Daniel Ameyaw – (UG)

BACKGROUND 

The PedaL training particularly, the Online Course came in at a time when the University of Ghana had initiated a transformation agenda to migrate teaching and learning online amid COVID-19. The PedaL training was intended to equip academic staff members with the necessary pedagogical skills require to deliver the teaching and learning processes online in an effective manner. As a trainee and subsequently, a trainer of the PedaL Online Course, my PedaL story is everybody’s guess. 

INTERVENTION 

The Quality Assurance Plan initiated at the University of Ghana was intended to create a systemic change in teaching and learning. The PedaL strategies were infused into the main University-wide pedagogical skills training that are organised for newly appointed lecturers. Selection of participants for the training was routed through the Colleges Secretaries/Provosts Offices for the attention of Deans and Heads of Departments to provide lists of participants.  

As part of the implementation, an online training was organised in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Directorate and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI). The design was based on previous training programmes organised by the Quality Assurance for Lecturers and the PedaL training strategies learnt. The recent training organised online amid COVID-19 in January 2021 was successful. I played a Facilitation role for that online training programme and the participants described the training as engaging and very insightful. 

RESULTS 

In the short term, it was noted that there has been a direct influence of my knowledge level in teaching and learning activities leading to improvement in learning by students. I understand at this instance that assessment is an approach for learning. In the medium term, the PedaL training strategies indirectly influenced stakeholders understanding, particularly lecturers, students, University Management and Administrators’ perception about the teaching and learning processes thereby making learning activities lively, interactive and engaging. The long-term impact would be that change and influence expected to reflect in the behaviour of our graduates and their contribution to the society as well as the skills acquired to meet the manpower requirements of the nation.     

LESSON LEARNT 

I learnt that assessment of students could be carried out online by use of rubric, and that rubric should be made available to students to inform learning while lecturers make use of Marking Scheme/Guide to grade students. It is therefore worthwhile to do a project in online teaching and learning. 

AHA MOMENTS 

My Aha moment during the course of the training has been the innovative assessment of learning, particularly my ability to assess and grade students’ performance online. It is heart-warming to mention that Pedal training is useful. As a results, most students have now embraced online learning as a new era.  

FURTHER INFORMATION 

Find the link to my e-Portfolios as: https://sites.google.com/view/danielameyaw/home