Appraisal of Managerial Roles of Study Centre Coordinators of College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast

Abstract

The study assessed how students and course tutors on distance education programmes of the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast appraised their study centre coordinators’ performance in terms of human relations, behaviour, organising teaching and learning facilities; and handling complaints. This type of appraisal, where students and tutors representing customers and subordinates respectively, is usually referred to as the 360-feedback method in human resource management. Concurrent embedded study design from the pragmatists’ epistemic approach was adopted for the study. Simple random and purposive sampling technique were respectively used to sample 1228 final year students and 217 course tutors from 53 study centres; and five coordinators from each of the three Zones across the ten regions of Ghana for triangulation purposes. Data was analysed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test and a one-way between-groups analysis of variance. The study found that coordinators’ behavior and human relations were rated higher as compared to complaints handling and organising study centre activities. This was blamed on lack of capacity to address most of students and tutors challenges; and teaching load of coordinators. It was recommended that the management of College of Distance Education should increase the capacity of coordinators for district and regional study centres as well as the Zones in terms of resources and technology to be able to take immediate steps to solve students and tutors’ complaints.