DEPUTY principal of The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus Dr Francis Severin says, “Regional development is set to face a significant setback with a recent UNICEF [United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund] report highlighting school closures affecting 98 million children throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.”

He said the urgent need to equip teachers with the appropriate skills and techniques to enable them to effectively deliver online teaching and learning, where schools remain closed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, must be the top priority of The University of the West Indies.

According to the deputy principal, improving the delivery of online teaching is critical to regional sustainability.

Dr Severin highlighted the upcoming The UWI Open Campus webinar where a panel of global experts in online teaching and learning techniques will be delivering on the topic: ‘Pedagogical Approaches to Online Teaching and Learning: Strategies for Success’, hosted by Hugh Shearer Labour Studies Institute and TEACHGood/LEADGood Foundation. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10 at 4:30 pm, and is currently open for registration.

Lead presenter Dr Luz Longsworth, principal of The UWI Open Campus, has played a pioneering role in advancing the online delivery of courses across the region. She is expected to demonstrate the best method of online learning to increase retention of information among students, and improve the quality of learning in less time.

Dr Severin, meanwhile, noted that “the 10 years and more of online teaching and learning by the Open Campus have led to the designing of simple techniques and strategies to achieve better communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking among students”.

Other presenters include Professor Paul Bacsich, visiting professor from University of Derby specialising in online learning and a consultant in e-learning, distance and open learning for over 30 years, and Dr Denise Gaspard-Richards, one of the region’s foremost authority in distance education and director of the Open sCampus Academic Programming and Delivery.

Education and leadership consultant, Dr Renee Rattray, noted that the rapid move to online learning has created the need for the adoption of new pedagogical approaches to ensure that the integration of information technology in education will be used to improve the learning capabilities of our students and maintain quality education that is necessary for growth and development.

Head of the Hugh Shearer Labour Studies Institute, Danny Roberts, noted that teachers “have been responding positively to the opportunity to improve their capabilities of providing improved quality outcomes in our education system”. He said that research shows that effective online learning and teaching will only occur where teachers receive targeted training and support for online instructions.

The webinar is expected to attract teachers at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, as well as subject-matter experts and corporate personnel who will be called upon to make presentations on various online platforms.