SELLL-UEW Champions Postgraduate Research Excellence with Capacity-Building
The School of Education and Life-long Learning (SELLL) at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) strengthened postgraduate research supervision across its departments through an insightful and engaging seminar.
The seminar took place at the Students Centre Seminar Room II on Thursday, 24th July, 2025. The initiative is part of a broader commitment to promoting excellence, professionalism and ethical rigour in postgraduate education.
The seminar, organised in response to recent Board directives brought together faculty members to delve into the complexities of postgraduate supervision and professional development. The event, which drew remarkable participation, featured stimulating reflections and policy-oriented dialogue from academic leaders and experienced researchers within the UEW community.
Prof. Hinneh Kusi, Dean of SELLL, underscored the necessity for educators to continuously evolve in an academic environment that is “turbulent and unstable.” He emphasised that staff must regularly update their knowledge, skills and competencies to stay effective. “Our continuous professional development cannot be taken for granted,” he said, adding that the seminar also aimed to familiarise faculty with new policies and expectations from the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).
Prof. Akwasi Kwarteng Amoako-Gyampah, Vice-Dean of SGS, captivated attendees with an engaging, reflective and deeply honest exploration of the challenges and responsibilities inherent in postgraduate supervision. “Supervision is not arbitrary. It is like an apprenticeship; if you cannot guide someone to attain a degree you have achieved, then you are not truly prepared,” he asserted.
He detailed the evolving policy environment, citing new Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) guidelines that restrict postgraduate supervision to those with terminal degrees, highlighting a significant shift in expectations for academic mentorship. “You cannot supervise a qualification you yourself do not have,” he emphasised.
Using both scholarly insight and relatable storytelling, the SGS Vice-Dean encouraged faculty to adopt a personalised, well-thought-out approach to supervision starting with understanding students' motivations and aligning them with realistic, manageable research goals. He passionately advocated for respectful, responsive and empathetic interactions with students, cautioning against abusive or absentee supervision and urging supervisors to avoid overbearing control. “We are to advise, not impose,” he emphasised.
Prof. Amoako-Gyampah also called for academic integrity, familiarity with institutional and departmental research guidelines, use of support systems like libraries and counselling services and equipping students with tools such as Zotero and Grammarly to enhance their writing and referencing. He warned against plagiarism, shallow literature reviews and poor data analysis, noting that many students “read but do not understand what they read,” stressing the need for training in critical reading and conceptual thinking.
The seminar concluded with a call to action for departments to establish clearer supervision contracts, realistic feedback timelines and to ensure compliance with UEW and SGS thesis requirements such as word count limits and structural consistency.
By bridging policy, mentorship, ethics and technology, SELLL has reaffirmed UEW’s commitment to producing high-quality postgraduate research. As the seminar series continues throughout the academic year, the University remains poised to empower its faculty and students to navigate and lead the future of higher education in Ghana and beyond.
