“We have now come to the end of our Short Learning Programme (SLP) on Managing and Leading Education with Digital Technologies. Approximately 155 of the 166 participants have successfully completed this course. This means that 93% of course participants have achieved their credits towards a post-graduate qualification at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). This is more than expected which suggests that the intervention has been very successful,” said Dr Aaron Nkosi, Director for Curriculum and Teacher Development Research.

The SLP consisted of a three day workshop followed by five online work sessions over a four month period. UJ also continues to guide and support course participants to acquire a sound knowledge base in the field of study concerned; scholarly and/or professional and/or technological dispositions, attributes and competencies appropriate to the field of study and/or future careers; academic abilities, professional and employability knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will enable participation in society as high-level human resources with a view to promoting growth and prosperity;  and competencies and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning.

The purpose of the SLP is to enable education officials in the DBE, as well as Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) to effectively harness the potential of digital technologies in support of their management and leadership roles. With the final release of the marks, participants will also be asked to complete a short exit level survey so that they have an opportunity to provide feedback to record their experiences of participation in this course to share their ideas on how the programmes can be improved.

“Contact week commenced at UJ, Auckland Park Campus on 11 July 2016 with an official ceremony where the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, delivered the keynote address. During the course, participants were encouraged to aim for a 100% completion rate. Practical sessions over the three days were well attended and elicited enthusiastic participation. The academic and social spaces in which the participants engaged proved to be a healthy environment with topical and authentic subject matter,” mentioned Dr Nkosi.

The selected topics for the programme are relevant in an emerging and evolving educational landscape, and are sufficiently agile to dynamically influence and enable better learning outcomes for the participants in the programme. The programme is sufficiently responsive to the needs of both developed and developing contexts and influential in shaping the future in both contexts. It makes provision for the exploration of a range of pedagogies that are appropriate for the diversity of contexts in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are used for educational purposes. Certification will be conferred during the various provincial graduation ceremonies which will be taking place in April 2017. A follow-up conference will be hosted by UJ where all participants will be invited to share their experiences during July 2017.