From 17 to 19 September 2024, Unisa, in partnership with the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) and the Botswana Open University (BOU), will host the 3rd ODeL Regional Model Symposium in Rustenburg.  

The Open, Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Regional Model Symposium (RMS) annually convenes a community of practice, comprised of eminent scholars, researchers, policy makers, practitioners and students to engage, debate and conduct dialogue on ODeL and technology matters with a shared goal of improving education access and success by all students from all social classes, including those from underserved communities, and to collaboratively explore innovative ways in which technology-enabled learning can enhance the learning outcomes of all students enrolled in ODeL.

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Objectives of the 2024 Regional Model Symposium include:

  • Network and strengthen higher education quality assurance enhancement activities across universities in the region and Africa.
  • Contribute towards building a quality assurance (QA) community of practice in the ODeL space.
  • Conduct regular symposiums on sharing experiences (innovations) regarding the deployment of ODeL regional campus approaches/models in delivering the university academic project and student support services.
  • Inspire strong collaborations and connections, and build a network of inter-institutional audits that would lower the prohibitive costs of contracting QA consultants. Such measures would promote low-cost quality assurance undertakings that low-resourced universities would afford, hence creating an inclusive approach to QA through inter-institutional audits/peer reviews, affording the entire African continent the ability to benchmark good regional model practices.

Sub-Themes

Exploiting Digital Technologies for Student Access and Success.
  • Recruitment, application, and registration of students,
  • Critical learner skills for progression and success,
  • Leveraging Digital Technologies to manage optimal student support strategies,
  • Leveraging Learning Analytics for access and success.
Re-thinking Online Assessment Strategies, Experiences and Challenges
  • Managing academic integrity in online and blended assessment and contexts,
  • Rethinking assessment for learning in open and online environments,
  • Designing and administering authentic e-assessment in higher education,
  • Online Assessment Successes, experiences and challenges posed by IA,
  • Managing Quality of Online and Blended Assessment and contexts.
Professional Development in the Era of AI
  • Leveraging AI Tools to enhance professionalisation of academic, part-time tutors and Admin staff (Opportunities and Challenges),
  • Determining and Ensuring Desirable skills and knowledge set of academic or administrative to optimally function in ODeL Institutions.
  • Re-thinking Quality benchmarks in professional development strategies for students, staff, and others for dynamic 4IR and AI environment in ODeL institutions.
  • Issues of laws, regulations, policies, and procedures (POPI Act) for the protection and management of personal/student information
  • Continuous improvement in areas of operation (reflexivity research- strive to improve and enhance areas of practice; enhancing systems; better ways of interacting with students)
  • Professionalisation of ODeL personnel (self-drive, honesty, punctuality, spirit of service and online etiquette) through AI.
  • for wider access, in e-tutoring, in student and staff inductions and engagement etc
Technology Mediated Teaching and Learning for Employability
  • Determining and Embedding Employability standards for technology mediated content and delivery,
  • Fostering collaborative partnerships between Academics, Students and the Industry through technology mediated teaching and learning
  • Leveraging OERs to promote technology mediated teaching and learning: perspectives, challenges, and practices,
  • Quality Assurance Models to enhance technology-mediated T&L environment and experiences for employability.