But the central and seminal value of the creative imagination is that it functions as a civilizing and humanizing force in a process of struggle.
George Lamming - The Education of Feeling
During the academic year 2015-2016, The UWI Cave Hill community continued to work together to fulfil its commitments to the peoples of Barbados and the OECS. We faced challenges but as we have done over the last ten years, the Campus continued to weather the storm caused by the lasting economic recession that confronts not only Barbados but the entire Caribbean region.
The effects of these were compounded by the introduction of the Government’s policy that Barbadian students registered throughout The UWI system would be required to pay tuition fees; resulting in a decrease in enrolment, which is most marked amongst our more mature students.
Within this context of financial constraint and reduced enrolment, we focused on the continuous evaluation of our operations. We continued to offer our best and to maintain the highest quality assurance standards.
During the year, our priorities included growing student enrolment while maintaining financial sustainability. In so doing, we monitored our internal operating processes, especially the administrative and teaching and learning systems, and established measurable quality benchmarks by which we could measure improvements. We supported our students through grants and scholarships and by providing a range of options for the payment of tuition fees.
The Campus is pleased to record the expansion of the English as a Second Language (ESL) programme. We were able to successfully provide academic oversight of the Teach English Caribbean (TEC) programme which saw 79 Ecuadorian teachers trained under our franchised programme at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College and the Dominican State College. We hosted and graduated another 50 of these students at Cave Hill.
The Campus also welcomed 39 Panamanian high school/pre-university students for the four-month English as a Second Language (ESL) programme with a cultural integration course undertaken in the final month.
The Campus introduced the BSc Software Engineering: Mobile Application Technologies, delivered through The UWI China Institute of Information Technology (UWICIIT); part of the Vice- Chancellor’s vision of expanding the global footprint of The UWI.Through our Smart Campus initiative, we are revolutionizing the education system, expanding accessibility for students who are differently-abled and for those whose careers or lives do not permit them to be in a physical classroom for every class. The Smart Campus harnesses information technologies, deploys our blended learning policy, and provides students with options in terms of how they access learning. As we further operationalize our Smart Campus, we seek to integrate the neighbouring Warrens business community by designing a Smart Campus/Smart City proposal, positioning the Cave Hill Campus as an integral, but seamless driver of services, resources, and intellectual capital in an urban, business and residential community.
As a campus we are attuned to the needs of our region, and readily respond.
