Principal’s Overview
Principal’s
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Overview T he University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus is pleased to present its Report to Council for the Academic Year 2021/2022. This year’s report highlights the Campus’ remarkable resilience in the face of continued chal- lenges. Despite these obstacles, the Campus remained resolute not to be defined by its circumstances, but to skillfully navigate a harsh economic climate and an innovative, hybrid model of teaching and learning, necessitated by national protocols relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor R Clive Landis, PhD (Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal)
This Report chronicles some of the Campus’ accomplish- ments, of which it is justly proud. The Campus gratefully acknowledges and salutes its dedicated, hardworking management team and staff at every level, whose excep- tional adaptability in challenging situations allowed the Campus to fulfill its obligations to stakeholders and achieve its goals and objectives, as articulated in The UWI’s Triple A Strategic Plan, 2017-2022. Well done Cave Hill! The Campus’ mode of operation was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for the third consec- utive academic year (2019/2020 – 2021/2022). Due to national protocols, the Campus was largely unable to offer in-person classes. Nevertheless, permission was sought and granted by local authorities to conduct face-to-face classes for courses that had practical components, whenever feasible. Online examinations were administered in semes- ters I and II, except for disciplines that required in-person assessments. The Campus adeptly navigated the challenges presented by ensuring that its faculty and staff were well equipped to perform their duties with efficiency and effectiveness, even when working remotely. Faculty and students had access to the eLearning platform, Moodle, while synchronous and asynchronous teaching were delivered through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Blackboard Collaborate. These
resources remained available for the entire period, enabling the Campus to effectively provide continuous support to its faculty and students. Virtual events and meetings were conducted through Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which had previously demon- strated their efficacy in the earlier stages of the pandemic. Administrative offices were open for business, but operated with a skeletal staff in many instances. Virtual activities were commonplace throughout semester I, including signal campus events like the annual Graduation Ceremony. Livestreaming of some events was made possible through UWI tv and YouTube, one such event being the professo- rial lecture delivered by Professor Dwayne Devonish on February 23, 2022. The hybrid teaching modality required some faculty and staff to work on campus and others remotely via videocon- ferencing. To facilitate this modality, the Campus equipped teaching spaces with a variety of audio visual (AV) equip- ment, including poly video bars, flat screen displays, and multimedia projectors linked to Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate for the delivery of teaching. The Campus also provided Respondus Monitor and Lockdown Browser tools to allow for the proctoring of online assessments, thereby maintaining the integrity of its examinations processes.
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES CAVE HILL CAMPUS ANNUAL REPORT TO COUNCIL 2021/2022
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