by Steven Sukkau, November 10, 2026
A Brandon University research initiative is strengthening international academic partnerships while helping educators in Jamaica develop new approaches to student engagement and learning.
Led by Dr. Aloysius Anyichie, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Student Services in BU’s Faculty of Education, the project brought together more than 20 faculty members at The Mico University College in Kingston, Jamaica, for a series of professional-development workshops during the 2025-26 academic year.
The initiative, titled Enhancing Student Engagement and Motivation through the Implementation of the Culturally Responsive Self-Regulated Learning Framework in Jamaica, received $6,986 through Global Affairs Canada’s Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program.
The program supports short-term teaching and research activities by Canadian faculty members in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the goal of building international partnerships through academic exchange, research and professional development.
The workshops focused on self-regulated learning, student motivation and culturally responsive teaching, exploring how educators can incorporate students’ cultural identities, lived experiences and perspectives into classroom activities.
Participants also examined strategies to help students set goals, make learning choices, monitor their progress, respond to feedback and reflect on their development.
“Culturally responsive teaching and self-regulated learning are sometimes approached as separate areas of educational practice,” Anyichie said. “This initiative provided an opportunity for educators to examine how they can be integrated to create learning environments that recognize students’ cultural experiences while strengthening their motivation, agency and capacity to regulate their learning.”
The project also included an initial research phase examining participants’ learning and how they applied the framework to their own teaching practices.
Preliminary findings indicated increased knowledge of self-regulated learning and greater confidence among participants in applying related strategies. The research also examined how Mico faculty members adapted the framework to their educational and cultural contexts.
Anyichie presented preliminary findings at two conferences in 2026, including the Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference in Winnipeg and the American Psychological Association Convention in Washington, D.C.
The initiative was supported at Mico by Sandra Grey-Alvaranga, deputy director of the Institute of Technological and Educational Research, Dr. Beverly Johnson and research assistant Amanda Blair.
Grey-Alvaranga said the workshops encouraged faculty members to reflect on their teaching practices and consider practical ways to improve student motivation and engagement within the Jamaican context.
The project is part of a growing relationship between Brandon University and Mico. During the same academic year, three Mico students became the first from their institution to study at BU through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program.
While in Jamaica, Anyichie also held preliminary discussions with educational leaders and faculty members at The University of the West Indies about potential future collaboration in faculty development, student engagement and assessment.
Source: Winnipeg Sun via MSN