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Page | 1 BUS.P.20b 2015/2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES MONA CAMPUS Page No. Paper No./ Min. No. Issue Action Required 2 - Extract from Confirmed Academic Board Minutes of September 17, 2015 For Noting 11 - Extract from Confirmed Academic Board Minutes of October 15, 2015 For Noting MATTERS FROM MEETINGS OF ACADEMIC BOARD, MONA HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 AND OCTOBER 15, 2015 TO A MEETING OF THE BOARD FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 19, 2016
Transcript

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BUS.P.20b

2015/2016

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES MONA CAMPUS

Page No. Paper No./ Min. No.

Issue Action Required

2

-

Extract from Confirmed Academic

Board Minutes of September 17,

2015

For Noting

11

-

Extract from Confirmed Academic

Board Minutes of October 15, 2015

For Noting

MATTERS FROM MEETINGS OF ACADEMIC BOARD, MONA

HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 AND OCTOBER 15, 2015

TO A MEETING OF THE BOARD FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 19, 2016

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All Matters for Noting

MATTERS FROM MEETINGS OF ACADEMIC BOARD, MONA, HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 AND OCTOBER 15, 2015

TO A MEETING OF THE BOARD FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 19, 2016

September 17, 2015

MATTERS ARISING

Academic Board: 1. Heard the Matters Arising from the Campus Registrar and noted the following:

(i) The proposal for an Entry Level Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D) was approved in August, 2015 by the PVC and Chair, Board for Undergraduate Studies, on behalf of the Board for delivery in academic year 2015/2016. The programme would, however, be offered in 2016/2017 as regrettably, Dr Hugh McLean, Pharmacist, passed away in July, 2015.

(ii) The proposed revision to the Minor in Computer Science and new Minors in Information Technology and Software Engineering would be submitted to BUS for approval at its meeting on September 22, 2015.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Paper No: AB(M)P.1 Presenter: Chairman Academic Board: 2. Received AB(M)P.1, noted its contents, and took the following actions in respect of

the matters highlighted by the Chair: I. Congratulated:

a. Mr. Oswald Smith, third-year computer science student, on developing the

Google Transit Technology Application which was launched by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company on August 25, 2015. This app would allow for the integration of the JUTC detailed route and scheduling information into Google Maps.

b. Professor Verene Shepherd on being elected to serve on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

c. The UWI Pelicans on being the first academic institution team to advance to the National Premier League.

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II. Noted that:

a. On August 26, 2015 the UWI Mona signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (Jamaica) (CHEC) for the development of infrastructural projects on the campus. These included:

i. Construction of a modern Student Centre to house offices and a food court. The Centre would also be used as a large convention centre seating between 8,000 and 10,000 persons for the hosting of UWI Mona’s graduation ceremonies.

ii. Reconstruction of the residential complex at College Common for faculty members.

iii. Construction of a modern hotel at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge site.

iv. Reconstruction of the University Hospital of the West Indies as the current physical plant is not was longer appropriate for a hospital.

b. A number of conferences, symposia, fora, and other events took place during the period under review.

II. Expressed condolences on the death of the following members:

Dr Barry Wade, Retired Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zoology

Dr. Edna McLaren, Retired Member of Faculty in the Department of Psychiatry

Mrs Vernita Kelly, Administrative Assistant at the Centre for Hotel & Tourism Management (CHTM)

Dr. Hyacinth Ellis, Retired Lecturer in Social Sciences and Criminologist

Mr. Kenyouth Smith, Campus Police Officer

Ms. Charmaine Henry, Lecturer in the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC)

Dr. Alfred Francis, Professor Emeritus of Caribbean Economy and former Head of the Department of Economics

Dr. Hugh McLean, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences

Mr John McLean, Retired Stores Attendant in the General Stores, Bursary - Stores Inventory

Mr Ucal Gayle, Campus Police Officer

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Discussion: 3. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

(i) Would there be presentations to the campus community on the China Harbour

investments?

(ii) The projects outlined would certainly change the face of the campus. The Campus Principal and the management team must be commended for these important initiatives.

4. Heard from the Chairman that a presentation would be made to the Finance and

General Purposes Committee, Mona. The financial risk to the campus and the UWI would be minimal, and the Public Private Partnership model would ensure that the necessary funding was provided by the investor. Additionally, KPMG and Myers Fletcher and Gordon were employed to ensure that the UWI’s interest was protected and that the agreement was structured in such a way that the campus and the University would carry no liability.

