10:00 – 13:00
College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Unisa
South Africa
Title: Lecturer support in Science, Engineering and Technology to address student support in an ODeL environment.
It is common knowledge that South Africans fare poorly in mathematics, science, and technology education and one of the challenges in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) is to address throughput of students enrolled in CSET. The Centre for innovation in teaching and learning @ CSET (CiTaLl@CSET) has been established to address student throughput in CSET. This center intends to address and contribute to solving some of the problems / issues raised in the National Development plan 2030, which emphasises the importance of science, engineering, technology and mathematics in driving innovation and growth in South Africa. To address these inadequacies the National Development Plan 2030 calls for improving the “quality of teaching and learning of university lecturers” and increasing the throughput rate of degree programmes in science-related disciplines by 75%. Low retention and underperformance in science, engineering and technology can be resolved by the way it is taught.
As a distance-education provider, who is reliant on educational technology, it is imperative that all staff are fully capacitated to teach science-based content while effectively using technology to do so.
UNISA’s 2030 strategy which emphasises the importance of technology to improve the learning experience via new technologies such as chatbots, big data, personalised learning, gaming, etc. will correspondingly require the academics to be able to effectively capitalise on these affordances in their teaching. Educational technology covers a diverse field that includes components such as instructional design, media, and curriculum design, it is a niche area that requires academics to design, implement and evaluate these affordances. With continued advances in technology and the accelerated rate of change in online education, the on-going professional development of academics is vital to the success of learners. The centre aims to provide a supportive environment for academics to develop their professional skills in order to combine pedagogy, science content and technology which will create optimal conditions for teaching, learning and research.
The aim of the workshop is to share experiences of CiTaL by providing different strategies to offer a supportive environment for academics to address teaching and learning in an ODeL context.
To enhance teaching and learning in CSET in an ODeL environment, the following sub- objectives are presented:
10:00 – 13:00
College of Humanities, Unisa
South Africa
Title: Using Flow Strategies and Atomic Habits to master twice as a much in half the amount of time.
In a world with information overload in every field and discipline, there is so much to learn, and so little time to do so. In a VUCA environment, how can we keep up with the explosion of knowledge? It is a mammoth task to become proficient in the fundamentals of just one field of expertise, let alone being able to advance and make a creative contribution to that field. In addition, it becomes imperative to work across disciplines, and not only become an expert in one discipline. AND, at the same time to be proficient in teaching, especially in an online learning environment, which has become prevalent among all types of learning institutions.
In order to cope, we need to be able to learn faster and more effectively.
In this workshop we explore the concept of Flow as developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, link it with the ideas of Atomic Habits developed by James Clear, and operationalise it by means of the “I’m SHARP” Mastery Study Strategy program.
This is all about adding Vooma to your learning – Vooma being a South Africanism meaning “energy and speed”.
Attend this workshop, and you will accelerate your learning in no time!
Expected outcomes of the workshop:
Learn faster, understand better, remember longer, and guide your students to do the same.
10:00 – 13:00
Institute of Open Distance Learning, Unisa
South Africa
Title: Publishing ODeL research
An academic field is often judged by its contribution to original research. This is no different for the dynamic field of Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL). The field of ODeL is a relatively new one having gained traction particularly in the past few years, spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the move to online forms of distance education. Many Higher Education Institutions are now participating in the sphere of distance education, which was previously the domain of specialised ODeL institutions.
By its very nature, ODeL research is often trans and multi-disciplinary, drawing on such diverse fields such as Education, Psychology, Computer Science, Technology, and many others. There is also scope for all disciplines to research and publish in the online teaching of their specific subjects. To do this, it is important for researchers to understand the theoretical frameworks surrounding ODeL and the publication expectations of journals in this field.
10:00 – 13:00
Academic Development Open Virtual Hub (ADOVH), Unisa
South Africa
Title: The Impact of AI, Robotics, and Gaming on Student Learning and Support in the Global South Distance Education Environment
This pre-conference workshop will explore the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and gaming in enhancing student learning and support within distance education in the Global South. Against the background of rapid advancements in technologies in education, this workshop will examine how AI, robotics and gaming can revolutionise engagement, interaction, and immersion to create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment for students in the Global South.
