College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2021 23 Following on the experience of 2020, the CBE remained resilient in, and responsive to, a highly challenging teaching and learning environment. Teaching and Learning OVERVIEW The College’s teaching and learning portfolio is steered through the leadership of the Vice-Dean, Prof Sivan Chetty. Following on the experience of 2020, the CBE remained resilient in, and responsive to, a highly challenging teaching and learning environment. The surge in the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus pushed the country into a fourth wave of the pandemic, resulting in stricter lockdown restrictions. The pandemic pervaded virtually every area of family, social and economic life, leaving a trail of hardship and despair. The instability created by the July 2021 riots simply added to the prevailing high levels of uncertainty, as those events laid bare the underlying vulnerabilities of the country. It was under these conditions that educational institutions endeavoured to maintain a stable academic environment. To this end, teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) at UJ continued to take place in an online, remote setting in 2021, as in 2020. Academic staff members remained both steadfast and innovative in ensuring a TLA environment that would enable a credible academic experience for students. With 15 063 undergraduate (UG) students enrolled for 537 modules in 49 programmes, a module success rate of 88,2% was achieved, above the institutional rate of 87,4%, and with close to 4 200 students expected to graduate. The decline in the UG module success rate from 2020 to 2021 may be deemed as a correction, given the unusually high rate experienced in the former year. When compared to 2019, the success rate increased by close to 3%. TEACHING AND LEARNING INNOVATIONS IN 2021 An innovative spirit continued to permeate the corridors of the CBE, with academic staff members exploring and/or introducing new approaches, content, and courses in the teaching and learning environment. Below are some of the key initiatives undertaken in 2021. Several initiatives are also planned for 2022, including those that are in progress from 2020. Prof Sivan Chetty Vice-Dean: Teaching and Learning College of Business and Economics
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