UWIDEC APC P. 11
2003/4
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
MATTERS from
the MEETING OF THE BOARD FOR NON-CAMPUS COUNTRIES AND DISTANCE
EDUCATION, May 16, 2003, TO THE ACADEMIC
PROGRAMME COMMITTEE OF THE DISTANCE EDUCATION CENTRE
The APC is asked to note and, where appropriate, discuss the following matters from the last meeting of the Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance Education:
Online Masters
programme:
68 Further communications had been received from the Faculty of Engineering concerning the collaborative online Masters programme in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy. It was proceeding well, the programme would be launched in September 2003, and be accessible online in January 2004. Funds had been received for scholarships for 30 students for the first 4 cohorts. The Chair expressed his appreciation to the Faculty for following the correct procedure for the introduction of new distance education programmes
In residence in
St Kitts and Nevis:
69 The Chair had held discussions with Dr Telbert Glasgow, a member of the Nevis Island Administration who has been designated co-ordinator of the Marion Heights distance education Centre in Nevis. Arising out of their discussions was the need for a formal memorandum of understanding on the arrangements for the Centre.
74
The Chair introduced Paper 12a, which set out
understandings reached with the other two Boards on the scope of the BNCCDE’s
responsibilities for online material.
In discussion, it was pointed out that the University has not yet come
to grips with the quality assurance needs of distance education. The UWIDEC stood ready to advise the Quality
Assurance Unit, although it might not yet have the capacity to deal with all aspects
of the issue. Online material presented
an easily accessible public face for the University so that it should take care
that such material be monitored in ways not needed for face-to-face supports,
but without putting undue obstacles in the way of staff who wished to provide
such material. The Board ratified the
understandings set out in BNCC.P.12A and noted that the paper would be sent to
the Board for Graduate Studies and Research and the Board for Undergraduate
Studies for ratification.
Minutes of the UWIDEC Academic Programme Committee
75
The Chair introduced BNCC.P.12b, draft minutes of the
inaugural meeting of the Academic Programme Committee of the UWIDEC, held at
Cave Hill on March 24th. He
expressed his pleasure that the University Librarian and the new Director of
Information Technology had chosen to represent their interests in person at
that meeting.
76
There was some discussion of the membership of the
Committee, the Chair agreeing that in future wider participation might be
sought from the faculties at the campus where the committee was meeting. The Director of the UWIDEC also indicated
that there was reason to reconsider representation from the DEC sites, in
particular the intra-Jamaican sites not belonging to the University.
77
Canon Titus queried the need to increase the weighting of
the final examination as a response to concerns about security. The Chair noted that the committee had
itself recognised the need to reconsider this issue. Professor Young asked whether a Board of Examiners would be
created. The Chair indicated that the
coming year would be devoted to setting up such mechanisms and creating the
necessary ordinances, taking care not to repeat the problems the University
faced in its existing operations.
78
The same concern was commented on with respect to
jurisdiction over delinquent examiners.
The Board noted that the policy approved by the University Academic
Committee requires the Assistant Registrar (Examinations) to report the delinquency
to the Principal who should take appropriate action and refer the matter to the
Advisory Committees of the Appointments Committee when the performance of the
staff member is being assessed for promotion.
The University Registrar expressed the view that the DEC might have an
opportunity to make the University’s policy actually work.
79
The University Librarian informed the Board that it had
been decided to allocate Antigua to Mona as far as Library support was
concerned. Ms Bellot asked that
allocations of University Centres to campus libraries be flexible, and that the
perspectives of the non-campus countries feed into decisions with respect to
examination dates, deadlines, and other matters. The Chair undertook to convey these matters to the APC and
UWIDEC.
Distance Education Centre
81
Professor Koul took the Board through BNCC.P.14, a report
from the DEC, and BNCC.P.14a, the set of papers presented to the Academic
Programme Committee, including an updated set of job descriptions (Annex
5). He noted that the job descriptions
had not yet been put in to the University’s standard form, and that they
represented a work in progress. He also
corrected a statement in P14 page 3 at (e): the approach to the Campus
Registrar at St Augustine for space was still to be made.
82
In discussion, he observed that since all the courses are
in digital format they could be put online as soon as a server is
identified. Ms Bellot strongly endorsed
the need for more and upgraded computers at the University Centres. The Board also heard of the urgent need to
improve the teleconferencing network and to harmonise with developments
elsewhere with respect to videoconferencing.
