Greetings, and welcome to the First-Year Experience (FYE) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), also referred to as FYE MOOC.
This MOOC serves as an orientation for your academic journey at Unisa – Africa’s largest Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
institution.
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FYE MOOC Orientation
Structure
This MOOC is structured into “units” and “sessions”, with
each session focusing on a dedicated theme.
Duration
This MOOC should take you thirty (30) minutes to
complete.
Self Reflection Activities
These activities are for your own benefit.
Tasks (Submission Required) on Page 16
Each session includes activities to assess the knowledge gained.
Look out for this icon!
You must complete all the activities to
successfully complete the MOOC.
We look forward to your participation in the MOOC and hope you enjoy this
journey with us.
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Units making up the FYE MOOC
Units
01
v
You @UNISA: A sense of support & belonging
02
Adjusting to and succeeding at Unisa
03
Beyond your first year at Unisa
04
Wrap-up and Final Tasks
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Unit 1: YOU @UNISA: A SENSE OF SUPPORT & BELONGING
Before you proceed, let’s take a moment to understand what an Open Distance E-Learning (ODeL) institution is and what
this means for you as a first-time student. Unisa is one of the world's mega universities and it is the largest open distance
and e-learning (ODeL) institution in Africa (Unisa, 2018).
Unisa Regional Centres
Unisa campuses
There are also regional
The main campus and the
Sunnyside campus are both
in Pretoria, and the Science
campus is in Florida in
Johannesburg.
centres that you can visit.
See the: Directions to Unisa
Regional Centres
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1.1. Residential vs Open distance eLearning (ODeL)
See the table below to understand how Unisa, as an ODeL institution, is different from a residential (traditional) university
Residential
ODeL
At a residential institution, you physically attend
classes at a particular location. You get to see and
interact with the lecturer, and, often, other
classmates as well. This is the more traditional
route to education and learning.
This option means that you aren’t physically
present in classes. You study on your own and at
your own pace. Naturally, this option requires
more self-discipline.
VS
Communication
Communication
Verbal and nonverbal
Virtual, through videos and chat forums,
downloads, and uploads
.
Learning Materials
Learning Materials
Real time access to textbooks and lecture notes
.
Textbooks, e-books and Lecture notes are
available 24/7.
Process of Learning
Process of Learning
Real time and specific time frames for discussions
.
Virtual, any time.
Feedback and Interaction
Feedback and Interaction
Any time, but subject to lecturers’ availability;
usually a 24hr turnaround time
Immediate through visual and verbal models, but time
constrained
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1.2. Digital abilities: Skills you need to succeed
Learning at an Open Distance eLearning institution
Learning at an Open Distance eLearning institution is largely enabled through technology. Therefore, to ensure a swift transition to learning and support, you will need
access to a computer and the internet and you will also need connectivity. Together, these will enable you to access online resources and assessments, as well as to
submit examinations and other academic tasks conveniently.
Digital literacy
An important skill to acquire and continuously develop is digital
literacy, as doing so will allow you to navigate the ODeL
environment.
Reflection Activity
Please reflect on your current digital literacy skills and think
of ways to develop those skills that you will need to succeed
by clicking here.
Tips on becoming a successful Unisa student.
Watch tips on how to become a successful Unisa student.
Please click on the link in your menu called Unit 1.2 Video
Digital Access Centres
Facilities that provide internet access to registered
students who live in remote rural locations. Click here for
more information.
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1.3. Learning Your Portal Environment
MyUnisa
MyUnisa
myLife
myUnisa is the University’s online
student portal. Here, you’ll be able to
download everything, including your
tutorial letters. Registering on
myUnisa is one of the first things
you’ll need to do once you have your
student number.
The University provides all registered
students with a free myLife e-mail address.
Your myLife e-mail account will be the only
e-mail account recognised by Unisa for
official correspondence to and from the
University and will remain your official
primary e-mail address on record at Unisa.
myAdmin
MyAdmin is the new administrative section of
myUnisa. You can use myAdmin to access and
update your personal information, as well as
view your academic information, such as
academic records and examination timetables.
myModules
myModules provides you with access to all your current module
sites, as well as to project sites if you are linked to any. Here,
you can access your profile, marks/grades, preferences and
submit your assessments.
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1.4. Accessing support services during your first year at Unisa
First Year Experience (FYE) Support Site
The First Year Experience (FYE) Support Site was created to afford you easy
access to all the University’s resources. It is quick and easy to self-enroll once you
have successfully registered. For now, you can visit our website FYE Experience at
Unisa or contact the FYE team at fye@unisa.ac.za.
FYE Telegram
The FYE Team has a
dedicated Telegram group
that you can join to ensure
that you have all Unisa
updates and communication
at your fingertips.You will be
sent a link to join this group
once registered.
Tuition support
Counselling and Career
Development
Tuition support provides an enabling
environment for students to gain
access to support services that will
make it possible for them to succeeed
in their studies.
Click here to find out more about the
user interface and how myUnisa is
structured, as well as how to tell the
difference between a module site and
an e-tutor group site.
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Counselling and Career
Development supports
students before, during and
after their Unisa studies.
The following services are
offered:
• Career guidance
• Academic guidance,
and
• Personal guidance
Click here for more
information
.
Unit 2: Adjusting to and succeeding at Unisa
Being a responsible online student: plagiarism and referencing 101
Plagiarism
is presenting someone else's work or ideas
as your own, with or without their consent,
by incorporating it into your work without full
acknowledgement.
Referencing
is used to tell the reader where ideas
from other sources have been used in
an assignment. There are many
reasons why it is important to
reference sources correctly. It shows
the reader that you can find and use
sources to create a solid argument
and it properly credits the originators
of ideas, theories, and research
findings.
