What is it? A dedicated team of specialists that helps staff and students create meaningful learning experiences through the integration of technology.
Why is it important? The educational technology environment and the demands of the world of work change rapidly – we have to remain leaders in both fields.
How does it help? Blended Learning Innovation Support and Services (BLISS) allows for the deployment and delivery of services ranging from curriculum and learning design, content production and development, online assessment, staff and student training and development, and maintenance and review of the educational technology environment.
Academic Staff Development
The Academic Staff and Leadership Development (ASLD) team strives to increase innovation and excellence in teaching and learning practices through innovative and ongoing academic development and support practices. The main interventions offered by ASLD include:
- Orientation for newly appointed academic staff;
- Learning and teaching-related developmental courses focusing on teaching, assessment, and curriculum design;
- The Excellence in Learning and Teaching awards and conference, which rewards innovative teaching practices at the UFS; and
- Continuous consultation with and development of nominated Heads of Department and potential future university leaders through the Academic Leadership Programme.
Teaching Portfolio
As part of the UFS Academic Performance Framework, the Centre for Teaching and Learning supports the development of Teaching Portfolios. A template provides a framework for academic staff in the development of these portfolios.
Contact
E: asld@ufs.ac.za
Curriculum design
Learning Design
The Learning Design team works closely with academic and support staff to promote and assist with the integration of technology in teaching and learning practices through sound pedagogical principles, including the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of online/ blended learning practices.
Learning and Emerging Technology
The digital learning and teaching environment is governed and overseen by the Educational Technology and Learning Space Committee (ETLS). Learning and emerging technologies are collaboratively reviewed by a multi-stakeholder group with clearly outlined process flow and approval structures. Critical aspects considered in the review of these technologies include academic need, benchmarking with other national and international higher education institutions, technology infrastructure and requirements, integration, data privacy (POPIA/GDPR), support, and total costs of ownership.
Multimedia Content Development and Production
The graphic design team at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is committed to delivering high-quality multimedia design solutions fitted to learning and teaching purposes. Our main objective is to seamlessly integrate graphics into digital learning content while creating various internal digital distributions. Whether staff need visually engaging educational graphics, interactive learning materials, or captivating presentations, our team is dedicated to enhancing their educational content.
Contact
E: mmd@ufs.ac.za
Student Technology Training and Support
Student support and development for the effective use of technology in teaching and learning is a core service provided by the BLISS team. The BLISS team also supports students in the use of Blackboard, as well as general skills to be an effective 21st-century student.
Online Assessment
The purpose of the online assessment team is to support and consult with academic staff in the design and development of innovative online assessments. The online assessment team has worked to implement and execute online assessments on the institutional assessment platform. Their duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to assisting academics and academic support staff in the creation of online assessments, scheduling time for students to write the assessments, and pulling reports and analytics to facilitate the evaluation and quality assurance of the assessments. The team also provides training in the design and development of objective assessments, online assessment best practices at higher education institutions, and the use of the UFS assessment platform and LMS for setting up online assessments.