Dear Student,

Welcome to the modules that you have registered for in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Your modules will be offered partly online and we hope that your experience of these modules
will be both enjoyable and enriching.

In this letter you will find important information to get you started.

GOING ONLINE

As a registered Unisa student you will have access to the myUnisa electronic portal. From here you
can access various online resources to assist you in your studies. Please claim your UNISA login and
set up your myLife e-mail and familiarise yourself with the myStudies@Unisa brochure and other
guidelines. It will also be very helpful if you browse through some of the student orientation videos
available on myUnisa.

Figure 1: myUnisa electronic portal home page

 NAVIGATING THE MODULE SITES
Once you have registered for the modules and have your myUnisa login details, you will have access
to the module sites of all the modules you are registered for. From the different module sites your
lecturers, fellow students and support staff are just a click away.

USING THE NAVIGATION BAR AND myUnisa TOOLS

You can use various navigation options, displayed on the left-hand side of the screen, to navigate your
way through the module site. Click on the specific navigation option, and it will open the page
containing the information you are looking for. The first page you will see when opening any site is
the home page.

MyUnisa
tools

Figure 2: Example of a Home Page

Below is an alphabetical list and explanation of the myUnisa tools that you will use in this module site
for this qualification.

myUnisa tools Explanation

Additional This tool allows you to access different types of resources relevant to your
Resources modules, for example links to academic journal articles, recommended
reading etc. Each module site features a number of folders containing files,
links and other information. These additional resources will support your
learning in that specific module. Use this tool often, as new resources will
be uploaded during the course of the year.
Announcements From time to time you will be alerted to important information via an
announcement. You will also receive an e-mail notification in this regard.
The announcement tool will store all the announcements on the module
site that was sent out by your lecturer throughout the year. The most recent
announcements are also displayed on the home page.

Assignments This tool allows you to submit assignments and monitor your assessment
results.

Blogs The Blogs tool is used mostly for reflective activities. In the case of some
modules marks are assigned and awarded for blog activities. Please consult
each of the module sites for clear guidelines. Should you require assistance
in setting up your blog, consult the FAQs section and under the category
“Technical issues” you will find directions to assist you.

Discussion Forums Each module site contains discussion forums. On the module site there are
forums where you can meet and chat with your fellow students, as well as
pose general academic and administrative questions in the designated
forums. On the module sites there is a specific forum for students only
(Student Lounge or Social Indaba), where you can create your own
discussions should you wish to do so.

Drop Box This tool is an electronic post box where you and your lecturer can post
documents to each other. Only you and the lecturer have access to your
drop box. Some of the modules may require you to submit specific tasks via
the drop box, but this will be communicated clearly in that specific module.

FAQs (frequently The FAQs tool on the module site provides questions and answers relating
asked questions) to general Unisa matters, as well as module-related information. If you
have any queries about the modules, start by consulting the FAQs. Should
you not find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact us, your
lecturers.

Learning Units This tool is the one that you will use most often in your module sites. Here
you will find content supporting the learning outcomes. The Learning Units
tool also provides information about learning activities, assessments and
links to other valuable resources.

Official Study This tool allows you to access and download the official study material, such
Material as the tutorial letters.

Polls This tool is used on some of the module sites. It provides you with an
opportunity to give your input or vote on various issues in the field of
environmental sciences.

Prescribed Books This tool is used in all the modules to display the prescribed books for the
module as well as E-reserves or recommended scientific journal articles.

Schedule This tool displays the dates of the compulsory assignments and
examination. The calendar on the home page will also display all the dates
 of the various learning activities captured in the schedule. To access the
information regarding scheduled events, click on the date in the calendar
(which will be highlighted and underlined if activities are scheduled for that
day), or click on the Schedule tool in the navigation bar, which gives you the
option to view the calendar by week, month or year. You can also use the
Schedule tool to assist you in planning and managing your time so that you
can keep up with the various learning activities for this qualification.
Unfortunately you will not be able to add or change schedule entries.

Self Assessment This tool is used on some of the module sites. It provides access to self-
assessment activities that will help you to test your knowledge about a
specific study theme. You will receive immediate feedback on your answers.

Sign-up This tool is used on some of the module sites where you are expected to
attend practical sessions or face-to-face meetings. The Sign-up tool allows
you to book yourself for a specific meeting or event at a specified time
organized by your lecturer.

