College moving to eLearning platform, students to save hundreds on textbooks

The H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) is moving towards an eLearning platform by September.

College President Judith Vanterpool said students at the institution will save hundreds of dollars on textbooks because of this initiative.

“Looking forward to the next academic year, we have many initiatives and developments. And in fall, we are starting a digital revolution. This shift in how we deliver our content means we can reduce textbook cost by almost $500 per student,” Vanterpool said at the 26th graduation ceremony at the HLSCC last Thursday.

Lecturers at the college are now being prepared to accommodate the change, Vanterpool said.

“We are equipping our teachers with the latest learning technologies, changing the ways students will interact with learning material. If we say we are starting a digital revolution, then we must have our computer lab in place. Therefore, our computer labs are being rebuilt, and with [Microst] Office 365, we can reach the world,” she added.

The 2017 eText book programme

This new eLearning platform being introduced at the college follows the 2017 introduction of the eTexbook programme to seventh and eighth-grade public high school students by the former NDP government.

The undertaking, which was part of the Virgin Islands Digital Education (VIDE) programme, was considered a milestone achievement for the territory.

Education officials said the benefits of the programme are that students are workforce ready and prepared for e-Testing by the Caribbean Examinations Council. It was also described as a less expensive option for parents.

“Why should we have blackboards, chalk, and dusters in classrooms at this stage to teach young people who will be working on computers and the internet in the workplace? This is why we are moving so aggressively with the use of technology. The education system must prepare young people for life after schooling,” former Education Minister Myron Walwyn said during the roll-out of the programme at the time.