaeus Asamani, indicated that the workshop was to expose the teachers to issues in “inclusive education” and the need to ensure the availability of competent teachers who can provide quality education to all children whether with or without disability as enshrined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana.  He noted that the Inclusive Education Policy Document which was produced in 2015, placed emphasis on ensuring access and learning for all children without discrimination. Dr. Asamani said the core function of CCDRR were: educational assessment and intervention; workshops and training of teachers; doing referrals when necessary and conducting research related to child development; and learning difficulties and disorders.

Planned Workshops for Teachers and Other Stakeholders

The Coordinator of CCDRR indicated that, the workshop was the first in a series which had been planned to equip teachers with the needed skills for contemporary inclusive classroom. He said there would be subsequent workshops involving other stakeholders and informed the teachers that, the Centre would do follow-up on the progress of the pupils. “I am hopeful the training workshop will leave the participants very resourced and refreshed to help provide good quality education for their pupils,” he remarked.

Topics for the Workshop                                   

Highlighting  some of the problems of learning to the teachers,  a Teaching Associate, Ms. Martha-Pearl Okai, who was the resource person for the training workshop took participants through “Dyslexia – difficulty with reading; Dyscalculia - difficulty with mathematic calculation; Dysgraphia - difficulty with writing; Apraxia – difficulty with motor coordination; Social-Emotional problems; Written Expressing problems; Oral Language problems and Spelling problems” She advised teachers that, the best way to deal with any of these learning problems or difficulties in pupils/students was to be able to identify them.

Early Identification of Learning Problems

Ms. Okai stressed on the need for early identification of learning problems and urged the teachers to actively play their counselling role in the classrooms through the use of procedures - report, pre-referrals, referrals and post referrals. She entreated them to engage pupils in a natural environment; listening carefully and respectfully; being culturally sensitive and developing a good relationship with parents. “Avoid making diagnosis; raising concerns and making judgment,” she implored. She called on the teachers to report all forms of teaching and learning problems to CCDRR for redress.

The resource person engaged participants through sketches, group work, discussions, questioning and answering sessions.