The brief move to online platforms by universities during the #FeesMustFall protests in 2015 gave the higher education sector a glimpse into the future of learning and teaching, said Kgopotso Maunatlala, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law’s Department of Private Law at the University of Pretoria (UP), during a lecture that is part of the Faculty’s Teaching and Learning Series aimed at engaging and reflecting on teaching and learning during COVID-19 using technological innovations and mapping the way forward post COVID-19.

“When COVID-19 hit, online teaching and learning was not a foreign concept for many universities, like the University of Pretoria, which implemented blended and online delivery as a strategy in those years to enable the academic year to be completed successfully and for all the curriculum to be covered despite the protests and disruptions,” said Maunatlala. He said it was clear, even back then, that technological modes of instruction were here to stay, although it is uncertain how long institutions of higher learning are going to rely this heavily on technology. “Transitioning to online [teaching and learning] was inevitable and COVID-19 forced both lectures and teachers to be more creative and innovative with their teaching methods. COVID-19 forced us to deliver quality and uncompromised education to the students that will still prepare them for the world beyond the university,” he said.   

Former Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) official and current Advisor: Office of the Vice-Chancellor at UP Dr Diane Parker said the DHET had to respond quickly to the crisis, working closely with Universities South Africa and all higher education institutions. “We had to also deal with health and safety protocols and, fortunately, the Higher Health HealthCheck system was there to assist. In March, we conducted a survey at universities on learning management processes and capabilities to offer online learning, and the findings were that some universities were not ready to go fully online and others were more than ready to do so,” she said. “We then put together a process where every institution put together an emergency plan for teaching and learning plans and the DHET identified funds (COVID-19 responsive funds) to support institutions to execute those plans and that included funding of various kinds of learning material such as devices, data, laptops, etc,” she added.

She said a ‘return to campus’ plan also required a second round of COVID-19 response funds to assist with health and safety issues with a focus on how students and staff should return to campuses safely. The funding was also used for student housing because of the extended academic year. “DHET’s mandate last year was based on saving lives, saving the academic year, and maximising opportunities for success,” Dr Parker said, adding that it was a challenge ensuring that all needs were met as the costs were high.  

Explaining the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology as far as remote learning and teaching are concerned, lecturer in the Faculty of Law’s Department of Mercantile Law  Princess Ncube said her experience with using artificial intelligence for teaching and learning has been phenomenal as she is a fan of using technology to teach. “I believe this was inspired by my research on AI on my LLD thesis where I talk about AI and money laundering.

“COVID-19 posed a lot of challenges, but it found us in times where the use of technology is high and so we managed to navigate around our academics. However, the biggest challenge was transitioning to fully online [learning and teaching] since it was a bit difficult for some students and staff to adapt.”

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This webinar took place on 13 September 2021 and is the fourth lecture in UP Law’s monthly Teaching and Learning Lecture Series.

Lecture 3: https://www.up.ac.za/faculty-of-law/news/post_3036749-the-use-of-technology-has-always-been-part-of-the-plan-for-higher-learning-institutions-experts-discuss-teaching-under-covid-19-conditions-at-up-law-lecture

Lecture 2: ‘We cannot use technology in isolation’ – UP Faculty of Law hosts second lecture in series on online teaching and learning and finding a way forward post COVID-19

Lecture 1: UP Law lecture reflects on teaching and learning using technological innovations during and post-COVID-19