Mrs. Olivia Edgecombe-Howell, Head of UWI’s St. Kitts and Nevis Open Campus

A plan is under consideration to change the schedule of classes at the University of the West Indies’s (UWI) more than 40 Open Campuses from semesters to trimesters, enabling students to expedite the completion of their degree studies.

In an interview with The Observer Olivia Edgecombe-Howell, Head of the St. Kitts Open Campus, emphasised that the implementation of the new schedule was not imminent, but only under discussion. Ultimately, she informed, it will be the University’s Registrar, in consultation with high-level personnel at the Vice-Chairman level, who will make the final decision after all of the factors involving the issue have been thoroughly examined.

Currently, the Open Campus operates with two semesters and a shorter summer session, as opposed to colleges and universities under a trimester system, which feature three equally long course sessions. Already implemented on the UWI graduate level, the trimester option is being looked at for undergraduates.

“A student who takes a full slate of courses will be able to graduate in three years, if he or she is successful,” Edgecombe-Howell explained. “However, in the Open Campus, because our clientele is 99 percent fully-employed, we do not recommend that students take on a full load of courses.”

Those on a full-time work schedule have the option of taking on a part-time load of five courses per semester. If the new system is adopted, instead of only being able to complete 10 courses in an academic year, a student would be able to do 15, thus accelerating the degree process.

Edgecombe-Howell made it clear that even on a part-time basis, completing a course of study is no easy task.

“A person must be self-disciplined, with a high level of organization, impeccable time management, commitment, and dedication to duty,” she said.

The Open Campus was formally launched in Antigua and Barbuda in June 2008, and is a combination of the previous Office of the Board for Non-Campus Countries & Distance Education, the School of Continuing Studies, the UWI Distance Education Centre, and the Tertiary Level Institutions Unit.

It offers multi-mode teaching and learning services through virtual and physical site locations across the region. There are currently 42 site locations of the Open Campus in the region, serving 16 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The guiding principle is based on the idea that the high-quality university education, research, and services available at UWI should be open and available to all people who wish to reach their full potential inside and outside of the region.