Crises that start out as disruptive emergencies can soon become the new normal. This is evident from most challenges in higher education in South Africa.
Teaching and learning, in particular, have had to develop contingency plans to offset the effects of major events such as load-shedding, #FeesMustFall and, currently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
Helping staff and students to adapt is essential to weather these unforeseen storms. It requires people to seek collective wisdom, share insights and develop a workable consensus together with stakeholders.
In view of this, the North-West University (NWU) hosted a virtual colloquium focusing on the future of teaching and learning on 23 and 24 August. The online colloquium, titled “Imagining the transitions: the future of Teaching and Learning @NWU”, was attended by, among others, NWU staff, students and colleagues from the University College London.
Prof Robert Balfour, deputy vice-chancellor for Teaching and Learning, says this diversity of perspective, experience and insight made for a rich engagement.
He believes that the importance of colloquiums such as this one can never be overstated. It gives academics, academic leadership, students and support staff the opportunity to share ideas in moving forward and allows stakeholders to engage in a timely manner on important issues affecting the university.
The colloquium, organised by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, focused on the NWU’s way forward in fostering student success and strengthening its teaching and learning approaches.
It consisted of various panel discussions and presentations and highlighted the university’s ability to adapt and evolve during trying times. It also looked at the current status quo in higher education in which planning is still characterised by emergency remote teaching and learning.
University College London (UCL) adopted this approach for a range of similar challenges, despite the differences in context. These challenges include the rethinking of modes of delivery and teaching spaces and creating a course and module structure to enhance the student experience. The approach aims to promote a sense of community engagement by creating compassion, inclusion and well-being.
It also includes designing a staff development course to demonstrate good practice, as well as a course for students to familiarise themselves with online learning.
“While clearly the pandemic has had a profound impact on the well-being and mental health of many in our community, working hard to ensure conducive learning opportunities for students in a challenging environment has brought staff and students together more closely at UCL. Partners in learning and students’ input in decision-making at all levels has been greatly valued,” remarks Prof Norbert Pachler.
Joanna Stroud says one conciliatory aspect of the pandemic for higher education has been the sense of community and sharing of experience that they have seen internationally.
“Its effects on teaching, learning and assessment have been profound. So too have the efforts of staff to make them work, combined with a willingness to share practice with colleagues, regardless of their location and institutional affiliation.”
Covid-19 is different from previous experiences
Prof Robert states that contingency planning concerning Covid-19 is both similar to and different from what the NWU has experienced in the past during other challenges.
“Although it started as a disruptive emergency, Covid’s longevity makes it unlike anything experienced in the past. This presents a conundrum in terms of how the NWU and also the sector and state respond to it.”
Prof Robert says the NWU’s planning to date has considered Covid as a contingency (an event likely to occur, but not possible to predict), and this definition places Covid at the centre of both reaction and response to the crisis in terms of teaching and learning.
“Many participants in the colloquium acknowledged that Covid-19 has compelled us to rethink accepted features of the NWU’s Teaching-Learning Strategy. This includes what self-direction means in our Teaching-Learning Strategy in a context in which social isolation can undermine the motivation and self-discipline students need for effective self-directed or collaborative learning.”
He explains that what emerged from the colloquium was an understanding that for the NWU, teaching-learning needs to be re-centred in terms of the lessons learned from Covid. Planning must shift from crisis management to enhancing our focus on quality and excellence by using technology, our focus on quality, and excellence. This entails a shift from contingency planning to continuity (consensus) planning, where the emphasis is not the crisis, but on planning to use technology to underpin quality learning for excellent performance.
Student leaders participating in the colloquium noted the importance of strong, accessible and transparent communication networks that enable students to feel part of learning communities, even if they are online or remote.
According to Prof Robert the colloquium has highlighted the need for the NWU to develop a model and plan for the digitalisation of education within the curriculum. This will define spaces for the types of experience needed to support learning optimally. These experiences may range from face-to-face and asynchronous self-directed learning to synchronous online project or collaborative learning.
