College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2021 7 Maintaining the integrity of assessment in the online environment was critical. At an initial College meeting, a contingency plan involving a College-wide shift to continuous assessment was set up, gradually evolving into detailed module assessment plans. A range of models of continuous assessment emerged, both with and without a final assessment opportunity, as best appropriate to individual disciplines. Moderation practices were also adjusted in terms of time constraints and logistical issues. An internal proctoring system was able to confirm who was taking the assessment but could not eliminate collusion. Some use was also made of artificial intelligence approaches to compare scripts where collusion might be suspected. In all, the College felt assured that adequate checks and balances were in place to maintain the integrity of the assessments. Student performance showed that our approaches had indeed been successful. Module success rates increased overall from 85% to 90%. The student dropout rate had decreased from 12% to 11,7% in 2021 but was well in line with the five-year trend of -0,8% year-on-year. Governance of the changed approaches to course delivery was professionally managed under the leadership of the deanery, directors of schools, and heads of departments. The development of teaching, learning, and assessment plans at the College level guided schools and departments in developing their plans. Monitoring of progress took the form of weekly reports to the deanery. Blackboard Module Activity Reports played an essential role in monitoring student activity. These reports often tended to indicate lower student activity than expected. Yet, it became clear that students were downloading all the material at once and then working offline in their own time. However, student activity picked up significantly during assessments when students had to be on Blackboard. In 2022, the CBE will follow a hybrid teaching and learning model consisting of in-person and online engagements. The 80% contact and 20% online ratio will serve as a broad guide for the combination of in-person and online activities, especially for first-year undergraduate students. However, we expect variation across the various departments’ modules due to differences among disciplines and enrolment sizes. The College will continue to innovate and advance the teaching and learning environment. There is still need for critical reflection on teaching pedagogies and how they can be optimally given effect in a blended or online learning environment, taking into consideration the learning profile of students in an environment of rapid technological change. Critical reflection is also needed around assessments, to develop strategies that would more meaningfully evaluate the attainment of expected learning outcomes. UNDERGRADUATE ENRICHMENT MODULES UJ hosts two undergraduate online enrichment modules (African Insights and AI in 4IR), of which students need to complete one. Between 2017 and 2021, some 2 584 CBE students had completed either the enrichment module African Insights or AI in 4IR. ONLINE PROGRAMMES The CBE hosts six non-subsidised online programmes, namely Advanced Diplomas in Financial Markets, Logistics, People Performance Management, Transportation Management, a BCom (Accountancy), and a Bachelor (Human Resource Management). CONTINUING EDUCATION The delivery of continuing education programmes (CEPs) has again been a growth area in the College during 2021, focusing on 4IR (4IR Ethics for Accountants, 4IR Ethics for Professionals in Business, 4IR Perspectives for Accounting, 4IR Perspectives for Professionals in Business, Advanced Technology Systems in Quality Management 4.0, An Introduction to Blockchain Technology for Accountants, An Introduction to Blockchain Technology for Professionals in Business, Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives for Accountants, Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives for Professionals in Business, Computational Intelligence for industry, Innovation Series: Industry 4IR, Intelligent System Development, Operational Excellence Strategy with Digital Transformation, Policy Governance of 4IR in Africa, Principles and Applications of the 4IR in Power and Energy Industry). Overall in 2021, CBE CEP enrolment has grown by 10% to 7 232 students. RESEARCH AND INNOVATION The year 2021 has been encouraging from the perspective of research and innovation. At the time of writing this report, the number of research output units submitted had grown from 454 in 2020 to 602 in 2021 (+32%). The CBE submitted around 955 individual publications in 2021, compared to the 686 in 2020.
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