5. Also heard from the Chairman that he would be working to ensure that the Faculties of Humanities and Education, Social Sciences, and Science and Technology were updated with modern teaching facilities.

III. Academic Board accepted the Chairman’s report.

MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION

Paper No: AB(M)P.2 Paper Name: Policy Paper on Continuing and Professional Education Credits and Continuing Education Units

6. Agreed to defer AB(M)P.2 to the next meeting and to invite a representative from the

Open Campus to speak to the paper. Paper No: AB(M)P.3 Paper Name: Discussion paper on

Revision of Matriculation Requirements Presenter: Campus Registrar Academic Board: 7. Received AB(M)P.3, Discussion paper on Revision of Matriculation Requirements, and

heard from the Campus Registrar the following highlights:

(i) The paper discussed revisions to our matriculation requirements in the context of an evolving academic environment.

(ii) The paper was first written in 2006/2007 and was amended in 2008 with the amended version, under which we were now operating, being comparable to that

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of the UK based on passes with appropriate grades at ‘A’ Level, CAPE, or Associate Degrees.

(iii) The 2008 Matriculation Requirements also allowed matriculation on the basis of a maturity clause where persons over age 21 could qualify for admission to the UWI with other qualifications such as work experience, academic transcripts, portfolios, and other documents which could add to their qualifications for entry into a particular discipline.

(iv) The UWI had two types of matriculation; a lower level matriculation and normal matriculation. The lower level matriculation related predominantly to those persons with CSEC and ‘O’ Level passes who may take two years to complete the Level 1 programme.

(v) We now had a CARICOM Regional Qualifications Framework (CRQF) and a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which defined a four-year degree programme as 120 credits while a three-year degree programme was 90 credits.

(vi) For the UWI, however, our four-year degree did not give any more credits than a three-year degree and this therefore created an anomaly with the CRQF and the NQF.

(vii) The UWI’s matriculation framework was also seen as rigid and not as flexible as other institutions.

(viii) In light of this, there were discussions on reviewing our matriculation framework.

(ix) The recommendations from BUS were to:

a. Revise the 2008 Matriculations Regulations;

b. Update the compendium to include qualification frameworks being developed in the region;

c. Establish policies for subjects and courses to determine advanced placement and credit exemptions;

d. Establish preparatory university level programmes for underserved and ‘academically underprepared’ groups;

e. Create a regional admissions service and process that would direct applicants to the UWI into a prescribed programme;

f. Use Banner to track students’ entry qualifications with performance and completion rates.

Discussion: 8. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

(i) It seemed we were lowering our standards for entry to the University. (ii) In the Nigerian system, many universities operate what was called a pre-degree

programme into which students were admitted as degree students but not placed into the actual degree programme. At the end of the first year these

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students are examined and, on the basis of their performance, are placed in different departments within the Faculty.

(iii) Were we being asked to consider the introduction of a preparatory year that would equate to 30 credits for lower level matriculants? If so, this would require a lot of resources which we may not have.

(iv) Could we recommend to CARICOM that the UWI offered a three-year degree over a four-year period for persons who matriculate at the lower level?

(v) The proposal would bring us into competition with other tertiary institutions, such as Community Colleges, some of whom were our partners.

9. Heard from the Chairman the following:

(i) The Faculty of Science and Technology had been admitting students with only CSEC subjects for a number of years, and it had not affected the UWI standards. Changes were happening all over the world and would happen irrespective of what we did. As academics, we needed to be aware of the changes which were taking place and be prepared to make a determination on whether or not there was a need to implement new policies.

(ii) Access to tertiary education in the Caribbean was the worst in the world.

(iii) He supported the recommendations but noted that we must consider the impact on our partners.

Response from Presenter 10. Noted the following response from the Campus Registrar:

(i) The proposal did not speak to lowering the current standards. The UWI already

had a Maturity Clause which allowed persons entry to degree programmes with other qualifications such as work experience, etc.

Decision/Conclusion Academic Board: 11. Supported all six recommendations in the BUS paper with the following caveats:

(i) For the fourth recommendation:

a. We must be mindful that we are partnering with a number of Community Colleges and establishing preparatory level programmes. If implemented, this may adversely affect our relationship with our partners;

b. We should be careful about how this is marketed; and

c. Perhaps clarify for CARICOM that UWI presently offers a three-year degree over a period of four years for lower-level matriculants. As such, the UWI is not at variance with the CARICOM Regional Qualifications Framework, nor

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the National Qualifications Framework, since we do not offer a 4-year degree programme.