The Board also discussed the possibility of an expanded role for radio
broadcasting, the Chair noting that there was a proposal for a local station at
St Augustine that would have more time for educational broadcasting than Radio
Mona. The Board noted that there was a
need to harmonise these developments with units such as the Radio Education
Unit.
83
Canon Titus raised the question of assistance to TLIs that
wanted to develop distance education.
It was noted that this was possible in principle, but the current
delivery system constrains what is feasible.
Dr Morton-Anthony asked for the timetable for moving DE material to the
Internet and whether TLIs could get access to interlibrary loans. Professor Koul replied that once work can
start on the transfer to the Internet the present courses should be available
within two years. The University
Librarian indicated that there was a project in the pipeline to bring regional
TLIs together for access to research materials; when the proposal was finalised
it would be sent to possible donors.
84
The Chair introduced Paper 14b which documented the
decision of the Board for Undergraduate Studies that distance education
students might be registered full-time.
Professor Koul remarked that there was a subsequent letter from the
Deputy University Registrar on May 8th that should be included in
the documentation. It was observed that
the existing rule requiring students with lower-level matriculation to take
level I as part-time students still applied.
The APC might then need to propose a change in this provision.
Academic Boards
100
The Chair asked Dr Barriteau to guide the Board through
BNCC.P.19a, Minutes of the Cave Hill Campus Committee on Examinations which had
been submitted to Academic Board, Cave Hill; she drew attention to the urgent
need to resolve the problem of outstanding examination results for some
distance education programmes. The
Chair noted that some results had now been received, and that the question of
empanelling examiners for distance education was being considered by BUS.
Summer programme in
DEC
105
Professor Koul observed that the DEC would soon be sending
sites a note on an experimental summer programme.
106
Minister Meade reported that the Montserrat Government was
re-establishing the Community College. She also enquired whether there was a
possibility of a distance education programme for nurses. It was observed that a relevant programme has
been franchised to Brown’s Town Community College, though there is no distance
education version so far.
Proposals for new DE
programmes
108
Ms Bellot urged the University to give high priority to a
distance education programme in the Humanities or at least to such a component
in other offerings. She also suggested
that there should be a Level II Accounting programme by distance.
Appreciation for Professor Koul
111
The Board heard from the Chair that this would be Professor
Koul’s last meeting since his contract would come to an end in August
2003. He wished therefore to take this
opportunity to pay special tribute to Professor Koul. In his five years at UWI, there had been a significantly
different quality of guidance for the DEC, a meticulous analysis of problems,
and recommendations for dynamic solutions to them. He envied his excellent prioritization of matters and attention
to detail. The University was indebted
to him for his open management of UWIDEC.
112
Professor Koul thanked present and past members of the
Board for the understanding, guidance, support and advice they had given him
and the UWIDEC. He admitted that
running the DEC was a difficult assignment, demanding extra time, energy,
patience and lot of experience. He left
with mixed feelings. On the one hand,
he felt a lot more could have been achieved, he had got bogged down in detail,
and the DEC had got a bad name, but on the other the DEC had come a long way
and was poised now for a brighter future.
He had learned much and would cherish the time spent here and the
persons and places he had encountered.
Appendix to P. 11
BNCC/DE P.12A
2002-2003
On February 26th 2003, the Chairs of the Board for Undergraduate Studies, the Board for Graduate Studies & Research and the Board for Non-Campus Countries & Distance Education met and came to the following understandings.
1. The proposal from the BNCCDE that no distance mode programme should be delivered without its prior approval is intended to ensure a controlled fit between the resources of the UWIDEC and the offer of programmes to distance students.
2. The development of ICTs has increased the options for teachers wishing to make material available to students. Hence, teachers create electronic materials for use by their students in the same way as they have created printed material.
3. The proposal of the BNCCDE is not intended to inhibit these developments.
4. The Quality Assurance Unit of the Board for Undergraduate Studies will use the technical resources of the UWIDEC in its appraisal of the quality of electronic materials prepared for instructional purposes across the University.
5. Faculties, departments, centers and units should adhere to the requirement of approval of the BNCCDE for prior approval of programmes intended for delivery to distance students.
6. A distance student is a student who has been identified as such by the Registry of a university campus or who is registered through the UWIDEC registry when it becomes operational.
The
Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance Education is asked to ratify these
understandings.