Education

BAC Monitoring Impact Of AI On Higher Education

The Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC) is very closely monitoring the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is having on higher education institutions (HEIs) in Barbados.

To this end, the Council has been conducting research into the impact of AI so far, and assessing the positive and negative factors and challenges it may present in the future. This relates to both external quality assurance agencies (EQAAs) like itself, and also for the local HEIs it recognises.

Research & Development Officer I with the Council, Jonre Waterman recently made a presentation on the topic: ‘Investigating The Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education In Barbados: The Opportunities for Innovation and the Implications for Academic Integrity’.

He made the presentation to delegates in attendance at the 20th Annual Conference and General Meeting of the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE).

The conference was hosted by the University Council of Jamaica and held at Pegasus Hotel in Kingston Jamaica under the theme: ‘Twenty Years of Promoting Quality in Higher Education: Development, Impact and Opportunities for a Sustainable Future’.

In his presentation, Mr. Waterman said while there are some noteworthy benefits that come with AI within higher education, from the institutional and academic perspective, the reality is that there are also some challenges for such institutions.

Among the key concerns, he says HEIs will have to ensure that students are not utilising the technology to give the impression that their breadth of knowledge is greater than it really is, whenever they are tasked with turning in reports or doing exams and papers.

“As it relates to the use of the AI-powered technologies…it’s not going anywhere. Global institutions will continue to incorporate AI-powered tools into their teaching and learning process. What this will do is advance the quality of the higher education process and HEIs that fail to address this run the risk of being left behind on the quality curve. This presents a challenge for EQAAs like the BAC as it seeks to assure and enhance the quality of the local higher education space,” he said.

“As it relates to the academic integrity concerns, the biggest fear is the ability of students to subvert the rigour of the academic process in favour of skipping straight to the finishing line and receiving qualifications and awards that do not speak to their actual level of knowledge and understanding.”

Mr. Waterman said a failure of HEIs to respond to this will create a scenario where the quality of the higher education process would be eroded.

He says the BAC has come up with some recommendations to help address its AI-related concerns. “These include conducting assessments to determine the capacity to incorporate emerging technologies such as AI that can improve the quality of educational offerings.

We understand that based on your size and scope, for some institutions there may not be any feasibility for AI-powered or any that would actually provide any significant improvements to your quality…but you can’t just say so without conducting that assessment. So, our recommendation is that you conduct that assessment; then you can determine whether there is any use to the institution, but it must be done first.”

He said another important recommendation is for higher education institutions to assess vulnerabilities of academic integrity to emerging technologies such as AI. He also noted an important recommendation that the Council itself undertake going forward: “Also, as the BAC, there exists scope for us to review our quality standards to ensure that they adequately call upon institutions to address and respond to technological advances.” (PR/GIS)

Education

Barbados Cops Two Silver Medals At Caribbean STEM Olympiads

Barbados won two silver medals in the Math Olympiad component of the Caribbean Science Foundation’s (CSF) third annual Caribbean STEM Olympiads (CSO) held virtually from January 13 to 19, 2025.

Individuals and teams representing educational institutions or themselves competed in Math, Computer Coding, and Robotics & Electronics Systems Olympiads at three different age levels – 12 to 15, 16 to 18, and 19 to 21.

Fifteen-year-old Roshauna Clarke of Harrison College took second place in Level I of the Math Olympiad, while Simeon Green and Ian Francis of “Phi-re Phi-ghters”, who represented themselves but attend The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, placed second in Level III of the competition.

Interim Executive Director of the CSF, Professor Cardinal Warde, said: “I am impressed by the level of achievement of the participants. However, it is clear that the CSF needs to do more to enhance the quantity and quality of robotics and embedded systems in the region.

“To aid those Robotics & Electronics Systems teams that start early in preparation for the 2026 Olympiads, the CSF will issue a call for proposals to assist such teams in covering the upfront costs of components.”

Simeon Green of “Phi-re Phi-ghters” spoke about his experience. He said: “We really enjoyed preparing by doing a lot of practice, and even during the competition. Just the rigour of the Math we had to do was really interesting. You should have seen our faces when [we] got the question done. We really enjoyed participating.”

In the various competitions, the focus was on rewarding inventiveness, as well as critical, logical, and analytical thinking. In particular, the Math Olympiad was held in a Jeopardy-style format and covered the fundamentals of topics ranging from consumer Arithmetic to Vector Calculus.

The Computer Coding Olympiad tasked applicants with creating apps, games, and websites aimed at solving a challenge faced by Caribbean communities.

The challenges tackled by teams in the 2025 Olympiads included geohazards and climate change, cultural preservation, conservation science and ecology, inter and intra-country transportation, food safety and security, safe after-hours transport for women and youth, and financial education.

The Robotics & Electronics Systems Olympiad saw the Level I applicants building innovative systems from kits, while the Level III robotics and electronics systems teams were required to design and assemble their robots starting from the basic components level.

A total of 264 students from nine Caribbean countries registered for the 2025 Olympiads, making it the highest registration to date. After the preliminary rounds, 41 teams (98 students) made it to the finals. There were 34 finalists in the Math Olympiad, 39 in the Computer Coding Olympiad, and 25 in the Robotics & Electronics Systems Olympiad.

Medal certificates and cash prizes of US$500, $400, $300, and $200 were awarded to teams winning platinum, gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. The medals and awards ceremony, held on Sunday, January 19, revealed that Jamaica led the medal count with 10 medals, followed by Belize and Guyana with four each, and Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago with two each.

The CSF is a regional, non-profit non-governmental organisation with the mission of assisting with the development and diversification of the economies of the Caribbean region by promoting STEM education reform and stimulating technology-based entrepreneurship. (PR/GIS)

Education

MOU SIGNED BETWEEN A & B MUSIC SUPPLIES AND THE UWI

Veteran music industry leader Norman Barrow believes that creativity, not competition, should be encouraged on the local music scene in order for the Barbadian brand to better penetrate overseas markets.
Barrow shared these views during a recent signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between his company, A&B Music Supplies, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, said that sticking to the “traditional” ways of making and marketing music will not help local artists reach a global audience.
He said: “I am hoping that the opportunities provided for aspiring creatives will produce a different way of thinking, which will encourage them to realise that competing for a prize is not the way for us to get our music into the mainstream of international recognition.
“We must work together to make sure our music has global appeal. Machel Montano recently said: ‘We must improve the quality of our music, our writing, our marketing, and the quality of our message.'”
He explained, “I have always held the view that one of the main reasons that reggae music was able to become a recognised genre in the world of music, is because the Jamaican artistes never competed, and their writings were never guided by a set of rules. They were free to produce music that appealed to the world.”
He emphasized the need for a shift in focus, stating that while he respects past efforts, it is time to create music that can be marketed globally, which he described as essential for Barbados’ future.
The MOU establishes a partnership aimed at supporting students in the Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts by providing scholarships and other resources. It also includes the establishment of the Norman Barrow Digital Archives; this new archive is aimed at storing music Barrow has produced over the years across the region, and giving easy access to students who are seeking to further their research into varying genres.