Conference Poster Presentations
Modern Technology and the Higher Education Administrator
Dr. Adita Maharaj
Assistant Professor, University of Trinidad & Tobago, Centre for Education Programmes, Tamana Campus
My Portal to Success
The university recently embarked on a revamp of its Canvas learning management system, upgrading to the newer, intuitive interface. This version allows, both faculty and student alike, more flexibility as it allows for creativity and adaptability with respect to aesthetics, course content and delivery. It also provides an avenue for faculty independence as opposed to the over reliance on technology personnel. This poster attempts to capture students’ perceptions of the use of the new interface over the past year with respect to usability, accessibility, collaboration and interactivity.
This ongoing research aligns to the sub theme; Modern Technology and the Higher Education Administrator as the university has intentionally embarked on a thrust to improve the digital experiences of its students, making learning student centric, engaging, feedback driven and motivating. The university’s part time cohort of students undertake fully online courses and some of them have as much as five courses per semester. The university, therefore, utilises the Canvas platform to provide the part time students, in particular, the opportunity to access their lectures, content, assessments and feedback in a timely manner. It has also provided training to the faculty regarding customizable course creation, management tools, course and user analytics and statistics as well as internal communication tools. Prior to this, the technology team at the university responsible for Canvas would be solely responsible for the creation of the pages etc. Faculty would submit a request form indicating the name of their course and relevant course information and then engage in a wait period where the technology team would create the relevant pages for their courses. It goes without saying that this diminished the innovativeness and ingenuity of both staff and students alike. The introduction of the new interface on Canvas is now one year old and this research in progress targets the part time students to gauge their experiences with the learning management system. The research utilises a mixed method approach which would yield authentic data through the administration of questionnaires and participant interviews. The main areas of focus are user friendliness, ease of access, level of interaction, level of collaboration and learner feedback as well as motivation. It is hoped that the analysis and subsequent findings will inform higher institution administrators as it relates to future digital interventions and innovations. The use of a robust learning management system is highly correlated to student success rates and thus engaging in such research provides a springboard for future proofing the delicate tertiary level ecosystem.
About the Presenter
Dr. Adita Maharaj has been in the field of education since 1991 commencing her career in the primary school system and then entering the Ministry of Education, ECCE Division in 2004 as an ECCE Curriculum Programme Facilitator. She was promoted to ECCE Curriculum Programme Coordinator and then Assistant Manager, ECCE in the School Supervision and Management Division, Ministry of Education. Her tertiary level experience began in 2010 where she was offered a part time position as instructor and supervisor at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.
She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Trinidad & Tobago, Centre for Education Programmes, Tamana Campus. She has worked at this university since 2012 where she services both the Certificate and Bachelors of Education programmes across three campuses. Dr. Maharaj is also a facilitator on the certificate in University Teaching Programme. Her core areas of competencies are curriculum development, policy development, leadership and management, early childhood care and education, education technology, teaching of reading and teacher training.
Creating Student Centric Institutions
Mrs. Sandra L. Thomas
Librarian, Sidney Martin Library, The UWI Cave Hill Campus
Faculty Liaison Librarians: Supporting Student Success at The UWI, Cave Hill Campus
Academic libraries offer a plethora of services designed to support teaching and learning at universities. One essential amenity which is designed to connect students and staff to the library and other useful resources is the Faculty Liaison Librarian (FLL) service. Evolving from the traditional subject librarianship, which placed emphasis on collection development, the FLL structure now places greater emphasis on the educative role of librarians, as they collaborate with faculty on various activities related to information literacy and provide instruction to students on how to seek, access, and use information effectively (Jaguszewski & Williams, 2013; Rodwell & Fairbairn, 2008).
