BOARD FOR NCCS & DE NEWS
Vol. 1, no. 1, 1997/98
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BOARD FOR NCCS & DE NEWS Vol. 1, no. 1, 1997/98 |
This first issue of the Newsletter of the Board for NCC & DE, will present information on the structure and responsibilities of the Board, and on the major activities of its constituent units during 1996/97. Future newsletters, which will be produced semi-annually, will provide a continuous review of these activities. We also hope to include in future issues any reflections, comments or suggestions which readers might wish to share with us.
Some Issues in UWI's Outreach About the Board
The Tertiary Level Institutions Unit
The School of Continuing Studies
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SOME ISSUES IN UWI'S OUTREACH
by WOODVILLE MARSHALL
I take the opportunity provided by this first issue of our newsletter to examine briefly some of the issues in the University's outreach activity. I wish to emphasize outreach because, while much of the focus of the attention of the Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance Education (NCC/DE) will naturally be on the University's activities in non-campus countries, it should be evident that the Board cannot effectively deliver on its mandate to improve, extend and supervise the delivery of distance education and to co-ordinate the work of the University's outreach agencies without recognizing that such roles make it a major player in off-campus activities. For us on the Board and its units, off-campus embraces non-campus and both are synonymous with outreach.
The first set of issues is captured in the question: why does the Board exist? The simple answer is that the University Council accepted the recommendation that three Boards should be created as crucial elements in the process of "a drastic reduction and re-ordering of the committee structure", in order to facilitate administrative efficiency and produce cost effectiveness. The Board for NCC/DE is intended, therefore, to be one of the successors to Senate, UAC, UPEC, and their sub-committees. But the matter can hardly be that simple. The business of the other two Boards is obviously academic, the areas for decision-making are clearly definable, and there is an evident line of descent between them and the committees they replaced. Not so with the Board for NCC/DE. It has no clear predecessor (except in the short-lived Board for Distance Education which in any case was the equivalent of a Faculty Board); and, as we shall see, though its area of activity is large, it has very limited decision-making powers. While it can be conceded that the new structure contains elements of the balancing of powers to create equilibrium, it is also true that the Board's ability to implement preferred policy depends less on decision-making power than on mediation, co-ordination, collaboration and exhortation.
Other considerations, therefore, did inform the creation of the Board. These considerations were very clearly stated by the Chancellor's Commission, and only need to be briefly summarized. In a depressing catalogue of the ways in which the University was "failing" in its outreach mission, the Chancellor's Commission called attention to the apparent marginalization of the non-campus countries in terms of the enrolment of students and the low status accorded Distance and Challenge students, to poor communication between University officials and students and between campus-based staff and staff in the University Centres, to inadequacies in the delivery of the Distance and Challenge programmes, to lack of co-ordination between the various elements in the outreach process, to the absence of a healthy relationship between the staff in the TLIs and the academic staff of the University, to the run-down condition of the University Centres, to the non-competitive character of the University's operation in the non-campus centres. The new Board was obviously intended to be the agency which would address these deficiencies, to provide "a stronger more unified presence in non-campus countries", and therefore enable the University to demonstrate that its work in these countries has equal priority with its work on the campuses.
How the Board, in broad terms, is expected to play this challenging role is outlined in the Chancellor's Commission and is amplified in the terms of reference adopted by the Board. First, the Board is expected to co-ordinate and manage the relationships between all outreach providers (particularly the School for Continuing Studies, the Tertiary Level Institutions Unit, and the Distance Education Centre). With all units under one roof, hopefully we will eliminate the fragmentation and inefficiencies of earlier arrangements and create opportunities for the development of a focussed and integrated approach to outreach activity. Second, the Board is expected to facilitate the delivery of those services the University can provide to non-campus countries. This means that not only must the Board monitor needs in non-campus countries but it must have a good sense of what resources are available inside the university. Third, it must promote the development of TLIs and encourage and manage their articulation with UWI. This means that the Board must identify the means to promote institutional and staff development in the TLIs in order to ensure that TLIs develop the capability to take over UWI sub-degree and Bachelor's programmes. Fourth, the Board must be the prime channel of communication between the non-campus countries and the University - representing the interests of one to the other and ensuring that the non-campus governments (and other agencies) receive prompt responses to requests they make to the University. Finally, the Board is responsible for setting policies in distance education and for monitoring their implementation. This means that the Board can make decisions about where distance education programmes may be offered, can recommend levels of tuition fees, etc., and must supervise the work of the Distance Education Centre. However, the content of all distance education programmes (as well as the programmes offered under articulation arrangements) is properly the business of the other two Boards, and the Board for NCC/DE can only recommend action in these areas, not determine it.
