Browsing by Author "Tawiah, Richard"

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    An assessment of resource availability for problem based learning in a Ghanaian University setting
    (Emerald, 2016-07) Okyere, Gabriel Asare; Tawiah, Richard; Lamptey, Richard Bruce; Oduro, William; Thompson, Michael; 0000-0002-9431-5294
    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the differences pertaining to the resources presently accessible for problem-based learning (PBL) among six colleges of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – Data for the study are the cross-sectional type drawn from 1,020 students. Poisson and zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) models were implemented on the data to ascertain the variations regarding the extent of resources available for PBL across the colleges of the university. Findings – The study outlines the specific resources accessible for PBL across college levels of KNUST. On aggregate, 25.7 per cent reported that their respective colleges have sufficient resources, while 74.3 per cent indicated otherwise. The ZIP model exhibited superiority over the Poisson model, when compared under a Vuong test. As per the ZIP model, none of the colleges appeared to differ significantly in terms of having sufficient resource for PBL. Practical implications – Findings are applicable to informed decision-making which targets achieving quality education through the use of PBL. Access to sufficient resources that meet the needs of colleges or departments of a University is emphasized. Originality/value – The application of Poisson and ZIP models to aggregated count data in a PBL setting is novel.
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    Impact of Multimorbidity Patterns on Elderly Hospitalization and Mortality: A Case Study of Kwadaso S.D.A Hospital
    (2013-12-10) Tawiah, Richard
    In this thesis, we aimed to identify multimorbidity patterns, study their impact on the length of hospitalization (LOH) until death and on mortality among elderly patients. The study utilized a sample of 984 elderly general clinic patients aged 50 years or older from data gathered from Kwadaso S.D.A hospital. The multimorbidity patterns were identified by exploratory tetrachoric factor analysis. Patients were assigned to any pattern if they had at least two diseases with factor loadings of 0.50 or more in absolute value on the corresponding pattern. However, to study the impact of the multimorbidity patterns, accelerated failure time (AFT) models with proportional hazards (PH) were used. The hazards were that of the exponential and Weibull models. Three multimorbidity patterns were identified: cardio-metabolic and pain disorders (CMPD), cardio-pulmonary disorders (CPD) and gastrointestinal, low back pain and anxiety disorders (GLAD). These patterns affected 52.2% of the entire sample. The Weibull model (AIC=239.7) provided a better fit when compared to the exponential model (AIC=259.3). Results from the Weibull model revealed that the median LOH until death was decreased by a factor of 0.46 and a factor of 0.45 for patients with CMPD and patients with CPD respectively when compared to patients with GLAD. Therefore, the estimated median LOH until death were 16 days for patients with CMPD and patients with CPD and 35 days for those with GLAD. Hospitalized elderly patients with these multimorbidity patterns, especially those with CPD and CMPD were vulnerable to increasing likelihood of mortality.
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    Review of E-Learning Environment at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
    (University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2019-05) Tawiah, Richard; Lamptey, Richard Bruce; Okyere, Gabriel Asare; Oduro, William; Thompson, Michael Oko; 0000-0002-9431-5294
    This study explores the policies for e-learning and examines the awareness of teaching practices that incorporates e-learning among educational managers, librarians, teachers, IT experts and students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. The study is based on a survey data extracted from the KNUST-based BSU Project. The results revealed that 84.1% of the educational managers and 87.1% of the teaching participants claimed the university has no policy for introducing e-learning, while 63.6% of the IT experts reported otherwise. The participants outlined a few teaching practices that involves e-learning, some of which are frequently and others rarely utilized by teachers and IT experts. Awareness of these practices was extremely high in the IT experts, teachers and student participants but low in the educational managers. The findings of this study draw attention to the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the e-learning environment of the university.