University teaching and learning go online

MBOMBELA – This was confirmed by Dr Paul Maminza, the dean of student affairs, who told Lowvelder that teaching and learning had not been stopped by the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

“Lessons have been continuing all along through our online services. We have never stopped. Face-to-face teaching and learning have been conducted in small groups to curb the spread of the virus,” confirmed Maminza.

He added that more than 90 per cent of lessons were done digitally.

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Maminza’s sentiments were echoed by Dr Severino Machingambi, the head of the online teaching and learning committee. Machingambi said online teaching and learning are not a new formula.

“Online teaching has been part and parcel of our teaching and learning strategy and teaching philosophy since 2015. This gave us leverage when Covid-19 erupted. We were already far in terms of implementing online teaching and learning. So far, all is going very well. Our students were using blended learning, meaning that they combined face-to-face teaching and online teaching, but now it is 100 per cent online teaching and that means we need to upskill them in terms of their competency,” he said.

The minister of the National Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, announced the gradual reopening of the tertiary education sector from June 1.

Nzimande said under level 3 lockdown, a maximum of 33 per cent of students will be allowed back on campus, with final-year ones prioritised.

He recently told media representatives that students should know that government is actively trying to save the 2020 academic year.

Nzimande said government envisages that students will gradually return to campus during various levels of lockdown.

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“Postgraduate students who need access to laboratory equipment may return to campus under level 3,” Nzimande said. According to Nzimande, institutions will recall students only after the lockdown level for their district has been announced, with a three-week delay before students actually return to campus.
Maminza added that the management of the University of Mpumalanga was working around the clock to ensure the safety of both students and employees once they returned on campus.

“We are taking into account all safety measures to be provided for both students and employees of the university as stipulated by the Department of Health and the Department of Labour. We still need to identify the one-third of students to be allowed back on campus,” he said.

Prof Lourens van Staden, the vice-chancellor of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), said it also has plans to roll-out remote multi-modal teaching, learning and assessment, as well as the gradual return of students to their campuses while ensuring their safety.

“The university consulted and developed a plan taking into account the complexities with the aim to assist all our students through a remote multimodal mode which entails both online and paper-based learning,” he said.

He added that TUT had also concluded agreements with service providers like Cell C, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Rain to zero-rate a number of website links for teaching and learning.

“These include the TUT website and subdomains that do not have rich data such as video, audio, MyTUTor and the library system,” he explained.

Van Staden added that the university was preparing study packs for delivery to students who indicated this requirement for the remote multimodal phase of teaching and learning.

He also assured that TUT’s management and staff were working round the clock to ensure its facilities are ready to receive students for the resumption of contact learning.