Amathuba migration update

Dear colleagues and students

With the end of the year fast approaching, we’d like to update you about the migration from Vula to Amathuba, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) new digital learning platform. We are currently in Phase 2 of the migration, where most second- and third-year courses are migrating to Amathuba for teaching on the platform in 2024.

The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) will migrate these second- and third-year courses in several batches, with the next batch scheduled for November 2023:

• November 2023 – January 2024

These are whole year courses starting in the first semester of 2024. The deadline for selecting your conversion option is 20 October 2023.

• February – May 2024

These are courses starting in the second half of 2024. The deadline for selecting your conversion option is 3 February 2024.

Once a course has been converted from Vula, relevant course convenors will be contacted by a CILT learning designer during the above-mentioned conversion periods. Academic staff who have chosen full site conversion service will need to make time to meet with a learning designer during any one of the above conversion periods and rework and check their sites before teaching begins in the new year.

Non-teaching or student support sites

If you own a non-teaching or student support site on Vula, please use the self-service tool to convert your site to Amathuba. From 2024, communication via announcements for first-, second- and third-year students should come from Amathuba.

Support and training

Support and training are recommended for all staff, whether you have opted for CILT-supported or self-service conversion:

1. Guided training: this training takes you step-by-step through the process of learning to use the Amathuba platform. Sign up for the training.
2. Self-paced Amathuba course: this is an alternative to the in-person training.
3. Design Studio (mid-October to end of November): this training supports course redesign for Amathuba. Find out more and sign up.

You can also access some of our quick guides. These can be used as standalone resources or to supplement your training on Amathuba.

For additional support, you can:

• schedule one-on-one consultations: to take you through creating content on your Amathuba course or work through a teaching and learning challenge with a learning designer
• contact the CILT Helpdesk.

Course evaluations on Amathuba

UCT’s new course evaluations system, Explorance Blue, will go live during October 2023 for courses currently being taught on Amathuba. Staff training is scheduled for 11 October 2023. Sign up for the training.

Courses taught on Vula should continue to use the Vula Course Evaluations module, as Explorance Blue will not be integrated with Vula.

For support with the setup and administration of a course evaluation on Amathuba for a specific course, contact the CILT Helpdesk or call 021 650 5500, between 09:00 and 17:00 on weekdays (Monday–Friday).

Short course eCommerce portal (Course Merchant)

The implementation of Course Merchant has started. Course Merchant is an online short course catalogue integrated with UCT’s PayU payment gateway and Amathuba. Prospective students will be able to browse, select and pay course fees online, and will then be automatically enrolled in their selected course on Amathuba. Course Merchant will be available to units managing short courses on a cost-recovery basis.

If you are interested in participating in the Course Merchant implementation pilot, please contact the CILT Helpdesk.

Sincerely

Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements