by Marlon Madden
The final numbers are not yet in, but all systems are a go for the resumption of classes at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus on September 7.
And Deputy Principal Professor Winston Moore has hinted at the university accommodating students from other countries outside the region, whose studies are unable to continue at their campuses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, he said some fallout in new student enrollment numbers was expected due to the pandemic, which has disrupted classes around the world.
Registration at the Cave Hill Campus began on Monday, following an extension of the application deadline, and is expected to continue into next week.
It is at the end of the registration period that officials are expected to know exactly the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new enrollment numbers and that of returning students.
In an email response to questions from Barbados TODAY, Moore indicated that while some negative impact was expected, the start date for school would not be affected.
“We have been planning for the re-opening since the end of examinations in the previous academic year. Classes will begin on 7 September 2020,” he said.
“It is only after registration is completed that we will know the true number of students and enrollment relative to last year. Given the impact of COVID-19 on households in the Caribbean, we are expecting some negative fall-out as it relates to the ability of students to take-up places at the campus but we have tried to make it as reasonable for students to continue their studies through a variety of payment plans and financial aid,” said Moore.
In relation to welcoming students from other universities, he said: “What we can say is that we have received a number of queries from students studying at universities outside of the region who cannot continue their studies due to COVID-19 and are therefore interested in continuing their studies at Cave Hill. We are facilitating wherever this is feasible.”
Stopping short of saying whether the pandemic would result in some classes being chopped, Moore said “Over the summer our Deans and Heads of Departments have been looking at the timetable to ensure that any classes that had a relatively low registration last year were eliminated if possible.”
He quickly pointed out that this was an exercise that was conducted each summer to ensure that the university heads into the new academic year with a schedule that is sufficiently efficient to reduce any wastage while still offering our students the best university education experience available in the Caribbean, and based on our international rankings, the world”.
The Cave Hill Campus has taken the decision to use both face-to-face and online teaching.
Moore said in an effort to adhere to physical distancing protocols, the online learning method was being employed and larger teaching spaces would be utilised “even though the number of persons in the class is small”.
“This combination of face-to-face teaching and online instruction will allow students to benefit from the best of both worlds. There are some classes also, that simply cannot be offered in an online environment. Our students in the Faculty of Science and Technology as well as the Faculty of Medical Sciences require lab experiences to ensure they continue to push the frontiers of their discipline when they graduate and provide a cadre of highly trained professionals to support regional development,” Moore explained.
“The fundamental idea of a university is that it provides a space where students can interact with experts within their field by posing tough questions and through discussions push the frontiers of their discipline. This is what the University of the West Indies represents and this is what we will continue to do,” he added.
The economics professor also gave the assurance that when classes begin in a matter of days, students and staff would be required to adhere to a set of “strict” COVID-19 protocols.
“These protocols include mandatory wearing of masks, mandatory temperature checks on entering the campus, mandatory hand sanitizing before entering buildings and teaching spaces, strict observance of physical distancing requirements and frequent sanitizing of high touch areas,” said Moore.
(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)
