University of South Africa Unisa Open Distance Learning

ODeL is a different way of learning… there is a physical distance between you and your university. For most of us, this means that our previous learning experiences will not have prepared us for the Unisa study journey. In open distance e-learning, YOU are responsible for planning your studies and managing your time effectively. You don’t attend daily lectures. You learn from a distance and you connect to the university mostly via the internet. If you completed your previous qualifications at a residential institution, it is especially important that you think about the adjustments you need to make to be a successful Unisa student.
But this doesn’t mean that you are on your own. Unisa has a number of support services for our students – from tutorial support and counselling, to online tools. The “distance” in open distance e-learning means that most of your interactions with Unisa will take place at a distance – mostly in digital format.

Your study material

Your study material will consist of written content, whether on paper (eg prescribed books or textbooks) or online (eg myUnisa), instead of listening to a teacher or lecturer in a classroom. In some instances, Unisa provides access to computers and the internet at our regional offices and other partner organisations, but you should have your own computer and access to the internet.

Your study world

The best way to cope with open distance e-learning is to take full responsibility for your own learning experience and environment. Your study world will be the environment you create – a room at home, a desk somewhere at work and, of course, the connections you make and the virtual networks you develop.

Your time

You will also need to remind your friends, family and work colleagues that your studies demand a lot from you, because they will probably forget that you are studying and make demands on your time.