(ii) We expect that the fifth recommendation is critical and should be conducted across Campuses.

MATTERS FOR APPROVAL

Paper No: AB(M)P.4 Paper Name: B.Ed. Physical Education to be

delivered by the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica Presenter: Dr. Marcia Stewart, Senior Administrative Officer, SOE Joint Board

of Teacher Education (JBTE) Academic Board: 15. Received AB(M)P.4, B.Ed. Physical Education to be delivered by the Teachers Colleges

of Jamaica, and heard from Dr. Stewart the following highlights:

(i) The B.Ed. Physical Education programme was one of 16 programmes to be offered by the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica.

(ii) The programmes was reviewed by AQAC which asked that the learning outcomes be revised. These were done.

(iii) The programme had a high practical base, and the programme structure adhered to the UCJ guidelines.

(iv) The specialization had a total of 67 credits.

(v) The quality assurance mechanism was done by the JBTE. Staff at the college seemed competent to teach the programme.

Discussion 12. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

(i) As this programme was channeled through the Faculty of Humanities and Education, could the review have been done through FAQAC?

(ii) There were other courses that could enrich the programme such as Ethics in Sports and Sports Medicine.

13. Heard from Professor Stafford Griffith the following:

(i) This was not a UWI programme but belonged to the Teachers’ Colleges, and

there were special considerations which drove this process. For the 16 programmes which were to be offered by the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica, the School of Education sought to ensure the quality of programmes which would justify the award of a UWI degree.

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(ii) The Teachers’ Colleges would be happy for guidance from the UWI and for collaboration in the programmes.

(iii) In the future the proper routing protocols would be followed.

Decision/Conclusion Academic Board: 16. Supported the proposal for submission to BUS. Paper No: AB(M)P.5 Paper Name: Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology

17. Agreed to defer consideration of this item. Paper No: AB(M)P.6 Paper Name: Appointment of Sub-Committee re

Student Disciplinary Matters 2015/2016 Presenter: Campus Registrar Academic Board: 18. Received AB(M)P.6, Appointment of Sub-Committee re Student Disciplinary Matters

2015/2016, and heard from the Campus Registrar the following highlights:

(i) An ad hoc sub-committee was established at the start of each academic year to consider student disciplinary matters on behalf of Academic Board.

(ii) The normal composition of the sub-committee was ten members of the Academic Board, including a Dean and the Guild President or nominee appointed by Academic Board.

(iii) Academic Board was asked to approve the following list of members to serve for 2015/2016:

a. Professor Evan Duggan, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences

b. Professor Hopeton Dunn, Director, CARIMAC

c. Professor Denise Eldemire-Shearer, Campus Coordinator, Graduate Studies & Research

d. Professor Horace Fletcher, Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences

e. Professor Stafford Griffith, Director, School of Education

f. Professor Helen Jacobs, Department of Chemistry

g. Professor Paula Tennant, Head, Department of Life Sciences

h. Professor Michael Taylor, Head, Department of Physics

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i. Either the Principal’s Nominee or any two persons selected from the Disciplinary Committee hearing the instant case

j. Guild President or Nominee Decision/Conclusion Academic Board: 19. Approved the 2015/2016 Sub-Committee for Student Disciplinary Matters, as

presented. Paper No: AB(M)P.7 Paper Name: Establishment of Panels for

2015/2016 Student Disciplinary Committees

Presenter: Campus Registrar

Academic Board: 20. Received AB(M)P.7, Establishment of Panels for 2015/2016 Student Disciplinary

Committees, and heard from the Campus Registrar the following highlights:

(i) Each year, Academic Board (Mona) was required to establish, within six weeks of the first semester, panels of members from which a Student Disciplinary Committee would be drawn.

