With e-learning increasingly becoming the more trendier way of teaching and learning in many public and private tertiary institutions,  Regent University College of Science and Technology has organised a comprehensive two week e-learning Moodle workshop for its faculty and IT staff.

The workshop is to equip the lecturers of the accredited institution with  modern techniques and trends in e-learning in order for them to impart that knowledge on the students.

The workshop which is in collaboration with E-learning Innovative Technologies and Educational Solutions (ELITES) is also to innovate and improve on the traditional system of teaching and learning.

The participants, numbering about 70 were taken through key models including building a course in Moodle, teaching in the online environment etc.

A facilitator, Dr Nick Fobih who is also a lecturer with the George Brown College in Toronto, Canada and a Director of Learning at ELITES said the rationale for the workshop was to encourage Regent University College and other Ghanaian universities to adopt  e-learning as the most cost effective and  exciting way of teaching and learning.

Many Ghanaian students and lecturers are still used to the traditional way of teaching and learning but Dr Fobih said e-learning, among other benefits, complements the traditional way of learning in many ways.

"The online learning  and traditional systems have some similarities and differences. The e-learning or online learning is to improve upon the traditional classroom learning. If people use technology to learn it helps them to be more effective," he said in an interview with Myjoyonline.com, adding "the opportunities for online learning are enormous."

The IT Director at Regent University College, Mr. Ebenezer Sowah said the workshop is part of efforts by the university to reach out to people who are not physically available in the traditional classroom.

"The purpose of the moodle is particularly to help extend teaching and learning from the traditional classroom environment to reach out to those who cannot even attend  lectures physically.

"A lot of people wish they could acquire much more knowledge so they can improve upon their service delivery in their various offices but do not have the time to do so.

"The e-learning allows the people who cannot attend the traditional classroom to benefit from the very same course content and take exams in the same way" he indicated.

Mr Sowah said Regent University College since 2007 had already been doing this but was quick to add that the collaboration with ELITES opens new frontiers as new technologies have been introduced.

The Vice President  for  Institutional Advancement of Regent University College, Dr Stanley Moffat who is also a participant at the workshop said the workshop could not have been more beneficial.

He said the moodle e-learning platform has exposed them to better ways of creating and managing the online courses and how to give assignments to students.

"The e-learning makes learning fun, user-friendly and attractive," he intimated.

With this e-learning drive currently being championed at the University; Regent University College is poised to strengthening its position as one of the leading science and technology institutions in the country.