Rhodes Business School partners with eLearnAfrica To Develop A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

PRESS RELEASE – Accra, Ghana (November 3, 2022) – Recognized as one of the leading business schools for its focus on sustainability and ethical leadership, Rhodes Business School has entered into a partnership with eLearnAfrica to develop a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), to fulfil the School’s goal of enabling its AMBA accredited MBA to reach into Africa and beyond, like never before.

Professor Owen Skae, Director of Rhodes Business School, says that the eLearnAfrica-supported VLE will be launched and operational from 2024. “We have learnt two things from the pandemic. Returning to the old ‘business as usual model’ of ‘chalk and talk’ is not going to happen like it used to. At the same time, running Zoom or Teams sessions, and just displaying your power-point slides does not suffice. Students and lecturers want the best in both the virtual and the physical teaching world. That is key! The virtual mode provides convenience and flexibility. The physical mode provides immersion and human engagement that we still need. We know that our students still value the opportunity to come to Rhodes University, given that it is such a unique and special institution.”

The common denominator is having the necessary technology enablement to provide the best teaching and learning experience for students, whilst creating a virtual classroom environment for academic staff to deliver effectively and efficiently, regardless of the mode of delivery. “Getting the state-of-the-art VLE platform that was needed, required to partner with someone who knows what they are doing. Students need the right balance of synchronous and asynchronous interaction that only a top-class VLE can bring. That partner is eLearnAfrica”, says Skae.

The VLE will provide the full suite of synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning applications to ensure that the Rhodes Business School MBA continues to be the transformative experience it is renowned for. The partnership with ELearnAfrica brings immersion, flexibility, and convenience.

The VLE-enabled MBA will allow the current six two-week block attendances (i.e. three blocks in Year 1 and three blocks in Year 2) to be reduced to one two-week block in each year (i.e. one block in each of Year 1 and Year 2), for the invaluable face-face synchronous delivery mode.

The Rhodes Business School’s essence is ‘Leadership for Sustainability’. Leadership and sustainability principles underline all subjects in the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on business continuity, and achieving a balance between economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The School applies its unique 4E (Economy, Ethics, Ecology, and Equity) model in its teaching and learning practice.

The Rhodes MBA is a coursework degree comprising 13 courses (made up of 12 core courses and 1 elective) and a mini-thesis of 15,000 words. The degree is offered on a part-time, modular basis over two years or on a full-time, modular basis over one and a half years.

About eLearnAfrica
In 2016, eLearnAfrica entered a partnership agreement with the Association of African Universities (AAU); one that would expand online learning opportunities for students enrolled in the AAU’s over 400 member institutions and other universities not yet under the umbrella of the prestigious AAU. The target was to make educational opportunities available to about 10 million African students. In pursuing this agenda, the AAU-eLearnAfricaLMS launched at the 15th Quadrennial AAU General Conference of African University Leaders, on 7th July 2021.

About Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research-intensive university located in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes owes its unique character among South African universities to a combination of factors – historical, geographical, cultural and architectural. Its history is a chronicle of the people whose intellect, vision and courage created and sustained a university, often against seemingly insuperable odds. Successive generations of its alumni, imbued with their independence of thought, have had an influence on southern Africa and world affairs out of all proportion to their small numbers. It is known as the institution ‘Where leaders learn’. Rhodes Business School was founded in 2000.

For any inquiries and assistance, kindly contact: admin@elearnafrica.com / aaulms@aau.org