(ii) The proposed panels for 2015/2016 were as follows:

Panel for Chairman 1. Professor Minerva Thame 2. Professor Silvia Kouwenberg 3. Professor Paul Reese 4. Professor Michael Lee

Panel for Staff Members

1. Dr. Roy Porter 2. Dr. Elaine Williams 3. Dr. Heather Ricketts 4. Dr. Marcia Rainford 5. Dr. Paul Maragh 6. Dr. Garth Lipps

Panel for Students

1. Ms. Shanice Allen 2. Ms. Lavern King 3. Mr. Douglas Fletcher 4. Mr. Germaine Bryan 5. Ms. Jherane Patmore 6. Mr. Ja’Wayne Jarrett

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Panel for Clerk 1. Mr. Carl Lawrence 2. Dr. Celia Brown-Blake 3. Mrs. Rose Cameron

Decision/Conclusion Academic Board: 21. Approved the panel of members for the 2015/2016 Student Disciplinary Committee, as

presented.

MATTERS FOR NOTING 29. Paper No: Paper Name:

(i) AB(M)P.8 : Report from F&GPC, Meeting of June 24, 2015

(ii) AB(M)P.9 : Report from FOL, Meeting of April 23, 2015

(iii) AB(M)P.10 : Mona Representatives Nominated to UWI Councils, Committees and Boards – 2015/2016

(iv) AB(M)P.11-11a : UWI Policy on Intellectual Property Management and Commercialisation

(v) AB(M)P.12 : Academic Board Representatives to serve on Campus Council 2015/2016

30. Received the papers and noted their contents.

31. Heard from Mrs Natalie Corthesy that she had concerns about some of the clauses in

the IP Management and Commercialisation Project.

32. Further heard that these concerns should be sent to the Campus Registrar for onward submission to Dr Beverley Pereira who was responsible for the development of the Policy.

33. Agreed that comments on AB(M)P.11-11a may be sent to the Campus Registrar who would forward them to Dr. Beverley Pereira.

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October 15, 2015

MATTERS ARISING Academic Board: 35. Heard the Matters Arising from the Campus Registrar and noted the following in

relation to matters taken to the BUS meeting on September 23, 2015:

(i) The revisions to the Minor in Computer Science and the new Minors in Information Technology and Software Engineering were not approved as they needed evidence of cross campus collaboration. The Deputy Principal would follow up for approval.

(ii) In relation to the Discussion paper on Revision of Matriculation Requirements, the Senior Programme Officer, BUS, is to draft modifications to the Matriculation Requirements; the University Chief Information Officer is to provide data on the quality of student intake; and the Wint/Cheeseman paper testing qualifications contra outcome is to be used as a reference document.

(iii) The B.Ed. Physical Education to be delivered by the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica was approved.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Paper No: AB(M)P.13 Presenter: Acting Chairman Academic Board: 36. Received AB(M)P.13, noted its contents, and took the following actions in respect of

the matters highlighted by the Acting Chair: III. Congratulated:

a. The following colleagues who were recently promoted to the rank of

Professor: Professor Garth Lipps, Department of Sociology, Psychology & Social

Work Professor Jessica Byron, SALISES Professor Daniel Coore, Department of Computing Professor Halden Morris, School of Education

b. 1990 UWI alumnus, Marlon James, on winning the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.

c. Professor Michael Taylor and Professor Byron Wilson as being recipients of the 2015 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence for outstanding research accomplishments and all-round excellence in research accomplishments and public service, respectively.

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IV. Welcomed Dr. Angella Stephens in her new capacity as Senior Programme

Officer, Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies.

V. Noted that:

a. At this year’s graduation ceremonies the Mona Campus would be awarding seven honorary degrees to the following individuals in recognition of their contributions to Caribbean development:

Dr. the Honourable Lloyd Barnett, OJ, LLD The Honourable Hugh Hart- OJ, LLD Mrs Alfarita “Rita” Marley- OD, DLitt Professor Emeritus Mervyn Morris-DLitt Mr Denis O’Brien- LLD Professor Emeritus Sir Geoff Palmer- OBE, PhD, DSc, FRSM, DSc Ambassador Burchell Whiteman- OJ, LLD

b. A number of conferences, symposia, fora, and other events took place during the period under review.

VI. Expressed condolences on the passing of the following colleagues and observed a moment of silence in their honour:

Mr. Patrick Thwaites, former Timekeeping Supervisor of the Maintenance Department, Central Control Division, and former President of the Mona Administrative and Technical Staff Association (MONATS)

Mrs. Karen Spence, Archaeology Technologist in the Department of History and Archaeology.