The major set of issues, however, relate to the translation of these lofty intentions into purposeful action. One possible constraint has been already mentioned: the limited scope for decision-making. The emphasis in the terms of reference on co-ordination, facilitation, and promotion represents a key characteristic of the Board. To get action, it must work closely with faculties and departments, with the main University officers, and with the other two Boards. At the same time, it must play the diplomatic role of representing the interests of different parties, some of whom may not always share the same perspectives on issues. On the other hand, the increased flexibility of our new administrative arrangements as well as the energies that may have been released by the latest restructuring exercises can be exploited, I believe, in the building of a viable base for focussed outreach activity.
The main element in the construction of this base must be a re-conceptualization of the University's role in outreach. This should involve an examination of the external environment in order to discover what changes have occurred or are occurring that might impact on the University's outreach activity. Such changes would include the activities of the competition, particularly the off-shore institutions, and national governments' policies of tertiary and continuing education over the last ten to fifteen years, as well as their own declared priorities for development in these areas. It must also involve a consideration of what kinds of work the University should be doing in non-campus territories; and it must also involve an identification of the best mechanisms for delivering the requisite university services in those territories. Some of this work is already being done under the auspices of the Board. The School of Continuing Studies has undertaken a comprehensive review of its role and of its programme, and has already announced some of its new emphases. The Tertiary Level Institutions Unit has been revisiting all existing articulation arrangements and is currently developing a set of standards that could regulate future articulation arrangements. The Distance Education Centre has already utilized the results of one Needs Assessment Survey, carried out under the UWI/CDB Outreach Loan Project, in the planning of its expanded programmes; and during the last two years missions have gone to most of the non-campus territories to discuss needs in distance education.
However, I believe that there is need for a more focussed and integrated approach to a re-conceptualization of the outreach mission. For that reason, the Board will be developing a strategic plan for outreach and intends to involve all interest groups in both its making and its implementation. Four stages are envisaged in the making of the plan. The first (already completed) is a survey of all outreach development since the Council's appraisal exercise in 1969/70. Second is a discussion with on-campus units of the work they are doing or plan to execute in the non-campus countries as well as ideas they may have for a fuller integration of the University's work with the needs of the non-campus countries. Third will be missions to the non-campus countries and to CDB and the OECS Secretariat to discuss what UWI is planning to do in the non-campus countries and to discover what particular priorities for university activity exist in the individual territories. The fourth stage will be the incorporation of the results of these exercises into a draft plan for confirmation by the Board.
I would expect that this effort will bring into sharp focus a number of issues that are already simmering. These could include:
This is a tough but pertinent agenda, and I expect that with the cooperation and goodwill of my colleagues we should be able to make distinct progress in the near future.
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About the Board....
Background
The Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance Education is one of three bodies created in August 1996 as a result of recommendations made by the 1993 Governance Commission. The Board's overall responsibility involves promoting, developing, and administering the work of the University in the non-campus countries, its outreach in all territories, and its expanding activity in distance education.
Three units fall under the auspices of the Board, namely, the Tertiary Level Institutions Unit (TLIU) with headquarters at Cave Hill, the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) with headquarters at Mona, and the Distance Education Centre (DEC) with headquarters at Cave Hill.
The DEC is responsible for developing and delivering all the UWI's distance education programmes.
The SCS, through the University Centres in the various countries, is responsible for providing access to certificate, degree and diploma programmes, as well as for organizing a wide range of adult and continuing education courses and programmes designed to meet specific national and local needs.
The TLIU mobilizes the University's resources and services for tertiary education development in both campus and non-campus countries, and promotes cooperation among tertiary education institutions in the region.
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The Board comprises a Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. W.K. Marshall, selected by the Vice Chancellor to be the Chairman; representatives of tertiary level institutions in the Caribbean region; representatives of the Academic Board of each campus; the Director of the School of Continuing Studies; representatives of the Resident Tutors; the Director of the Distance Education Unit; the Director of the TLIU; and representatives of the NCC Goverments.
