a. technological enhancement c. academic staff … · c. academic staff recruitment and development...

A. Technological Enhancement

B. Focus on Student Learning

C. Academic Staff Recruitment and Development

D. Enhanced Learning Environment

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A. Technological Enhancement

Over the course of the 2001/2002academic year, the Mona Campusstrengthened its capabilities in the area ofInformation Technology with the acquisitionof additional computer hardware andsoftware, as well as with the mounting oftraining programmes for staff and students.Much of the hardware acquired wenttowards transforming classrooms intovirtual learning centres. To that end, all fourof the faculties had multimedia systemsinstalled to support teaching, learning andconnection to the internet. In addition,lighting modifications were made tosupport the operations of these facilities.

As part of its thrust for greater access tocutting edge developments in technologyby the university community, the Campusentered into an agreement with the IBMWorld Trade Corporation which shouldallow faculty and students to participate intheir IBM Scholars Programme. TheProgramme offers free access byparticipating universities to IBM software

such as BD2 Universal Database,Websphere Application Server, MQSeries,VisualAge for Java and Lotus Domino forinstructional, learning and non-commercial research. Limited access toproducts for OS/400, OS/390 and otherenvironments is also available, andadditional products are to be madeavailable over time.

In another attempt to incorporatetechnological solutions into the learningenvironment, the university purchased alicence for the software product, WebCourse Tools (WebCT). The softwareshould provide a secure web-basedlearning environment for the developmentand delivery of courses.

The acquisition of software packages wasnot limited to academic applications butalso was intended to make administrativeprocesses more efficient. One suchapplication was the Banner Studentssystem which will facilitate web enquiryfor students, staff and alumni. TheCampus Pipeline system was anotheracquisition to enable through electronicmeans, convenient communicationbetween students, academics, staff andon-campus organisations. It hasinteresting features such as eventbroadcasting to the entire campus,person to person messaging andelectronic notice board facilities.

There was a growing awareness that thecampus would not realise the full potentialof its significant investment in informationtechnology without a strong trainingprogramme for the intended users.Consequently, training sessions in the useof information technology in administrativeprocesses, student learning, research andas teaching aids, were held in all facultiesand units on the campus. One suchevent was a training session held by theMedical Sciences faculty in associationwith Mona Information and TechnologyServices (MITS) on the use of computersin creating an interactive learningenvironment. Other interesting trainingevents for academics included an e-learning workshop for DepartmentHeads and Deans with emphasis on WebDesign. There was also a Demonstration

New computers inthe OvernightReading Room inthe Main Library

Information Literacy TrainingSession in the Training Room,

Main Library

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workshop to familiarise departments withthe use of electronic mark sheets forgraduate programmes. Some 300 facultymembers were trained by InterCom to usethe multi-media technology as a teachingresource in the newly refurbished lecturetheatres.

Based on the successful experiences in thelast academic year with the automation ofthe administrative processes involving theregistration of new and returning studentsin on-campus undergraduate programmes,the programme was expanded in2001/2002 to include graduate students.

B. Focus on Student Learning

Upgrading of Libraries

The 2001/2002 academic year witnessedsubstantial improvement in physicalfacilities as well as the acquisition ofcomputer hardware and software thatenabled the library to better serve theneeds of the university community.Significant developments at the variousbranches of the campus library includedthe establishment of a new postgraduatereading room in the Main Library and alsoan audio-visual room, that is, the newMultimedia facility. These additions areexpected to promote and encourage theuse of library materials in theteaching/learning process. A study areaequipped with workstations was created toprovide equal access to the internet for thevisually impaired.

The library’s network infrastructure wasupgraded for faster connectivity with theinstallation of 100 additional networkedstations. The library also took steps toestablish the Virtual Health Library, theproduct of a collaborative arrangementbetween the Ministry of Health,PAHO/Jamaica, CFNI and the UWI.

There was also improvement in themanagement of inter-library lendingprocesses, which had the effect ofreducing the time taken for electronictransfer of requests and document deliveryfrom an average of 2-3 weeks to 1-2 days.The Library started the process of digitisingthe Reserved Book Collection (RBC)

material for wider online accessibility. In the same vein, many examination pastpapers were made available onlinethrough the library’s web page.

