Statement from the University of Guyana:
IN response to the increasing number of requests for clarity flooding into the University of Guyana over the last 24 hours regarding its online offerings and architecture, the university is pleased to indicate the following:

1. In October 2020, in rapid response to the COVID-19 lock-down, the Tactical Online Service Unit was created. It is the umbrella unit which houses five different departments as follow:

a) IT Governance, Research, Innovation, and Security (IGRIS) deals with all issues and policies relating to cyber security, ethics, and general safety of students, faculty, and staff while carrying out functions using the university’s eLearning platform.

b) Software Services and Educational Technology Applications (SSETA) oversees all communication platforms and applications used by the university, and the administration needs of the university – such as the digital gradebook and the management of SRMS and HRMIS.

c) Infrastructure and IT Services (also referred to as the Centre for Information Technology, CIT) oversees the physical aspects and communication channels for the university by addressing connectivity, communication accounts, and maintaining a repository of software that the university’s communities use.

e) Client, Core Services, and Enterprise Support (CCSES) oversees aspects relating to payments, refunds, and some types of accounting for the University. This unit also provides client services and support for students, faculty and staff including management of repairs, rent-to own and loaners of systems and software to staff and students.

f) Educational Onlining Support Services (EDOSS) focuses on capacity building of faculty, staff, and students as they migrate to online mode. It currently works out of the University of Guyana’s Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CoETaL).

2. Zoom is only one platform which is used, however the following are some of the other proprietary and UG developed applications which form part of an array currently deployed to support our students online experience Moodle, Turnitin, Examsoft, IntelliBoard, Online Timetabling, Online Career Fair, E-Grading, End-to-End Online Registration and Document Handling in our Online Students Records Management Systems (SRMS), Fully Online payment systems for most services to name a few. By embracing and adapting to the rapid development of hitherto unknown technologies the University of Guyana has leaped past many institutions to gain a competitive advantage during the COVID-19 period. It is still honing these abilities and technologies.

3. Additionally, the University of Guyana has acquired, under funding from Greater Guyana Initiative and its own resources, 20 specially equipped ZOOM Rooms deployed in labs and special subject areas which require this capacity for agile demonstrations.

4. Indeed, over 18 new polices were created during the last two years to support the proper and robust implementation of the university’s online offerings.

5. The University’s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning has offered over 100 training courses and programmes on teaching online, selected faculties have also benefitted from courses and full programmes in online instruction, design and assessment. In fact UG has been offering its support and services to other national and regional training institutions to support their own efforts at robust online offerings.

6. Additionally, UG’s Library has a digital version and is fully online for 24 hours for all nine campuses including IDCE and available as a click interface for each student whether online or face-to-face.

7. The university is also pleased to note that almost 90 per cent of all its support services are now synergistically online either deployed or in pilot testing phase including home grown IT applications modeled to suit Guyana’s specific laws and regulations.

8. The university wishes to note that comparing a 60-year-old university which is a national, regional and international institution with over 152 distinct programmes and 100 international affiliations, with fledgling two-year-old programmes is not useful, gracious or productive since these entities are incomparable in age, function, output and track record among many other metrics that can be applied. Each should have its own merit and should be addressed accordingly.

9. Celebrating the 60th year of its existence this year, and acknowledging the need for continuous growth, refinement and development “UG” sincerely welcomes all forms of support and resources which are currently desperately needed for its development, evolution and the fulfillment of its mandate of relevant, robust, portable, and inclusive education of the highest quality now enshrined in its ACT and BluePrint 2040.

10. Going online in this comprehensive way allowed the university to graduate close to 9,000 students since 2020 and to continue to instruct over 11,000 more for Guyana and the world.

11. We sincerely thank those wishing to understand the university and its offerings. Thank you for continuing to contact the university. Persons may wish to visit the university’s online information systems as follows:

The University of Guyana’s Tactical Online Services Unit (TOS) should go here: https://www.uog.edu.gy/tactical-online-services.

Those wishing to peruse the University’s menu of over 150 distinct programmes should go here: www.uog.edu.gy.

Those wishing to learn about the University’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations and events should go here: https://celebrateug60.com/.