In 2023, UWItvmarked its 7th anniversary, reiterating its dedication to the region and beyond by providing public information, services, education, and training programs that align with the University of the West Indies’ (The UWI’s) role as the leading intellectual force in the region. UWItv continues to concentrate on its core mission of offering insightful analyses of prevalent issues, concerns, and socio-economic priorities within our region and the broader Caribbean diaspora.
From August 1st, 2022 to July 31st, 2023 UWItv has continued to focus on a series of activities that are strategically in sync with the UWI Triple-A strategy as the region emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACCESS
A key pillar of this Triple-A strategy is Access, which aims “to increase participation in tertiary and higher education for all with the capacity and desire to learn”. UWItv continues to provide access to credible knowledge and information, allowing a multiplicity of audiences to access UWItv's various media and communicative platforms.
Access through the UWI Cable TV Platform
As the region continued to balance the new normal and traditional methods of engagement, post the COVID-19 pandemic, UWItv continued to provide access through its hybrid approach. Through its operational hybridity, internal partners and external audiences were able to access quality Caribbean-centered educational content uninterrupted.
Over the last four years, FLOW has played a key role in enabling access through collaborative efforts between industry and academia. In the examined timeframe, UWItv successfully initiated the broadcast of its content in Belize, extending accessibility to all participating countries within the UWI network. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in the case of Guyana, with an anticipated launch in the forthcoming year.
Finalizing our agreement to offer access to Guyana is of utmost importance. Guyana stands as a steadfast ally of The UWI and serves as home to the CARICOM Secretariat. The imminent inclusion of Guyana will foster a strategic partnership, allowing this territory to actively engage in the transformative initiatives of UWItv. This initiative seamlessly integrates classrooms and living rooms, creating a cohesive and dynamic learning environment.
The UWItv CATV channel's reach is evident, as FLOW statistics conducted in the second quarter of 2023 estimated that the channel had a minimum of approximately 846,172 monthly unique viewers over six months, with the top three viewerships in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados.
As the region seeks to further its sustainable development goals. The UWI and its partners remain at the forefront of scholarship and policy insight. In this endeavour, UWItv provides access to this pertinent information through partnerships with entities such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), USAID, The United Nations Development Programme and other key actors within this developmental space.
Throughout the period under review, UWItv partnered with the School for Graduate Studies and Research to present "UWI's PhDs, a Conversation in Development". This unique series showcases the research and discoveries from the doctoral studies and theses of UWI PhD graduates in recent years. The current research is unquestionably reshaping the lives of individuals and serving as inspiration for future research endeavours, all aimed at fostering a sustainable future. UWItv was able to engage over 200 PhDs in the inaugural production of this series. Additionally, UWItv also produced the Research Focus Series which highlights the research and scholarly undertakings and engagements of Units, Centers and Individual researchers. During this period there was a focus on the Institute of Sustainable Development, the Institute of Gender and the Hugh Wynter Fertility Management Unit.
Through UWItv, audiences across 16 territories have direct access to this excellent scholarship, in areas of education, engineering, economics, governance, development, and many other important discussions to our region.
Access through social media platforms
UWItv continues to provide greater access through its social media platforms, mainly the UWItv Facebook page, with more than 32,000 followers and growing. This Facebook page has a considerable following and is strategically utilised to enhance visibility and access to the Facebook pages of the campus community. UWItv has also grown its social media presence across all of the social media platforms including Twitter (X), LinkedIn and Instagram.
Access through UWItv’s webpage
Similarly, UWItv’s www.uwitv.global website provides an additional and more comprehensive platform that enhances regional and extra-regional access to UWI-generated content. During this period, UWItv has redeveloped and rebranded its website to create a more modern and updated interface for its users and that is in line with online television platforms. It now features a rotating banner with the upcoming live events and features several videos.
UWI Access through E-engagements
UWItv has employed numerous digital solutions to enable the continued delivery of information to the region and beyond. In addition, UWItv has extended the use of these digital solutions to enable stakeholder access to ongoing regional engagement. These E-engagements have been particularly effective at providing access by including multiple languages to encompass the diverse Caribbean and diaspora needs fully.
UWItv - E-Engagements
| UWI 75th Anniversary Celebration | UWI Cave Hill 60th Anniversary |
| Vice Chancellor's Forum- Artificial Intelligence: A Blessing or Curse for Higher Education | The signing of the loan agreement for the expansion of the Five Island Campus |
| CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting 2023 | VIRTUAL - IGDS DigitALL: Gender Archives for Diversity and Inclusivity |
| Vice Chancellor’s Forum on Bridgetown Initiative | Professional Lecture: Prof. Cynthia Barrow-Giles – Constitutional Reform in the Commonwealth Caribbean |
ALIGNMENT
An additional foundational pillar for the Triple A strategy is Alignment which “refers to building relevant and value-added relationships with alumni and the producers of wealth and promoting government and non-government sectors and international partners by ensuring that The UWI offerings are fulfilling the needs of the society it serves”.
UWItv’s strategic methodologies are well aligned with developing relationships with UWI alumni and producers of wealth by providing a multi-media platform to share their research, publications, public service, messages, and perspectives with global audiences. Additionally, UWItv serves the needs of government, non-governmental and international actors through numerous strategic partnership arrangements.
UWItv Regional Organization Partnership
| CDEMA – Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF)/ World Bank | Caribbean Examination Council – International Association for Educational Assessment Annual Conference |
| CDEMA – EU– LAC region MoU on Disaster Preparedness Cooperation | CIBC-FCIB – Comparing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Social Robot and an Intelligent Voice Assistant in Influencing Digital Banking Service Adoption |
| USAID in collaboration with the Government of Barbados is hosting the Caribbean Water Conference | EUROCLIMA Climate Action Programme |
AGILITY
The third and equally important pillar of the Triple A strategy is Agility. This strategic goal refers to “utilizing resources (human and physical) and capabilities to respond to the needs of customers, including alumni, in a changing environment, creating an entrepreneurial university with a diversified revenue base, improving the global presence of the University ensuring economic sustainability through global expansion, operational efficiencies and financial profitability”.
UWItv continues to incorporate an entrepreneurial approach to its operations by delivering broadcast and livestream services on behalf of numerous stakeholders. These collaborations have advanced knowledge and awareness of the Caribbean region and have further enhanced the global footprint of The UWI. In addition, the UWItv partnerships are invaluable as The UWI can market its brand and highlight the institutional quality of the university.
UWItv Engagements with internal and external partners.
| The Professorial Lecture Series | UWI’s PhDs: A Conservation in Development |
| Professor Speaks Lecture Series | Research Focus Series |
| The British High Commission Bridgetown Responding to the Climate Resilience Challenge in the Caribbean | Reparations and Royalty, Africa and Europe: Exploding Myths and Empowering Truths Symposium |