“Education in South Africa during and post COVID19: Reflections on the readiness and responsiveness of the sector to the inevitable changes in the post-schooling landscape.”
Keynote Speakers:
Prof Narend Baijnath
Council of Higher Education
Dr Keith Jacobs
University of South Africa
Prof Chris Winberg
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Programme Director:
Mr Mduduzi Ncongwane
University of South Africa
Date: 09 to 11September 2020
Time: 09h00 to 12h30
Venue: Online with MS Teams
Register: Visit http://ads.unisawc.com
Enquiries: Email only – ctntut@unisa.ac.za
In hosting its 6thannual academic development symposium, the Western Cape region of the University of South Africa aims to create an opportune space for all stakeholders within post-school education and training, including students, to reflect on the strategies employed and their experiences during this unprecedented academic year.
The theme of the 2019 symposium, “Conversations about fostering student academic resilience in the context of diverse student identities and experiences” and the preceding 2018 symposium theme “Practical considerations for teaching and learning in the dynamic landscape of higher education in South Africa” elicited two-fold feedback from participants. These two symposia seemed to, in an almost serendipitous way, have laid the foundation for the theme of the 2020 academic development symposium.
Unpacking practical considerations for teaching and learning within the context of student academic resilience during a period of an unprecedented pandemic and national lockdown is not only relevant but also prudent. There is also a need to create a space for staff including academic, professional and support staff to reflect and engage each other on their experiences navigating the already volatile and agile higher education landscape during this extraordinary period. Secondly, conversations and reflections should include discussions about how quality control strategies were employed to measure the success of the variety of diverse interventions initiatives implemented across institutions of higher learning in South Africa.
The 2020 symposium therefore endeavours to bring together colleagues from across the educational landscape to engage each other, in a virtual space, about the status of education within this most challenging and uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged post-schooling practitioners to think differently and to interrogate the areas of strength and development on how to support our students and each other.
