Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal. May 24, 2023 — The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Open Campus as part of its UWI 75th Anniversary Celebrations collaborated with the organizers of the 6th International Conference on TVET in the Caribbean, held in Kingston, Jamaica on May 16 – 19, 2023. The theme for this year’s conference was - ‘building resilience for sustainable development’, which provided an advocacy platform for renewed approaches to workforce development in the region. The four-day event was well attended by regional and international TVET experts and high-level government officials.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr Francis O. Severin in his recorded greetings delivered to the conference on behalf of the Campus, spoke of the changing nature of the use of the term remote. He noted that the term was previously associated with a device to select television channels, but is now more frequently mentioned in the context of how we learn and work and the increasingly digital nature of our jobs. “The Campus is quite versed in teaching remotely, as this had been its core business strategy from inception, to deliver courses and programmes to all 17 territories in the region served by the Campus”, stated Dr Severin.
“With the advent of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies however, the focus is now on Remote Assistance. This combines the use of live images, file sharing, and two-way communication to give users the ability to connect with colleagues and experts for real-time guidance and troubleshooting”, said Dr Severin. He stated that TVET providers needed to offer the training platforms that can build these competencies. To this end, the Open Campus took the bold step to collaborate with an international software company to introduce Extended Reality (XR) technologies in the training of UWI faculty to integrate 3D virtual components and real-life simulations in their lesson plans.
In closing, Dr Severin posed the following pertinent questions for consideration - (1) What changes should we, as educators and trainers, propose to curriculum/occupational areas to reflect the rapidly changing demands of the workplace? (2) How will we provide the practical and work-based experiences that learners need? (3) What changes to work-based learning and apprenticeship are needed? (4) How can we apply these new delivery models and ways of working to promote more inclusive practice in the workplace?
The Campus contributed prizes to the winners of The TVET Blended Challenge. These prizes include six-months free access to the Educator 3.0 Level 1 training course and temporary licences to use the EON-XR Platforms for six months. In addition, the Campus’ UWIVERSE Centre hosted an interactive exhibition booth at the Conference, which included immersive demonstrations on the use of XR in TVET teaching and learning.
The UWIVERSE Project of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Open Campus is the champion for the transformative power of Extended Reality (XR) technology in education and the workplace. We are the drivers for enhancing the productivity of the region through a steady stream of graduates equipped with the knowledge and skillset for the next iteration of the Internet – the Metaverse. Information about the UWIVERSE Unit can be viewed at https://open.uwi.edu/uwiverse/.
L-R: Professor Halden A. Morris, Conference Chairman; Mrs. Jody Grizzle, Project Coordinator, UWIVERSE Unit - UWIOC; Mrs. Ceceile Minott, Director, CSDR -UWIOC; Mrs. Karen Rosemin, Head, UWIVERSE Unit - UWIOC
Honourable Shawn Edwards, Minister of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Saint Lucia at the UWIVERSE Booth
Honourable Fayval Williams, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Jamaica at the UWIVERSE Booth, TVET Conference.
UWIVERSE - UWIOC Booth: Mr. Charles McNab, UWIOC Jamaica Eastern, Camp Road and Mr. Robert Tucker, APAD-UWIOC
