In 2024, teaching and learning at the University of Cape Town (UCT) set the course for transformative change and strategic improvement across the institution. The year was marked by a series of proactive initiatives designed to enhance student success, streamline processes, and ensure the financial sustainability of teaching and learning operations. The university-wide undergraduate curriculum review across faculties also gained momentum through faculty-specific projects aligned with the Vision 2030 strategy. This work was supported by dedicated funding to ensure alignment with institutional priorities.

In the classroom, UCT’s commitment to excellence was evident in the citations for the Distinguished Teacher Awards, awarded to myself (Mechanical Engineering); Associate Professor George Hull (Philosophy); Dr Yunus Omar (School of Education); and Dr Bianca Tame (Sociology). We demonstrated a sustained commitment to inclusive, transformative education that shaped not only curricula and scholarship, but also the lives of students far beyond the classroom.

A key milestone for the advancement of digital education was the ratification of the Digital and Online Education Policy promoting greater flexibility, accessibility and resilience through digital technologies for teaching. The year 2024 also brought new capabilities to Amathuba, adding support for advanced reporting, student progress tracking and learning analytics, as well as the ability to create engaging interactive content. UCT’s new Learning Store portal introduced a single point of discovery for all UCT’s short courses and professional development opportunities.

The 2024 Teaching and Learning Conference attracted over 260 participants for the theme: “All About Curriculum: New Visions and Future Directions”, with rich discussions on topics such as innovative and responsive curriculum design, promoting epistemic and social justice, the role of language and cultural inclusivity, the integration of digital technologies, and the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) presents for curriculum design and implementation.

Time was spent addressing the rapidly evolving role of AI in education by introducing a dynamic framework for AI in education, signalling the university’s commitment to harnessing technological advances while upholding academic integrity. The use of potentially unreliable AI detection tools in identifying academic misconduct emerged as a concern during these discussions, prompting a decision to treat such AI detector scores as initial flags to stimulate discussion rather than definitive evidence of misconduct. The AI framework is being finalised for adoption in 2025.

Financial sustainability of the institution emerged as a critical priority. The Senate Teaching and Learning Committee analysed student numbers in response to increased throughput, fee concessions, and administrative load on UCT’s finances. These discussions led to strategic proposals for establishing guiding principles that align academic decision-making with the institution’s financial realities. These measures are expected to influence future budgetary planning and safeguard the long-term viability of academic programmes.

Substantial progress was made with several strategic projects. UCT celebrated a successful Council on Higher Education audit and developed proposals to extend promotion opportunities for academics on teaching-rich conditions of service beyond senior lecturer, underscoring the institution’s commitment to academic excellence. Reframed internal academic reviews continued with an updated approach centred on strategic alignment, flexibility, and a transversal approach. This work is supported by the development of a Quality Assurance Framework and a pilot data repository and dashboard to strengthen institutional quality management.

A key focus in 2024 was improving enrolment processes, including how demographic data were collected. Technical system updates were successfully implemented, leading to a significant reduction in incomplete records and bringing to the fore the challenges related to enrolment targeting. Significant work was undertaken to better understand the challenge of tracking applicant registration and diagnosing underlying factors such as funding constraints, accommodation, and administrative delays, all of which are crucial to optimising student recruitment strategies.

The year yielded a diverse yet interlinked set of teaching and learning initiatives, which not only reinforced UCT’s commitment to excellence but also paved the way for future innovations that will shape the academic experience at the institution. The strategic groundwork laid in 2024 promises a more resilient, inclusive, and dynamic teaching and learning environment in the years to come.

Professor Brandon Collier-Reed

DVC: Teaching and Learning