Creating a Community of Online Learners

Symposium 2020 | Online Programme

About Northern Caribbean University

Founded in 1907, as West Indian Training College, with a change of name to West Indies College and subsequently chartered as Northern Caribbean University in 1999, (NCU) is the oldest private tertiary institution in Jamaica. It is a Seventh-day Adventist English-speaking University located on a two hundred-acre property in Coolsworthy, two miles south of the town of Mandeville, in Manchester, Jamaica. It is jointly owned and operated by the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists which has its headquarters in Mandeville and the Atlantic Caribbean Union Mission which has its headquarters in Nassau, Bahamas. The University is a private, four-year, co-educational, liberal-arts institution, offering a number of professional, pre-professional and vocational programmes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. NCU is the largest multi-disciplinary tertiary institution in rural Jamaica and serves both local and international students.

About the Distance Education Centre

The Distance Education Centre at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) was founded in June 2013 with its first Director as Mr. Steve Lawrence, a Jamaican with a passion for the up-tooling of individuals, who are desirous of obtaining their qualifications, but are not able to relocate to any of the campuses of NCU.

The Centre currently offers thirty (30) short certification courses for communication, business, and the hotel industry. Degrees in Health, Environment and Community Development will commence in Fall 2021.

Learn more about the Centre at distance.ncu.edu.jm.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Francene Gayle, MD

Dr Francene Gayle is a Consultant Neurologist and Physician Lead of the Bermuda Hospital Board and Johns Hopkins Stroke Alliance at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bermuda.

She earned her Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery with Honours with further recognition of being appointed the Valedictorian Proxime for the graduating class. She went on to complete her Doctor of Medicine in Internal Medicine from the University of the West Indies. She has had the honour of being appointed to serve as Chief Resident and the President of the Medical Residents Council.

Dr Gayle was then awarded the Raymond G Chang Caribbean Scholarship and completed Clinical Fellowships in Adult Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology at the prestigious Krembil Neuroscience Centre, University of Toronto. Thereafter she was a Faculty member/ Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Consultant Neurologist and Internist at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

She was also the Founding Medical Director of the Plasmapheresis Service at that Institution. This machine was the first of its kind in the English Speaking Caribbean and was integral in the management of devastating neurologic disorders which would previously result in paralysis and death; the incidence of which increased during the Chikv and Zika outbreaks. Dr Gayle has published original articles in the areas of Acute Stroke, and Epilepsy. She was the Co-Chair of the UWI/University of Miami/American Heart Association Stroke Initiative in 2012-2013 and now serves as the Regional Chair of the Mechanical Thrombectomy 2020 Global Initiative.

Her research interests include autoimmune neurological disorders such as Neuromyelitis optica, which has resulted in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic.

Dr Gayle, in her current capacity, is responsible for quality of care initiatives in Acute Stroke management at King Edward Memorial Hospital. She is the point specialist in the KEMH/Johns Hopkins University Stroke Initiative.

She is a fervent follower of Christ who is passionate about medical ministry in support of others. She is happily married to Mr Steve Lawrence and they have four children. In her spare time she enjoys Singing Opera, keeping fit and learning languages. Interestingly she was born in cool cool Mandeville, but grew up in hot hot Clarendon.

Robbie K. Melton, Ph.D

Robbie K. Melton, Ph.D. is a tenured full professor at Tennessee State University. Dr Melton formally served for twenty years as the chief administrator for the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (6th largest system for higher education in USA, 2016) for overseeing the vision, mission, and initiatives for the Strategic Planning for Emerging Mobile Smart “The Internet of Everything” (IOE) Technologies for Global Education”.

Dr Melton is a renowned international presenter, researcher, and technology evaluator regarding the transformation of smart mobile devices, wearable technologies, and mixed reality technologies of virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and holograms (HR) technologies for immersive learning. She has presented internationally at such conferences as UNESCO Mobile Conference (Paris), eAfrica MERLOT Learning (Senegal), Canada’s Lambton Mobile Learning Summit (Toronto), Education Innovation Conference in Buenos Aires – Argentina, keynoter at the University of the West of Scotland Learning and Teaching conference and plenary speaker at the Distance Education Centre Symposium 2019 in Mandeville, Jamaica. Dr. Melton has acquired a new distinction as an “App-ologist” due to her study of the pedagogy teaching with mobile apps, and her curation of mobile apps for all spectrums of education. http://www.appapedia.org

Dr Melton is the winner of numerous international technology awards; the latest being the 2016 MERLOT Technology Distinguished Leadership Award, CDE Top 30- 2014 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers Award, 2013 Apple Distinguished Educator, WCET 2012 Technology WOW Teaching Award, coordinating educational professional development and training with HP, Microsoft, Dell, Samsung, Apple, Google, Verizon Wireless, ATT, etc. and championing her organization to be recognized as the 2017 ‘100 Outstanding Organizational Leaders in Educational Technology. Her mission is for digital equity!

The Programme

Best viewed horizontally on mobile.