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Being responsible
Unisa believes that academic success
requires motivation, constant
engagement, and hard work.
We, therefore, implore you to submit your
assessments on time and participate in
the learning activities designed to assist
your learning journey.
2.1 Understanding credits
You may not register for
more than the allowed
maximum number of
credits/modules per
semester:
Credits are the number of
notional study hours required
to achieve the learning
outcomes. Notional hours
include study time,
assignments, and
examinations. The credit
rating system rates 10 notional
hours as equivalent to one
credit.
•
•
Credits
60 NQF credits (5
modules of 12
credits each) in a
semester; and
120 NQF credits
(10 modules of 12
credits each) per
year for year
modules.
Number of credits
Understanding
credits
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2.2. Understanding : NQFS/Co & Prerequisites
Each Unisa qualification is
structured in such a way that
you need to pass a certain
number of NQF-level credits
within a certain amount of
time to graduate.
Qualifications require a
certain number of credits,
broken down into smaller
units.
At Unisa, undergraduate
modules are usually made up
of 12 credits
Co-requisites ensure that you
build your knowledge and
progress through your studies
appropriately. A co-requisite
is a module that must be
taken at the same time as
another course.
If a module has recommended
prerequisites, then this is the
background knowledge you
need to undertake the
succeeding unit. This means
that there is a module or
course that must be
completed prior to registering
for the course concerned.
NQFs
Co -requisite
Prerequisite
NQFS/
Co &
Prerequisites
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2.3. Choosing your modules
Available time
Reflection Activity
You must take your available time into
consideration when choosing your
modules, as this will impact your
academic performance.
Reflect on the information provided
and plan how much time per week you
will need for your studies.
Time needed
You need approximately:
•
6 to 8 hours per week for
semester modules.
•
4 to 6 hours per week for
year modules.
.
NSFAS & Bursary students
For funded students (on NSAFS and other
bursaries) please see all funding-related
information here.
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UNIT 3: Ensuring a successful first year: Progression rules
3.1. Beyond your first year at Unisa: Choosing modules for your next registration
Reflection Activity
How many modules should
you register for?
Before you choose modules for your next
registration, make sure that you understand the
curriculum for your qualification.
Create a document for yourself to
capture your planning to complete
your qualification. Check that you
understand the rules for your
qualification
Reflect on how you managed in
the previous semester – make
adjustments either in terms of the
number of modules, or how you
approach your studies
Essential steps
1. Mark modules you’ve already passed.
2. Select the module(s) you plan to register for during the next
semester.
3. Check that you meet the prerequisites and co-requisites for
your chosen modules, and
4. Ensure the selected modules fall within the curriculum.
Your time: You will need between 6
and 8 hours per week for semester
modules and between 4 and 6 hours
per week for year modules.
Minimum number of modules: The minimum number of credits to be
passed annually is 36 in your first year of study and then 48 credits in
your second or further years of study.
Maximum number of modules: You may not register for more than 60
NQF credits in a semester, that is, not more than 5 modules per
semester of 12 credits each. This does not include supplementary
and/or aegrotat examinations which you may have been granted in a
previous academic year.
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3.2. Progression rules
Unisa prescribes a set of minimum standards with which students must comply to ensure their continued registration with the University. These are set out in the
Admission Policy.
Prescribed maximum period
•
Academic exclusion
•
•
The Senate may
decide to exclude
students based on
poor academic
performance.
Academically
excluded students
may appeal to the
Executive Dean of
the relevant college.
•
Maximum period
Students who do not
complete a qualification
within the prescribed
maximum period will be
excluded from further
registration.
Students who are currently
excluded or suspended from
another institution on the
grounds of misconduct will
not be considered for
admission.
How is the maximum period
calculated?
The maximum periods
(including deferment) in
which a qualification must be
completed are as follows:
• 20 credits: 4 years
• 240 credits: 6 years
• 360 credits: 8 years
• 80 credits: 10 years
•
•
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Each year in which the student was registered at
Unisa is included in the calculation of the period
of registration, and not just the years in which
the student was registered for a particular
qualification.
In the case of a student who has completed a
formal degree or diploma and is registered for a
second or further qualification, only the years of
registration after the completion of the degree or
diploma will be considered in calculating the
study period in respect of the second or further
qualification.
Unit 4: Wrap up
✓ Technology in an ODeL
Well
done!
Well
done!
You
have
come
the
end
the
MOOC!
You
have
come
toto
the
end
ofof
the
MOOC!
We
hope
you
have
gained
a lot
useful
We
hope
you
have
gained
a lot
ofof
useful
information
about
studying
through
Unisa
information
about
studying
through
Unisa
✓ Support services at Unisa
To recap
✓ Choosing your modules
✓ Progression rules
Final Tasks Below
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Tasks
SUBMISSION TIME – TASK 1
Click on the link in the menu as illustrated and complete the survey
DOWNLOAD TIME – TASK 2
Now that you have completed each Unit, please download a quick guide that may provide insight into the next steps in your academic journey.
The guides, in multiple languages, are located under the Resources folder -> Guides folder.
SUBMISSION TIME – TASK 3
To access your compulsory Self-Assessment, click on Tests & Quizzes and then on Self-assessment.
Once you have completed this self-assessment activity you will receive a confirmation email.
Upon completion of the self-assessment, please note that you are required to wait for ten minutes (10) to be able to access the offer
acceptance portal. You will then click on the link below to accept the offer once the 10 minutes has passed or alternatively go to step 5 of the
application process "Application outcomes" to accept the offer.
Click here to access the application tool
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