Right-Handedness and Left-Brainedness.

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Tipping the scales: ambidexterity practices on e-HRM projects

Purpose: We examine and conceptualise the ways in which a balance can be achieved between optimising the efficiency and effectiveness of electronic HRM (e-HRM) systems for human resource management (HRM) and enabling innovation to occur during the system implementation. Design/methodology/approach: An intepretive case study of a UK local authority e-HRM system implementation is examined using the notion of ambidexterity as an analytical device. Ambidexterity relates to how an organisation develops the ability to operate efficiently in the now, while at the same time being able to adapt to environmental changes around and ahead of them in order to grow into the future. Findings: As an intra-organisational capability, ambidexterity is found to derive from the simultaneous interplay and balancing of dual capabilities: exploitation and exploration.. E-HRM exploitation concerned the capability to generate new knowledge with innovatory effects, created through the everyday practices performed by practitioners at all levels in the organisation. E-HRM exploration, rather than being a purposeful act, was found to be an accidental consequence of engaging in exploitation to maintain the status quo. Originality/value: There is a lack of detailed investigation of how organisations actually achieve ambidexterity, particularly in three under-researched areas: ambidexterity in the public sector, at HR functional level and e-HRM systems implementation. Bundling these three areas into an integrated examination allows us to both identify how exploitation and exploration play out in the ambidextrous practices of an e-HRM project and also to identify the dimensions of ambidexterity in balancing e-HRM work

Summative Examination for High Stake Assessment in Higher Education: A Case of Undergraduate Students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

The previous era witnessed larger student numbers reduced resources and increasing use of digital technologies which have led to the increased use of multiple-choice question types as a method of assessment in higher education courses As KNUST advances towards the complete adoption of multiple-choice questions for high-stake paper-based summative assessments there are associated challenges that accompany this phenomenon Chiefly is them is placement of scantron sheets time needed to mark the sheets and enormous pressure mounted on the Optical Mark Recognition device due to large students numbers in KNUST Hence the study sought to investigate the feasibility ofe Examination as an alternative for paper-based examination and evaluate students acceptance of e- Examination The study used a sample of 162 n 162 students in a multimedia in publishing course Examinees performances in the e-Examinations were tested against five factors including prior experience of e-Examinations digital literacy skills gender age and academic standing

Adopting Successive Approximation Model For The Development Of Locally-Made Interventionary Manipulatives For The Teaching Ang Learning Of Mathematics In Basic Education Context: The Case Of Akrom M/A And Knust Primary Schools

Manipulatives are concrete or virtual objects that enable pupils to visualize abstract mathematical concepts in concrete terms for easy comprehension. They play an important role in the success of effective mathematics education. Preliminary studies in the selected schools revealed that manipulatives were lacking in these schools and that made teaching and learning of some mathematics topics very challenging. This research sought to find out how mathematics is taught in the selected schools to establish the brunt on how the teaching and learning of mathematics is done with or without manipulatives. The two selected schools are public schools or government owned schools. The study is qualitative in nature employing the descriptive and quasi-experimental methods of research. The research instruments employed for the study were interview and observation. The accessible population for the study was 339. This was made up of 6 teachers, 199 teachers and 1 head teacher. The non-probability sampling techniques were employed specifically; convenient sampling was used to hand pick schools that were not too far from the researcher whiles the purposive sampling was used to judgmentally select the school that are been studied. Results from observation in both schools showed that, manipulatives were available for only addition and subtraction. Data from interviews showed that some topics in mathematics are challenging to teach without manipulatives. Successive Approximation Model (SAM) was used to design and develop mathematics manipulatives for five of the challenging topics to teach and learn which were tested in the selected schools to measure their effectiveness. The test scores revealed that pupil’s academic experiences in those challenging mathematics topics improved with the use of manipulatives; pupils’ participation in the classroom also improved drastically. It was recommended that, manipulatives should be available for all topics in mathematics to make teaching and learning easier and fun to improve academic performance of pupils in mathematics

Perceptions, Attitudes and Institutional Factors that Influence Academic Performance of Visual Arts Students in Ghana’s Senior High School Core Curriculum Subjects

Senior High School (SHS) students in Ghana are required to pass all core and elective curricula subjects in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to qualify for higher education. Unfortunately, many Visual Arts students perform poorly or fail in English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies, which constitute the SHS core curriculum subjects. To ascertain the factors that account for low performance of Visual Arts students in the WASSCE core subjects, this study employed interview, questionnaire and observation to gather qualitative and quantitative data from 20 core subject and 15 Visual Arts teachers, 5 heads of schools, 5 Heads of Visual Arts department and 50 Visual Arts students in five Senior High Schools (SHSs) in Ashanti Region. The findings revealed that some core subject teachers denigrate Visual Arts students as ‘unintelligent’, ‘not serious’ and ‘difficult to teach’ as compared to their peers in the Science, Business and allied elective SHS programmes; with some refusing responsibility in Visual Arts departments. Perceiving core subjects as ‘theoretical’ and ‘difficult to learn’, many Visual Arts students neglect the learning of core subjects and concentrate time and effort on elective Textiles, Ceramics and allied Visual Arts subjects. Invariably, many Visual Arts students make poor WASSCE grades in core subjects and miss participation in higher education. Active monitoring of teaching, attitudinal change and motivation could build the capacity of Visual Arts students to participate fully in the economic development of Ghana. Keywords: Academic performance; Visual Arts; core curriculum; Senior High School; Ghana

Teaching and Learning of Drawing for Book Design and Illustration: A Study of Higher Education in Publishing, Ghana

The Publishing Studies department of Faculty of Art Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST Ghana offers graduate training in three career paths Book Design and Illustration BDI Publishing Administration and Printing Technology and Management and Publishing Administration A survey of 555 students in Years 1-4 revealed a skewed distribution of 47 in BDI 285 in Printing and 223 in Administration manual drawing which is required for specialisation in BDI is a major threat to patronage in this Publishing Studies programme option To understand this phenomenon required observation of drawing lessons and interviewing a convenience sample of 34 BDI students over two semesters This qualitative study found that ability to draw significantly affects students decision for BDI 12 reported good manual drawing skills for careers in illustration 19 had limited drawing skills and preferred designing with computers 3 had developed interest in drawing from Year 1 but preferred both aspect