Instructions: Online delivery

We find ourselves in an unprecedented and unimaginable situation, in which the growing concern around the coronavirus outbreak is by all of us. The President's announcement of a nation-wide lockdown left the NWU no option but to also put the university into lockdown. However, the NWU will ensure that, within the constraints caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures to contain it, we can complete the academic year successfully.

During the lockdown the NWU will continue to prepare to offer its academic programme via online mode of delivery. The situation will be constantly monitored and the university community will be advised in the event of any changes. Delivering the teaching and learning programmes online will bring about more challenges and will undoubtedly put staff and students under pressure.

Ensuring student access is central to our planning to continue this module online. We will adhere to the guiding principles that online teaching must be eFundi-based, mobile-friendly, low tech, low data and low immediacy. From these principles it is clear that online classes will be presented on the NWU online Efundi platform, to which you all already have access.

We urge you to adhere to the President's announcement to protect yourselves and to assist in curbing the spread of Covid-19. While this measure will have a considerable impact on people's livelihoods and our economy, the human cost of not adhering to this action would be much greater.

Important note:
During this time of disruption, you must be very clear on the importance of self-regulation and self-directedness, as the responsibility to keep up with learning and assessment will depend on your commitment.

  Student Support

Do you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of having to continue your studies remotely?  Follow this link to a NWU webpage specifically designed to support you by communicating essential guidelines, tips and information to help you get ready for remote learning.

 How This Course Will Work

Course structure

The course consists of seven study units, each with their own outomes. Due to the online delivery of this module, some of the learning outcomes have changed. The learning outcomes in the lessons replace those in the study guide. For the purpose of this online delivery, the different modules are structure into twenty "lessons" on the different topics, addressing the outcomes of the study units.

During this online learning intervention, you are expected to complete twenty-one "lessons", addressing the outcomes of the seven study units. These course structure can be viewed under the Syllabus tab.

Online lesson contents

Each online lesson will contain:

• A summary Powerpoint video, outlining the study unit outcomes and key learning points;
• A list of reading material that relates to the study unit (with hyperlinks) that you need to download);
• A Pdf version of the PowerPoint slides, which forms the basic learning material and is normally presented in class; and
• Additional resources (such as links to videos and websites), where applicable.

 Tip: When you work through an online lesson on Efundi, and you click on a link (which takes you to a website or a document), click on the "back" arrow on your browser to go back to the online lesson content.

 Forum discussions

We will also set up Efundi chat rooms for every day to discuss subject matter related questions. This is where you can pose specific questions or share specific learning points. The lecturers will respond to your questions or comments.

Daily online meetings

The course will commence with an online "Zoom meeting", a virtual meeting on an online platform, similar to Skype. A link will be posted for you to follow in order to install the software and participate in the meeting. During this meeting, we will introduce you to the online training, the modules, as well as the associated individual written and practical group assignments.

Every afternoon there there will also be "Zoom meeting" where we will have short meetings and discussions as a class.  The lecturers will pose specific discussion topics to be debated during these meetings. The purpose of these meetings are to facilitate group discussions based on specific content covered every day. Attendance of these sessions are compulsary, and roll-call will be taken.

The date and times of the meetings will correspond to our scheduled class sessions and will also be communicated to you via the Efundi "announcements" platform.

SEE THE PROGRAM IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT TAB
 

Pre-learning

You may decide to pace your learning according to the contact week 3 schedule, or to self-pace your learning - as long as you cover all of the material prior to the dates scheduled, in preparation for your participation in the zoom meetings and forum activities during the week of 7-11 Sept 2020.

Technology requirements

This course requires the use of a computer or laptop, as well as internet connection. This course will also require your use of the latest version of the Microsoft Office software. It is your responsibility to ensure you have a working computer/laptop, with the required software installed and access to the internet.