Students are introduced to the classification of living organisms and the morphological characteristics of the following kingdoms of organisms: Prokaryotae, Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia.  The course also examines the life histories and adaptations of some selected members of the various kingdoms e.g. Bacteria and Cyanobacteria; Protozoa with particular emphasis on the Sporozoa; Zygomycota, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota; Chlorophyta and Phaeophyta; Bryophyta; Lycophyta; Filinophyta; Gymnospermophyta, Angiospermophyta; Platyhelminthes, Nematoda; Arthropoda, Amphibia, Pisces, Reptilia, Aves; and Mammalia.

This course is designed to provide a survey of general, inorganic and physical chemistry for students in sciences and allied science majors. Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to learn about atoms, atomic structure, chemical compounds, reactions and stoichiometry, electrons in atoms, Periodic Table and atomic properties. The main objective of this course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the basic theories, laws, processes and reactions in chemistry. It is also aimed at developing an appreciation for the relationship between chemistry and our environment. The fundamental principles of general chemistry will be reinforced during lectures and tutorial sessions.

Engaging in academic work at the university is challenging. This course is aimed at equipping fresh students to make the transition from pre-university level to the university level. It assists them in engaging and succeeding in complex academic tasks in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It also provides an introduction to university studies by equipping students with skills that will help them to engage in academic discourse with confidence and fluency.

The course seeks to introduce students to the history of Science from the ancient to the modern era. It will also enable students to appreciate the development of Science Education in Ghana from the pre-colonial era to the present dispensation.

The course covers science from the Greek period up to the present: Origin and Development of Science, Transition from mythical to rational thought; The shaping of Platonic and Aristotelian approaches to the study of nature; Roman practicality and indifference to science, resurgence of magic and alchemy in the renaissance; Hippocratic doctors and itinerant teachers era; Indigenous science in pre-colonial Ghana; Science Education in Ghana in colonial era; and Science Education reforms in Gold Coast and Ghana.  

Commutative, associative and distributive properties of union and intersection of sets; De Morgan’s laws; Cartesian product of sets; the real number system; natural numbers, integers, rational and irrational numbers; properties of addition and multiplication on the set of real numbers; relation of order in the system of real numbers;  linear, quadratic and other polynomial functions, rational algebraic functions, absolute value functions, functions containing radicals and their graphical representation; inequalities in one and two variables real; application to liner programming; indices and logarithms, their laws and applications; binomial theorem for integral and rational indices and their application; linear and exponential series; operations on matrices up to 3 x 3; inverse of a matrix; determinants and their use in solving systems of linear equations.

This course gives a further insight into the concepts in Physical Chemistry. It deals with chemical bonding, various theories of bonding, as well as, structure and shape, the gas laws, the ideal gas law, deviations from ideality and its application.

This course introduces students to the molecular composition of structure, purification of organic compounds, detection of elements like C, H, N, S and the halogens in organic compounds. It will also cover topics such as calculation and determination of empirical and molecular formulae; structural and geometrical isomerism; pictorial treatment of sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridization in single, double and triple bonds in hydrocarbons.

This is a comprehensive course designed to introduce prospective teachers to the psychological influences responsible for the behaviour and learning characteristics of individual students. It includes knowledge of the forces of nature and nurture as they affect the physical, psycho-social, cognitive and moral characteristics of the learner in the school. It also includes knowledge on how the teacher can identify special needs in the individual as well as the principles and strategies to employ in helping and counselling learners to develop their potentials in full.

This course aims at helping students understand and discern patterns in science to be able to make inferences. Also, it is to help them see the relationship that exists between chemical, biological and physical elements.

The course covers topics such as periodicity, shapes of orbitals, electron configuration, Aufbau’s principle, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Pauli’s exclusive principle, Krebs cycle, periodic properties, biological calendar and geochemical cycles.

Rectangular Cartesian co-ordinate systems; distance between two points; gradient of a line; co-ordinates of a point dividing a line segment in a given ratio; equation of a circle in the form             (x-a) ² + (y-b) ² = r²; x²+ y²+2gx + 2fy+c.

Points of intersection of lines and circles; limit of a function of one variable at a point; continuous functions; derivatives of a function and its interpretation as the rate of change; higher order derivatives; differentiation of algebraic, circular exponential functions; sum, product and quotient rules; differentiation of composite, absolute value and implicit function; small increments and calculation of approximate values; application of derivative to increasing and decreasing of functions; maxima and minima; curve sketching; integration as the inverse of differentiation; integration of simple continuous functions and rational functions by substitution; parametric representation of loci; the parabola, ellipse and rectangular hyperbola; chords, tangents and normals; circular functions of angles of any magnitude and their graphs; trigonometric formula including multiple angles, half angles and identities; solutions to trigonometric equations.

