University of South Africa academics trained to navigate the complexities of the 4IR era
The training, which culminated at the beginning of December, has left an indelible mark on academics. It aimed to build the academic competencies of staff to transition into a technology-mediated teaching and learning environment, which culminated in a certification ceremony. The august ceremony held at the Kgorong Building (Bamboo hall) was officiated by the Prof Ntombizodwa Motsa Madikane, Vice-Principal: Teaching, Learning, Community Engagement and Student Support; and Prof Meahabo Magano, Acting Executive Director: DTSFL.
In his opening remarks the programme director, Dr Pinagase Tshephe, referred to these learned colleagues as mothers in the Teaching, Learning, Community Engagement and Student Support Portfolio. Tshephe commended Motsa Madikane and Magano for embracing 4IR, thus making it easy for the university to move forward post-Covid-19. The programme director also mentioned that Motsa Madikane and Magano, custodians of teaching, learning and student support at Unisa, are very progressive because they can embrace change, which could be difficult for many.
Dr Denzil Chetty, the Head of the Academic Development Open Virtual Hub (ADOVH), was referred to as “the man behind the scenes” and was highly praised for developing such a brilliant programme for academics. ADOVH was established through a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Covid-19 Responsive Grant (CRG).
In the first week of training, the ADOVH, in collaboration with Microsoft, took this cohort of academics through Microsoft training and were awarded certificates at a separate function. In the second and third weeks of the programme, the training intervention was intensified. ADOVH, in collaboration with the Centre for Professional Development (CPD), offered high-quality training on fundamental skills in facilitating an online teaching and learning environment.
Dr Annah Mosalo
The programme paid attention to skills to develop the teacher and also equipped the teachers with skills to understand the students. Different topics of this programme were facilitated by highly knowledgeable practitioners: Prof Magano, Dr Phumza Makgato-Khunou (Acting Director: Instructional Support and Services), Matshidiso Pooe (Head: Centre for Professional Development), Leon Roets, Teboho Ngubane, Dr Salosh Govender (Educational Consultant: Department of Communication and Digital Technologies), Prof Venessa Scherman (Educational Psychology academic and ADOVH member), Dr Ingrid Marais (Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and ADOVH member) and Mavis Sibanda (Deputy Director: Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities). In week four, two topics were explored. The academics were introduced to the foundational skills in Power BI by Richard Wright (Educational Technologist and member of ADOVH) who is based in Unisa’s Regional Office in Parow, Cape Town.
In the end, it is true that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. During the ceremony, three colleagues reported the positive outcomes of this programme. One of these, Dr Annah Mosalo (Department of Health Sciences), said: “When I attended the workshop, I assumed it will be the same old content regarding teaching and addressing students. However, it was like an ‘Aha!’ moment for me.” She further articulated that she has learned that while western theories were used in the past to inform our knowledge and teaching, time has come that that they be used as a springboard to shape African epistemologies. Indeed, this resonates with the Unisa slogan – “‘Towards the African university shaping futures in the service of humanity”.
It was clearly emphasised that it is time for academics to ensure transformation by encouraging their students to retain their values and culture to inform knowledge gained in their quest to develop themselves in the academic spaces. Course attendees learnt that using theories such as interpretivism or constructivism and others can be interwoven into their own theories to inform new knowledge acquired.
The message was clear: Together, we can build a future where kaleidoscope of cultures is preserved in a university striving to build futures in the service of humanity.