E-Learning Symposium 2022
UKZN E-Learning Symposium 2022
Imagining a Technology-driven Future of Higher Education
Symposium Overview
The UKZN E-learning symposium is a one-day online event that will provide a platform for staff and students to present how they have embraced the evolution of e-learning and online instruction.
The E-learning Symposium provides a critical 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 engage in a blended learning future in Higher Education and beyond.
Symposium Details
- Disruptive teaching approaches
- Innovative assessment methodologies
- Student Experiences/Voices
- Language E-learning matters
- Blended Learning
- Student digital literacy solutions
- Learning analytics
- Reflections from teaching and learning online
- Monitoring and Evaluation of E-learning
- Academic Experiences of Teaching and Learning Online
Keynote Speakers
Professor Curtis J. Bonk
Instructional Systems Technology,
Indiana University
Keynote Title:
Technology Today, Technology Tomorrow: Might Learning Evolutions lead to Learning Revolutions?
Educational technologist Curtis J. Bonk is the author of nearly 400 publications and has given close to 2,000 talks around the world. He is a former software entrepreneur, certified public accountant, corporate controller, and educational psychologist, and currently is an award-winning writer, highly published researcher, an awardee in innovative teaching with technology, and an internationally acclaimed presenter. A professor in the School of Education and adjunct in the School of Informatics at Indiana University (IU), Curt teaches psychology and technology courses. In 2020, he was awarded the IU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology — and in 2021, Curt Bonk received the David H. Jonassen Excellence in Research Award. Recently, the American Educational Research Association named him a 2022 AERA Fellow for his exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. Curt can be found at http://curtbonk.com/ and reached at cjbonk@indiana.edu.
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
Council of Higher Education
Keynote Title:
Quality Assurance in a Hybrid University Setting
Britta Zawada completed her first degrees at SUN with her masters and doctoral studies in Cognitive Linguistics at UNISA. She also holds a postgraduate qualification in teaching (from UP) and in Distance Education and e-Learning (from the University of Maryland in the USA). Britta first started at Stellenbosch and later at UNISA progressing from a contract junior lecturer to eventually being the Chair of the Department of Linguistics at UNISA. She has experience of scientific editing, translation and interpreting, from fields such as geology, theology and linguistics. She ended her 33 years at UNISA with a decade of various leadership roles in the College of Human Sciences, mostly with a focus on teaching and learning and quality assurance. She was awarded the UNISA Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Britta has presented nationally and internationally at conferences, has published 16 articles and a book, as well as supervised both masters and doctoral students in Cognitive Linguistics. She is currently the Director for Institutional Audits at the Council on Higher Education in South Africa.
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
In a rather short period of time, the Coronavirus Pandemic has transformed how instructors teach and how students learn across the globe. Indeed, the changes have affected student and staff populations, diversifying modes of teaching and learning. The pandemic has transformed the culture of teaching and learning. The challenge is how we respond to the cultural shift brought about by lockdown transformation of teaching and learning at UKZN. In a nutshell, current experiences with the pandemic digital transformation of teaching and learning challenge traditional assumptions and practices in higher education. Understanding our successes and strengths and being bold to speak about our failures and unsatisfying experiences of emergency digital teaching and learning and the lessons learned provide us with the principles to reimagine teaching and learning tomorrow. The panel discussion is fundamental to the UKZN community, not just for today’s teaching, learning and emergencies but for future teaching, learning and emergencies, too. This panel gives stakeholders a platform to discuss where we are in our digital transformation journey, giving a roadmap to real transformation. This panel will discuss the process of digital transformation based on a multi-dimensionality of viewpoints to impact teaching and learning experiences in UKZN classrooms.
Panel Discussion Chair
Dr Gbolahan Olasina
Information Studies,
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Dr Gbolahan Olasina is a senior lecturer in the Discipline of Information Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg Campus, South Africa. He is a C2 NRF-rated researcher in the primary research fields of e-learning and digital humanities. Gbolahan has taught at several leading universities in Africa in the last 17 years. His current research passions span the social and cultural effects of technology, the use of more critical, decolonial approaches in Digital Life and EdTech, the evolution of a ‘southern’ theory and methodology in Information Science, socio-informatics, and sustainable development. Gbolahan loves creating software and he publishes impactful papers in reputable journals. His work continues to influence practice and research in Africa and beyond.
Panel Members
Dr Ruwayda Petrus
CHUM
Academic Leader of T&L: School of Applied Human Science
Prof Shenuka Singh
CHUM
Academic Leader of T&L: School of Health Science
Dr Sheetal Soni
CLMS
Academic Leader of T&L: School of Law
Dr Desigan Reddy
CAES
Academic Leader of T&L: School of Chemistry & Physics
Conference Video
Click on the 
icon to view a list of videos in this playlist.
E-Learning Symposium is Funded by
Educational technologist Curtis J. Bonk is the author of nearly 400 publications and has given close to 2,000 talks around the world. He is a former software entrepreneur, certified public accountant, corporate controller, and educational psychologist, and currently is an award-winning writer, highly published researcher, an awardee in innovative teaching with technology, and an internationally acclaimed presenter. A professor in the School of Education and adjunct in the School of Informatics at Indiana University (IU), Curt teaches psychology and technology courses. In 2020, he was awarded the IU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology — and in 2021, Curt Bonk received the David H. Jonassen Excellence in Research Award. Recently, the American Educational Research Association named him a 2022 AERA Fellow for his exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. Curt can be found at http://curtbonk.com/ and reached at cjbonk@indiana.edu.
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.
Submission Process
- Submit a portfolio of evidence on how you meet the eligibility criteria
- Submit a two minute creative
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be a registered student in the 2022 academic year
- Minimum Performance – Distinction (75%) for the 2020 or 2021 academic year at UKZN
- Active participant in community engagement or university service during 2020 or 2021 academic year (this may include collaboration or outstanding contribution towards a project/programme, School, College or innovative education engagement.