This course introduces students to the gross morphological characteristics of gymnosperms and angiosperms; both the vegetative and the reproductive plant body are discussed. Other aspects of the course include pollination mechanisms and agents; fruit and seed formation; meristematic primary and secondary growth and their ecological anatomy.

This course introduces the prospective teacher to the current issues confronting identification management and teaching of children with special needs in the regular classroom. The course covers issues of inclusive education mainstreaming. Topics to be treated include mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioural and emotional disorders, and hearing-impairment, gifted and talented, communication disorders.

This course aims at equipping student teachers with skills to activate HOTS in their students in the teaching and learning of science. It is designed to enhance the engagement strategies of student teachers in the course of teaching and learning of Science. 

Topics to be discussed will include:  meaning and concept of HOTS, principles, theories and philosophies of HOTS, engagement strategies to activate HOTS (e.g. critical thinking and inquiry thinking skills), communicative approach, and patterns of discourse through scientific tasks. 

This is an introductory course in Newtonian mechanics that stresses invariance principles and the associated conservation laws. Topics include kinematics of motion, vectors and their application to physical problems, dynamics of particles, introduction to control forces and rigid bodies, energy and momentum conservation, rotational motion, Continuum Mechanics, Hydrodynamics, Liquid Surfaces.

This is the practical component of PHY 201 and is designed to help students gain some hands-on experience with laboratory equipment as they perform experiments to enhance their understanding of some the theoretical concepts.  Such experiments include the determination moments of forces, verification of the laws of collision and determination of moment of inertia of rigid bodies.

The course will focus on principles taught in CHE 203. Laboratory exercises that will be carried out include: solution properties, kinetics, electrochemical series, equilibrium, acid–base and complexometric titrations, identification of cations and anions, and gravimetric analysis involving separation methods.  

This course deals with the principles of chemical equilibrium, acid and bases, and solubility equilibra. Students will be introduced to the concepts of pKa and pKb as measures of acidic and basic strengths respectively. The solubility of sparingly soluble salts will be discussed.

The course introduces students to the nature of statistics with a description of variables, scales of measurement and the differences between descriptive and inferential statistics. Data representation is treated with emphasis on frequency distributions, histograms, polygons, gives, bar and pie charts as well as box and whisker plots. The nature and role of the measures of location, variability and relative position are explained. Students are introduced to the concept of probability with emphasis on the addition and multiplication rules and the nature, properties and applications of the normal distribution. Measures of relationship and correlation are explained and their roles in education are discussed. Basic ideas about statistical inference (sampling distributions) are treated leading to an introduction to hypothesis testing. Statistical tools such as regression analysis, chi-square test, t-test, Mann-Witney U-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test. One-way analysis of variance and the Kruskall-Wallis test are mentioned with emphasis on when they can be used.

This course requires student-teachers to scaffold learning; practice how to promote active engagement of the learner; expose and discuss common misconceptions; organize the syllabus into schemes of work and further into lesson notes; use assessment as a means of advancing learning; develop effective and interactive teaching techniques and styles; and use collaborative rich tasks to engage science students in co-operative small group work.

The course specifically includes the following topics: Overview of theories of learning and teaching; principles of learning and teaching; various instructional strategies; creating a good teaching environment (including board management, class control and class management); motivation in science teaching; statement of lesson objectives and set induction; lesson  planning; questioning and questioning skills; learning difficulties in chemistry; practical work in chemistry; and use of ICT in teaching chemistry.

This course is designed to offer students the opportunity to discuss the Senior High School curriculum in biology, including the basic principles of curriculum development.  Students will be exposed to the factors that influence the development, design, implementation and evaluation of curriculum. 

This course introduces students to the various theories of curriculum development. It covers the various factors that influence curriculum development. Students will learn how to select and organize learning experiences. Curriculum implementation and evaluation will be covered in this course. Students will be exposed to how to interpret the biology syllabus.

This course is designed to offer students the opportunity to discuss the Senior High School curriculum in Physics, including the basic principles of curriculum development.  Students will be exposed to the factors that influence the development, design, implementation and evaluation of curriculum. 

This course introduces students to the various theories of curriculum development. It covers the various factors that influence curriculum development. Students will learn how to select and organize learning experiences. Curriculum implementation and evaluation will be covered in this course. Students will be exposed to how to interpret the Physics syllabus.

Differentiation of inverse, circular, exponential, logarithmic, hyperbolic and inverse hyperbolic functions; Leibnitz’s Theorem; application of differentiation to stationary points; asymptotes; graph sketching; differentials; L’Hospital rule; integration by substitution, by parts and by use of partial fractions; reduction formulae; applications of integration to plane areas, volumes and surfaces of revolution, arc length and moments of inertia; functions of several variables, partial

This course is an extension of the electricity and magnetism basics introduced in PHY102.  It is designed to improve students understanding of electric and magnetic phenomena.  The course covers basic computation of electric and magnetic fields, calculation of electric potentials and their applications.  A.C. theory and electromagnetic waves and their related calculations are covered. Application of RCL circuit is discussed.  

