Jovanca Smith
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Providing a Quality Student Experience

The primary mandate of the University of the West Indies is to serve in the advancement of the Caribbean community and sustain its development.  The strategic plan, a Triple A Strategy 2017-2022,  rests upon three pillars: Access, Alignment, and Agility.
ACCESS is about making our product more accessible and more affordable. Online offerings of the Mechanics course has proven to be a step in the accessibility direction. Students residing off campus have appreciated this new offering. The next step for this course is to make it available for students residing outside of Trinidad.

Maintaining an attitude that promotes open feedback is beneficial in courses. One common comment in my student's reviews is that I care. I give students a voice so they are empowered. If a need is not being met directly, they have access to change.

ALIGNMENT with industry to strengthen innovation has been achieved by including the voice of industry members in curriculum development. In my final year Capstone Design Course, I invite members of the industry to put forward projects that are relevant to the economy and to mentor students for a 6 week period. Additionally, industry members are invited to the student's feasibility presentations where they provide live feedback on the projects. Some job offerings are made at these presentations.

As a researcher in structural engineering and concrete mechanics, I have also aligned my research to the needs of the region. The result is a collaboration with local, regional and international companies to find solutions to problems encountered in the region.
AGILITY is about obtaining/maintaining the tools for effective accessibility and alignment. A major component to the delivery of agility is flexibility to continue to foster the environment to restore financial health to UWI and the satisfaction of students. One method to keep abreast of new tools is by taking advantage of new training opportunities, implementing novel methods, and sharing the information with colleagues.

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