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The Powers and Functions of the Board
The Board has adopted the following guidelines to identify its purposes:
During the 1996/97 academic year, the Board held three face-to-face meetings: on 11-09-96 at Mona, on 13-11-96 at Mona and on 21-03-97 at St Augustine; another meeting was held in May 1997 utilizing the UWI teleconferencing facility. The main concerns of the Board in its first year have been clarifying its terms of reference, powers, and membership; facilitating the continuing development of distance education at UWI; reconsidering the role of the School of Continuing Studies; and encouraging relationships of various kinds with Tertiary Level Institutions through the TLIU.
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The Office is the executive arm of the Board. As such it performed many essential but unexciting tasks: preparing reports, organizing meetings, haggling over budgets, and liaising with other University bodies.
In addition it began a series of meetings with Government Ministers and Education officials in the various territories, to discuss outreach and, in particular, the role of distance education. It also participated in radio and television discussions on distance education.
The Office, with the assistance of the TLIU, also made a major contribution to the formulation of University policy on accreditation and the proposed regional accreditation agency. Discussions on these matters will continue for some time, and the Office expects to continue to play a key role.
The Office also inherited some work on the University's career paths and other matters affecting the system of assessment and promotion, which were eventually negotiated with the staff unions.
Another aspect of the Office's work inherited from the past concerns links with other tertiary institutions throughout the world. Here it was involved in refining its lists of existing links and offering advice to Principals and Deans on proposed new link arrangements. In this connection, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor represented the University at a meeting of the Commonwealth Universities' Study Abroad Consortium in Malaya, and also visited the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Office also published two issues of its internal newsletter, UWI Links.
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Summary of Activities of the TLIU, SCS & DEC
1. Identified and documented existing formal and informal TLI/UWI articulation arrangements, and began a database on the region's TLIs.
2. Pursued the development of new articulation arrangements
involving Associate Degrees from:
(i) Bahamas Baptist
Community College
(ii) Sir Arthur Lewis
Community College
(iii) Community
College of the Cayman Islands.
3. (i) Drafted Procedures for the
Evaluation of Associate Degree Programmes and for their
Articulation with UWI Bachelor's Degree Programmes, and
(ii) updated the
Procedures Manual for the Delivery of First Year UWI Programmes
in the Tertiary Level Institutions (TLIs)
4. Organized and delivered three (3) Articulation Workshops:
(i) The first
Workshop, in Agriculture, was held in St. Lucia, April 1-4, 1997.
It aimed to produce criteria for a mutually acceptable programme
in Agriculture. The participating TLIs were:
*College of the Bahamas
*Barbados Community College
*Clifton Dupigny Community College, Dominica
*College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), Jamaica
*Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, St. Lucia
*Belize College of Agriculture
*Eastern Caribbean Institution of Agriculture and Forestry
(ECIAF), Trinidad
*UWI Faculty of Agriculture.
(ii) The second
workshop was a Nursing Articulation Workshop held in Barbados,
April 7-8, 1997. The Workshop targetted six (6) nurse educators
from the Barbados Community College and the Sir Arthur Lewis
Community College. There was also a representative from UWI and
from the Jamaica Ministry of Health. The Workshop provided a
forum for the exchange of programme information, the collective
analysis of existing programmes to identify strengths,
weaknesses, similarities and differences, and for making
recommendations about curriculum and organisational changes that
would enhance TLI/UWI articulation.
(iii) The third
workshop was an Engineering Articulation Workshop held in
Barbados, April 8-9, 1997. Besides our own Faculty of
Engineering, the institutions represented were the Barbados
Community College and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St
Lucia.
5. Organized and supported a total of 22 monitoring visits by UWI teaching staff to Antigua State College and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College during Semester I (September-November 1996). For Semester II (January-April 1997) 15 monitoring visits were arranged to the Colleges. It also organized several teleconferences to assist with these programmes.
6. Undertook an Assessment of the Monitoring of the Delivery of Years I and II UWI Courses by UWI teaching staff at Antigua State College and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and a report on student progress through these schemes. It also undertook a Needs Assessment study of the teaching staff at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
7. In June 1997, the TLI Unit organized meetings for the preliminary discussion of the joint delivery of a BA with Education and BSc with Education between the UWI and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in the British Virgin Islands.
