Caribbean Maritime Institute launches study school

The Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) last week launched its first study school for the institute's flagship Master of Science Degree offering in logistics and supply chain management, the first of its kind in the Caribbean region.

The study school lasted for seven days, between April 25 and May 1, and had two cohorts (31 students) in attendance.

"The concept of a study school has its genesis in the European tertiary education model and gives international students who would otherwise only have a virtual university experience, the opportunity to interact with local students and lecturers face to face in a university setting," Fritz Pinnock, executive director of CMI said. "Students also had the opportunity to benefit more directly from the use of the institute's resources."

Local cohort

International students came from Peru and Nigeria and the Caribbean islands of Suriname, Antigua, Barbados, Anguilla, Grenada and St Lucia. The local cohort included students from government ministries, the private sector and the staff of the CMI.

"The idea of marrying the experiences of both cohorts into one study school has several benefits. International students bring valuable cultural diversity to the classroom and in turn, benefit from the socio-cultural experiences to be gained from working with their local counterparts," Pinnock pointed out. "The face-to-face learning experience adds to the quality of the programme delivery," he added.

The study school covered three modules. International faculty members who participated include: visiting professor, Dr Andrew Coggins, formerly of Pace University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, an expert in cruise tourism; Joseph Cervenak, managing principal of Kemper Joseph LLC, United States, and a logistics consultancy firm which has done extensive work for the Johnson & Johnson and Wal-Mart supply chains. Local lecturing faculty included Dr Earl Buckle and from the CMI, Fritz Pinnock; Ibrahim Ajagunna, director Academic Studies and Devron Newman, dean, nautical studies.