Staff Support

Home » Teaching and Learning » ADS » Centre for Academic Technologies (CAT) » Staff Support

Cat

CAT Staff Support

CAT functions in three core areas, overseen by a process management approach, to deliver the required services. The three core areas include:

  1. Community Support in innovative teaching & learning technologies
  2. Teaching and Learning Advise & Support
  3. Technical Support

The objectives that support the work of each of the three components are to support community-based management processes; provide scaffolded and just-in-time support; drive transformative learning practices and promote the use of cross-platform technologies.. In addition, CAT strives to stimulate the use of academic teaching, learning, and assessment technologies through engagement with all UJ communities.

uLink

CAT is responsible for the development and upkeep of uLink, UJ’s single sign-on access to the student and staff portal. uLink is easily accessible on mobile phones and prepares the UJ community for a mobile future. It has merged all university-wide services into one integrated website, available here​. uLink functionality includes features such as  ‘UJ Tools’ where staff and students are able to access varied software and other support.

Blackboard

Blackboard is UJ’s learning management system (LMS). It provides a rich learning and teaching experience for staff and students, including obtaining lecture notes and study guides, communication between lecturers and students, announcements, submitting assignments, and doing electronic assessments and grading.CAT provides staff with Self-service and online resources to develop technical skills on Blackboard as well as Blackboard workshops on request. CAT helpdesk also provides technical support services for staff to navigate Blackboard.

If you are a UJ staff member click here to access our Online Teaching Toolkit for staff support. If you can’t access it, simply contact CAT support for access to the Organisation CM0002. This organisation has a series of help videos on the use of Blackboard tools. We have also included support on software and guidelines on varied modes of teaching and learning delivery e.g. online/blended/hybrid.

For all technical Blackboard-related queries, please contact our Blackboard team at blackboard@uj.ac.za. To get support on instructional design for your courses, please contact our team at cathelp@uj.ac.za. This includes training and pedagogical advice), click here for the contact details of your  Faculty/College/School instructional designer, or email us directly at cathelp@uj.ac.za

 

For all technical Blackboard-related queries, please contact our Blackboard team at blackboard@uj.ac.za.

For Teaching Staff

CAT provides faculty-specific support by Instructional Designers to lecturing staff regarding their Blackboard modules or any technology-related queries they might require. For support and advice on the use of Blackboard for teaching and learning (this includes training and pedagogical advice), click here for the contact details of your Faculty/College/School instructional designer.

CAT Lab “Video Studio”

The CAT Lab (UJ’s Teaching and Learning Innovation Lab) is fully functional for the collaborative development of online learning products. CAT Lab has also been refined and customised for UJ’s needs within e-learning development and has been instrumental in building a contingency plan for UJ to move entirely online e.g. Covid-19 Pandemic.. CAT Lab develops and supports UJ online and blended learning modules which encourage interactive teaching and learning strategies to lead us into the 4IR.

Our CAT Lab is better known for the “video studio” where we support online teaching & learning through the creation of formal and high quality online videos. The studio is equipped and set up to prepare material for our formal online offerings and short learning programmes created with our academic teaching staff.

For Teaching Staff

CAT provides faculty-specific support by Instructional Designers to lecturing staff regarding their Blackboard modules or any technology-related queries they might require. UJ staff are also provided with Blackboard literacy development skills as well as basic computer and tablet skills workshops. The booking forms to access these services are available on uLink.

First-Year Seminars (FYS)

Each year CAT provides first-year students with Skills development opportunities, including basic computer and tablet skills workshops, online MS Office training modules and information sessions on all available CAT and UJ online services. FYS, therefore, equips students with opportunities to transition easily into online learning environments through computer literacy skills.

MS Office

CAT offers free access to office 365 for students and UJ staff as well as online MS Office training modules – see the revolving banner on uLink

Software Tools

CAT offers students and UJ staff access to software tools for use in academic writing, research, and research output purposes.

1. Academic Writing software tools

Several software applications have been introduced to support the development of academic writing. We suggest that undergraduate students use Grammarly, Viper and SafeAssign; final year undergraduates and honours students should make use of Turnitin, and for postgraduate students and staff we recommend iThenticate. You can also use e-rater to analyse academic language skills and suggest possible solutions.

2. Research software tools

Researchers may​​​ download and install research software including SSPS, AMOS, ATLAS.ti, STATA, and Acrobat Professional. uLink offers access to the software license management system.

3. Research output software tools

We have developed an easy-to-use online system, OROSS, to help researchers submit accredited and non-accredited research products. No more paper forms – just fill in the information and attach the required documents. Gain access to the e-submission system via uLink.