FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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retention rate of 80% for Cohort 1, with 12 out of 15 teachers choosing to remain in the classroom for a second year. BOOST’s impact is significant, directly influencing 5,307 students to date. This initiative is sustained through ongoing support of nine strategic partnerships drawn from the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
• STEM Teaching Competencies : In an era of rapid technological advancement, educators must also be at the forefront of digital transformation by utilizing available ICT tools to enhance (not replace) their pedagogical practices. To this end, The UWI, Mona, in collaboration with E-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, successfully conducted an Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshop for secondary school teachers entitled, “Artificial Intelligence: An Orientation and Exploration of its Classroom Applications,” on August 22–23, 2023. The workshop, hosted by the Faculties of Science and Technology and Humanities and Education, welcomed an enthusiastic cohort of approximately forty (40) teachers eager to explore the potential of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) in their classrooms. • School Engagement: In collaboration with Marketing, over 20 secondary intuitions were visited across Jamaica. • Community Engagement: A program to reach yam farmers was initiated by the Biotechnology Centre (Dr Sylvia Mitchell) in January 2023 in collaboration with a team of farmers in Harker’s Hall, St Catherine and endorsement by the St Catherine 4-H Clubs. The program is named the Yam Youth Farmers Train- ing Program and brings together academics, young and old yam farmers, and agricultural educators. This collaboration has produced several firsts including D. trifida true seeds being germinated in vitro. Several field farmer training days and presentations on this program occurred. COMMUNICATION The Faculty continues to find creative ways to enhance communication with stu- dents, staff and other stakeholders. The Faculty maintains various online plat- forms, including Instagram (with 1,788 followers), Facebook (with 783 followers), a YouTube Channel (with 950 subscribers), and the official website. These digital
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