This course introduces students to the basic anatomy and fundamental mechanisms involved in mammalian physiological functions. It includes a study of the structure and function of the organ systems involved in digestion, transport, respiration, co-ordination, excretion, reproduction, support and locomotion. Principles of homeostasis will be emphasised.

This course focuses on the fundamental principles of analytical methods in chemistry. Topics to be discussed will include concepts based on analytical sampling, experimental uncertainty, statistical data analysis, glassware and instrument calibration, volumetric analysis, solvent extraction, gravimetry, titrimetry (acid-base, complexometric, precipitation and redox titration), Beer’s law and its related chemical and instrumental deviations. Students will also be introduced to the principles of optical instrumentation, atomic spectroscopy, and chromatographic methods.

This course is intended to introduce students to theories of learning and development and how they can assist teaching and learning of science.

It will deal basically with the Skinner, Piagetian, Ausubelian, Brunerian, Gagnerian, and Vygotsky theories of learning. General principles of Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism will be covered.  Misconceptions and Science Concepts development will also be discussed.

This is the first of two courses designed to equip students with pedagogical content knowledge to enable them teach new or perceived difficult topics in the senior high school biology syllabus more competently in a variety of ways to reflect students’ different learning styles. Students will be able to develop special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers.

Appropriate strategies for successful teaching of selected topics, generally, will be discussed. Students will also learn how to recognize opportunities where learners will be encouraged to develop their thinking skills as applied to the study of biology. 

This course seeks to equip student-teachers with skills to enable them to handle biology practicals competently. Students will be exposed to various ways to inculcate scientific inquiry skills into biology students.

This course introduces students to the various practical and experimental skills. Students will learn how to collect specimen, handle equipment, classify organisms, record and interpret data, and plan and design biology experiments. Students will be taken through how to organize selected biology practicals in the SHS biology syllabus.

This course seeks to equip student-teachers with skills to enable them to handle physics practicals competently. Students will be exposed to various ways to inculcate scientific inquiry skills into physics students.

This course introduces students to the various practical and experimental skills. Students will learn how to plan and design physics experiments, organize and handle equipment, collect data, record data, plot suitable graphs and interpret data. Students will be taken through how to organize selected physics practicals in the SHS physics syllabus.

Limit and continuity of functions of several variables; partial derivatives, differentials, composite, homogenous and implicit functions; Jacobians, orthogonal curvilinear coordinates; multiple integral, transformation of multiple integrals; Mean value and Taylor’s Theorems for several variables; maxima and minima with applications.

Thermal Physics is an advanced undergraduate course. It connects the world of everyday systems, of astronomical objects, and of chemical and biological processes with the world of molecular, atomic, and electronics systems. The course will be introduced through a unified approach to the equilibrium thermal properties of large systems based on the quantum viewpoint and statistical probability. The laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of entropy, temperature, chemical potential, free energy, and thermodynamic potential will be covered. The heat transfer, phase transition, and classical kinetic theory will be discussed.

Electricity and Magnetism Experiments        
 

This course is intended to give students an insight into the principles governing how and why organic chemical reactions take place, as well as, the survey of preparative methods in organic chemistry and their application to the synthesis of complex molecules. It will largely focus on the development of novel synthetic methods and applications of these in target synthesis, most often either natural products or biologically active compounds of pharmaceutical or agrochemical significance. Nucleophilic, electrophilic, elimination and addition reactions will also be covered

This course requires student-teachers to scaffold learning; practice how to promote active engagement of the learner; expose and discuss common misconceptions; organize the syllabus into schemes of work and further into lesson notes; use assessment as a means of advancing learning; develop effective and interactive teaching techniques and styles; and use collaborative rich tasks to engage science students in co-operative small group work.

This is the second of two courses designed to equip students with pedagogical content knowledge to enable them teach new or perceived difficult topics in the senior high school biology syllabus more competently in a variety of ways to reflect students’ different learning styles. Students will be able to develop special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers.

Appropriate strategies for successful teaching of selected topics, generally, will be discussed. Students will also learn how to recognize opportunities where learners will be encouraged to develop their thinking skills as applied to the study of biology.

This course requires student-teachers to scaffold learning; practice how to promote active engagement of the learner; expose and discuss common misconceptions; organize the syllabus into schemes of work and further into lesson notes; use assessment as a means of advancing learning; develop effective and interactive teaching techniques and styles; and use collaborative rich tasks to engage science students in co-operative small group work.