8. The Unit has also facilitated meetings between the UWI and the Antigua State College (ASC) to explore the possibility of the delivery of Level II Arts and Science programmes at ASC.
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As you may know, the SCS has centres in all NCCs and also several in campus countries. In the NCCs, in particular, the SCS is the University's representative. It is therefore not only as a courtesy but also as a potential source of support and assistance that we encourage all UWI staff visiting an NCC on academic business to inform the Resident Tutor.
During 1996/97, in addition to its routine activities the SCS concentrated its efforts on formulating plans for its renewed attempt to better fulfill its duties in the various territories. Among the goals of the revamped SCS are to:
During the period 1996/97 the SCS made progress in the following areas:
1. A review of the courses offered by SCS
The SCS is presently reviewing the courses which it offers. The exercise is intended to:
a) Improve the quality of courses so that more of them might be granted matriculation status, advanced standing or other favourable recognition for educational or employment purposes;
b) Achieve a more even standard of courses offered at more than one centre;
c) Rationalize the programme in relation to the changes in University offerings, TLI capability, and local demand.
2. Development of a database of courses offered by the SCS
Associated with the review of the courses is the development of a database of the courses offered by the SCS. The purpose of constructing this database is to allow the Director, members of the School, and the rest of the University to know the details of courses being offered by the School.
3. Development of a new focus on public education programmes
The SCS is discussing the development of a new focus on public education. Resident Tutors have provided a wide range of suggestions for themes and methods by which these themes can be delivered to the public. The Director is currently synthesizing the submissions and formulating a draft of a coherent programme.
The programme envisages public discussion of issues, both those particular to a single country, and those which are common to several countries or to the entire region. The selection of themes will extend as far as possible beyond parochial grouses or peeves and seek to bring information and opinion to bear on the matters at stake. Attention will be paid to highlighting the University and its activities as positive regional forces. It is envisaged that radio and the teleconferencing capability of the University will be used as part of the programme development and delivery systems.
4. Development of a fellowship programme for scholars and artists in residence in non-campus countries
This project will provide a system of short residencies in the non-campus countries of the region for selected scholars and artists. Its purpose is to contribute to the intellectual life of those countries and to increase research conducted within them. Scholars and artists in residence will make presentations of their work through lectures, seminars, discussions, exhibitions, clinics or workshops as appropriate to their specialty and be available for consultation with members of the community on relevant matters.
The appointees will be selected on the basis of the pertinence of their intended work to the programme of the SCS in the territory concerned. Members of any academic institution or recognized creative artists who can contribute to the programme of public education and social development in a given non-campus country (or countries) may be considered for appointment, but it is hoped that many of our own staff will wish to take advantage of these awards to research and share their expertise in the non-campus countries. It is envisaged that under normal circumstances appointment would be for one to three months, but other arrangements may be desirable in relation to the work intended.
5. A System of Honorary Fellows
Related to the preceding programme, the Chairman of the Board and the Directors of units have discussed the development of a Programme for the appointment of suitably qualified residents of NCCs as Honorary Fellows of the University. Honorary Fellows will function as resource persons for the University in the NCCs. They will be identified from among the cadres of professionals and scholars, including retirees, who may be able to assist in the mentoring and tuition of students in their countries of residence, act as advisers to the University on matters of local and regional importance, and provide support for research and development activities in the NCCs. The programme will seek to mobilize qualified human resources in NCCs which may now be underutilized. (It should be noted that the scheme need not be restricted to NCCs.)
6. Development of a programme for the formation of literacy facilitators
Although literacy rates in the Commonwealth Caribbean are higher than in most developing countries with which they are usually compared, there are significant proportions of the adult population who are not sufficiently literate for the region's developmental needs. Despite the many successful initiatives to improve this situation, there is a continuing need for a cadre of personnel skilled in the teaching of literacy to adults. Especially important is the need for this cadre to be trained in methods appropriate for use in multi-lingual and multi-dialectal settings.
The SCS proposes to establish a programme to train literacy facilitators in collaboration with appropriate agencies in the Commonwealth Caribbean. This will necessitate appropriate surveys of the state of literacy and of the human resources for offering useful literacy instruction. Appropriately constituted groups in each country will determine the elements of a strategy for literacy education in that state and, where necessary, regional or sub-regional consultations will facilitate the identification or development of the most beneficial overall strategy. Potential partner organizations have been identified for the project.
