The Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, has said that the university has made remarkable advancement in e-learning technology and pedagogical strategies.

She said the university’s journey towards becoming a centre of excellence in e-learning in Africa had seen significant strides, including the recent inauguration of its first-ever virtual reality studios.

“These studios enable us to explore immersed learning possibilities and enhancement of the educational experience of our students”, the V-C said, adding that technology had redefined education by breaking down geographical barriers, making learning more accessible and inclusive,” she said.

Present at the event were the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo; the Director of KNUST E-Leaning Centre, Eric Apau Asante, heads of colleges of the university and students.

Also in attendance were the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Shlomit Sufa; the former French Ambassador to Ghana, Anne-Sophie Ave, and the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Shri Manish Gupta, — who joined the conversation virtually.

They all gave assurances of their country’s commitment in providing support to promote E-leaning in the country.

Event

Prof. Dickson was speaking at the third edition of KNUST E-Learning Awareness Week and the second E-Learning international conference in Kumasi yesterday.

The week-long event is on the theme: “Fostering excellence In E-learning across diverse disciplines: Progress, challenges and prospects.”

Relevance

Prof. Dickson said with the integration of Artificial Intelligence, KNUST was personalising its experience to cater to the unique needs of each student, ensuring that learners achieved their full potential.

She said the university was gradually realising its vision of a 70:30 per cent in-person to online learning pedagogy ratio. Prof. Dickson, however, said there were still some challenges such as ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all students, adding that initiatives such as the KNUST SONSOL project, which supported needy students with laptops, was vital to creating an equitable digital learning environment.

“So far, over 793 students have benefitted from this project and we are looking to reaching more students,” she said, Prof. Dickson further appealed to industry players and philanthropists to support brilliant needy students.

COVID-19 lessons

For his part, Prof. Apau said that the establishment of the centre was born out of the challenges the nation encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the university had to devise ways of reaching out to students because of the physical restrictions associated with the pandemic.

He said throughout the celebration, the centre would engage in a variety of activities, including keynote addresses, webinars, interactive workshops and exhibitions. “We will explore emerging trends, share best practices and learn from esteemed educators and experts in the field,” Prof. Apau added.