The course specifically includes the following topics: Overview of theories of learning and teaching; principles of learning and teaching; various instructional strategies; creating a good teaching environment (including board management, class control and class management); motivation in science teaching; statement of lesson objectives and set induction; lesson  planning; questioning and questioning skills; learning difficulties in physics; practical work in physics; and use of ICT in teaching physics.

The course is to equip students with the skills in assessing the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of behaviours of their prospective science students. It will examine, among others, the general science assessment techniques, characteristics of good science tests, different types of science test items, and continuous assessment of science students. It will also take a critical look at the current modes of internal and external examinations in science in Ghana.

This course emphasizes the following: nature of assessment of students; goals and learning objectives of instruction; characteristics of tests in science; planning of classroom tests and assessments; construction and validation of science assessment instruments; providing  guidelines for assembling and administering classroom tests; item analysis; interpretation of test scores obtained from students; and development of science performance-based assessment instrument.

This is the second of two courses designed to equip students with pedagogical content knowledge to enable them teach new or perceived difficult topics in the senior high school physics syllabus more competently in a variety of ways to reflect students’ different learning styles. Students will be able to develop special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers.

Appropriate strategies for successful teaching of selected topics, generally, will be discussed. Students will also learn how to recognize opportunities where learners will be encouraged to develop their thinking skills as applied to the study of physics. 

The course provides trainees’ opportunities to develop their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and skills to design, enact and evaluate ICT-based lessons using a variety of ICT tools that support different teaching and learning strategies. Students will also be able to use Predictive Analytics Software (PASW) in analyzing data.

This course emphasizes the following: Application of Microsoft Office Suits in science teaching; Using of ICT tools for active learning of science (Blogs, Mind mapping tools, Interactive Simulations); Demonstration of skills in ICT in the delivery of science lessons; and PASW.

This course is an extension of the electricity and magnetism basics introduced in PHY102.  It is designed to improve students understanding of electric and magnetic phenomena.  The course covers basic computation of electric and magnetic fields, calculation of electric potentials and their applications.  A.C. theory and electromagnetic waves and their related calculations are covered. Application of RCL circuit is discussed.      

 

This course is concerned with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the action of a system of forces.  It describes the motion of macroscopic objects as well as astronomical objects.  It enables the student to make tangible connections between classical and modern physics – an indispensable part of a physicist’s education.

This course is aimed at helping students to combine practice and theory to become a reflective science teacher. It will enable students to become innovative and flexible in their teaching practice. It will also guide them to draw on knowledge and experience, and relate them to what they do in practice.

Project work is to offer students the opportunity to demonstrate skills in conducting research on issues relevant to science education and writing it up. It also helps students to demonstrate independence of thought, initiative, analysis and organisation of data and presentation of scholarly research report. The project work will be written under the guidance of the student’s Supervisor.

The course will focus on the treatment of electroanlytical methods (potentiometric, voltametric and polarographic methods) and the application of electromotive force measurement and activities in cell potential determination. Electrodes types and their fabrication, assessment of their performance characteristics related to sensitivity, selectivity coefficient, etc. will be reviewed.

This course recognizes that secondary school students need guidance to be able to attain their full potential and maximize the benefits of their educational experience. It attempts to equip the student with information that will enable him/her to facilitate this process in a secondary school setting. At the end of the course, students should be able to show a clear understanding of the guidance concept in the context of school personnel work, examine the principles under girding guidance practice, explore the services of a given guidance programme, show how they can be addressed and examine the role of guidance personnel.

The course examines some pressing issues in science education in Ghana. It also deals with current developments in science and technology which are of particular relevance to the teaching and learning of science in Ghanaian schools. 

Some of the topics to be discussed in this course are: Environmental science education; biotechnology; nuclear science teaching; integrated approach to science teaching; management and development of science laboratories; gender issues in science teaching and learning; and sociocultural issues in science education.

In this course, students learn specific skills in a non-threatening environment, get feedback from peers and supervisors. The specific teaching skills and practices include questioning techniques, use of the chalkboard and other audio-visual resources, systematic presentation and lesson closure. Also, opportunities are provided for students to observe good models of teaching through video presentations and demonstration of specific teaching techniques.

Communicating biosafety information: Communication skills, Communicating with target groups (e.g. farmers, legislators, media, regulators etc.), Other methods of disseminating information (e.g. fliers, brochures, workshops etc.), Socio-economics of Biosafety and biotechnology; Assessing the costs of Biosafety Regulations:  conceptual issues; Economics of Biotechnology, Economics of Biosafety (Cost of biosafety regulations and Strategic approaches to biosafety regulations (Trade, Labour, Socio-cultural issues); Non-biosafety issues (Bioethics).