A collaborative effort between the LiaisonLibrarians and faculty members in all thedepartments resulted in accession of over8,000 volumes (that is, 4,826 new titles)of print material. This was in addition toover 230 items in audio-visual anddigitised format. With acquisition of thesevarious types of material, there was a70% increase in volumes accessionedover the previous year.

Three additional scholarly databases weremade available to the academiccommunity, which consisted of:

1. CINHAL, a specialized database forthe Nursing Education Programme;

2. FTSA, a database of Food ScienceTechnology for the Chemistry Department; and


Postgraduate Reading Room in theMain Library

The UWI Main Library

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3. Business Source Premier (in collaboration with the Mona Schoolof Business), a full-text database of over 2,800 scholarly business journals.

In addition, the “Academic Search Elite”, amajor multi-disciplinary database wasupgraded to the “Academic SearchPremier”, thus providing full-text access toapproximately 3,500 scholarly publications.

Students usingequipment in theNew Audio-visualRoom, Main Library

The Virtual Health Libraryaccessed from the Library'swebpage

Visually impaired student beingtrained to use the Job Access with

Speech (JAWS) software

Job Access with Speech softwarefor visually impaired students

As a result of increased interaction withfaculty, the Library organised trainingsessions in Information Literacy forstudents at both the undergraduate andgraduate levels. The Library also reachedout to new students by holding interactivesessions with over 500 full-time studentsand over 300 part-time students. Therewere also 40 hour-long library orientationtours for the new students.

Efforts to serve the needs of the universitycommunity were not only limited topersons on the campus but also includedthose at off-campus sites. Increased visitsto UWIDEC sites by the Mona Librarystaff ensured that UWIDEC staff, localtutors, and students were better informedabout the wide array of available libraryservices and in particular, electronicresources. Training was also given on theaccess and use of the resources.

Academic Programme Development

With significant developments in thetertiary level sectors across the world, theMona Campus sought to tailor itsacademic programmes to producegraduates that function more effectively ina changed environment. Many curriculumreviews were carried out across thevarious academic departments whichresulted in the approval of 111 newcourses by the Academic QualityAssurance Committee in the 2001/2002academic year.

Undergraduate Programmes

In the Faculty of Humanities andEducation, a new minor in CulturalStudies was introduced and 24 newundergraduate courses approved. Acollaborative effort with the Faculty ofPure and Applied Sciences resulted in ajoint offering of a Bachelors degree inScience, Media and Communications.The major highlight was thecommencement of the J$500m ten-yearcontract with the Ministry of Educationand Culture to produce and deliver aB.Ed. degree by distance and summermodes to some 3,000 secondary schoolteachers in ten different disciplines.


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The delivery of programmes in the Facultyof Humanities and Education received aboost with the addition of two 50-seatclassrooms and a Computer Writing Centrefor self-instruction.

In the Faculty of Medical Sciences, one ofthe significant developments was theintroduction of a Bachelor in MedicalSciences (B.Med.Sci.) programme formedical students who complete Stage Icourses at the end of the third year. TheB.Sc. degree in Physical Therapy wasalso introduced. In addition, approval wasgranted by the University for the genericBachelor of Sciences degree in Nursing.The restructuring of the curriculum in 2001led to the elimination of Stage Iexaminations in the MBBS programme andits replacement with a system of ongoingassessments in each semester.

As part of its efforts to revise itsundergraduate curriculum, the Faculty ofMedical Sciences established a centralisedsystem to monitor the progress of itsstudents. The Student Tracking Project(STP) should be able to provide accurate,detailed and up-to-date information onstudent performance (academic and non-academic) which will inform the newcurriculum and identify the modificationsrequired for advancement.

In the Faculty of Pure and AppliedSciences, a new undergraduate major wasoffered by the Department of Life Sciencesin Experimental Biology. Many newcourses were introduced such asBiometry, Evolutionary Biology, PlantHealth, and Biological Oceanography.Two new summer school courses werealso introduced, namely: DivingTechnology for Aquatic Scientists andField Course in Tropical MarineInvertebrate Biology.

In the Faculty of Social Sciences, approvalwas granted for the introduction of newcourses, most of which will be offered bythe Department of Management Studiesand the Department of Sociology,Psychology and Social Work, and include:

* Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation

* Monitoring and Evaluation of

Social Programmes* Applied Social Work* Health, Society and Human

Services* Human Behaviour: Person in

Environmental PerspectiveThese courses constitute parts of thenew programmes in Banking andFinance, Marketing, Operations, andHuman Resources in addition to a newminor in Anthropology.

