Strengthening Distance Education in the Caribbean
| Reporting Organization: | University of the West Indies |
|---|
| Total Budget ($CAD): | $ 19,486,851 |
|---|
| Timeframe: |
February 27, 2013 - March 29, 2019 |
| Status: |
Completion |
| Contact Information: |
Unspecified |
Partner & Funder Profiles
Reporting Organization
University of the West Indies
Participating Organizations
Unspecified
Funders (Total Budget Contribution)
-
Government and Public Sector
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Location
Region - Total Budget Allocation
| Caribbean - $ 19,486,851.00 (100.00%) |
|
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Areas of Focus
Other - Total Budget Allocation
| Education (65.00 %) |
|
| Law, Governance & Public Policy (30.00 %) |
|
Health - Total Budget Allocation
| Health Promotion & Education (5.00 %) |
|
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Description
This project aims to increase employment and other income-generation opportunities by improving access to post-secondary education for women and men living in remote and under-served communities of the Caribbean. The project seeks to strengthen the Open Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) to make high-quality education available to more people across the Caribbean through the use of distance education technologies. This is key in a region where countries are separated by the sea, making it difficult for many people to access the three “traditional” campuses of UWI (in Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados). The virtual Open Campus seeks to deliver expanded program offerings that are better aligned with labour market needs, and undertake stronger marketing outreach to students. Some project activities include: (i) designing, developing and delivering demand-driven, gender and environmentally sensitive post-secondary distance education programs to students across the Caribbean; (ii) training faculty, instructors and tutors in gender and environmentally sensitive course design, development and delivery; (iii) conducting a comprehensive analysis of program requirements to better respond to labour market needs; and (iv) setting up new library virtual services (online) that can be accessed by all Open Campus learning sites throughout the Caribbean.
Target Population
| Gender and age: |
Adult women
Adult men
|
| Descriptors: |
Rural
|
| Total Direct Population: |
1,134 |
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Outputs
| 20 |
Education programs delivered |
| 23 |
Education programs approved |
| 4 |
Program Advisory Committees established |
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Results & Indicators
Expected Results
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (i) enhanced provision by the Open Campus of gender equitable, market-driven distance learning program offerings to a broader student base, including those from under-served communities; and (ii) improved gender and environmentally responsive-management by the Open Campus of human, material and financial resources of its learning sites and programs.
Achieved Results
Results achieved as of March 2016 include: (1) the delivery of 20 new and renewed undergraduate and graduate programmes (24 courses beginning in 2016 to 1134 enrolled students; (2) the approval of 23 programmes (13 undergraduate and 10 graduate) which surpassed the project’s target of a minimum of 15 programs and 75 courses; ((3) the design, development and implementation of four Programme Advisory Committees (PACs) including private and public sector representatives, which advised on course design and delivery to ensure the project prepared students who were ready to enter the labour market. These results have contributed to the University’s ability to offer gender equitable, market-driven distance learning programs to a broader student base – including those from under-served communities. The results also improved the University’s gender and environmentally responsive management of human, material and financial resources of its learning sites and programs.
Indicators
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Links & Resources
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Associated Projects (If applicable)
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