Sidney Martin Library (SML), an academic library which supports teaching and learning at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus in Barbados, provides FLL services as one of its essential resources. In the past, each faculty had an assigned liaison librarian who was solely dedicated to that assignment. However, in recent times providing this service has become one of the duties performed by each librarian in SML. Currently, there are 7 librarians from SML and other libraries in the Campus libraries grouping that perform liaison duties to the various faculties. Liaison duties include student-centred offerings such as information literacy training and research instruction to students on request from students or from course instructors; preparation of learning aids for students (e.g. PowerPoints, recordings, and Libguides); and giving guidance on referencing styles and formatting of thesis to graduate students.
Realising the importance of this service to students’ academic success, the library seeks to make the FLLs more visible. For example, during the library orientation for new students, FLL service is presented as an essential contributory element to their academic success and the students are encouraged to use this service. Contact details for all FLLs are posted on the library’s website, and from time to time, displays with these details and the supporting roles of the FLLs are set up in the library. In addition, students who seek assistance at the library’s Service Desk are also encouraged to consult their FLL.
With everything that the FLLs are doing and with efforts to publicise their services, questions can be raised to ascertain the extent to which students are aware of the FLL services and whether they use these services. The poster explores these issues by seeking to answer the following questions:
- To what extent are students at Cave Hill Campus aware of the FLL services?
- To what extent do students make use of the FLL services?
A questionnaire was administered to a sample of students from across the faculties serviced by the library asking the students about their awareness and use of the FLL services.
About the Presenter
Sandra Thomas is a librarian at Sidney Martin Library (SML) at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. She presently heads the User Services section. She is an information literacy instructor and the Liaison Librarian for the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Supporting and Maintaining an Effective Workforce
Ms. Ruthann Edwards
Lecturer, Department of Professional Studies, The Mico University College
Succession Planning and Talent Management: Strategies for Ensuring Institutional Continuity and Employee Development
In an increasingly competitive and dynamic educational sector, institutions must prioritise succession planning and talent management to ensure long-term success and sustainability. This poster presentation aims to explore effective strategies for succession planning and talent management, emphasising the importance of developing a continuous pipeline of highly skilled, qualified and motivated educators.
Thus, the study will define and explain the concepts of succession planning and talent management. It will seek to examine the benefits of effective succession planning and talent management for institutional continuity and employee development and finally, identify and analyse best practices and innovative approaches in succession planning and talent management.
This research employs a qualitative approach, where case studies, interviews and questionnaires will be used to gather data. Case Studies of institutions with successful succession planning and talent management practices will be analysed to identify key strategies and outcomes. Interviews with Human Resource professionals and questionnaires distributed to institutional leaders will be used to garner insights and practical examples of effective succession planning and talent management.
Preliminary findings suggest that succession planning is undoubtedly important, as it ensures leadership continuity, reduced risk of sudden vacancies and preparation for future challenges. Timms (2016) adds to the conversation noting that “the ultimate goal of succession planning is to have, as much as possible, any position critical to the success of an organisation filled by internal candidates who have been carefully prepared to be successful in those roles” (p.2). It therefore has to encapsulate evidence of proactive identification, a diverse talent pool of educators and at the same time continuous evaluation of these individuals. Talent management on the other hand, makes room for identification, development and retention of skilled educators. The data suggests that innovative approaches to talent management includes personalised development plans as well as mentorship and coaching for these educators. Additionally, the need for technology integration to identify, track and optimise talent management strategies.
Succession planning and talent management are critical components for any institution’s success. By implementing effective strategies and best practices, organisations can ensure leadership continuity, foster employee development, and maintain a competitive edge within the educational landscape. This poster presentation aims to provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for institutions seeking to enhance their succession planning and talent management efforts.
About the Presenter
Ms. Ruth-Ann Edwards has been an educator for over eight years and she is currently a Lecturer within the Department of Professional Studies at The Mico University College. Born, raised and currently living in Kingston Jamaica, Ms. Edwards holds a Master of Arts degree in Teacher Education and Teacher Development from the U.W.I. Mona, as well as a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma in Education specialising in Human Ecology from Shortwood Teachers’ College. Ms. Edwards is a trainer of trainers in Protocol and Etiquette and a certified Events Planner.
