Conference calls in Belize are multi-party phone conversations in which multiple participants can converse simultaneously, making them ideal for meetings or disseminating information.
Participants in Belize access conference calling services using a dial-in number and access code provided in advance, often along with a downloadable app that gives more control to participants.
Education and E-Learning in Belize
Belize’s formal education system encompasses pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) regulates this sector with rules and regulations while working closely with communities, individuals and organizations to provide education services. Through its Policy Objectives the MoECST strives to modernize education.
The goal of this is to provide every student access and participation in online educational opportunities regardless of location or socioeconomic status. However, this task is far from simple, with rural areas often lacking internet or computers that can access them and many families unable to pay the cost associated with internet service – in some cases even solely through a mobile data plan.
Rural areas often suffer from limited electricity, making it more challenging for students to use computers and mobile devices for online learning. Addressing these issues will increase accessibility and adoption of online education in Belize.
Belize’s government is working towards increasing access to high-speed Internet for schools. Their Digi Free Internet for Schools program offers free high-speed connections for elementary, secondary and tertiary schools – giving students access to online education for learning purposes.
Ensuring students in rural Belize have access to all the resources needed for success is another major challenge, particularly since adolescents living there have an increased chance of dropping out, contributing directly to poverty rates in Belize. There are various strategies the government can employ in order to combat this condition, including providing affordable high-speed Internet for rural communities.
MoECST has also introduced the Teacher Learning Institute, designed to offer professional development opportunities for educators across Belize. Through regular trainings designed around research-backed best practices and new teaching methodologies, these trainings will equip teachers with new teaching methodologies as well as provide them with an opportunity for collaboration and exchange among educators from throughout Belize.
Online Education
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools and universities have had to adapt how they teach. While some still hold classes within buildings, many have switched over to online learning – something new that both students and instructors need time to adjust to. News Five’s Duane Moody reports on how universities are handling this change.
Online education gives students greater flexibility than traditional classrooms and allows for easy communication between classmates and professors from varying locations and times. All that’s necessary for online students is access to reliable internet connectivity and an open mindset for learning in virtual environments such as message boards or emails with teachers, or virtual meetings between professors and their students.
These meetings are typically recorded for future reference and intended to simulate face-to-face interaction, helping reduce feelings of isolation and increase student engagement in class. Although virtual environments can have some drawbacks such as minimal physical interaction between teachers and students and limited social support networks, online teaching remains an effective and popular form of education and learning.
Alongside computers and internet connections, some essential materials for online education include videoconferencing software, headsets and webcams. Since these tools can be costly for some individuals, some schools provide complimentary videoconferencing software for use by their students; other educational institutions have even developed mobile apps to facilitate learning on-the-go.
Online education has the added advantage of being accessible and cost-effective for individuals living in underserved areas who might otherwise lack access to traditional schools or cannot afford long distance travel expenses for traditional school tuition fees. Furthermore, tuition for online schools may also be less costly.
No matter the topic or skill set needed for job success, an online education can provide immense benefit. According to research by Strada Education Network, 44 percent of those surveyed believed they met all qualifications but still couldn’t land jobs due to missing credentials – this makes an online degree incredibly useful and can also accommodate busy schedules that make physical classes impossible to attend.
Remote Learning Opportunities
Due to extended school closures, many underserved area students are now learning remotely through digital devices and internet connectivity that is limited. Unfortunately, they can feel disconnected from educators, peers and other learners; remote instruction can be isolating and difficult for some learners. MSU mentors recognize these challenges but strive to mitigate them by planning fun ice breakers; providing regular and personalized feedback; inviting coders one-by-one into conference calls with pairs of mentors who answer their questions or check progress; as well as taking “temperature checks” during online meetings.
These activities are essential in creating an environment in which students feel connected to their community, engaged with their education, and developing skills essential for lifelong learning and success. MSU x PathLight participants gain knowledge on how computing enables advances across disciplines; meet diverse role models from both the US and Belize; form lasting friendships; as well as taking advantage of MSU x PathLight Coding Clubs program’s weeklong visit by mentors for hands-on instruction and cultural exchange in Belize.
Intercultural Learning
Intercultural learning entails becoming aware of one’s own culture while understanding other cultures, both nationally and globally. It’s a key aspect of global citizenship education, helping students develop positive relations with people from other cultural backgrounds while appreciating differences as assets rather than threats. Intercultural learning can take many forms such as internationalization of classrooms, foreign language classes and studying abroad.
While many activities that facilitate intercultural learning focus on the affective domain, it’s essential that students can relate to and identify with the topics at hand. Therefore, activities must not be offensive or can be handled sensitively for maximum engagement with learning. Furthermore, intercultural learning shouldn’t just promote tolerance – it must address structural discrimination while developing strategies for consensus building, social action and correcting social injustice.
Educational professionals often have an intense desire to enable their students to engage in intercultural learning experiences both domestically and abroad, yet may lack the knowledge, frameworks, and confidence required for effective facilitation of this type of education. A professional development program may be just what’s needed in this situation.
An effective intercultural learning program should equip educators to foster student intercultural competence and enable them to view the world as their classroom. Furthermore, such an endeavor will address how best to interact with diversity within classroom settings as well as providing participants with practical strategies for engaging students while building cross-cultural awareness.
At its heart, an effective intercultural learning program will assist educators in becoming more culturally competent themselves. A solid curriculum should include an extensive mentorship component where participants receive guidance from not only their course leader but their cohort members as they go through twelve weeks of training and coaching program together. This gives educators tools they need to help their students become more culturally competent themselves as well as easier ways to support others who wish to become culturally proficient themselves.
