After a strong start, the DELT CoP successfully concludes 2025
In 2025, the Digital Education Learning and Teaching Community of Practice (DELT CoP) flourished, ending the year with a strong sense of achievement.
Having been established by USAf as a hub for collaboration, learning, and innovation for all working in digital education in South African higher education, the DELT CoP closes 2025 feeling it has built a firm foundation for future growth.
Lunch & Learn webinars as a platform for sharing expertise
Throughout the year, organisational activity was structured around the Lunch & Learn webinar series, hosted between April and November 2025. The DELT CoP often co-hosted these webinars with partner organisations such as HELTASA and SAIIR. Professor Emerita Laura Czerniewicz (left) of the University of Cape Town, and the founding Chair of the DELT CoP, says their collaboration strategy was “part of the CoP’s remit, to overcome silos in the sector and avoid reinventing the wheel.”
The first session, held on 10 April, focused on Digital Literacies in the Age of AI, exploring how educators can adapt to rapidly changing technologies and equip students with essential digital skills. The recording is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-HxB0xqBpA&t=1s.
On 22 May, the CoP hosted a session on AI Policies, addressing the frameworks and strategies universities can use to integrate artificial intelligence responsibly into learning environments; the recording is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhpdPqg6oTs.
Learning Analytics was the theme on 17 September, guiding participants on how to use data ethically and effectively to improve teaching and learning outcomes. The recording is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpJgNKWXLg.
The year concluded with a session on 4 November on Free AI Tools. In this case, the DELT CoP members shared their experiences using a range of freely available tools for teaching and learning. The recording is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57XK2-ghVEs.
All sessions are available on the USAf YouTube channel for ongoing access at https://www.youtube.com/@UniversitiesSouthAfrica.
The Chair’s reflection
Professor Czerniewicz reflected that the Lunch & Learn webinars provided opportunities for sharing knowledge and resources. At the same time, it built collegial relationships and networks across the sector, connecting academics, educators and professionals in ways that transcended traditional institutional boundaries and disciplinary silos.
Ultimately, the CoP offered a space for reflective practice, enabling participants to step back from their daily work and consider broader approaches to digital teaching and learning.
The Lunch & Learn events were all held online.
Target audience and approach
The DELT CoP targeted professionals, educators, and academics across South African higher education. Yet its value was felt beyond the South African borders, with academics from the southern African region occasionally joining the conversations to learn and share their own perspectives.
Professor Czerniewicz explains that the CoP operates on the principle that digital education is not a matter of “if” but of “how.” There is no escaping the digital. The CoP adopted an approach she describes as critical pragmatism — avoiding hype and ensuring that speakers were selected based on being “considered, practical and critical,” offering guidance and reflections grounded in real-world experience.
Success was evident
Evidence of the CoP’s success was clear throughout the year. Each session attracted between 200 and 300 registrations, and although live attendance varied, recordings extended the reach of every webinar. “The audience voted with their registration, attendance, and participation,” Professor Czerniewicz notes. Furthermore, engagement during sessions, including lively chats and interactive exchanges, demonstrated that participants found real value in the community.
“The fact that people are choosing to use their precious time contributing, attending, and participating means that the community is experienced as being valuable,” she adds, emphasising the significance of audience attendance in a sector where people have such demanding workloads in an environment that is so pressurised.
Newsletter and other initiatives
In addition to the webinars, the DELT CoP launched a monthly newsletter, Currents in Digital Education, marking another step forward in supporting digital teaching and learning. The publication provides a curated guide to navigating developments in higher education with a focus on the South African context.
Structured into four sections, the newsletter features Local Waters, a section highlighting South African tools, stories, policies and innovations. Southern Currents shares insights from the Global South, offering perspectives and practices that resonate with the Global South’s shared challenges and aspirations. Northern Streams, on the other hand, offers carefully selected resources from the Global North that offer unique insights while remaining cognisant of contextual differences.
Says Professor Czerniewicz: “Each featured resource will be accompanied by a brief commentary to help chart its relevance. We’ll also include a list of additional materials worth dipping into. In our Lighthouse section, where we scan the local terrain, you’ll find forthcoming events, calls for participation, and other general announcements.”
She adds that while the primary focus is on educators and academics, they also intend to include student-facing resources in future.
Looking ahead to 2026
Professor Czerniewicz emphasises the importance of continuity and sustained engagement for 2026. The DELT CoP intends to maintain its blend of formal and informal events, recognising that the sector values reputable expertise and practical guidance. “There is clearly an appetite for sharing and working together, and we are committed to providing that space,” she says. The experiences of 2025 have helped shape the CoP’s agenda for the coming year, confirming both the topics of interest and the value of ongoing collaboration.
The DELT CoP’s first two years reflect a balance of learning, connection and thoughtful reflection. Through its Lunch & Learn sessions, monthly newsletter, and community-building efforts, the CoP has created spaces where higher education professionals can engage meaningfully with the challenges and opportunities of digital teaching and learning. Professor Czerniewicz’s reflections highlight the CoP’s early successes and establish a positive tone for continued growth and collaboration in 2026.
Mduduzi Mbiza is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.
