The following is a press release from the University College of the Cayman Islands:
The University College of the Cayman Islands’ School of Teacher Education is expanding its programme offer to help its graduate educators compete in a global workforce, by offering new qualifications in teaching using digital technologies.
Technology is a critical growth area in teaching across the world and earning this certificate ensures that UCCI’s graduating educators understand how to apply technology tools in the classroom to meet modern teaching and learning practices.
Bachelor and PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) graduates will complete the Microsoft Certified Educator course which provides global educator technology literacy competencies needed to provide a rich, custom learning experience for students.
Stephen Ta’bois, STEM Specialist for the Ministry of Education, said “The Microsoft Certified Educator course is a way of giving educators both theoretical and practical understanding of using digital technologies to support the development of 21st century skills for their students. This evidence-based course gets the educators to design their own technology-integrated learning activities which is in line with the way that children of today learn and enhances the skills needed for the future”.
Alongside this new accreditation in digital technologies, UCCI has also expanded its teaching offer even further with new classes in teaching children with additional learning support needs and children’s literature.
Terese Parker, Director of Teacher Education at UCCI, stated “The UCCI School of Teacher Education is dedicated to developing high quality, knowledgeable, skilled, and caring educators. Preparing aspiring educators to teach in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world requires thoughtful consideration of what teachers need to help students achieve in the classroom. It is imperative that we are training our own workforce in the Cayman Islands and UCCI is a fundamental driver in this process. We aim to develop world-class teachers that will stay in the Cayman Islands and educate our future workforce.
“There has never been a better time to train to be a teacher in the Cayman Islands. We have a very popular and well-established programme at the associate, bachelor and post-graduate level and with these new classes, we are truly teaching our students to be global leaders in the education field. Applications for the fall 2022 intake are now open and we encourage students to apply early.”