Dear Campus Community,
First and foremost, I would like to wish all our academic staff, professional staff and our students well for the 2022 academic year.
Yesterday, the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) approved the recommendations made by Senate Academic Planning (SAP) in relation to our approach for the 2022 Learning and Teaching Plan. In essence, the 2022 Learning and Teaching Plan entails the following hybrid approach:
Faculties were presented with three options for hybrid learning, namely:
Option 1: Lectures remain online and tutorials and practicals to be online with consultations to be in contact;
Option 2: Lectures being online, while tutorials and practicals to be in contact; and,
Option 3: Some lectures and tutorials to be conducted on a face-to-face basis.
Faculties presented their preferred modes of hybrid learning and teaching to SAP. Subsequently, SEC approved a differentiated approach. In addition to this general communication, the respective deans will be communicating their specific hybrid learning and teaching approach to be followed by their faculties.
For the sake of students, the timetable will reflect the module component which will be online or virtual once they are registered. I can confirm that the CIECT infrastructure is in place for live streaming from hybrid venues and the recording of lectures. We have approximately 235 hybrid venues to be used for live streaming and to enable our hybrid learning and teaching.
It is important to note that we are still bound by the regulations in terms of the Disaster Management Act. Thus, the recommendations by SAP – and approved by SEC – were as follows:
Very importantly, faculties were requested to factor in how they will accommodate unvaccinated students in modules where face-to-face learning and teaching is involved. In this regard, faculties were reminded to apply, via SAP, to SEC for deviations from the Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. These will be dealt with at a later stage and will be communicated soonest. To date, The Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences and The School of Pharmacy have hard mandates, and today SEC approved hard mandates for three modules and field work which involve engagement with the community as well as two modules that are linked to laboratories on campus. The three respective deans will include this in their communications.
SEC approved that assessments and their planning for the rest of the year be addressed at the first formal meeting of SAP, with the outcomes to be submitted to SEC and Senate for approval.
The approach outlined in this communication is subject to changes in the national regulations to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will revert to online learning as a contingency if necessary, and if the situation improves, we will be agile and adjust accordingly.
I look forward to working with all our stakeholders this year. Thank you for your resilience and hard work in 2020 and 2021.
Regards,
Prof Vivienne Lawack
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic
First and foremost, I would like to wish all our academic staff, professional staff and our students well for the 2022 academic year.
Yesterday, the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) approved the recommendations made by Senate Academic Planning (SAP) in relation to our approach for the 2022 Learning and Teaching Plan. In essence, the 2022 Learning and Teaching Plan entails the following hybrid approach:
- Firstly, the majority of lectures will remain online, with arrangements made for tutorials, laboratory sessions, clinicals, and some training and consultations to take place physically; and,
- Secondly, there will be a focus on first-year, exit level students and high priority modules.
Faculties were presented with three options for hybrid learning, namely:
Option 1: Lectures remain online and tutorials and practicals to be online with consultations to be in contact;
Option 2: Lectures being online, while tutorials and practicals to be in contact; and,
Option 3: Some lectures and tutorials to be conducted on a face-to-face basis.
Faculties presented their preferred modes of hybrid learning and teaching to SAP. Subsequently, SEC approved a differentiated approach. In addition to this general communication, the respective deans will be communicating their specific hybrid learning and teaching approach to be followed by their faculties.
For the sake of students, the timetable will reflect the module component which will be online or virtual once they are registered. I can confirm that the CIECT infrastructure is in place for live streaming from hybrid venues and the recording of lectures. We have approximately 235 hybrid venues to be used for live streaming and to enable our hybrid learning and teaching.
It is important to note that we are still bound by the regulations in terms of the Disaster Management Act. Thus, the recommendations by SAP – and approved by SEC – were as follows:
- SEC approved the general academic hybrid learning and teaching approach proposed by SAP and faculties as far as reasonably and practically possible;
- The DVC: Academic will communicate the general academic approach for 2022; and,
- The details of the specific approaches by faculties will be communicated by the respective deans following this general communication.
Very importantly, faculties were requested to factor in how they will accommodate unvaccinated students in modules where face-to-face learning and teaching is involved. In this regard, faculties were reminded to apply, via SAP, to SEC for deviations from the Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. These will be dealt with at a later stage and will be communicated soonest. To date, The Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences and The School of Pharmacy have hard mandates, and today SEC approved hard mandates for three modules and field work which involve engagement with the community as well as two modules that are linked to laboratories on campus. The three respective deans will include this in their communications.
SEC approved that assessments and their planning for the rest of the year be addressed at the first formal meeting of SAP, with the outcomes to be submitted to SEC and Senate for approval.
The approach outlined in this communication is subject to changes in the national regulations to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will revert to online learning as a contingency if necessary, and if the situation improves, we will be agile and adjust accordingly.
I look forward to working with all our stakeholders this year. Thank you for your resilience and hard work in 2020 and 2021.
Regards,
Prof Vivienne Lawack
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic
