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The Director

Marcia Rainford Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer in Science Education and Coordinator of the Science Mathematics and Information Technology (SMIT) Centre.  She holds a Masters degree in Science Education and a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of the West Indies.

Welcome Message 

On behalf of staff of the School of Education (SOE), it is with great pleasure that I welcome all students to the Faculty of Humanities and Education and in particular, the new students who have chosen to pursue studies in Education for this academic year.  

The School of Education serves a wide cross-section of persons - pretrained and trained teachers, teacher educators, educational leaders, and other professionals at all levels of the education system.  We are mindful of the fact that there are several options available for furthering your studies and yet you have made a choice to pursue studies at the UWI.

You have chosen to study at the UWI at a time in our history when we are battling a pandemic which has led to sudden and significant changes in how we operate as a University.  In the majority of cases, our courses will be offered via blended and online modalities.  The process of Online teaching and learning is not new to the SOE and we have a rich history of online delivery at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

  • In earlier years, the SOE collaborated with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MoEYI) to train secondary teachers via a Distance Teaching programme.
  • The SOE currently offers the B.Ed. programme by blended delivery- on a part time basis, to In-service teachers of Mathematics, English and Social Studies, who need to obtain the B.Ed. degree but are unable to pursue full time study.
  • Since the year 2000, we expanded our graduate offerings to include online programmes and we currently offer seven (7) of our Masters Programmes also via online and blended modalities.  
  • The SOE has collaborated with the Government of Belize to offer the M.Ed. programme to three (3) cohorts of students, the most recent being (i) a group of twenty-eight (28) students who completed the M.Ed. – Early Childhood Education (Pedagogy) in 2019 and (ii) Thirty-three (33) students currently enrolled in the M.Ed. in Inclusive and Special Education.  
  • For the past seven (7) years, the SOE has offered the Post Graduate Diploma in Education via blended delivery to students in countries such as Jamaica, St. Lucia, Dominica, Montserrat, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Anguilla through the M.Ed. Summer and Online Unit. 

We are deeply committed to providing quality education for all our students, and we are constantly upgrading our facilities to ensure that the learning environment is aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and technologically adequate. Our newest classroom, School of Education Lecture Theatre 4 (SLT4) boasts cutting edge technology for the delivery of classes by web conferencing.

The SOE offers a number of programmes, at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  The B.Ed. degree is done by students who aspire to become teachers or by trained teachers who wish to upgrade their qualification from a teaching diploma, to a Bachelor’s degree.  The B.Ed. degree is offered in ten (10) specializations - the teaching of Mathematics, Language Education, Science, Social Studies/ Geography, History, Literacy Studies, Computer Science and Information Technology.  The SOE also offers a B.Ed. in Educational Administration for those teachers who have an interest in school administration.

The Master of Arts in Teaching is offered to graduate students who desire to become professionally certified to teach one of eight (8) secondary school subjects.  The School offers the M.Ed., MA, MPhil and PhD degrees in several specializations including Mathematics, Language Education, Science, Literacy Studies Education and these other related disciplines - Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Measurement, Leadership inTechnical Vocation Education & Training (TVET) and Work Force Development (WFD), Teacher Education and Teacher Development, Inclusive and Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Planning and Policy, Educational Leadership and Management and Education for Sustainable Development and Peace Studies.

COVID-19 has not only affected how we deliver our courses, but it will also affect how we communicate with you.  In order to reduce the likelihood of physical contact by walk in visits to our offices, we will communicate mainly by telephone, email or through online platforms and all meetings will be conducted online.  Despite these restrictions, I hope that your UWI experience will be rich, rewarding and memorable.  While you give priority to your academic pursuits, I encourage you to strike the right balance and get involved with university life while you adhere to the protocols for COVID-19. Make use of the range of opportunities for service, savour and utilize moments for fun and personal development; additionally, some of you will find that you will develop lasting friendships and professional networks among the wide cross-section of students who are here within the School, the Faculty, and at the UWI. Take advantage of the virtual student advising sessions and other activities at orientation to obtain accurate information on your programmes.  Become familiar with the resources in the libraries, come prepared for classes and above all approach your studies with diligence, honesty, humility and the utmost integrity.

The very able, competent and professional academic, administrative and support staff of the SOE are ready to help you realize those dreams which are connected to the completion of your studies.  I wish for you a very productive and rewarding academic year.

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