By attending this pre-conference workshop, educators, administrators, and policymakers will gain valuable knowledge and practical strategies to harness the power of AI, robotics, and gaming in transforming student learning and support in the Global South distance education environment. This workshop aims to inspire innovation, foster collaboration, and empower educators to create inclusive and impactful learning experiences that bridge the digital divide and ensure educational equity for all.
14:00 – 17:00
College of Graduate Studies, Unisa
South Africa
Title: Putting on New Student Support Lenses in Times of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA): A Case of Vulnerable Populations in Open Distance and e-Learning in the Global South
The workshop's objective is to introduce new lenses on student support in higher education that may be used in situations of uncertainty, volatility, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). These fresh perspectives consider the difficulties that students in the global south already confront in respect to: (i) Accessible Technological Infrastructure (ii) Tailored Pedagogical Approaches (iii) Empowering Digital Literacy (iv) Robust Student Support Systems and (v) Strengthening Collaboration. Case studies of vulnerable populations will be discussed as well as models and frameworks aligned to 4IR that may address the outlined challenges.
After attending the workshop, the attendees should be able to:
14:00 – 17:00
College of Accounting Sciences, Unisa
South Africa
Title: VUCA in Start-ups: Anticipatory to Foresightedness
This interactive workshop aims to provide deeper understanding on the subject “VUCA in Start-ups: Anticipatory to Foresightedness”. It will inculcate expertise in expanding horizons on:
After successfully attending the programme, the participants will be able to:
14:00 – 17:00
SADC Centre for Distance Education, Botswana Open University
Botswana
Title: Breaking the glass ceiling: Contribution of women in the ODeL Research Agenda in the SADC Region
Research in ODeL remains key as it can help improve practice in the ODeL scope. It is important to appreciate the role women play in higher education, in the ODeL space in the SADC region. The session will, therefore, engage participants in the role of women in ODeL research in higher education, in the SADC region. It is important to have a dialogue around the issue and discuss the contribution women have made in research in their institutions. It is important to also consider the impact of women in research, as well as the challenges they may face in their attempt to contribute to the research agenda.
The workshop will help participants understand the contribution of women in the higher education sector in ODeL, in the SADC region. This is also expected to help participants identify gaps worth noting in what women would have written about in research, especially in times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).
14:00 – 17:00
Department of Geography, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Unisa
Title: The Geography of Distance Education: Digital access inclusion and exclusion in ODeL in the Global South
Although education provides upward socio-economic mobility, and features prominently among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as SDG 4 (Quality Education) —"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all", equitable and inclusive access to education remains a pressing issue in many parts of the world. This is especially true in contexts such as the Global South, where improvements in the quality of and access to education are issues of concern. Africa, for example, has a growing number of unschooled children (30 million in 2018/19) and is challenged by unbalanced enrolments, systemic inefficiencies, lack of articulation, exclusion, inequalities, questionable quality, etc. While ODeL has the distinct potential to increase access to higher education, this potential has to be considered from the perspective of the digital divide, with sub-Saharan Africa digitally challenged with an internet penetration of less than 30% (2019). A universal or standard approach to the use of ICT in the facilitation of teaching and learning in ODeL is therefore bound to have limitations in the Global South, where the realities of the digital divide are diverse. This can potentially limit the impact and attainment of some of the targets of SDG 4, for instance Target 4.3 (“Equal access to technical/vocational and higher education”) and Target 4a (“Effective learning environments” as a means of implementation), especially in the context of ODeL.
This workshop aims to provide participants with the opportunity to raise their awareness off and insight into the implications of the existence of digital divides in the student population of higher education institutions in the Global South for teaching and learning in ODeL. The focus is specifically on the University of South Africa as context but reflects the experiences of ODeL in the African context.
The specific outcome of the workshop is to stimulate interest, share experiences, and brain-storm approaches to accommodate the existence of digital divides among ODeL students enrolled for specific courses.
Register now to book your seat! https://rapidq.co.za/dashboard/#/register/2452/0/1
For enquiries: odelconference@unisa.ac.za