Recognising the need for an expandedprogramme of law, the Faculty of Lawbegan offering a new LLM Programmeat the Mona Campus.

Postgraduate Programmes

In the Faculty of Humanities andEducation, there was the commencementof the online Masters programme inEducation, which offered specialiseddegrees in Educational Administrationand Teacher Education. The collaborationwith the University of Alberta continuedwith the joint MPhil/PhD programme inEducation. In addition, forty-ninepersons registered for the Diploma inEducation Programme, which was offeredfor the first time as a postgraduateprogramme.

The Faculty of Medical Scienceslaunched two postgraduate programmesand both were delivered by the distancemode. The MSc in Family Medicinewas offered by the Department ofCommunity Health and Psychiatry, thefirst year of the programme beingavailable only to persons based inJamaica. The MSc in Counsellingbegan in January 2002 and was offeredto participants across the Caribbean.Approval had been granted by theUniversity for both a Masters degree inNursing, that is, the M.Sc. (FamilyNurse Practitioner, Mental HealthPsychiatric Nurse Practitioner, andClinical Nursing) and also a PhDprogramme in Clinical Psychology.

The Faculty of Pure and Applied Scienceslaunched a new MSc in the BiologicalApproaches in EcosystemManagement. It should promote


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relevant research and applied training inEnvironmental Biology. Within the Faculty, the Mona institute ofApplied Sciences (MIAS) has been workingon consolidating its administrative structureas well as developing collaborativearrangements with various institutions.

The Faculty of Social Sciences launchednew graduate degree programmes, amongthem the MSc in Clinical Psychology.The Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social andEconomic Studies (SALISES) introducedthree new Masters programmes inGovernance, Social Policy andEconomic Development Policy inaddition to MPhil and PhD programmes.

The faculty also completed its first year ofthe new programme in DevelopmentStudies. The programme has threeconcentrations - Governance and PublicPolicy, Social Policy and EconomicDevelopment Policy.

Approval was granted for an MSc degreein Demography as well as an ExecutiveMasters in Business Administration (EMBA)with a specialization in ManagementInformation Systems. The EMBA will beopen to students who have completed aB.Sc. degree with a major in ManagementStudies. Efforts were made to redesign theMasters programme in Public SectorManagement which should allow forarticulation with the Senior Public ServicesExecutive Programme offered by theManagement Institute for NationalDevelopment (MIND).

The Mona School of Business (MSB) hasalso been collaborating with the School ofBusiness at the sister Campuses, theCaribbean Centre for DevelopmentAdministration (CARICAD) and thePontificia Universidad Catolica Madre yMaestra in the Dominican Republic, todevelop a regional executivedevelopment programme for publicsector managers.

The MSB also developed and delivered aRegional Executive DevelopmentProgramme for Senior Managers in theTrinidad Cement Limited Group of

Companies in collaboration with its sisterinstitutes at the St. Augustine and CaveHill Campuses. Similar programmes werealso designed and delivered for theCarreras Group of Companies and theNational Housing Trust in Jamaica.

C. Academic Staff Recruitment andDevelopment

The campus continued in its efforts torecruit faculty and staff of the highestcalibre. Some of those include:

• Dr. Jasminko Karanjac who took up duties in April 2002 as Professor of Water Resources Management.The new Chair is endowed by grantsfrom Alumina Partners of Jamaica (ALPART), JAMALCO, Kaiser JamaicaBauxite Company and the Jamaica Bauxite Institute.

• Professor Kit Wesler, a Visiting Fulbright in Heritage Studies and Archaeology.

• Professor Mervyn Curtis who took up duties in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department as Professor of Computer Science.He has been involved with setting up a research group and a laboratory to carry out work in the field of virtual reality with the specific aim of improving the performance of the West Indies cricketers.

• Dr. Nikolai Dokuchaev who also joinedthe Mathematics and Computer Science Department as a lecturer in Mathematics. His research focus is in the area of Financial Mathematics.

• Dr. Fritz Guldner was appointed to theDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences as the Professor of Anatomy. He has considerable experience in electron microscopy.

