Teaching & Learning Policy

Methods Rubric

The accepted and preferred teaching methods at Southshore University College, with examples, the conditions under which each method must be used, the minimum dose required to count, and the evidence Course Examiners must keep.

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1. Accepted Methods (with examples & when to use)

Every taught course must combine at least three (3) of the methods below. Pure didactic lecturing alone is not an accepted method at Southshore.

Method	Category	Description	Examples	Must be used when	Preferred when	Minimum dose	Evidence required
Blended Course (30%–79% online)	Online/Blended	Planned combination of face-to-face and online delivery, with online components designed to the Southshore Online Course Quality Rubric.	Weekly 2-hour seminar + 1 hour online discussion + asynchronous video Saturday on-campus workshop + weekday online tutorials for working professionals	All Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and executive education programmes All postgraduate programmes targeting working professionals	Cohort is geographically dispersed Course benefits from asynchronous reflection between live sessions	Online component 30%–79% of contact equivalence; synchronous sessions ≤ 90 minutes without a break.	Course-build certified against Online Course Quality Rubric by Director of Planning and QA; LMS analytics; attendance logs.
Case-Based Learning (African Cases First)	In-person	Analysis of real, complex situations using the case method. Southshore mandates a majority of cases be drawn from African industry, public sector, civil society and community contexts.	MBA strategy case on MTN Group's mobile-money rollout Public-health case on Ghana's COVID-19 response in the Volta Region Engineering case on the Akosombo dam spillage management	All Business, Law, Public Policy, Health Sciences and Engineering programmes Capstone courses in every undergraduate programme	When learning outcomes target professional judgement, ethics or decision-making under uncertainty	≥ 30% of contact time in designated case courses; ≥ 60% of cases used in any course must be African in origin.	Case teaching note on LMS; student case-prep submissions; written board-plan retained by instructor.
Coaching, Mentoring & One-to-One Tutorials	Independent	Individualised guidance for thesis, dissertation, capstone, professional development or formation/character work.	PhD supervisor meeting with written record Career-coaching session via the Office of Student Success Faculty mentor meeting under the Southshore Formation Framework	All thesis, dissertation and capstone supervision Every student shall be assigned a faculty mentor under the Formation Framework	When the learner needs personalised feedback that cannot be given in a group setting	Postgraduate supervision: ≥ 1 documented meeting per month. Faculty mentorship: ≥ 2 meetings per semester.	Supervision/mentoring log countersigned by both parties; objectives and action items retained on student record.
Experiential / Service-Learning / Internship	Practical	Structured learning in an authentic external setting — industry, community, government, NGO — with named learning outcomes, supervisor sign-off and reflective assessment.	Semester-long internship in a Ghanaian SME with weekly journal Service-learning placement supporting a Tema basic school Venture-creation lab building a real student-led enterprise	Every undergraduate programme must include ≥ 1 credit-bearing experiential placement before graduation All Education, Health, Social Work and Engineering programmes (regulator-mandated)	When outcomes target professional identity, ethics or community engagement	Internship: ≥ 8 weeks full-time equivalent. Service-learning: ≥ 30 hours per semester. Reflection: structured journal + final report.	Tripartite learning agreement (student/host/Southshore); supervisor evaluation; reflective journal; final report graded on LMS.
Flipped Classroom	Online/Blended	Students engage with pre-recorded video / readings / interactive media before class; in-class time is reserved for problem-solving, application and discussion.	Pre-class video + in-class problem set in Calculus Pre-class case reading + in-class negotiation exercise in Law	Any course whose end-of-semester exam evaluates application or analysis rather than recall	Cohort has reliable device + connectivity access (verified through LMS analytics) Content is stable across semesters and worth investing in high-quality recording	Pre-class material ≤ 30 minutes per session; in-class time ≥ 60% spent on active tasks.	Pre-class media + completion analytics on LMS; in-class worksheet/rubric; reflective student survey at mid-semester.
Fully Online Course (≥ 80% online)	Online/Blended	Course delivered predominantly or wholly online, mixing asynchronous modules with scheduled synchronous sessions. Must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility and proctoring standards.	Online MBA elective with weekly live case discussion Distance-learning Diploma module for in-service teachers	Distance-learning programmes formally approved by GTEC and the Academic Board as fully online	Learners cannot attend physically (e.g. diaspora cohorts, in-service professionals)	≥ 80% online; at least one (1) synchronous session per fortnight; high-stakes assessments (≥ 30% weight) proctored.	Online Course Quality Rubric certification; captions/transcripts for all video; proctoring records retained 5 years.
Independent / Self-Directed Study	Independent	Guided private study, reading, problem-set work and reflection. Supports, but never replaces, the methods above.	Weekly readings with annotated bibliography MOOC supplementing a specialist elective Reflective portfolio entries	All courses (as the independent-learning component of the credit value)	Supports flipped, blended and project-based formats	Independent learning ≥ 2× contact hours per credit (per the African Credit Transfer System).	Reading list; submitted artefacts (notes, problem sets, portfolio entries) on LMS.
Interactive Lecture	In-person	Structured exposition by the instructor punctuated by check-questions, polls, think-pair-share, and brief discussion. Pure didactic lecturing (talk only) is NOT accepted.	Concept introduction with 2-minute clicker poll every 10 minutes Mini-lecture (15 min) → worked example → student attempt → debrief Visiting industry guest lecture with structured Q&A	Introducing foundational concepts, theory or new vocabulary in Year 1 and Year 2 courses Cohort exceeds 60 students and no break-out space is available	Synthesising material across topics at the end of a unit When a leading practitioner is available to motivate the field	≤ 50% of total contact time per course (capped). Each lecture block ≥ 1 active-learning interruption every 15 minutes.	Slide deck + recorded lecture posted to LMS within 72h; poll/quiz results retained in gradebook.
Peer Instruction & Team-Based Learning	In-person	Students learn by teaching, defending and revising answers with peers, structured by readiness-assurance tests and application activities (Michaelsen's TBL model).	Mazur-style conceptual question → individual vote → peer discussion → revote TBL application exercise in pre-clinical pharmacology	Large-cohort introductory STEM courses (> 80 students)	Concept-heavy courses with common misconceptions	≥ 1 peer-instruction cycle per session; teams of 5–7 kept stable for the semester.	Polling/clicker data; team folder on LMS; peer-evaluation scores submitted at mid and end of semester.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)	In-person	Students work in tutor-facilitated groups on an authentic, ill-structured problem; the problem drives the inquiry, learning issues and self-directed study.	Medical PBL: undiagnosed patient case across 3 sessions Computing PBL: design a fault-tolerant payment switch Education PBL: address a literacy gap in a partner basic school	Clinical and pre-clinical health-sciences programmes Engineering and computing design courses	Outcomes require integration across disciplines Groups of 6–10 students with a trained tutor	At least one (1) full PBL cycle per semester per designated course (typically 3 sessions over 2 weeks).	Problem brief; tutor's facilitation log; group learning-issues map; individual reflection submitted on LMS.
Project-Based & Capstone Learning	Practical	Extended team or individual projects culminating in a public, assessable deliverable presented to an authentic audience (industry panel, community partner, jury).	Capstone venture pitch to the Industry Advisory Board Civil engineering design project for a partner municipality Final-year journalism documentary screened publicly	Final-year capstone in every undergraduate programme All Master's-level taught programmes (≥ 1 substantive project)	When learning outcomes target 'design', 'build', 'deliver' or 'evaluate impact'	≥ 6 ECTS-equivalent credits dedicated; runs for at least one (1) full semester with milestone reviews.	Project charter; milestone submissions; final artefact; panel scoresheets retained for 5 years.
Socratic Seminar / Tutorial	In-person	Small-group, instructor-facilitated discussion driven by open questions and student preparation; emphasis on reasoning, argument and counter-argument.	Law tutorial debating an appellate decision Humanities seminar interrogating a primary text Postgraduate journal club critiquing a recent paper	All 300-level and above courses (final two years of an undergraduate programme) All postgraduate taught courses Courses whose learning outcomes include 'analyse', 'evaluate', 'argue' or 'critique'	Cohort ≤ 25 students Topic is contested, value-laden or requires interpretation	At least one (1) seminar hour per week for the duration of the semester; groups capped at 25.	Seminar plan with discussion questions; participation rubric and marks on LMS; brief reflective note from instructor.
Studio / Laboratory / Clinical Practical	Practical	Supervised hands-on practice in a dedicated space (studio, wet-lab, computer-lab, ward, court-room) with explicit safety, technique and reflection requirements.	Architecture design studio with weekly desk crits Chemistry titration laboratory Nursing skills lab + supervised clinical placement Moot court session before a sitting judge	Any course whose learning outcomes require manipulation of equipment, materials, patients or clients All accredited professional programmes where the regulator prescribes practical hours	When skill acquisition requires deliberate practice with feedback	Studio: ≥ 6 contact hours/week. Laboratory: ≥ 3 contact hours/week. Clinical: as prescribed by the professional regulator. Group size cap: studio/lab ≤ 20; clinical ≤ 8.	Lab/studio attendance register; safety briefing record; marked rubrics; portfolio of work on LMS.

