Higher education can be a challenge for working professionals, but for five years now Virgin Islands residents have had access to university and professional development courses through the University of the West Indies Open Campus.
When it launched in 2008, officials dubbed it “a campus for the future.” Today, the school has 42 sites serving 16 Caribbean countries, and its academic programmes don’t require students to attend lectures or do assignments inside a classroom.
“All of it they can do at home,” said Carla Brown, the programme officer and head site coordinator for the VI’s Open Campus, located at the H. Lavity Stouttt Community College. The VI site currently has 125 students.
Students enrolled in a wide range of degree programmes go to the HLSCC campus for an orientation and again to take their exams, but other than that, assignments and course modules happen through “blended learning,” using teleconferencing and the Internet, Ms. Brown said.
About half of the school’s students take part in a degree or academic certificate programme, with the other half taking a course geared toward professional development, Ms. Brown said.
See the Aug. 29, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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