Director of Communications and Marketing, Lacea Loader, says considering the challenges experienced by their students during 2020, the university was endorsed by the Council of Higher Education (CHE) to continue with an online/blended learning and teaching approach during the first semester of 2021 for first-year and senior students.

This means certain classes will be online, some face-to-face, and others a combination of both. The 2021 first term will commence from 1 March to 16 April for senior students and first-year students from 15 March to 30 April.

Loader adds that one of the main priorities for the University in 2020 was to ensure that their students completed the academic year. The university experienced a definite increase in the use of online learning platforms throughout 2020, says Loader.

Their evidence-based, analytic approach has enabled 99,95% of students to participate in the university’s emergency remote teaching and learning approach.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) developed 16 strategies to support vulnerable students to continue with their learning. One of these strategies, the No Student Left Behind Programme (NSLB), assisted to identify students who did not access Blackboard (the university’s learning management system) since the start of the second semester.

Initially, the list consisted of 1 186 students. As the semester progressed and with the help of the faculties and academic advisers, some of the students could be contacted and the list was reduced to 886 students. 

To mitigate the risk of this group of students not completing the financial year, they were granted the opportunity to return to campus to complete the academic year.

From 11 to 22 January 2021 registration for students in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be made available.

From 8 to 26 February online registration and orientation in all other faculties (senior and postgraduate students) will be made available followed by 1 to 13 March for first-year students.

Information on the online/blended learning approach has been shared with students by the respective faculties and updates will also be published on the university’s communication platforms such as its website and social media.

OFM News/Blaine Jones