Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions Inc.
Conference 2025
CALL FOR PAPERS
Re-imagining Higher Education - Impacting Economic & Social Transformation in the Caribbean
Location: University College of the Cayman Islands
Date: March 25 - 28, 2025
We wish to welcome you to Conference 2025 of the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions Inc. (ACTI).
Our Conference provides a forum for academics, practitioners and other industry experts with an interest in education to share ideas, meet other colleagues and examine recent findings and thoughts on matters of interest to the tertiary education sector. Collectively, our goal is to seek to advance the tertiary education sector in the region and hence enhance our communities.
Conference Themes:
I. The Reality of Artificial Intelligence in the Caribbean
II. Operational Optimization in Higher Education
III. Inclusive and Innovative Higher Education for Sustainable Development
IV. Caribbean Regional Food and Nutrition Security and Climate Action
Key Dates:
Submission of Abstracts – 17 January 2025
Notification of Acceptance – 31 January 2025
Submission of Final Paper – 14 February 2025
Submission of Presentation Slides - 28 February 2025
Format of the Conference: The plan for this conference is to meet in-person.
Conference Title: Re-imagining Higher Education - Impacting Economic & Social Transformation in the Caribbean
This year, the focus is on how Higher Education institutions can be positioned as future-forward, agile, flexible entities with transformative strategies that drive social and economic advancements across the Caribbean region, characterized by its diverse cultures and economic landscapes. The pivotal role of Higher Education institutions in fostering regional development by aligning academic, technical and vocational programmes with local economic needs, while embracing innovation will be highlighted.
- Themes:
Submissions should engage with the following:
The Reality of Artificial Intelligence in the Caribbean - “The Reality of Artificial Intelligence in the Caribbean” explores the transformative potential of AI within the unique socio-economic and cultural context of the region. It examines how AI can drive innovation and economic growth in key sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and financial services, while also addressing pressing social challenges like healthcare access, educational equity, and disaster resilience. This theme delves into the ethical dimensions of AI adoption, highlighting concerns around data privacy, bias, and regulation. Additionally, it considers the role of AI in reshaping higher education to prepare a workforce equipped with future-ready skills, as well as the region’s readiness in terms of digital infrastructure, policy frameworks, and capacity building. By addressing these critical areas, this sub-theme seeks to chart a path for the sustainable and inclusive integration of AI into Caribbean societies. - Operational Optimization in Higher Education - During a period of fiscal constraints, escalating competition, and ever-changing student expectations, operational optimization has become of paramount importance for higher education institutions. This sub-theme invites participants to explore principles and practices that can assist tertiary educational institutions to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve service delivery while maintaining academic quality. The various sessions will focus on resource mobilization for institutional sustainability, ethics and integrity in higher education, data-driven decision-making for enhancing excellence in higher education, building partnerships and collaboration for high impact, and strategic enrollment management. This sub-theme aims to create a more agile, responsive and student-centered environment through the lens of operational optimization.
- Inclusive and Innovative Higher Education for Sustainable Development- Inclusivity, Diversity, Innovation and Equity in the delivery of Higher Education in the Caribbean must assume a significant and enhanced role given the skill-gaps facing most countries in our Region. Given the mandate of tertiary institutions across the Caribbean to rapidly address the skill-gaps, ACTI is intentionally seeking - through the 2025 Conference - to have participants explore and exchange experiences that would embrace inclusivity, innovation and equity in the delivery of higher education aimed at serving the needs of our respective countries, while ensuring that focus is given to our sustainable development. Indeed, the vision for greater inclusivity in higher education across the
region must intentionally acknowledge the compelling need for diversity of both students and staff across our tertiary education institutions, while placing emphasis on best practices that would enhance, inter alia, socialization and effective participation of our students within the higher education space in the Caribbean.
It is the expectation that the 2025 ACTI Conference will generate ideas surrounding awareness, training, responsibilities of critical stakeholders along with companion rights and responsibilities which can be explored; ultimately leading to sustainable development of the Caribbean Region. - Caribbean Regional Food and Nutrition Security and Climate Action - The Caribbean region faces unique challenges in ensuring food and nutrition security due to its limited agricultural infrastructure, susceptibility to climate change, and reliance on imported food. This sub-theme emphasizes integrated approaches to food security, which include climate-smart solutions, crop diversification, community empowerment through community-led initiatives, and the promotion of healthy dietary practices. These strategies aim to build resilience and foster economic as well as sustainable development. The sub-theme also encompasses regional collaboration, supported by relevant policies and investments in research and technology, which are essential for developing innovative solutions that enhance productivity while minimizing environmental impact.
All sessions are 40 minutes long: 20 minutes to present and 20 minutes for discussion.
The format is intended to encourage the presentation of work and viewpoints and to foster intellectual exchange and collaboration.
Papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in a special issue of the Journal of the University College of the Cayman Islands (JUCCI). The special issue seeks to highlight the exceptional research and insights shared during the conference, providing an opportunity to showcase your work to a broader academic and professional audience.
To ensure your paper is considered, please note the following details:
- Eligibility: Only papers accepted for presentation at the conference will be considered for inclusion.
- Review Process: All submissions will undergo a peer-review process in accordance with the standards of the Journal of the University College of the Cayman Islands.
- Submission Guidelines: Please ensure your paper adheres to the formatting and submission requirements of JUCCI. Manuscripts are expected to be original works able to withstand intensive peer review. As the journal serves multidisciplinary interests, any manuscript submitted for publication should be of potential appeal not only to specialists but also to readers whose principal interests do not coincide directly with the subject addressed in the paper.
Authors, rather than the editor or the University College of the Cayman Islands, bear responsibility for accuracy and opinions set forth in articles published in JUCCI. Careful
observation of the requirements set out below will reduce the time needed for processing manuscripts and thereby contribute to earlier publication.
Format of manuscripts: Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced and delivered in both hard copy and electronic formats. The hard copy may be presented in PDF format and illustrations embedded, but the electronic copy should be in a common word processing program (Microsoft Word preferred) with illustrations on separate sheets (see below). All submissions must have a title page, an abstract, and a complete and accurate bibliography based on APA guidelines. All parts of the manuscript should be double-spaced. Name and affiliation of authors, email address and postal address should be included. All submissions should be in English.
Abstracts should:
- be a maximum of 500 words
- cover the background
- include literature review
- outline research methodology
- summarize implications of the study
- make recommendations
Please avoid lengthy presentation and session titles, use generally accepted capitalization and standard fonts.
All abstracts should be submitted to acti.office@yahoo.com
For further information, please contact:
The ACTI Secretariat,
Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions Inc. (ACTI)
Alister McIntyre Building, CARICOM Research Park, University of The West Indies Cave Hill Campus, St Michael, Barbados.
Email: acti.office@yahoo.com ; Tel: (246) 417-4495