VII. Accepted the Chairman’s report.

Discussion Academic Board: 37. Heard from Dr. Leith Dunn her expression of thanks to colleagues who contributed to

the Black Males in Education Colloquium which was hosted by the Institute of Gender and Development Studies in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, Madison, on October 6 – 9, 2015. Participants included Professor Halden Morris, Professor Densil Williams, Professor Dale Webber, and Senator Floyd Morris who was the Keynote Speaker. Dr. Bell-Hutchinson, Campus Registrar, brought greetings from the UWI, Mona, and Professor Verene Shepherd brought greetings from the IGDS.

38. Also heard from Dr. Dunn that Warrior Awards were given to Dr. Peter Weller and posthumously to Professor Barry Chevannes for their contribution to advancing the education of Black males.

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DEFERRED PAPER Paper No: AB(M)P.2 Paper Name: Policy Paper on Continuing

and Professional Education Credits and Continuing Education Units

Presenter: Dr. Ian Austin, Deputy Director, Continuing and Professional Education, UWI, Open Campus – By Skype

Academic Board: 39. Received AB(M)P.2, Policy Paper on Continuing and Professional Education Credits and

Continuing Education Units, and heard from Dr. Austin the following highlights:

(i) Over the years, Continuing Education at UWI had used the traditional structure for measurement of credit – that is, the traditional 39 contact hours structure – which was used for regular programmes and degrees.

(ii) As we moved into the 21st Century, the continuing education paradigm was expanded to include Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) which allowed us to capture contact in other ways thus providing a more flexible way to measure courses.

(iii) Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is a systematized and codified set of activities that are directly related to the continuing professional development of members of a professional practice. CPE programs included seminars, workshops, and short workforce development courses, which are not for credit.

(iv) There was now an urgent need to streamline the way in which CPE was offered and create a clear distinction between the measurement of credit versus non-credit programmes, thereby bringing CPE programming at The UWI in alignment with practices at most leading universities.

(v) A two-tiered system of Continuing and Professional Education was being proposed, in which programmes would be offered either on a credit basis or on a non-credit basis. Programmes that offered credits would be measured in the traditional way, while the measurement for non-credit programmes would be Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

(vi) CEU was an international system of measuring, recognising, and recording an individual’s participation in non-credit continuing educational programmes and was designed to give recognition to individuals continuing their education, wishing to keep up-to-date in their chosen fields, or entering a career field at a very basic level.

(vii) One CEU represented 10 contact or instructional hours of learner engagement in a learning activity leading to specified learning outcome(s).

(viii) An important differentiation between CEU and traditional credits is that CEU allows for the assignment of partial or fractional Units. So an individual who

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participates in five hours of continuing education learning activities would be awarded 0.5 CEUs.

(ix) All programmes for which CEUs are to be awarded must be approved by the Campus Academic Board.

(x) The paper proposes that UWI adopts Continuing Education Units as a means of measuring for continuing and professional education.

Discussion: 40. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

(i) The present measurement structure offered some flexibility in that we can offer courses with less credits and there was a variety of types of courses.

(ii) What mechanism would we have to ensure that the credits or units associated with the CPE courses/programmes were in keeping with our standards?

(iii) There is an assumption that the CEUs would be accepted by professional bodies. Has any professional body been approached about these units?

Response from Presenter: 41. Noted the following response from Dr. Austin:

(i) UWI had an excellent quality assurance mechanism for all its courses and

programmes.

(ii) Departments and Faculties would be responsible for contacting professional associations to work through any necessary arrangements with them. The content of the CPE programmes would be determined by professionals in the departments.

DECISION/ CONCLUSION Academic Board: 42. Thanked Dr. Austin for his presentation; and 43. Agreed to support the Open Campus in the use of Continuing Education Units.

MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION Paper No: AB(M)P.14 Paper Name: Task Force to Provide

Recommendations on the Way Forward for the Open Campus

Presenter: Professor Alvin Wint, Chair, University Task Force

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Academic Board: 44. Received AB(M)P.14, Task Force to Provide Recommendations on the Way Forward for

the Open Campus, and heard from Professor Wint the following highlights:

(i) The Chancellor, acting on behalf of University Council and on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor, has established a University Task Force to make recommendations on the way forward for the Open Campus.

(ii) Presently, the UWI was moving into a new relationship with colleges across the region through which colleges may apply to become Colleges of the UWI.

(iii) This, therefore, was an opportune time to review the structure of the Open Campus to see if it was meeting its objectives.

(iv) The Task Force had membership from across the University. Members of the Mona sub-steam were Professor Jessica Byron and Professor Mark Figueroa.

