Vision
At North-West University, we envision a future where our staff are empowered with the digital skills and knowledge necessary to lead in an increasingly technology-driven world, by establishing a Digital Academy for our employees.
Through our Digital Academy, NWU is dedicated to nurturing the professional growth and digital fluency of our staff, enabling them to thrive in a dynamic academic environment and contribute to the university's mission of excellence in education.
Mission
Our mission is to foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and professional excellence among our staff. By establishing a Digital Academy for our employees, we aim to:
- Enhance Professional Development: Provide our staff with cutting-edge digital skills and knowledge, empowering them to excel in their roles and adapt to the ever-evolving educational landscape.
- Promote Technological Proficiency: Equip our staff with the latest digital tools and technologies, ensuring they can efficiently utilize and integrate these resources into their daily work and teaching practices.
- Encourage Lifelong Learning: Support our employees' continuous growth and development by offering flexible, accessible, and relevant learning opportunities that align with their professional goals and aspirations.
- Foster Innovation and Creativity: Cultivate an environment where staff can explore new ideas, experiment with innovative approaches, and contribute to the advancement of the university's educational mission.
- Strengthen Collaboration and Community: Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and knowledge sharing, fostering a cohesive and supportive community of learners and educators within the university.
- Enhance Student Success: By investing in our staff's professional development, we ultimately enhance the quality of education and support services provided to our students, ensuring their success and satisfaction.
Initial focus
Continue with existing offerings and include it in the broader Digital Academy offerings. Partnerships between CTL, Library, AI Steering Committee and the Digital Academy must be formalised and initial discussions have taken place. The initial focus of the Academy is:
- Make existing digital training opportunities more visible. Formalise certification and integration with HR system.
- Artificial Intelligence, working with the AI Steering Group. Broad AI-literacy and AI-adoption will distinguish NWU from others.
- Cyber Security – Awareness campaigns and training.
- Data literacy (Security, privacy, classification, governance) in collaboration with Information Governance and the DASOM project.
- Other smaller initiatives: Digital signatures, storage at NWU, Teams capabilities and Digital Telephony.
The programs and courses will expand as the Academy grows and become more mature.
Method of delivery
NWU will implement a variety of modes of delivery to ensure flexibility, accessibility, and engagement. Although not all of the following will be used from day one, it is our view that as the Academy becomes mature this will be the mix of modes:
Online Courses and Modules:
Self-paced Learning: Courses that staff can complete at their own pace, allowing them to balance professional development with their existing responsibilities and Instructor-led Courses: Scheduled courses with live instruction, offering real-time interaction with instructors and peers.
Webinars and Live Workshops:
Interactive Webinars: Real-time online seminars on specific topics, featuring expert speakers and interactive Q&A sessions and Virtual Workshops: Hands-on sessions where staff can learn and practice new skills in a collaborative online environment.
Blended Learning:
Hybrid Courses: Combining online and face-to-face instruction, allowing staff to benefit from both digital flexibility and in-person interaction. Flipped Classroom: Staff engage with online content before attending interactive in-person or virtual sessions to apply their learning.
Microlearning:
Short Learning Modules: Bite-sized lessons focused on specific skills or topics, designed for quick consumption and easy integration into daily routines. Video Tutorials: Brief, focused video lessons that demonstrate specific tasks or concepts.
Collaborative Learning Platforms:
Discussion Forums: Online platforms where staff can ask questions, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects. Peer Learning Groups: Small groups of staff who learn together, share experiences, and support each other’s development. Communities of Practice where staff can engage around a specific topic.
Mentoring and Coaching:
Virtual Mentoring Programs: Experienced staff mentor others through online platforms, providing guidance and support.
One-on-One Coaching: Personalized coaching sessions conducted online to address specific professional development needs.
Learning Management Systems (LMS):
Centralized Learning Portal: A comprehensive platform where staff can access all digital academy resources, track their progress, and receive support.
On-demand Resources:
Digital Libraries: Access to a wide range of digital books, articles, and research papers. Resource Repositories: Collections of templates, guides, and toolkits that staff can use as reference materials.
By offering these diverse modes of delivery, NWU's Digital Academy can meet the varied learning preferences and needs of its staff, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Planned architecture
Certification
Digital badges will be implemented over time. They are a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that can be earned in various learning environments.
At least four “Caps Off” ceremonies will be organised per annum to give recognition for achievements. More about this later.