The Pre-University School, otherwise known as Pre-UWI, is set to launch its online learning system called, Pre-UWI Online, on Tuesday.

Pre-UWI, which is located on the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, has the distinction of having the most students matriculating to UWI each year. With this in mind, they have upped the ante and will be further revolutionising how Jamaicans access education.

Lecturers at Pre-UWI said they saw a need for the programme based on the varying degrees at which students learned. It also came from the fact that many students who did well in CSEC exams, particularly in mathematics and the sciences, had the reinforcement of extra classes outside of the traditional school hours. Thus, with the help of lecturers equipped with years of experience, Pre-UWI's latest cutting-edge programme was born.

"The aim is to provide a learning platform for students who need additional learning resources like extra lessons, and also for working adults or those with families who may want to further their education, but have not been able to do so because of the traditional education system where they are asked to go into the classroom for a number of hours each day," stated Georgia Crawford-Williams, coordinator of Pre-UWI Online.

Pre-UWI Online will therefore allow students to learn the entire syllabus content online and will feature videotaped classes where students can watch the teacher explaining the subject content, when they want and as many times as they wish.

"Students will also have full access to the teacher via forums where they can send as many questions as they wish and everything will be explained. This replaces the face-to-face interaction students would get from a traditional classroom setting. There is also an online forum where students can interact with each other and get peer guidance, swap questions and more," Crawford-Williams further explained.

The online system will also include fully worked and explained past paper questions and answers. Additionally, there will also be a 'Tricks of the Trade' section where students will get study tips on how to pass exams.

Crawford-Williams also said the idea of the online learning system took a year to develop and included finding the simplest easy-to-use platform, as well as the most experienced and interactive teachers to teach the subjects, many of whom are lecturers or professionals at the top of their respective fields.

The subjects which will be offered at the CSEC level are mathematics, English language, biology, chemistry, physics, and accounts while CAPE sociology, chemistry and biology will also be taught. Each subject will cost $15,000 per year and persons can register by visiting www.preuniversityschool.com or calling 702-2405/702-3415.

"This platform could be used to either complement or replace traditional learning or both; it's really up to the user," reiterated Crawford-Williams.

'The aim is to provide a learning platform for students who need additional learning resources ...'