Aadiel Ayob, Chief Technology Officer at Sizwe Africa IT Group. (Image: Supplied)
In South Africa, education has never been more crucial, from the perspectives of individual, societal and economic development. Education is the engine that drives access to better opportunities, improved standards of living and is a vital foundation for both economic growth and the development of a knowledge-based economy.
With this in mind, schools and higher learning institutions need to leverage the digital revolution to improve methods of teaching in order to deliver better education standards. It is for this reason that an increasing number of educational institutions are turning to the learning management system (LMS), which facilitates a range of ways to improve education, make it simpler for the teacher and more exciting for the learner.
Sizwe is thus proud to announce a partnership with Instructure, to supply its Canvas LMS to South Africa’s education arena, according to Aadiel Ayob, Chief Technology Officer at Sizwe Africa IT Group.
Canvas is more than just a learning management system – it’s a digital learning ecosystem that empowers educators, students and institutions to seamlessly manage and engage with course content online. It provides robust tools for designing, delivering and enriching learning experiences, while fostering effective communication and collaboration between lecturers and learners. And because Canvas is cloud-based, it’s accessible virtually anywhere with an internet connection, whether through a browser or our intuitive mobile app that also includes an offline mode, allowing students to review pre-selected course content on the go.
“We’re deeply committed to supporting educational transformation around the world, and South Africa is no exception,” says Daniel Hill, Managing Director for EMEA at Instructure. “Partnering with Sizwe Africa IT Group allows us to better understand and respond to the unique needs of South African institutions. Together, we’re helping educators and students access world-class learning technology that’s flexible, reliable and built to support meaningful outcomes.”
Instructure’s LMS is designed to bridge the gap between educators, students and employers, ensuring that education becomes more engaging, while at the same time providing equitable access and instructional continuity to all students, through a simple and intuitive interface.
Ayob adds that as far as Sizwe is concerned, Canvas takes teaching and learning to the next level of engagement. It achieves this through a variety of customisable course creation and management tools, course and user analytics and statistics, and internal communication tools that facilitate the two-way flow of communication between teachers and students.
“Sizwe’s key role is in implementation and support, providing institutions with the confidence to manage digital learning, educators to create and present online learning materials and assess student learning, and students to engage in courses and receive feedback about skill development and learning achievement.
“We also assist clients in leveraging a variety of built-in course construction and management tools. These can be customised to create unique and accessible teaching and learning experiences. It is possible for users to create and share course content, facilitate real-time course interactions and communicate course news and updates with students. Canvas also allows teachers to measure and track student skill development and learning achievements.”
Whether it is being used to create and manage course content, identify areas for improvement in teaching and learning, review student progress and assess achievements, or communicate with instructors or other learners, Canvas brings the advantages of the digital world to the education arena.
The LMS is no longer merely a nice-to-have, continues Ayob; rather, it is the foundation of modern classroom management, speeding up both teaching and learning, and assisting schools, colleges and universities to improve student retention and pass rates.
“We are proud of our partnership with Instructure to provide the Canvas LMS to educational institutes across South Africa and look forward to playing our part in helping to deliver what is undoubtedly the next generation of learning tools.”
“The importance of education to South Africa’s future – individually, socially and economically – should not be underestimated, and the partnership between Sizwe and Instructure, to provide the Canvas LMS to the local market, is key to ensuring a continuous upward educational trajectory for the country,” concludes Ayob.
