I was having a conversation with a guy on phone and he suddenly screamed so I asked him if there was anything wrong and he answered “someone just commented on the assignment that I submitted on the platform. oh l never knew classmates can actually see what we have done”.
This is how I got interesting revelations about how Universities in this country are lecturing and assessing their students who are home because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Interacting with more people about how they are learning while they are home, some students said they were excited about the introduction of e-learning apps by their schools but also shared with me their sentiment on how learning on the platforms is affecting them. The first question that came to mind on the new system introduced was what happens to students who live in villages with no internet service and imagine this, how do we expect a student coming from a deprived family that depends on donated foods from the rich during this lockdown to be able to get money for data.
I want to ask the authorities of Accra Technical University (ATU)if they don’t know of Google classroom and other apps that allow students and lectures have a successful class with no issues. You created an app for the school radio yet you couldn’t create one for learning in this hard times we find ourselves.
Students are wasting data bundle just to visit the website given them for information because when assignments and documents are given out by lecturers they don’t receive any notification, there is no time table to guide them or alert them on the time to be online for lectures and works are given with deadlines so they miss most of them.
Submitted assignments are not delivered privately to lecturers but the website displays it for all class members to read what their colleagues wrote. I think within a week the university authorities can quickly solve this by creating learning app that will notify it subscribers when there is a new information.
Ghana Institute of Journalism, GIJ after providing a better e- learning app for their students have now decided to frustrate them with numerous assignments which doesn’t make sense. Lecturers are giving assignment after every class because they feel their students are home doing nothing so they need to occupy them with plenty work. Have they forgotten that most of their students are already working in the media and are exempted from the lockdown. Some students are taking care of themselves and their families but because of lockdown they can’t do business to provide for themselves and their families and such people will not have a sound mind to do the plenty works given them
Shame on the lecturers who have given ten pages assignment to the final year students. please I want to know if everything is alright with you. Some of your final year students are depressed because of your inconsiderate decisions. Final year students started their project works immediately school resumed this semester and some printed out questionnaire for their data collection before the deadly virus forced the government to send students home and now academic board is asking students to dissolve their teams because of covid 19 and do it individually which means students have no option than to start all over with project without considering the energy, Resources and time that these students have invested in where they got to before the lockdown. most of GIJ students are hyper because of what the new system is putting them through. Oh GIJ why? Relief your students by minimising the work load, students are bleeding especially those completing.
University of Cape Coast students do not know their whereabouts with this e learning saga. The University has provided the students with a platform called the Moodle website which some lecturers are not using but rather passing information on to their students on their personal apps, Google classroom and piazza. your students are pleading with you to provide them with timetable to guide because they are tired of roaming on these platforms every minute in search of information and to download course materials for reading.
Lockdown is having huge financial and psychological effects on people already, schools should not add up to the already existing problems else we will have a lot of depressed people in this country. Authorities Should listen to their students in order to rectify the problems facing them.
By Evelyn Anane
The writer is a journalist and social commentator.
Email: mzeve18@gmail.com