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The DEC has been involved in the following activities:
1. Development of New Courses
Working in collaboration with faculties, the DEC developed twelve (12) courses for delivery in academic year 1996 and twenty other new courses were commissioned for delivery in 1997. A main objective of this initiative is to develop a complete B.Sc. Management degree which would be offered at distance through the Faculty of Social Sciences, beginning in 1997 with Level I courses. Levels II and III will be available in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Other faculties, including Science and Technology, and Humanities and Education are similarly planning to develop graduate and undergraduate programmes over the next five years.
University programmes currently available include:
Programmes being developed include: Bachelor of Arts Degree with Education, Bachelor's Degree in Education, Diploma in Tertiary Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care and Family Health, Continuing Business Education, and University Foundation Courses.
2. Upgrading Teleconferencing Facilities
As part of the DEC's commitment to improve its capacity to deliver University education to remote areas of the region, a new digital telecommunications infrastructure will be installed to replace the old UWIDITE system. The new equipment, which is being provided through a Caribbean Development Bank Loan, is expected to result in significant improvements in voice quality, the ability to send and receive single-frame, real time video, access to the Internet, application sharing among computers throughout the network, the ability to have concurrent teleconferences, and a ten-workstation computer lab at each site.
3. DEC training workshops
Several training workshops and seminars were held by the DEC over the year. Topics covered included "Training for Trainers", "Student support in Distance Education", and "Electronic File Management and Printing". In March 1997 the DEC also held its first training programme for regional Teleconferencing Network Technicians. Several course revision exercises were also conducted. A major highlight of the DEC's training programme for 1996/97 was a planning retreat it held for its staff during the period October 28- November 1, 1996. The exercise successfully met its main objectives which were:
(a) to familiarize staff with the changes taking place within the University as a whole and in distance education in particular;
(b) to have staff identify with the DEC strategic plan and its implications;
(c) to have staff learn to use specific project planning methods related to the preparation of a "milestones" scheduling document;
(d) to permit as many DEC staff as possible to work consciously on team building.
4. Future Collaborations
The DEC has also held discussions with several agencies to market its programmes and services and to explore possible collaborations. These include: the delegation of the Commission of the European Community in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the British Development Division, British Council, United Nations Development Programme, and the Organization of American States.
In addition, the DEC has outlined preliminary plans for
collaboration with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, the
Caribbean News Agency, the Centre for Management Development, the
French Mission, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, the
Department of Language, Linguistics and Literature, Cave Hill,
the British Council and the Faculty of Medical Sciences, St.
Augustine, and the Royal Bank Institute of Business and
Technology (Roytec) in Trinidad.
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DEC
Resignation and Departures:
The Director of the DEC, Dr. Claudia Harvey left at the end of July 1997 to assume new responsibilities with UNESCO. The DEC also bade farewell to Mr. Don MacDonald, Curriculum Consultant, and Mr. Arthur Shears, Training Consultant, DE, Cave Hill.
Appointments:
Ms. Olabisi Kuboni, has been appointed Acting Director of the DEC until further notice. She previously held an appointment as Curriculum Specialist at the DEC Unit at St. Augustine. Ms. Allyson Leacock has been appointed Officer-In-Charge at the DEC headquarters at Cave Hill. Other appointments at the DEC, Cave Hill, include Dr. Ruth Reviere as Editor, and Mrs. Erica Grainger as Administrative Assistant. Dr. Krishna Murugan will soon be joining the Unit as Curriculum Development Specialist. Dr. Paula Morgan has been appointed Temporary Curriculum Specialist at DEC, St. Augustine.
TLIU
The TLIU at Mona appointed two new members of staff: Mrs. Jeanette Grant-Woodham as Project Officer and Miss Marva Barrett as Administrative Assistant.
Mrs Vivienne Roberts attended a five-week workshop in Educational Policy Analysis and Planning at the Harvard Institute for International Development from June 15 to July 18, 1997.
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You may reach us by writing to:
Dr Glenford Howe, Office of the Board for NCC/DE, UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados
or fax (246) 424 0722, or by e-mail to ghowe@uwichill.edu.bb
Published by the Office of the Board for NCC/DE
HTML version prepared 4/11/97
URL http://uwichill.edu.bb/bnccde/docs/bdnews1.html
© The University of the West Indies, 1997