Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 05, 2021 (SKNIS): The COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in the closure of schools and colleges globally. As a result, education has been impacted dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) is no exception as it has implemented a successful model of adjustments within the context of COVID-19.
“At CFBC, we would have always had some online experiences, but the COVID has basically put us into that situation where we had to formally operationalize the blended learning,” said Dr. Moyia Rowtham, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at CFBC, during her August 04 appearance on Working for You. “So, we have our face-to-face classes but, of course, some of these classes have to go online and this is to facilitate larger classes.”
Dr. Rowtham said that with the sudden shift away from the classroom, the college encountered challenges. However, they were able to help make the transition to online learning a more positive experience for everyone.
“It would have been a challenge because we have to cater to the needs of the students because there are some students who learn better face-to-face, but it all calls for a reorientation which is what…at CFBC we do believe in adaptability and so we have also had to help those students transition into online modality,” she said. “We try to have students have at least once per week face-to-face where possible but for our classes which are practical, for example, our natural science classes, those we have to cap.
She added that although CFBC classes are always looked at as being capped, the institution is seeking to further reduce classes with larger numbers to adhere to the social distancing practices as health measures in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“We have taken into consideration looking at capping some of these classes basically to carry out the lab work in a safe environment. But outside of that, we look at the fact that we have to measure our physical spaces ensuring that we adhere to the COVID-19 protocols and, of course, all of this that we do is governed by our CFBC COVID-19 Policy,” said Dr. Rowtham, who indicated that the policy was crafted by Dr. Rondalyn Bradshaw, Dean of the Division of Health Sciences and her team. “We are very strict, and we have received favourable reviews from the NEOC when visits are made.”
Dr. Rowtham said that it is important for CFBC to pay attention to the resources available, noting that the institution is “very much in tune with the needs of the faculty and students and have to take into consideration the safety of our personnel.”
