Page 31 - DUT Annual Report 2023

The ODL implementation was based on four pillars derived from the aforementioned. The four pillars are the review of ODL programmes to respond to the identified needs in the labour market; updating of the partnership agreement between the university and its online programme management (OPM) partner; putting in place the necessary frameworks to enhance the transitioning of ODL from the planning phase to the implementation phase; and stakeholder engagement to secure support for the ODL initiative.
The successful accreditation of two programmes in the School of Education in the previous year marked the transitioning of the ODL initiative from the planning phase to the implementation phase. Consequently, the necessary frameworks required for implementing ODL were developed in 2023 to align with the long-term plan for ODL previously approved by the university Senate in 2022. This resulted in the compilation of operational documents for ODL implementation, including a business model for ODL at DUT, financial modelling for online education, and a long-term human resource framework. The successful stakeholder engagements also conducted in 2023 and the operational frameworks developed indicate to the university being on the right track and well-positioned to meet the evolving needs for skilled individuals and to contribute meaningfully to economic development and growth in South Africa.
Second Annual Learning and Teaching
Imbizo
CELT hosted the Second Annual Learning and Teaching Imbizo on 10th to 13th October 2023. The overarching theme of the Imbizo, Beyond Limits: Reshaping the Future of Higher Education, served as a catalyst for robust discussions, insightful deliberations, knowledge sharing on critical issues, networking, and collaboration
The Imbizo featured six distinguished keynote speakers from the South African higher education sector: Prof. Saleem Badat (University of Free State), Prof. Zayd Waghid (Cape Peninsula University of Technology.), Mr Richard Perez (d-school, University of Cape Town), Prof. Linda van Rynefeld (University of Pretoria), Prof. Tennyson Mgutshini (University of South Africa) and Prof. Mlamuli Hlatshwayo (University of Johannesburg). Additionally, the event included three workshops, three critical dialogues, and 61 presentations. Approximately 90% of the presentations were from DUT staff and PG students.
The Imbizo Opening Address was delivered by our Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mthembu, and followed by an address by the DVCTL, Dr Nevathalu. The keynote presenters raised pivotal issues on contemporary higher education, challenging participants to think critically about reshaping the future of higher education in the areas of higher
education transformation, global citizenship education, the potentiality of DT as a catalyst for change, AI and digital citizenship, deconstructing the notion of excellence, and neoliberalism and decolonisation. An essential aspect of the Imbizo was the active involvement of students throughout the Imbizo, such as the student panel which raised important considerations for cultivating student agency for success.
Individual and group presentations added valuable insights on adaptive teaching and learning, disrupting curriculum spaces, harnessing the power of AI, broadening creativity and innovation, prioritising diversity and inclusivity, and fostering a sense of belonging and becoming for all staff and students. These deliberations inspired powerful ideas among the participants to transcend traditional boundaries and reshape the future of education.
Scholarly engagement was further advanced through the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG) funded Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project that aimed to nurture and support participants towards deliberate and systematic (critical) inquiry to improve student learning so that students may contribute meaningfully to professions and society. The programme offered a collaborative space, locating these inquiries within the rapidly evolving and complex higher education landscape, professions and society, and enabling participants to construct and advance knowledge about learning and teaching in the discipline/programme and higher education in South Africa (and the global south).
The eight collaborative Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects, comprising of 21 academic staff across the six faculties, were supported in the development of SoTL inquiries. In addition, a Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) webinar was hosted by CELT, in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and Design, School of Education, entitled ‘Transformative STEAM Education for a Sustainable World’. The particular focus of the webinar was on integrating the Arts into STEM programmes to develop capabilities aligned to DUT’s ENVISION2030 values and principles. The presentations included exemplars from the practices of educators in STEM-related fields who are embracing transformative learning and Arts education methods to develop and implement integrated STEAM education programmes and practices for preparing students with special capabilities. These include ethical values with which to contribute actively, ensuring the ongoing sustainable development of our world.
To further advance transformation, a Decoloniality Symposium was hosted by CELT in collaboration with the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering. Prof. Emmanuel Mgqwashu’s presentation on ‘Democratising learning for epistemic access: a view from a decolonial lens’
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