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By Edwin Naidu 
11h ago
Johannesburg – As South Africa awaits guidance from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, on plans to return to campus as the Covid-19 lockdown is eased, one of the country’s top academics warned that the days from seeing 300 to 400 students in a crowded conference room are over.
“In the short term, it is highly unlikely that there will be an immediate return to teaching large classes,” said Professor Ahmed Bawa, executive director of Universities South Africa (USAf), the body that represents 26 directors of tertiary education. institutions, who said it is too early to determine if this (smaller classes) is what some call the “new norm.”
“Higher education is in a state of flux around the world. There are many uncertainties and many dimensions to its possible reinvention. This will be one of them, ”he said.
Bawa said that even if the pandemic were under control, until a vaccine is found, universities will most likely have to maintain the necessary public health measures to ensure there are no more outbreaks.
He said that the 2021 academic year will start between the beginning of March and the beginning of April because major disruptions to the 2020 academic year cause some institutions to finish the academic year later than usual this year and others between January and March.
This considers the fact that the Department of Basic Education will publish the results of the Higher National Certificate (NSC) on February 23, which will allow universities to complete the academic year by the end of 2021.
Highlighting the key challenges for 2021, Wits University Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic Professor Rukhsana Omar said the university moved to remote online teaching and learning starting in April, with most students continuing in this mode.
He said most students have access to devices, data, and learning management systems (and content).
“Many students are expected to complete the academic year in December 2020. Seniors, students who need to meet professional requirements, those who need access to labs and studies, and those who cannot study from home, have been prioritized to return. to campus this year. Those who require additional assistance will participate in boot camps, further conferences and receive additional support if needed.
“The almanac has been adjusted to accommodate a start a little later in 2021,” he said.
But it is clear, according to Omar, that the new priorities include exploring new pedagogies for learning, teaching and assessments, including blended learning options (face-to-face and online teaching), ensuring a new learning management system, ensuring that students have access to good quality content (even remotely).
Free State University Vice Chancellor Professor Francis Petersen said the UFS “did not allow the Covid-19 crisis to go to waste” but instead used it as an opportunity to create an innovative and evidence-based approach to learning and teaching, which is informed by data analysis.
“In 2021, the UFS will use the lessons of the pandemic to implement an enhanced approach to blended teaching and learning, which will provide students with the opportunity to benefit from the flexibility and innovation that online learning platforms provide, complemented by presentations well structured face-to-face. Face-to-face sessions. The key challenges were student access to data, networks and devices, as well as the lack of an enabling learning environment for some students at home, ”he said.
Petersen said it looks like it will be a long time before conference rooms are fully equipped again.
“I don’t think going back to the ‘old normal’ should be the goal,” he said.
Zandile Mbabela, spokesperson for Nelson Mandela University, said part of their learning and teaching strategy is to continue expanding and improving a blended learning approach.
“The academic year 2021, which begins in March, will see us continue to implement a flexible approach to blended learning in which we combine contact, online and experiential learning and teaching in a number of ways.
“Using a flexible approach to blended learning also allows us to be agile and adaptable. In case there is a second wave that requires a ‘hard’ block, we will be in a much better position to move fully in line for as long as it takes, ”he said.
Sol Plaatjies University spokesperson Kashini Maistry said the university successfully completed the first semester of 2020 in late August and began the second semester on September 14.
“We are one of 14 institutions in the country that has been categorized as low risk, in terms of how we have managed and contained the spread of Covid-19, and we are on track to complete the academic year in 2020.”
Maistry said that if students choose to stay at home, particularly if there was a mixed mode (blended mode) of teaching available with 30 percent of any module offered online, this would affect the occupancy of the residence and could have an impact on financial results.
“We may also have direct registration and may not be able to meet our agreed enrollment goal,” he said.
Professor Rob Midgely, Vice Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University, said universities would have to reconfigure service delivery methods, which would mean having to develop a different infrastructure.