PLANNING AND MANAGING YOUR TIME

There are 24 hours,

1,440 minutes, and
86,400 seconds in each day.
Yet there never seems to be enough time to get everything done!

Does this sound familiar? Attempting to balance study, work, family life and extracurricular activities
is a challenge requiring you to manage ever-increasing and competing demands. You therefore need
to plan an appropriate schedule that will suit your individual needs and circumstances. Apart from
the due dates for assignments (which you can access by clicking on the Schedule tool), we do not
prescribe a study timetable. However, here are some recommendations. Given the time constraints,
you may find yourself following some of these recommendations concurrently.

 Browse through the module sites:

Take time to browse through the module sites (access myUnisa) and familiarise yourself with
the requirements for and demands of each module. The FAQs tool on the module site is a
valuable resource and could be a useful starting point. Evaluate the demands, opportunities
and challenges of your personal circumstances and determine how they relate to the
assignment due dates for each module. It may be a good idea to enter these dates in your
diary immediately.

 Plan ahead and compile a personal study timetable:

Decide on strategies for planning ahead, and compile your personal study timetable. We
recommend being disciplined in keeping to your schedule. Perhaps you could start with some
preliminary reading on your chosen topics and by sourcing the list of recommended reading
for each module. The amount of information presented on the module sites and the number
of assignments to be completed may seem overwhelming at first, but don’t be disheartened!
  Work systematically through your module sites:
Work your way systematically through the various modules, activities and assignments based
on them. Use the learning outcomes and assessment criteria, the supporting material and
activities (which you can access by clicking on the Discussion Forum tool) to give you a
foundation for the knowledge and skills you need to develop. To help you approach your
studies with more confidence, you might find it helpful to start by browsing through the
module sites, and to get acquainted with the learning outcomes and assessment criteria, the
additional resources, recommended reading and activities. The activities are designed and
developed in the form of manageable “chunks” to help you achieve the learning outcomes in a
logical and systematic way.

 Use up-to-date resources:

Look further than the module content, the list of recommended reading, and journal articles.
Academic text books and scientific journal articles should be regarded as your primary sources.
They are particularly useful in providing in-depth, research-based findings.

 Contact your fellow students:

Try to make regular contact with your peers (via the Student Lounge and other forums
accessible by means of the Discussion Forums tool). Engage with your fellow students to clarify
and broaden your understanding of challenging concepts and themes. You will find that
participating in discussions and continuously reflecting on your learning will help you to
expand your knowledge base and develop new skills that you can apply in the workplace.
Most students find these discussions (either lecturer-directed or with fellow students)
extremely useful when preparing their assignments.

 Ask when you need help:

It is important to reach out to your lecturers and ask for help the moment that you experience
any difficulties related to any aspect of these modules. We have provided a detailed contact
list of all the lecturers and support staff for the specific module in the FAQs section, and you
can also contact your lecturer or the administrative assistant via the Discussion Forums or
other means of communication as indicated in the FAQ tool. Do not struggle on your own or
wait until the last minute before you ask for help. Remember, your main objective is to be
successful in your studies this year.

PARTICIPATING IN THE ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY

If you have taken online courses before, you may well be familiar with how to participate in online
environments. However, if this is the first time that you are taking an online course, you may be
interested in how to go about communicating in cyberspace. An important aspect of online
communities is how people relate to each other. As you may know, the internet – cyberspace – has
its own culture and accompanying conventions for e-mails, social networks and more formal online
environments such as myUnisa, our educational learning management system.

When communicating electronically people often forget that the person on the receiving end is
someone with feelings, facial expressions, gestures and a unique tone of voice. Without being able to
observe these communication cues it is quite possible to misinterpret correspondents’ meaning – in
the case of online communication, meaning is usually conveyed by written words only. Online
communication can therefore be less personal, and so it would be a good idea to familiarise yourself
with guidelines on netiquette (social codes/etiquette for the internet). These guidelines will give you
useful information about participating in online discussions, such as how to address one another and
making sure that you “know what you’re talking about and make sense” (see Rule 5).

Please commit to following these guidelines and ensuring that your communication and actions online
are respectful.

CLOSING REMARKS

Please familiarise yourself with the online environment as soon as you are registered for this
qualification and have access to myUnisa.

We look forward to witnessing your progress and growth on a personal and professional level during
the year.

It is truly a pleasure having you as a student, and we wish you well with your studies.

Your lecturers