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)

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Delta Air Lines has resumed its service to Barbados after a seven-year hiatus.

The airline began its non-stop daily service from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) from Saturday, November 23. Flight DL1985, a Boeing 737 aircraft, captained by Pilot Brent KnoBlach and First Officer Edmund Chianda landed at 3:54 p.m., carrying 160 passengers.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, who welcomed the crew and passengers, noted that the return of Delta Air Lines is a “significant development” in the Ministry’s airlift strategy efforts.

He said by the end of 2024, Barbados would count approximately 11 new and reinstated gateways, which reinforces the commercial viability of the island as a tourism attraction.

“Our partnership with Delta Air Lines is vital to expanding gateways across the U.S. and enhancing connectivity to Barbados…. By looking at this resumption of service by Delta Air Lines, this undeniably speaks to the level of confidence that the airline industry has placed in Barbados…. The airline already has 25,000 bookings, and they are anticipating 50,000 to 70,000 within a year,” Minister Gooding-Edghill disclosed.

The Tourism Minister reported that the U.S. continues to be one of Barbados’ leading source markets and shared that up until the end of September 2024, the USA market had eclipsed the United Kingdom’s and is now the leading source market for destination Barbados.

“With Delta, we are sure to continue to see the trend towards increased passenger numbers from the US market to Barbados … and we are confident that with today’s…flight, we will see incremental growth both in the short and long term,” Mr. Gooding-Edghill said.

The Minister said he is “very proud of the Barbados team” for their work in building up the island’s airlift capacity and thanked all those involved in the process.

In addition to Delta’s service out of Atlanta, from December 21, the airline will offer a Saturday-only flight out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and will be extending its service through to the summer of 2025.

Delta’s Field Director Caribbean Airport Customer Service, Jennifer Rabun, indicated that the airline was happy to be returning its service to the “beautiful island of Barbados”.

She said the airline is continuously working to expand its reach and make it easier for its customers to explore the world and this service was one such way.

“Today marks not just the launch of a new route but also a testament to Delta’s dedication to serving our customers and connecting communities…. This new service opens up Barbados to customers from over 100 U.S. cities.… This means that our network is not only connecting Atlanta to Barbados, but it’s also linking countless communities across the United States to this sun-soaked destination,” Ms. Rabun emphasised.

She added: “We’re dedicated to ensuring that the future of travel is connected, personalised, and enjoyable. Our people’s genuine and enduring motivation is to make every customer feel welcomed and respected across every point of their journey with us.”