Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the predictability of instructional quality on trainee-teacher effectiveness in the delivery of Distance Education (DE) in Ghana, focusing on College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE, UCC).Methodology: The descriptive survey design was adopted with a quantitative approach. Total population involving 1,837 CoDE course tutors and all CoDE students at 76 study centres offering education programmes totaling 51,456 were used. The sample size for the study was 726, made up of 397 trainee-teachers and 329 course tutors. The proportionate stratified random sampling approach was employed to select respondents who completed the questionnaire instruments. The statistical analysis software tool known as the PASW Version 21.0, the Test Analysis for Surveys (TAFS) was used for analysing the data. Data on the research question was analysed using linear multiple regression analysis.Findings: The results revealed that pedagogical quality and quality evaluation were the dimensions of instructional quality that most significantly predicted trainee-teacher effectiveness. Again, whenever trainee-teachers demonstrate high level of competence in terms of subject matter knowledge, lesson presentation skills, class management and control and lesson note preparation, they increase the extent to which their level of teaching meets pre-specified standards and goals of the college.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: It was recommended that management of CoDE, UCC should put in place appropriate support services in all the study centres to guide both tutors and students on appropriate instructional behaviour

This study examined the relationship between two dimensions of instructional quality and trainee-teacher effectiveness in the delivery of instruction among trainee-teachers at the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE, UCC). The correlational design was adopted for the study. The accessible population was 53,293 comprising 1,837 CoDE course tutors and, 51,456 CoDE trainee-teachers. The sample size for the study was 726, made up of 397 trainee teachers and 329 course tutors. The data collected were analyzed with the Pearson product-moment correlation. The results showed that faculty quality and quality interaction had a positive and significant relationship with trainee-teacher effectiveness. It was recommended that the management of CoDE, UCC should continuously organize seminars and workshops to upgrade the competencies and interactive capacities of faculty members in order to enhance their relevance and competitiveness.

The study examined the association between academic stress and thesis completion among the University of Cape Coast postgraduate students. The correlational research design was employed for the study. A sample of 294 postgraduate students who completed their postgraduate studies between 2018 and 2020 was purposively selected for the study. Means and standard deviations, Pearson's Moment Correlation, and independent sample t-tests were used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that the major factors causing academic stress were that, lecturers made too many extra demands on students, poor interest in some courses, eleventh-hour preparation for examinations, worry about examination results, and monotonous teaching style by some lecturers among others. The study also found a statistically significant relationship between academic stress and thesis completion among postgraduate students. It was therefore, recommended that the University of Cape Coast’s management in collaboration with all its academic departments, should take the challenge of academic stress more seriously by ensuring that all postgraduate students seek professional counselling services available at the university to enable them to cope with the ever-increasing academic demands on them.

Examination malpractice and its implications to education have become a global menace that researchers are trying to find solutions to curb over the decades. This study, therefore, aimed at examining stakeholders'(students, Regional Coordinators (RCs), and Examination Unit staff) perceptions of examination malpractice at the College of Distance Education (CoDE) of the University of Cape Coast. The descriptive design was used for the study. A sample size of 259 respondents which comprises three Regional Coordinators, four staff of the CoDE examination Unit, and 252 students were selected from an accessible population of 3,102. The multistage and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select respondents across the selected study centers. A self-developed questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data from students and the other stakeholders. The findings of the study revealed that the majority (148) representing 58.7% of students perceived examination malpractice to be a common practice among students although unethical and wrong, whereas 124 (49.2%) of students indicated that examination malpractice was a wrongful act. The study therefore, concluded that the management of CoDE should make course modules readily available to students on time, and should severely punish culprits to deter other students from engaging in examination malpractices.