UTech, Ja Annual Report 2017-18

University of Technology, Jamaica “Pioneering Past; Bright Future ” ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 15 • An Online Readiness Diagnostic Tool has been the focus of fourth year students of the School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT) under the guidance of their Lecturer, Mrs. Lisa Facey-Shaw. The students have been collaborating with the ODL in the development of an online readiness diagnostic application for use by all potential online-distance learners. The online readiness tool will be available to all university students and wider public in the new academic year. • An updated module for Online Student Orientation was integrated within the UTechOnline LMS, with the special feature of a digital certification, which students can download on completion, for verification and future reference. To date, over forty (40) students have tested the module. The aim is to have the online orientation module as a mandatory requirement for students in all fully online/ blended modules. • The TurnItIn plagiarism test facility in UTechOnline was upgraded and has been fully utilized by over five hundred and twenty-one (521) students and faculty-members to test the originality of student assignments. • Over the past year, approximately fifteen (15) fully online mid-semester examinations have been proctored online with seventy-eight (78) students, while over thirty-nine (39) online quizzes have been prepared by the ODL for several faculty units. Several experienced faculty members have also created and administered their quizzes independently within UTechOnline. Inaugural Symposium on Leveraging ICT in Higher Education The Inaugural Symposium on Leveraging ICT for the Sustainability of Higher Education was staged by the ODL on November 24, 2017, with over sixty (60) representatives from approximately thirty- eight (38) organizations. The strategic focus on Increasing Quality, Access and Affordability of Higher Education through ICT was outlined by the Chairperson - Dr. Jeanette Bartley-Bryan, Associate Vice President for Distance Learning. In his welcome remarks, Professor Colin Gyles, the Deputy President endorsed the sub theme of “AccessibilityFor All through ICT”, to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access education freely. Greetings were brought by Mrs. Maxine Henry Wilson, Commissioner/ CEO of the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission (JTEC), who shared about the emerging changes in jobs and professions in the post-industrialized revolution era, with the introduction of robotics and the preparation being undertaken by the tertiary education sector for the 21st century. The Keynote Speaker was Mrs. Isabel Viera, UNESCO Advisor for Communication and Information who focused on the theme: How ICT is Reshaping the Future of Higher Education in context of the seventeen (17) UN sustainable development goals, which will be guiding global financial development agenda after 2030. The day also included a Panel Discussion on Accessibility for All: Designing for Online Learning with presentations from Mr. Andy Svoboda - President, CaribbeanDeaf Ministries, Ms. Amakeda Wallen - UTech Ja. Student Representative, Mrs. Kamika Braithwaite - Information and Training Officer, Jamaica Society for the Blind, and Professor Paul Golding -Dean, College of Business and Management. The panel was chaired by Mrs. Florette Williams - ODL Instructional Design Specialist, who facilitated lively interactions with