A number of key South African universities have reported good progress with online learning for their students since the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the country ’ s lockdown situation . This is encouraging , as it means the wheels of learning are able to continue turning , but it also brings serious issues around data and bandwidth provision .

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Storage General Manager at Value Added Distributor , Networks Unlimited Africa , explains : “ Before the pandemic , growing data consumption meant that the demand for bandwidth had already resulted in a race between consumers ’ appetites and providers ’ best efforts to supply it . Today , as the world moves ever more swiftly into remote working and learning , the implications for bandwidth are more critical than ever .

“ University life , with its emphasis on teaching the young professionals of tomorrow as well as its critical focuses on technology and medical research , plays a hugely important role in the quest to make sure that data provision is able to match demand .” ProLabs , a global leader in optical networking infrastructure , is rising to this challenge for universities , as well as other vertical sectors . The company , whose solutions are distributed in sub-Saharan Africa by Networks Unlimited Africa , notes that : “ Universities are adjusting to the influx of e-learning and tele-education in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic . There are complex and varying digital infrastructure components that need to function properly to support the day-to-day operations of a university , from enrolment , to payment , to online coursework , to library and databases , research , web applications for learning and more .”

From a local perspective , the following three universities – to name just a few – have reported a solid online learning response to the COVID-19 pandemic :

• The University of Cape Town will move the rest of its academic year online as a result of the pandemic .

• The University of Johannesburg says attendance of its online classes during the lockdown has been better than physical attendance for the same period last year .

• The University of Pretoria discloses that the vast majority of its lecturers and students managed to move relatively seamlessly into remote teaching and learning .

According to ProLabs , universities – as key centres of learning – need to adapt right now to changes in the following scenarios :

• Security : Both students and lecturers are accessing university networks from outside the on-premises network , which exposes potential security gaps .

• Increased reliance on cloud communication and collaboration platforms : Universities need to develop new student engagement platforms to provide robust learning opportunities , including virtual campus visits , new student orientation and virtual lecture rooms .

• Operational intelligence : With the current need to engage in contact tracing in a bid to prevent and control future outbreaks of the virus , university infrastructures will also need to support operational intelligence models through multiple learning modalities that could include video , mobile device data and applications . •

INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS

INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 34

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