8:50 – 9:00

session

Recorded Music

presenter

Media

TITLE

9:00 – 9:15

Devotional Nugget

Pastor Greg Baldeo, PhD/DSL
Adjunct Professor
Burman University

9:15 – 9:18

Greetings & Welcome

Dr. Lincoln Edwards
President – Northern Caribbean University

9:18 – 9:20

Greetings & Welcome

Dr. Vivienne Quarrie
VP – Academic Administration

9:20 – 9:30

Welcome, Symposium emphasis

Mr. Steve Lawrence
Host/Director – Distance Education Centre

9:30 – 9:50

Opening Plenary

Dr. Francene Gayle
Consultant Neurologist & Physician Lead – King Edward Memorial Hospital – Bermuda

Neuroscience of Virtual Learning

Cognitive neuroscience has exploded with new insights into how learning and education are best facilitated. However, with the emergency push of most educational activities into virtual environments using varying modalities there has been a deficit in the translation between current brain science and direct virtual learning applications. Many cognitive neuroscientists highlight brain-based learning theories as the core of this translation. Neuroscientific resources are critical to ensuring the ideal learning environment, instructional approaches and should be integrated into the strategic planning of educational policy drivers, facilitators and institutions.

10:00-11:00

Session 1

Dr. Niema Moshiri

Assistant Teaching Professor, University of California, San Diego

Enabling scalable online learning through the development of Massive Adaptive Interactive Texts (MAITs)

This session will examine how to enable scalable online learning via Massive Adaptive Interactive Texts (MAITs) with emphasis on “learner breakdowns.”

11:00-12:00

Session 2

Mr. Sean Harvey

Guidance Counselor – Salvation Army School for the Blind Adjunct Faculty – NCU

Attitudes Approaches and Technological Advancement that foster learning of persons with disabilities in distance learning

This session will examine attitudes, approaches in technological software and applications that facilitate persons with disabilities in the online learning environment.

BREAK

12:00-12:30

12:30-1:30

Session III

Mrs. Keisha Allen-Smith

Director, Staff Development and Instruction
The Berkeley Institute

Strategic Teaching: Using High Effect Size Instructional Strategies in an Online Learning Environment

Due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, educators lost instructional time and have been forced to shift to a digital learning environment. During this workshop we will explore effective instructional strategies and match them with digital learning tools to accelerate learning and improve retention.

1:30-2:30

Session IV

Mr. Ewort Atkinson M.B.A.

Director of Digital Strategy & New Media

Prism Communications
Limited & Kinson Digital
Faculty – Distance
Education, NCU

From whiteboard to touchscreen: A look at the new approaches, Asynchronous & Synchronous tools used to counter the challenges of the New Reality

COVID19 has changed our way of life, and will alter the way we view education and training. We now see a transition away from didactic teaching and learning approaches to newer tools and methods of delivery. The purpose of this lecture is to provide insights into different Asynchronous and Synchronous tools that wile enhance the experiences of teachers and students.

2:30-3:30

Session V

Mr. Jovan Miller
Founder of PolyCloud Interactive

Hidden Opportunity

Problems are often focused on from one angle, and not as a part of a greater whole. Within every problem lies an opportunity. The greater the problem, the greater the opportunity. This presentation takes a look at the opportunities given by this pandemic and our solutions. We will be diving into what we hope will be the future of education, where attention is given to what we call the “Magic Triangle”. This system puts focus on the full integration of teachers, parents and students in the teaching and learning process. We will also express the technologies that would best be used to create a sustainable change in education while maintaining the principle of the Magic Triangle.

3:30-4:30

Closing Session

Dr. Robbie Melton
Professor
Tennessee State University

Creating a virtual teaching and learning environment from preschool to university: Resources & Techniques

Due to COVID19, education delivery from pre-school to university around the world had to immediately shift to remote/virtual education. This presentation will address the paradigm shift from on-ground to online, advantages and challenges of virtual learning, strategies for teaching online, student engagement issues, and online FREE resources for all educational levels.

CERTIFICATES
Medical Terminology	Business Communication and Writing
Introductory Principles of Accounting & Finance	Customer Relations
Public Speaking	Office Applications – Instructor led
Small Business Management	Office Applications – Self paced
Investment and Portfolio Management	Crisis, Trauma & Grief Counseling
Crime & Security Management	Conflict Resolution & Management
The Role and Ethical Practices of Security Officers	Social Media Strategist – Self paced (CIW Authorized Curriculum)
Techniques of Photography	Social Media Strategist –Instructor led (CIW Authorized Curriculum)
Digital Marketing	Sales & Marketing
Grant Writing & Rural Development	Supervisory Management – General
Introduction to Occupational Health & Safety	Supervisory Management – Healthcare
Tax and Taxation	Supervisory Management – Hospitality & Tourism
Introduction to Hotel Operations Management	Internet Business Associate – Instructor led (CIW Authorized Curriculum)
Events Planning	Internet Business Associate – Self paced (CIW Authorized Curriculum)
Events Management	Project Management (PMI Curriculum)
Logistics & Supply Management

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