18th Annual Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week

The University Council of Jamaica Hosted 18th Annual Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week

The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) celebrated its 18th Annual Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week (QAW) under the theme, “Strengthen Quality in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.” from March 13-17, 2023.

Approximately 150 daily participants, including Presidents, Principals, Administrative personnel responsible for academics, Registrars and Quality Assurance personnel, members of the Private Sector and representatives from the Ministry of Education and Youth, participated in the activities that explored the strengthening of Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

The week of activities commenced with an opening ceremony on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, utilising the Zoom platform. The Minister of Education and Youth, the Honourable Fayval Williams, opened the week’s activities by reiterating the ministry and the government’s commitment to quality higher education in Jamaica.

The week boasted a workshop surrounding ‘A Renewed Focus on Curriculum Mapping’ on Wednesday March 14, 2023, and A webinar covering the ‘Graduate Effectiveness Impetrative’ on March 15, 2023. Both events sought to inform stakeholders in higher education, locally, regionally and internationally, about the changes, issues and improvements in the higher education sector.

Mrs Althea Heron, the Executive Director of The UCJ, expressed her pride in the organisation’s leading role in promoting and improving the quality of higher education in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region.

Mrs Heron says, “Through a range of workshops, webinars, and other activities, The UCJ aims to create an environment that encourages excellence and innovation in higher education and quality assurance. Their ultimate goal is to facilitate dynamic and engaging learning experiences”.

The workshop was led by an experienced educator and curriculum specialist, Dr Gloria Rodgers, who shared her expertise on curriculum mapping and imparted to the participants the requisite knowledge needed to develop and implement effective curriculum mapping strategies in their institutions.

Dr Michaela Martin, Programme Specialist and Interim Deputy Director, International Institute for Educational Planning-UNESCO, Professor Shermaine Barrett Dean, Faculty of Education & Liberal Studies, University of Technology, Jamaica, Mr Lenworth Kelly, President, The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica and Mrs Carla McIntosh Gordon Group Chief Strategy Officer, VM Group pooled their expertise as members of the private sector and internal and external quality assurance professionals to deliver the webinar focused on ‘The Graduate Effectiveness Imperative’, which explored the importance of measuring and enhancing the effectiveness of graduates in the workplace after receiving quality assured education and training.

The webinar also featured the launch of the ‘Hire Higher Me!’ campaign, highlighting the benefits of quality assurance in higher education for students, employers, and institutions. The Hire Higher Me! campaign is twofold. It focuses on the achievement and personal and professional growth that higher education provides and, two, the employability it affords individuals through earning qualifications in programmes and institutions that have been quality assured.

The week’s activities culminated with a virtual Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in which 39 programmes across ten institutions were awarded programme accreditation/reaccreditation for this financial year 2022-2023, also four certificates of candidacy of registration for stage one and two. Other honourees included assessors who contributed to the UCJ’s Quality Assurance Process from April 2018 to March 2023 and Eighty-one Standard Development Committee members who contributed to completed standards from April 2018 to March 2023.

For more information please contact:

Najae B. Murray
Director, Public Relations and Communication
Email: communication@ucj.orj.jm
Tel: (876) 929-7299/906-8012/920-1424/920-1165/618-4267
Website: www.ucj.org.jm