“In a sense, the changes were going to happen anyway, but these expenses have now been advanced. Some examples are that students will need electronic devices to participate in flexible remote learning methods, and we would need to accelerate ubiquitous connectivity. There will be a cost recovery to some extent, but it is unlikely to be 100%. “
The University of Johannesburg Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Angina Parekh warned that planning for the academic year 2021 would have to consider the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
“As experiences across Europe have shown, this is possible and it will be necessary to manage sudden increases in infection rates and their impact on higher education institutions.
South Africa has managed the pandemic well and will undoubtedly continue to do so. The 2020 experiences will provide a template in case we have to go back to contingency plans, ”he said.
“In general, funding for education can be adversely affected, with the result that college tuition payments can be affected. There will be a need for financial austerity and careful resource management over the next few years, ”she warned.
Professor Wim de Villiers, Vice Chancellor of Stellenbosch University and Vice President of the USAf, said the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the sector into turmoil, forcing universities to re-examine their current situation and their future.
For one thing, he said, college revenues are under heavy pressure. This affects all five sources of income: state grants, student fees, research contracts, philanthropic donations, and business income.
“And while there have been some challenges, the transition to the new mode of teaching has generally been so successful that it is sure to have a lasting effect on what we offer to whom and how. At Stellenbosch University, we have several factors that count in our favor.
“First of all, we are not completely new to e-learning. We have been constantly increasing our e-learning offering for several years.
“In fact, before the coronavirus crisis, this was one of the priorities of my second term, which began in April.
“Now, Covid-19 has just hit the fast forward button,” he said.
Edwin Naidu asked various tertiary institutions their plans for the next academic year:
Stellenbosch University: Professor Wim de Villiers, Vice Chancellor
“The switch to remote emergency teaching, learning and assessment is an interim emergency measure. We will resume contact enrollment as soon as we can, but this does not mean that we will simply be back to normal when the current crisis ends.
“E-learning is here to stay, in whatever form: from doing everything completely online to combining online and contact teaching (hybrid learning) and using e-learning in the classroom (blended learning).
“The reasons for this are simple. On the one hand, it expands access to knowledge and development. Many more people can be accommodated online than in conference rooms. On the other hand, it also enriches the learning and teaching experience ”.
University of the Witwatersrand: Professor Rukshana Omar, Associate Vice Chancellor – Academics
“Most students are expected to complete the academic year in December 2020. Seniors, students who need to meet professional requirements, those who need access to labs and studies, and those who don’t have been prioritized. they can study from home. to return to campus this year. “
Free State University: Professor Francis Petersen, Vice Chancellor
“In 2021, the UFS will use the lessons of the pandemic to implement an enhanced approach to blended teaching and learning, which will provide students with the opportunity to benefit from the flexibility and innovation that online learning platforms provide, complemented by presentations well structured face-to-face. Face-to-face sessions. The key challenges were student access to data, networks and devices, as well as the lack of an enabling learning environment for some students at home. “
Nelson Mandela University: Zandile Mbabela, spokesperson
“We have learned from the first six months of the lockdown that the evolution of the pandemic is such that care must be taken not to get too far ahead with planning. The 2021 academic year, which begins in March, will see us continue to implement a flexible approach to blended learning. ”
Sol Picture University: Kashini Maistry, spokesperson
“We have had a major pedagogical shift in the way we deliver teaching and learning at SPU and the benefits of moving to online education over the last few months will be a boon to our digitally enhanced university.”
Walter Sisulu University: Rob Midgley, Vice Chancellor
“Universities will have to reconfigure their service delivery methods, which will mean having to develop different infrastructures. In a sense, the changes were going to happen anyway, but these expenses have now been advanced. “
University of Johannesburg: Professor Angina Parekh, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic
“In addition to national management of the pandemic, universities face constant connectivity challenges in certain areas of South Africa, the relatively high cost of data, especially for economically disadvantaged households, and the unreliability of electricity supply.”
Central University of Technology: Seithati Semenokane, spokesperson
“Our biggest challenge is how to reach students in remote areas with limited access to electronic technology, as not all are in a position to migrate to online learning smoothly.”
* Nzimande will inform the media about regulations related to Covid-19 Level 1 restrictions at 2pm on Monday.
Independent Sunday
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