The distribution of responses were fairly equal among the faculties, with 60, 2% of senior students and 24, 1% responding to the survey. The provisional data indicate that 71, 3% of students are in favour of online learning and teaching with only 28, 7% saying no to the option.
One of the interesting provisional findings is the preference of smart phones, with more than 24 000 respondents indicating this is the device they use for online communication.
Prof Stanley Mukhola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Teaching, Learning and Technology, said the provisional results are very encouraging. “We will share the data with the higher education sector at the Universities South Africa forum meeting taking place today, to assist in paving the way forward for the remainder of the academic year. During today’s meeting, the draft sector framework will be thrashed out, which will greatly assist TUT in implementing the necessary actions to help students complete the academic year.”
“TUT Management would like to thank students and staff for their patience and support during the present crisis. We understand students’ anxiety about their academic futures and would like to assure them that the University, in collaboration with the higher education sector, are working tirelessly to find feasible solutions to ensure students can complete the year, but more importantly, that no student is left behind,” Prof Mukhola concluded.