Presenters and Session Topics

Faculty Café brings together educators from across The University of the West Indies to share innovative teaching strategies, practical classroom experiences, and emerging research in teaching and learning. Through interactive Roundtable Discussions and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Poster Presentations, participants will engage with colleagues who are exploring creative approaches to improving student learning.

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable sessions are interactive discussions where participants exchange ideas, strategies, and experiences around teaching practice.

Student Peer Review Using FeedbackFruits

Presenter: Dr. Michal Pawiński
Department: Institute of International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences

This session explores how the FeedbackFruits platform supports structured peer review in higher education. The software allows students to provide guided feedback, benefit from AI-supported suggestions, and engage in collaborative learning through automated workflows. Over the past four years, its implementation has contributed to improved student engagement and responsibility for peer learning.

Using Songs to Teach Grammar

Presenter: Dr. Amina Ibrahim-Ali
Department: Academic Literacies Programme, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

This roundtable examines how music can be used as a pedagogical tool in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. Through structured listening activities and guided grammar exploration, songs provide meaningful contexts that help learners understand grammatical forms and apply them in authentic communication.

Exploring Indigenous Resources to Teach Educational Philosophies

Presenter: Dr. Sharmila Harry
Department: School of Education

This session demonstrates how West Indian literary texts can be used to teach key educational philosophies. By integrating culturally relevant works such as Butterfly in the Wind and For the Life of Laetitia, instructors can foster deeper discussion of philosophical traditions while connecting theory to students’ lived experiences.

Micro-Interventions of Mindfulness and Yoga Within Teaching Sessions

Presenter: Dr. Rajini Haraksingh
Department: Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology

Students today often experience high levels of stress and cognitive overload. This session introduces short mindfulness and yoga-inspired interventions that instructors can incorporate into teaching sessions. Simple strategies such as brief breathing exercises or environmental adjustments can help improve focus, reduce anxiety, and create more supportive learning environments.

Google Slides as an Interactive Tool for In-Person Tutorials

Presenter: Dr. Rachael Wyse-Mason
Department: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology

Google Slides can serve as an interactive collaborative workspace during tutorial sessions. Students contribute responses directly within shared slides, enabling real-time discussion and instructor feedback. Over time, the slides become a shared learning resource that supports revision and continued learning.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Poster Presentations

SoTL posters showcase research and teaching innovations that explore how students learn and how teaching practices can be improved.

Wellness-Primed Learning for SDG 3 & SDG 4

Presenter: Dr. Virginia M. Victor
School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical Sciences

This poster examines a wellness-based intervention introduced during long teaching sessions to address student fatigue and declining attention. A short mid-session activity incorporating breathing, light movement, and calming music was used to restore attention and promote wellbeing, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4.

Podcasting: A Dual Learning Exercise for Final-Year Students and Postgraduate Researchers

Presenter: Dr. Daniel Joseph Ringis
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

This project introduces podcasting as a course assignment in Discrete Signal Processing. Students interview postgraduate researchers about how DSP is applied in their research and peer-review the resulting podcasts. The assignment strengthens science communication skills while exposing students to real-world research applications.

Transforming Spanish Grammar Through Game-Based Learning

Presenters: Paola Palma and Lennise Sealy
Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

This poster explores the use of games to improve motivation and engagement in Spanish grammar classes. Findings suggest that gamification can support vocabulary development, improve retention of grammatical structures, and increase students’ willingness to practise independently outside the classroom.

Beyond Access: Teaching Presence for Inclusive Online Learning

Presenters: Dr. Paula Marcelle and Aishat Olere Balogun
UWI Global Campus

This poster investigates how teaching presence contributes to inclusive online learning environments. Using the Community of Inquiry framework and Universal Design for Learning principles, the study highlights strategies that help instructors support participation, accessibility, and engagement in virtual classrooms.

Teaching the Art of the Ask: Resource Mobilization in Entrepreneurship Education

Presenter: Dr. Priscilla Bahaw
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension

This SoTL project presents an experiential learning activity designed to help entrepreneurship students develop practical resource-mobilization skills. Students identify real challenges in their business models and approach stakeholders with a clearly articulated request for support or collaboration.

Computational Thinking in Caribbean Universities: The Role of Peer Instruction

Presenter: Mr. Shareed Mohammed
English and Communication Studies, UWI ROYTEC

This study explores the potential of peer instruction to strengthen computational thinking skills among university students. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from computational thinking and peer instruction, the research examines how collaborative learning strategies can improve problem-solving and academic performance.