She served the Association of Graduate Researchers in Education (A.G.R.E.) in the capacity of Vice President for the academic years 2020-2022 and currently holds the post of Secretary for the academic years 2022-2024. Ms. Edwards has a passionate interest in research related to leadership, teacher education and teacher development and in her spare time enjoys planning and executing functions.
Ms. Janette Elizabeth Grayson, JP
Human Resource Business Partner, University of Technology, Jamaica
Dr. Nadine Barrett-Maitland
Senior Lecturer School of Computing & Information Technology, University, of Technology Jamaica
Re-Igniting the Passion; Supporting our Administrative Staff at HEI in Jamaica
The fluidity in today’s global economy can and has been providing greater economic opportunities for job seekers from all sectors of our society, in particular to our skilled workforce. While this is good for the individual, this self-selection migratory method can deplete the workforce of talented staff.
Some tertiary institutions more than others are affected by this global phenomenon. In addition to overseas migration, some Higher Education Institutions (HEI) continue to face steep competition from both local and overseas companies who continue to pull away their workforce with attractive salaries and emoluments.
The significance of this topic is to highlight the concerns of one Higher Education Institution which continues to see a steady decline in staff numbers over the last three to four years. All categories of staff at the institution are affected, but more so; their trained administrative staff. This phenomenon we believe is not unique to tertiary institutions alone, as other local companies have been equally affected by migrating staff. According to Sean Peak (2021) “The Great Resignation phenomenon” started in March 2020, which saw 4 million Americans quit their jobs each month in 2022 alone, hence, the domino effect on developing countries like Jamaica.
As a consequence, are Higher Education Institutions doing enough to ensure that their skilled administrative workforce not only remain motivated and effective in the workspace, but, despite the economic and other challenges, their staff will remain motivated and committed to the institution.
This poster proposal employs an explanatory research method, utilising a combination of interviews, as well as, observation of available data from the Higher-Educational Institution. Three research questions guided the discussions. The poster aims to highlight and to demonstrate how to revolutionise and address this issue faced by our institution, while we continue to conceptualise innovative ways to attract, retain and ensure we have the most effective workforce.
About the Presenters
Ms. Janette Grayson is a consummate administrative professional with a zeal for educational training, and has been an administrative professional for over 30 years in the government sector and over five years’ experience in teacher development. She is currently employed as a Human Resource Practitioner at the University of Technology, Jamaica where she works in the Human Resource Management Division as a HR Business Partner. Miss Grayson holds a Masters in Special Education and a Trained Teacher certification from the Mico University College, a Bachelor of Social Work from the Jamaica Theological Seminary, Diploma in Management Studies from Utech/JIM Jamaica, and a Diploma in Secretarial Studies from Duffs Business College. She is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Management Institute and National Development (MIND). Ms. Grayson is a Justice of the Peace for the Parish of St. Catherine and is currently the President of the Administrative Staff Association at Utech Jamaica. Ms. Grayson has co-authored book chapters and has written and co-authored papers presented at CTLPA conferences. Janette is a Christian and has a penchant for serving others. Her research interest spans both student and staff development and she enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience at conferences and workshops.
Dr. Nadine Barrett-Maitland is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Technology at the University of Technology Jamaica. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and a MSc in Computer Science from The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, and a BSc. in Computer Science from University of Technology, Jamaica. Her research area is in Information Security, Artificial Intelligence and issues related to the use of Information Technology to improve lives. Dr. Barrett- Maitland has several published works in peer review journals, conference proceedings and book chapters. She is a guest columnist in the Jamaica Gleaner. She is a Christian and enjoys learning, writing, teaching and conducting research. Dr. Maitland has been engaged as a guest speaker on several occasions to address many topics relating to computer science, information technology, artificial intelligence among other areas.