THE UWI OPEN CAMPUS RE-ACCREDITED FOR MAXIMUM SEVEN YEARS
In June 2019, the Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC) re-accredited The UWI Open Campus for the maximum period of seven years, a momentous achievement for a ten-year old Campus. As part of the re-accreditation process, the Campus prepared and submitted a Self-Assessment Report (SAR), which was completed by a cross-section of Open Campus staff and included student representatives. The electronic version of the SAR is available on the Open Campus’ website at https:// www. open.uwi.edu/sites/default/files/Self_Study_ Report_2018/mobile/index.html. Following the submission of the SAR, a team of international experts was convened to review the Open Campus. The Campus received a very favourable Factual Report from the BAC. It contained several recommendations for improvement, and the Campus has articulated terms of reference for the review, monitoring and implementation of these recommendations. The Factual Report also summarized the value of the Campus in the following comments:
Mrs. Margo Lady Ann Hewitt (2nd left), Chairman of the Board of Directors, Barbados Accreditation Council, presents Professor Julie Meeks Gardner (2nd right), Acting Principal of The UWI Open Campus, with the Certificate of Institutional Accreditation. Professor Alan Cobley, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies, is at left, and Ms. Valda Alleyne, Executive Director of the Barbados Accreditation Council, is at right.
The Campus has been granted mutual recognition from the other 14 Open Campus countries. Mutual recognition signifies that the external quality assurance agency or Ministry of Education has accepted the institutional accreditation decision of the BAC, and as such the Campus does not have to undergo a separate institutional accreditation process in the respective country. The achievement of institutional re-accreditation for the maximum period has placed the Campus in an ideal position to face the changing higher educational environment. It has highlighted that The UWI Open Campus is not only a Campus for the times and a Campus for the future, but that it continues to open doors to life-changing learning opportunities for the people of the region.
and the growth of Continuing Professional Education (CPE).
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The team commended the Open Campus for: The honesty of the self-evaluation, and the use of the exercise to identify opportunities for improvement. The improvement in administrative systems, and the commensurate reduction in student complaints, following the introduction of the Banner ERP system. The commitment of staff at all levels to the mission of serving the under-served in the region.
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The work of the Open Campus is clearly valued by its students and the communities it serves. The accreditation criteria and their supporting standards are fully met. In the view of the team, the Open Campus is poised to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Global Online strategy, its ambassadorial role in The UWI-14 countries,
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