The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic brought distortions in the academic calendar of nations when educational institutions were closed. As a way of filling the gap created in the trend, tertiary institutions introduced online learning to support students’ learning while at home. There was also the need to introduce alternative learning approaches to students that will help them summarize and represent the lengthy lecture notes and reading materials into meaningful and memorable units. This study looks at the effectiveness of mind maps in promoting this home-based online learning.  The participants were seventy-one (71) first-year Bachelor of Education students pursuing a 4-year degree program in Basic Education in Kibi Presbyterian College of Education. One group consists of students pursuing Home Economics as their major and the other primary education. A test and questionnaire were used to collect data. T-test was used to test the significance of the performance of the two groups, and multiple regression was used to find an association between the use of the strategy and students’ performance. The statistical software used for data analysis was IBM’s SPSS version 25. The result shows that the mind map strategy helped learners retain knowledge; however, students’ understanding of concepts was low

This study investigated the effects of flipped inquiry-based learning approach (FIBL) on chemistry students' academic performance and learning experiences. This study utilized a mixed research methods approach with a quasi-experimental design. A convenient sampling technique was used to identify pre-service teachers studying chemistry at the college of education in Ghana. Quantitative data was obtained using a chemistry academic achievement test and critical thinking skills test. Qualitative data was obtained through a focus group conducted in the experimental class. Results from the quantitative data analysis showed a significant increase in students' academic performance and critical thinking skills in the pre-and post-test scores in experimental classes. Female pre-service teachers performed better with higher scores in chemistry learning outcomes than their male colleagues. In addition, the focus group results showed that students had positive views on learning in the FIBL environment in terms of learning convenience, peer collaboration, conceptual understanding, and learning skills. The study provides insight into flipped and inquiry-based learning as effective pedagogical approaches for delivering chemistry instructions. Overall, the results show that flipped inquiry-based learning is an effective pedagogical approach enabling students to develop learning potentials in chemistry.

The purpose of this research was to determine Ghanaian teachers' competencies in delivering online lessons. Transitioning face-to-face instructions to an online environment presents difficulties for instructors, particularly teachers and students doing so for the first time. The researchers explore how teachers in disrupted schools use information and communications technology (ICT) in their classrooms that differ in several ways from the regular classroom. The researchers investigated the factors influencing teachers' online instruction competence. A questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers in three teacher training colleges in Ghana in the 2021 academic year. Results showed that teachers had adequate knowledge of ICT. Also, ICT knowledge was strongly correlated to ICT usage. Regression analysis revealed that teachers could become competent and effectively teach online courses by having adequate knowledge, regularly using ICT, and receiving technical support from the institution. These findings suggest that teachers need sufficient knowledge and support to use computers to become competent in integrating ICT into their online course delivery.

This study sought to evaluate the added advantage of mediating ZnO nanostructures with a medicinal plant. The synthesized ZnO nanocrystalline structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and characterized through scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities of the ZnO nanostructure mediated with methanol extracts of the leaf, fruit, and seed of Chrysophyllum albidum were then evaluated using DPPH assay, egg albumin denaturation assay, and agar well diffusion methods, respectively. All the characterization analyses revealed high-purity hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanoparticles which were agglomerated. The mean diameter of the particles determined were 11.3 ± 1.7   nm , 20.4 ± 3.2   nm , and 27.3 ± 6.6   nm for C. albidum seed, fruit, and leaf extract-mediated ZnO NPs, respectively. The EC50 values recorded for the antioxidant activity of the extract-mediated ZnO NPs were 0.507 ± 0.015 , 0.255 ± 0.006 , 0.193 ± 0.003 , and 0.004 ± 0.000  mg/mL for leaf, fruit, seed, and ascorbic acid, respectively. From the antimicrobial analysis, C. albidum seed extract-mediated ZnO NPs recorded the highest zone of inhibition ( 24.33 ± 0.47 ) against S. aureus whereas C. albidum leaf extract-mediated ZnO NPs gave the lowest zone of inhibition ( 13.00 ± 1.41 ) against E. coli at a concentration of 50 mg/mL. Moreover, C. albidum fruit extract-mediated ZnO NPs presented the highest zone of inhibition ( 18.00 ± 0.82 ) against the fungus (C. albicans) also at a concentration of 50 mg/mL. The IC50 values recorded for the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract-mediated ZnO NPs showed inhibition in the order fruit > seed > leaf . Meanwhile, extracts of the samples showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, and glycosides as phytochemical constituents in the leaf, fruit, and seed samples. In conclusion, the synthesized ZnO NPs from the extracts of C. albidum displayed significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities against some selected microbes and fungi.

The study aimed to examine colleges of education science tutors’ practices of differentiated instruction in the Volta Region of Ghana. The study employed explanatory sequential design. The participants were 32 science tutors from Colleges of Education in the Volta Region of Ghana, who were purposively selected based on having direct instructional contacts with students all the time and their teaching experiences within and outside colleges. Questionnaire, Rating Scale, and Interview were used to collect data. It was found that science tutors have different knowledge on content, learning style, learner interest, learner diversity, process, product, and lesson planning. The findings also revealed that majority (80%) of science tutors who did not differentiate instruction in their classrooms have the knowledge of differentiated instruction but their failure to make use of DI was due to scarcity of time, complex nature of DI, high level of workload. The results also revealed that, majority (80%) of the science tutors did not use their assessment feedback to guide their instruction. These science tutors said marking schemes were always given to the students for self-correction. The results from classroom observation showed that these tutors do not teach to meet the diverse needs of learners. Majority of the participants still hold to traditional classroom teaching strategies based on one size-fits-all approach which proved to be ineffective. The study recommended that mentoring universities should organize workshops on the differentiated instructional for tutors and mount course in DI for student teachers.