St. George's, Grenada – Nov. 19, 2007 -- Eleven tertiary educators drawn from Grenada and Carriacou paid rapt attention as facilitator, Dr. Hilroy Thomas, Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN) consultant went through the basics of moodling at a two-day
introductory workshop held at the T. A. Marryshow Community College earlier
this month.
The workshop entitled, Designing Online Courses and Support Systems, introduced participants to Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE), the open-source, virtual learning management system. Dr. Thomas guided participants through the
architecture and processes of systems design applicable to developing content
for online delivery.
With disciplines including
communications, business, information technology, social sciences and
hospitality, participants modified their current course syllabuses while
developing the competencies for becoming online instructors.
"Teaching online is one of
the easiest things to do," Dr. Thomas acknowledged, "but one of the hardest
things to convince teachers to do."
For five weeks following the
workshop, he will continue to administer the course online to immerse the
educators into their new teaching environment.
He added, "The expected outcome of
this programme is for these teachers to have courses available for online
delivery by the end of this year".
Ken Sylvester, CKLN chief
executive officer explained that through e-learning, space and time are no
longer major determinants of human learning. "The final outcome of these
workshops has the potential to contribute significantly to the number of
persons who can access education at the tertiary level by reconfiguring their
access through e-learning.
"With tangible e-learning outputs
from these workshops, CKLN is helping to reshape access to knowledge resources
and transform the learning process for Caribbean
people."
Sylvester also highlighted that
the Caribbean's economic development is
dependent on the region's societies and economies being driven by information
and knowledge.
This workshop was the first in a
series to develop e-learning competencies across the region. Other countries
that have indicated a readiness for the programme include Belize, St. Kitts and Dominica.
The Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN) is a not-for-profit foundation and CARICOM institution established in 2004 to enhance the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by upgrading and diversifying the skills and knowledge of human resources in the region through greater regional collaboration and connectivity.