2. Required Method-Mix by Course Type

Course Examiners certify the method mix in the course outline before the start of each semester. Deans approve any deviation in writing.

Course type	Required methods	Notes
Advanced & Capstone (400 level)	Seminar + Capstone Project + Experiential placement + Mentoring	Capstone presented to an external panel; experiential placement ≥ 8 weeks.
Clinical / Professional	Lecture + PBL + Clinical/Studio Practical + Simulation + Reflective Practice	Practical hours per the professional regulator.
Executive / CPD	Blended (30–79% online) + Case-Based + Workplace Application Project	Synchronous sessions on Saturdays or evenings.
Foundational (100–200 level)	Interactive Lecture + Tutorial + at least one of (Case, Flipped, Peer Instruction)	Lecture ≤ 50% of contact time. Tutorials in groups ≤ 25.
Fully Online / Distance	Asynchronous modules + Fortnightly Synchronous Session + Online Discussion + Proctored Assessment	Course must pass Online Course Quality Rubric review.
Intermediate (300 level)	Seminar + Case-Based + Project/PBL component + Studio/Lab where the discipline requires	Seminar weekly; ≥ 60% of cases African in origin.
Postgraduate Research (MPhil/PhD)	One-to-One Supervision + Journal Club / Doctoral Seminar + Independent Study	Monthly documented supervision meetings.
Postgraduate Taught (Masters)	Seminar + Case/PBL + Independent Research Project + Supervisory Mentoring	All courses include a research-informed component.

Governance

This rubric operationalises the Teaching & Learning Policy. It is maintained by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, reviewed annually by the Academic Board, and audited by the Director of Planning and Quality Assurance through course-outline reviews and classroom observations.