FIFTEEN students, the first cohort to complete the postgraduate diploma in education programme of the School of Education, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, facilitated by the Single Virtual University Space (SVUS) were commended by UWI Vice Chancellor Professor E Nigel Harris at a recognition ceremony on February 5.

The diploma constitutes part of the master of arts in teaching offered by the School of Education.

The group represents the first cohort of a dual-mode pilot in which lectures were delivered face-to-face to students at the Mona campus and simultaneously streamed live via videoconferencing to the UWI Open Campus site in St Lucia, the UWI Western Campus in Montego Bay, and the Bermuda College.

Through the use of state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology, students were able to complete a one-year teacher training programme without having to physically leave their home countries.

Harris said the programme provided an excellent opportunity for teachers and other persons to upgrade their skills in education with flexibility.

Director of the School of Education Professor Stafford Griffith said that while the first cohort of the SVUS-facilitated programme specialised in information technology, English language or mathematics, the second cohort which began in February, will have an additional three options — history, science and modern languages. The programme is also to be expanded to other sites, including Dominica.

“The success with this first cohort opens up tremendous possibilities for us in the School of Education and for the Caribbean countries served by UWI. Having had a lecturer deliver aspects of a course to all sites from a location other than the Mona campus, we are satisfied that the person delivering a course may be located at any site in any country. We see the prospect of developing and delivering courses and programmes for which we may not have all the expertise at our own campus but for which we can access expertise from somewhere else in Jamaica or the Caribbean,” Griffith said.

The recognition ceremony was streamed live to the various sites.