March 7-11 Is Quality Assurance In Higher Education Week

The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) will be observing its 17th Annual Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week from March 7 to 11, under the theme ‘Maintaining Quality in Higher Education in a Digital Environment’.

Executive Director of the UCJ, Althea Heron, told JIS News that the week is the UCJ’s flagship event, where it focuses on raising awareness about quality assurance trends in higher education and facilitates direct interaction with immediate stakeholders, including employers and students.

Activities kick off on Tuesday (March 8) with a virtual opening ceremony, where the Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, will give a special address.

Higher education strategist, Peter Van der Hijden, will be the keynote speaker. He will present in a plenary session on ‘Micro-Credentials: Developing a Nation Through Lifelong Learning’.

Micro-credentials are mini-qualifications that demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability.

“Micro-credentials are short in duration and targeted in terms of knowledge, skills and competences. The learning experiences are tailored to give persons the requisite skills, or just-in-time learning, so that they can upskill or retrain for the workplace,” Mrs. Heron explained.

She told JIS News that the focus on micro credentials is part of efforts by the UCJ to highlight the need to create alternative pathways for persons to access higher education, as well as opportunities to support lifelong learning, education and training.

She noted that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has provided the impetus for the rapid implementation of micro-credentials globally as people explore flexible certification options.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (March 9) there will be virtual presentation of certificates to institutions that were registered, granted institutional accreditation or had programmes accredited or re-accredited for the financial year 2021/2022.

Also on March 9, the UCJ will host a panel discussion on ‘Assessment in the Online Learning Environment’.

Participants will be drawn from the University of Technology (UTech), Western Carolina University in the United States of America (USA), the All-American Institute of Medical Sciences, Moneague College, and the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Corporate Learning Campus.

Mrs. Heron said that the panel discussion is a follow-up on last year’s presentation on the topic and will provide an opportunity for participants to share their experiences related to assessments in the online learning environment. On Thursday (March 10) participants will discuss ‘Credential Fraud, and Diploma Mills in a Digital Environment’.

The day’s session will target human resource professionals, admissions officers and registrars in higher-education institutions and is intended to inform and increase awareness about fraudulent qualifications and the offering of unaccredited online degree programmes by diploma mills.

Mrs. Heron noted that since the pandemic “there has been an increase in online education provisions, some of which are being offered by diploma mills, which is a significant problem in higher-education systems around the world”.

A wide cross section of presenters, representing local higher-education institutions, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers in the USA, are scheduled to participate.

For further information on how to register for the week’s activities, persons may call the UCJ at 876-618-4267, or send an email to info@ucj.org.jm.

Mrs. Heron said that the 34-year-old UCJ is committed to the growth and development of the higher-education sector in Jamaica in line with the Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which sees the country having a world-class education system.