The University of Education, Winneba, (UEW), has initiated moves to allow students from the UEW Graduate School, who have submitted their thesis but find themselves outside Ghana to defend their work through Skype to abet academic work.
The initiative is the first ever viva voice via Skype organized by the Department of Communication and Media Studies of the University as part of efforts to employ modern technology to facilitate the defence of academic thesis.
Dr. Andy Ofori-Birikorang, Head of Department, Communication and Media Studies, told the Ghana News Agency that the Skype thesis defence was an appropriate means of encouraging students to defend their thesis irrespective of where they found themselves across the globe.
He explained that Ghanaian students are everywhere in the world and Skype was an easy way to get the students in touch with subject-matter experts, facilitating firsthand communications that deepen students' engagement with the content.
Dr. Ofori-Birikorang said given the dynamics of information communication technology, it was time for Ghanaian universities to open up to technological initiatives to make tertiary education more accessible and convenient, to bridge the technological gap in global education.
Professor Robert Hinson, External Assessor, expressed happiness about the development and congratulated the Department for making such innovative move to help Ghanaian students abroad to defend their work without having to travel back home with its cost and risk implications.
He said that technological innovation was a laudable one that needed to be scaled up in other Departments of the University to guarantee accessibility and flexibility in teaching and learning.
The students who benefited from the maiden Skype Thesis defence included two female students pursuing further studies at Ohio University in the United States of America, and one male, attending a conference in Germany.
With Skype, you can share a story, celebrate an occasion, learn an activity, hold a meeting, work with colleagues; just about anything you need to do together every day.