• Dr. Erna Brodber came to the Campus as visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing.

• Dr. Rupika Delgoda who joined the Natural Products Institute as a Senior Scientist. She went on to win the “Best Poster” award at the Second International Symposium on Natural Products which was held at the National University of Singapore.

Dr. Rupika Delgoda

Professor Mervyn Curtis


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The Instructional Development Unit (IDU)delivered a number of training sessions toassist in the development of pedagogicalskills such as a 5-module programme inCourse Design offered in Semesters I andII. The IDU also organised and deliveredtraining programmes in response torequests from various departments seekingto satisfy particular teaching and learningneeds. One such example was the 3-dayworkshop on “Basic Teaching Skills” heldfor teaching assistants and tutors in theDepartment of Economics and Sociology.

Eight staff members of the Department ofEducational Studies also participated in theInternational Conference on Problems andProspects of Education in DevelopingCountries held in Barbados between March25 and 29, 2002

D. Enhanced Learning Environment

The Mona Campus continued its efforts tocreate an environment conducive tolearning. With the recognition that studentslearn best when their basic needs havebeen addressed, the campus carried outmany programmes and projects to bringabout improvements mainly in the areas ofstudent housing, transportation, health care

facilities, security, financial aid packagesas well as in the physical infrastructure.

The new 800-room hall of residence wasformally opened on September 4, 2002.Named after current Vice Chancellor,Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford,Nettleford Hall, the new hall ofresidence consists of eight three-storeyclusters, with each cluster enclosing acentral quadrangle. Each cluster consistsof twelve households, and eachhousehold in turn consists of eight singlerooms, a bathroom, dining, living andkitchen facilities. Each cluster also hasstudio accommodation for two ResidentAdvisors. A Student Manager’s houseand central facilities - offices, recreationroom, computer room, meeting area andlaundry facilities complete the complex.

The Campus is particularly proud of thisnew addition to its physical plant, as itrepresents not only the collaborative workbetween the UWI and the private andpublic sectors, but it is also a lastinglegacy for future generations of UWIstudents.

Work was carried out at the various Hallsof Residence to improve the quality of life

Plaque noting the Official Opening of the Rex Nettleford Hall

His Excellency the Most Hon. P. J.Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica, cuts

the ribbon at the Official Opening of theRex Nettleford Hall. Observing (l-r) The

Hon. Burchell Whiteman, Minister ofEducation; Professor the Hon. Rex

Nettleford, Vice Chancellor; Professor ElsaLeo-Rhynie, Deputy Principal; and Sir

Shridath Ramphal, Chancellor

Persons in attendance at the officialopening of the Rex Nettleford Hall



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experienced by students living on thecampus. This included the electricalupgrade at the Mary Seacole Hall, theinstallation of air-conditioning units andcomputer workstations in ComputerRooms in the Traditional Halls, as well asthe furnishing of their study rooms. TheChancellor Hall Dining Room was alsoupgraded to include a Students’ Loungearea.

Cognisant of the need for students to havea hub for activities that deepen and enrichstudent life, work was done to upgrade theStudent Union. The upgraded complexcontains rooms for clubs and societies, arelocated Pan-O-Ridim room withappropriate acoustics, an upgraded headquarters for the Photography Club, anextended weight room, refurbishedbadminton courts, a stage for concerts andadditional male and female bathrooms.Included also, is a furnished flat for theGuild President and a studio for the CEAC.Provision has also been made for thecreation of a “business district” within theUnion to accommodate commercial

entities. Work was completed in time forthe Union to serve as an administrationcentre for the World Junior Games held inJuly 2002.

These improvement efforts werecomplemented by the upgrading ofsports facilities on the campus. With anew cricket field pavilion and spectatorstands, the cricket grounds was renamedin honour of Sir Frank Worrell, andprovided the ideal location for the annualcricket match between the ViceChancellor’s XI and the visiting NewZealand Cricket team. Likewise, theupgraded sports facilities at the MonaBowl accommodated 1,200 visitors forsome of the events of the World JuniorGames.

To satisfy the need for an improvedinterface between the campus andcommuting students who form themajority of the campus studentpopulation in a manner that makes themfeel both integrated and comfortable,work was completed on the restructuringof the Commuting Lounge. The mainaddition to the existing building was anupper floor to house a computerroom/study area and office area forCommuting /Student Advisors. Oncompletion, the building served as anemergency venue for the hosting of thevisit of the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral.

