E-Learning Symposium
The E-learning Symposium provides a platform for participants to present their teaching and learning solutions in this contested, ever-changing educational landscape. The university community, staff, and students are invited to share experiences, challenges, successes, failures, and opportunities as we envision a blended learning future in Higher Education and beyond.
Keynote Speakers
Professor Curtis J.Bonk – Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University
Keynote Title: Technology Today, Technology Tomorrow: Might Learning Evolutions lead to Learning Revolutions?
Change is inevitable. Technology change is pervasive. Yesterday’s technologies wiped entire industries and occupations. Today’s technologies are accelerating these changes, and are, in particular, transforming the field of education. Learning is definitely changing. There is now a pervasive need for innovations in how we teach and how we learn. In response, Professor Bonk will detail a set of 20 “last” principles of instruction including the Principle of Flexibility, the Principle of Meaningful Learning, the Principle of Choice and Options, the Principle of Spontaneity, and the Principle of High Expectations. He will also highlight new roles for instructors in light of these principles. Next, he will discuss these in light of three megatrends related to learning technology today: (1) the technologies for engagement; (2) the technologies for pervasive access; and (3) the technologies for the personalization and customization of learning. He will also take a moment to gaze into the future of learning as each of these megatrends evolve. In the third decade of the 21st century, learning has become increasingly flipped, social, collaborative, global, game-like, mobile, modifiable, open, online, visually-based, hands-on, ubiquitous, personal, and much much more. Bonk will end his talk with predictions of the future such as robot partners on collaborative teams, world knowledge refreshment stations, Professor Einstein PDAs, the rise of super e-mentors, classrooms as cafes, learning environment engineers, and much more. Is this an evolution or a revolution? Professor Bonk will let the audience decide.
Dr Britta Zawada – Director: Institutional Audits Council on Higher Education
Keynote Title – Quality Assurance in a Hybrid University Setting
The 2020 COVID pandemic, with the resultant lock-down and restrictions on face-to-face teaching at all educational institutions, led to many institutions switching to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERT), using the affordances of the internet and other ICTs where possible. During 2020 and 2021 most institutions continued with ERT, with some specific student cohorts returning to campuses, with 2022 returning to a semblance of normality. This paper will start with a brief reflection on learning and teaching during the pandemic years and the measures the CHE put in place to ensure that quality assurance in higher education was maintained. The reflection will conclude with a possible trajectory for learning and teaching in the new normal into a future of more blended and online learning. The central theme of the presentation will focus on integrated and designed-focused quality assurance mechanisms which are custom-made for blended and online learning, rather than ad hoc- or post-hoc quality assurance mechanisms originating from face-to-face contexts which are merely tagged onto blended and online courses. The four integrated design elements in blended and online courses that will come under the spotlight will be: curriculum development, materials design, responsive interaction and assessment.
Panel Discussion: Lockdown Digital Transformation of Teaching and Learning: Lessons from today, principles for tomorrow
Chair: Dr Gbolahan Olasina Information Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Academic Leaders of Teaching and Learning:
- Dr Desigan Reddy, School of Chemistry and Physics, CAES
- Prof Shenuka Singh, School of Health Sciences, CHS
- Dr Ruwayda Petrus, School of Applied Human Sciences, CHUM
- Dr Sheetal Soni, School of Law, CLMS