(v) The Task Force was seeking to engage the university community to get perspectives on its Terms of Reference (TOR), and had its first meeting in September at the St. Augustine Campus.

(vi) The Task Force is to present its final report to Council in April 2016.

Discussion: 45. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

(i) We should look at the competition from other universities in the region and our cost structure in relation to what others are charging.

(ii) More technical support was needed for departments to deliver programmes online.

(iii) It was a weakness to have all the expertise for distant mode delivery residing in one place and the content of the programmes residing in another place.

(iv) What was the purpose of the Single Virtual University Space (SVUS)?

(v) The School of Education had been offering multi-mode delivery for a number of years and had a lot of experience in the area.

(vi) A corporate image study was needed as the Open Campus was not seen as being a part of the UWI.

(vii) Departments needed the autonomy to deliver programmes via multi-mode.

(viii) Could the Open Campus facilitate delivery to other communities at a much lower cost?

(ix) The cost structure through the Open Campus was very high.

Response from Presenter: 46. Noted the following response from Professor Wint:

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(i) He invited departments to send him further comments on the TORs.

(ii) He requested a submission from the School of Education to help the Task Force to formulate the processes.

Decision/Conclusion Academic Board: 47. Thanked Professor Wint for his presentation and agreed that members may send any

further feedback to the Mona sub-team of the Task Force within the next six weeks. Paper No: AB(M)P.15-15b Paper Name: Proposal for the

Establishment of an Environmental Monitoring and Research Unit

Presenter: Dr. Tannecia Stephenson, Acting Head, Department of Physics Academic Board: 48. Received AB(M)P.15-15b, Proposal for the Establishment of an Environmental

Monitoring and Research Unit , and heard from Dr. Stephenson the following highlights: (i) The Department of Physics was proposing the establishment of an Environmental

Monitoring and Research Unit to facilitate the remote, ICT based monitoring of environmental parameters contained in effluent discharged to the environment.

(ii) The Environmental Monitoring and Research Unit would provide valuable data in a new area of scholarly research; over time, generate revenue for the UWI by providing services for the continuous monitoring of effluent for entities based in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean; facilitate knowledge generation particularly through postgraduate involvement in this new area of multidisciplinary research; allow for the application of knowledge and expertise already resident at the UWI to provide solutions to environmental problems.

(iii) The structure of the Unit comprised a Director, an Administrative Assistant, two Research Officers, and two Research Assistants. In the first two years, funding would only be required for the two Research Assistants.

(iv) Capital expenditure in the first year was estimated at $18,361,500 and there was a recurrent expenditure of $9,298 million over the first two years.

(v) The Unit would apply for funding through the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and would also seek equity partners.

Discussion:

49. Considered the following comments, suggestions, and questions of members:

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(vi) The initiative was a good one and had scope for potential input from several departments. Clear lines of engagement would be needed.

(vii) The huge recurrent expenditure was worrying. We had to find a funding mechanism to enable us to start the project.

(viii) The UWI did not recognize equity partners.

(ix) Based on the directive of the University Registrar, as Chair of the Career Path Committee, the title of Director must only be used for positions which are ideally at the Professorial level but not below Senior Lecturer level with approval.

(x) The Department of Physics should consider getting the unit accredited as this would help in attracting business.

Response from Presenter:

50. Noted the following response from Dr. Stephenson:

(i) Engagement with different departments was important and the process had started.

(ii) The revenue would come from the services we are looking to supply.

(iii) The issue of accreditation would be explored.

(iv) The title of “Director” would be addressed.

Decision/Conclusion

Academic Board:

51. Approved the proposal, in principle, for submission to F&GPC, Mona, subject to consideration of the comments on accreditation, the recurrent expenditure, and the title of the Director.

MATTERS FOR NOTING

52. Paper No: Paper Name:

(vi) AB(M)P.16 : Report from F&GPC, Meeting of September 30, 2015

(vii) AB(M)P.17 : Report from FMS, Meeting of June 25, 2015

(viii) AB(M)P.18 : Report from FSS, Meeting of May 7, 2015

(ix) AB(M)P.19 : Report from FST, Meeting of May 14, 2015

(x) AB(M)P.20-20a : Report from FOL, Meeting of March 12, 2015 and June 11, 2015

(xi) AB(M)P.21 : Definition of Credit Hours (BUS.P.2)

(xii) AB(M)P.22 : Matters from Academic Board, Mona to BUS

53. Received the papers and noted their contents.


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