In 2017, in response to the decolonial discussions ongoing within UJ, a team within the Academic Development Centre (ADC) developed an online selfpaced short-learning programme (SLP) called African Insights. This SLP was offered free of charge to all UJ students and staff. Based on the success of this SLP and in light of UJ’s new strategic direction related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), in 2020, the Centre for Academic Technologies (CAT) began offering another online, self-paced (thus asynchronous) free SLP to UJ staff and students, titled Artificial Intelligence in the 4IR. By 2021, both SLPs were also made available to the public. CAT now offers eleven free online self-paced SLPs to UJ students, staff, and the public, with a merit-based e-certificate awarded upon completion of the course. These SLPs serve three broad purposes: (1) enhancing employability in the future world of work through basic skills-focused offerings – the two SLPs on information literacy and the suite of SLPs on Excel, Word, Presentation and MS Teams for the workplace exemplify this purpose; (2) world-relevant topics foregrounding African perspectives and insights – the African Insights, Introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals and Artificial Intelligence in the 4IR exemplify this second purpose; and (3) personal life enhancement, with the SLPs on Financial Literacy and on Being a Responsible Digital Citizenship exemplifying this purpose. By the end of 2024, cumulative completion numbers in all the free self-paced SLPs were close to 100 000. A key challenge for free self-paced online SLPs (or MOOCs) is ensuring high completion rates. Typically, the completion rate in free MOOCs worldwide is between five and ten per cent of enrolment (Henderikx et al. 2017; Jordan 2014; Reich & Ruiperez-Valiente 2019). With UJ’s free online SLPs, we have pushed completion rates to 34% by 2024. This has been achieved through a conscious effort to design online learning experiences that foreground student engagement. Research indicates that student engagement is crucial for successful learning (Northey et al. 2015; Tinto 2014), particularly in online environments (Chiu 2022; Everett 2015). Student engagement can be defined as some form of active and meaningful involvement – emotionally, cognitively and behaviourally – by students in their learning (Fredricks et al. 2004; Kuh 2009). This article outlines how we utilised various UJ Moodle tools and facilitation strategies to enhance student engagement in UJ’s free online SLPs. In all these SLPs, we are informed by social justice regarding the content, design, and delivery of the SLPs.1 1 Note the difference between inclusive language and a social justice lens. When we follow a decolonial critique, how ‘inclusive’ is used in several contexts implies bringing the ‘other’ into a ‘norm’ without actually changing the norm. Those included then must adapt to the norm. Social justice, on the other hand, is about changing the ‘norm’ or the system altogether. CAT now offers eleven free online self-paced SLPs to UJ students, staff, and the public, with a merit-based e-certificate awarded upon completion of the course. 13 A Journey of Innovation
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