TEENs can expect to learn in a whole new way, thanks to the Pre-University School. The school, which is located on the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, will be launching an online learning system called, Pre-UWI Online, today, October 2.

Lecturers at Pre-UWI say they saw a need for the programme based on the varying degrees at which students learn. It also came from the fact that many students, who did well in Caribbean Secondary Exanination Council exams, particularly in mathematics and the sciences, had the reinforcement of extra classes outside of the traditional school hours. Thus, with the help of lecturers equipped with years of experience, Pre-UWI's latest cutting-edge programme was born.

"The aim is to provide a learning platform for students who need additional learning resources like extra lessons, and also for working adults or those with families, who may want to further their education, but have not been able to do so because of the traditional education system where they are asked to go into the classroom for a number of hours each day," stated Georgia Crawford-Williams, co-ordinator of Pre-UWI Online.

Pre-UWI Online will allow students to learn the entire syllabus content online and will feature videotaped classes where students can watch, when they want and as many times as they wish, the teacher explaining the subject content.

"Students will also have full access to the teacher via forums where they can send as many questions as they wish and everything will be explained. This replaces the face-to-face interaction students would get from a traditional classroom setting. There is also an online forum where students can interact with each other and get peer guidance, swap questions and more," Crawford-Williams further explained.

The online system will also include fully worked and explained past paper questions and answers. Additionally, there will also be a 'Tricks of the Trade' section where students will get study tips on how to pass exams.

Crawford-Williams also said the idea of the online learning system took a year to develop and included finding the simplest easy-to-use platform as well as the most experienced and interactive teachers to teach the subjects, many of whom are lecturers or professionals at the top of their respective fields.

The subjects which will be offered at the CSEC level are mathematics, English language, biology, chemistry, physics, and accounts while Caribbean Advanced Proficieny Examinations in sociology, chemistry and biology will also be taught.

"This platform could be used to either complement or replace traditional learning, or both, it's really up to the user," asserted Crawford-Williams.

Every year, Pre-UWI boasts the distinction of having the most students matriculating to the University of the West Indies.