Ashesi’s 360 approach to the COVID-19 pandemic
Date
2021
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Publisher
Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM)
Abstract
Following the government directive to close schools in March 2020, a meeting of the
academic leadership of Ashesi University devised a 360-degree response to the COVID-19 pandemic
with decision making underpinned by simplicity and flexibility. The Admissions Department,
supported by Student Life, led the evacuation and safe return home of all students, with students with
challenging situations placed in homes the week of the announcement. Concurrently, the Academic
Affairs team suspended all regular activities for two weeks, and with the assistance of the Operations
and IT teams, developed the operational response plan, piloted the following week. Faculty and
Academic Affairs stressed best practices, and in response to Student Life, emphasised the quality of
instruction over quantity; rigour and higher-order thinking over the amount of learning. Pursuance of
quality assurance was through weekly and clear master plans on teaching. Student Life, Admissions,
and Academic Affairs used a devised student activity sheet to provide support to students to mitigate
attrition, which was less than 0.2 per cent at the end of the semester. They regularly engaged students
in virtual town hall meetings. Parents were included in students’ study needs and invited to visit
classes. Vendors for the grounds, cafeteria, security and cleaning services have been supported during
this period. Most faculty and students have begun to enjoy the online teaching and learning experience
with no request for a tuition refund, but rather, high student demand for summer school.
Description
Full versions of all four of the special issues are available, open-access through the CCEAM website – www.cceam.net
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Keywords
human capacity, decision-making, employment, education, qualitative research, Ghana
Citation
Agyepong, S. A., Owusu-Ansah, A. and Annoh, W. O. (2021) Ashesi's 360 approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. ISEA, 49 (1): 78-85.