CASE STUDY
While the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted on every aspect of life and economy in South Africa , the higher education sector has not been spared with universities prioritising online education to ensure their academic years are not disrupted .
When South Africa ’ s President Cyril Ramaphosa , declared the ‘ State of Disaster ’ in the country in March 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic struck , universities across the Southern African state were forced to close their gates in a move aimed at containing the spread of the virus .
Although the move was justified under the circumstances , it threw most universities ’ academic years into disarray , leading to the institutions to look at remote learning as the way forward . However , it was no easy feat to adjust for most varsities as they were caught off-guard by the Coronavirus .
Digital Transformation has become imperative among institutions of higher
ABOUT WITS UNIVERSITY
The University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg .
It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits . The university has its roots in the mining industry , as do the city of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general .
Here are a few facts about the university :
• Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley
• It is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation , after the University of Cape Town ( 1829 ) and Stellenbosch University ( 1866 )
• In 1904 , the school was moved to Johannesburg and renamed the Transvaal Technical Institute
• The school ’ s name changed yet again in 1906 to Transvaal University College
• In 1908 , a new campus of the Transvaal University College was established in Pretoria
• The Johannesburg and Pretoria campuses separated in 1910 , each becoming a separate institution
• The Johannesburg campus was reincorporated as the South African School of Mines and Technology
• In 1920 , the school was renamed the University College , Johannesburg
• On March 1 1922 , the University College , Johannesburg , was granted full university status after being incorporated as the University of the Witwatersrand
• The university has an enrolment of 40,259 students as of 2018 of which approximately 20 % live on campus in the university ’ s 17 residences
• About 63 % of the university ’ s total enrolment is for undergraduate study , with 35 % being postgraduate and the remaining 2 % being occasional students learning in their bid to remain relevant and competitive , while , at the same time , trying to navigate the unchartered waters brought about by the pandemic .
South Africa ’ s University of Witwatersrand , commonly known as Wits University or Wits , is one such institution which had to quickly think out of the box and adjust to the ‘ new normal ’ as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley , Wits is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation .
Situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg , the university has an enrolment of 40 , 259 students as of 2018 , of which approximately 20 % live on campus in the university ’ s 17 residences . Some 63 % of the university ’ s total enrolment is for undergraduate study , with 35 % being postgraduate and the remaining 2 % being occasional students .
The fundamental role of any university is to promote freedom of enquiry and the search for knowledge and truth . Wits has built a reputation in this role , establishing itself at the industrial and commercial heart of South Africa as a centre for education and research of the highest quality .
However , when the COVID-19 pandemic struck , Wits was saddled with legacy IT infrastructure that could not support the strategy of online learning and teaching , something crucial as the country practices social distancing in the wake of the COVID-19 .
The legacy IT infrastructure was no longer capable to host the university ’ s learning management system ( LMS ) and could not allow scalability .
Dr Stanley Mpofu , CIO , Wits University , said there was an urgent requirement to move Sakai Learning Management System ( LMS ) from Wits on-premise data centre to the cloud to enhance and facilitate online teaching and learning .
The university then set sights on online learning due to the COVID-19 lockdown as well as ensure availability , security and compliance of its online learning platform . www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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