College of Economic & Management Sciences

Unisa extends its footprint on the African continent

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Held at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Centre in Dakar, Senegal, the Unisa Marketing Directorate under the Department of Institutional Advancement, attended the 2023 eLearning Africa Conference and Exhibition, with an objective to recruit international students for the university's postgraduate programmes (master's and doctoral) and other under-subscribed qualifications.

Established in 2004, this event is held annually. It is the largest and most comprehensive knowledge-sharing event for technology-enhanced education, training, and skills on the African continent. In attendance were over 230 speakers, 1050 participants and over 70 countries represented from sub-Saharan Africa and Western countries. Other than Unisa, organisations that represented South Africa included the Department of Basic Education, Department of Higher Education and Training, University of Witwatersrand, One Connect, Adapt IT and the Nelson Mandela University.

The marketing team addressed queries from prospective postgraduate students relating to Unisa’s admission process. The university’s presence made a huge impact and set a footprint not only in Africa, but also globally as the oldest university in Africa celebrating its 150 years this year.

Prof Paul Prinsloo, of Unisa’s Department of Business Management in the College of Economic and Management Sciences, was one of the speakers at the event. He presented on "The challenges and opportunities of learning analytics for African higher education". Prinsloo said that learning analytics is highlighted as a field aiming to address systemic equity and quality issues within education systems, between and within regions. He explained: "To date, its adoption is predominantly in the Global North. Since the Society for Learning Analytics Research aspires to have an international reach and relevance, as well as to increase the diversity and inclusivity of its community, it is pertinent to look at learning analytics use in higher education institutions in Africa."

Prof Paul Prinsloo

Dr Getahun Mekonnen Belay

All the way from Ethiopia, Unisa alumnus, Dr Getahun Mekonnen Belay, who recently graduated with a Doctor of Business Leadership from the School of Business Leadership, was happy to see the institution. He remarked: "Unisa is an institutional repository, and its online learning makes things easy for international students to connect." Belay further congratulated the university on its 150 years milestone.

#Unisa150 

* By Kagiso Moroatsehla, Marketing Intern, Department of Institutional Advancement

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Publish date: 2023/06/09

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