The University Health Centre wasrenovated and refurbished to offerimproved services to meet the healthneeds of the university community. Effortsare presently underway for the extensionof opening hours on weekday evenings,as well as to operate` half-days onSaturdays.

The Shuttle Bus system was upgradedto provide better service with thereplacement of two of the older buses. Inaddition, a bus was provided to theSports Department to transport studentswho represent the campus in sportingevents. A new Bus Bay with adequatelighting was constructed to upgrade thewaiting area for commuting staff andstudents while providing an additionalarea for parking.

The newly renovatedStudents Union

Football and Cricketfields at the Mona Bowl

with security fence


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The campus continues to see a markedreduction in the number of incidents ofcrime as a result of the retention of theservices of a security provider contractedsome three years ago. More recent securitymeasures include passing of securitylegislation in Parliament as well as theconstruction of fences separating the Hallsof Residence, namely: Irvine, Chancellorand Taylor to deter the entry ofunauthorised persons. These measuresshould go a far way in facilitating a bettertraffic flow on the campus as well asensuring a more orderly and secureenvironment on the campus.

Given the pressing financial difficultiesfaced by many of our students, much wasdone to expand the various programmesthat offer financial aid. The Mona Campuscontinued to use a variety of means toprovide financial assistance to students,both directly through scholarships and

bursaries and indirectly through meal andbook subsidy programmes.

In the 2001/2002 academic year, 406students received a total of J$4.05m inaid from the Office of Student Financing(OSF) as compared with 324 in 2000/01with J$3.06m. Of the J$4m in aid, 21students received J$1.4m in scholarshipsand 55 students received J$0.7m inbursaries. Based on the contribution ofthe Guild of Students to the OSF, 63students benefited in the amount ofJ$0.37m. Students also received supportunder the meal subsidy programme andbook scheme.

It was evident that the students put thesefunds to good use as all, except one ofthe recipients of the Principal’sScholarship for Excellence received FirstClass Honours degrees. Full scholarships

One of the two new shuttle buses acquired by the Office ofStudent Services

Members of the Campus Security team on location at the Rex Nettleford Hall

Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor, inconversation with the Hon. Burchell Whiteman, Minister ofEducation, Youth and Culture, while touring the facilitiesat the newly renovated Health Centre. The Hon. JohnJunor, Minister of Health, Professor Kenneth Hall, ProVice Chancellor & Principal of the Mona Campus and Dr. Blossom Anglin-Brown, Clinical Director of the HealthCentre, look on in the background


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under this programme were also offered toO’Neil Perrin on the basis of hisoutstanding performance in the GSATexaminations in 2001 and also to one ofthe members of the 2002 winning SchoolChallenge Quiz team.

The Students Loan Bureau disbursedJ$143.9m to 1,609 students in the2001/2002 academic year. In addition, 707students received J$21.1m in Grant-in-Aidin the same period.

The School for Graduate Studies andResearch negotiated with both theStudent Loan Bureau and the FirstGlobal Bank to provide loans topostgraduate students for implementation

in the next academic year. The facilitywith First Global Bank will cater primarilyto working graduates who wish to pursuegraduate studies. On the other hand, thearrangement with the Student LoanBureau is for unemployed graduates whohave been accepted into higher degreeprogrammes.

The University Bookshop establishedduring the period a textbook grant of$60,000 to be distributed among sixneedy students. The grant is to bemanaged by the Office of StudentFinancing.

Members of the Campus Security team monitoringtraffic through the UWI main gate

Miss Maud Fuller of the Guild of Graduates TorontoChapter cuts the ribbon at the official opening of the

refurbished Commuting Students Lounge

Miss Heather Clarke of the Faculty of Pure and AppliedSciences receiving the Sherwin Williams Scholarshipaward form Mr. Ian Forbes, Managing Director of SherwinWilliams.

Professor Kenneth Hall, Pro ViceChancellor and Principal, Mona Campus

presenting Master Oneil Perrin, topperformer in the 2001GSAT

Examinations, with the Principal'sScholarship award

a. technological enhancement c. academic staff … · c. academic staff recruitment and development...

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