University of South Africa

I am currently in my second year of studying through Unisa (I am still doing the last of my first year modules as I started out studying part-time).

I have to say, last year this time, I would not have given 4 stars. I have had many problems with the university, and I know many other people do too. 

I have, however, noticed some positive changes specifically with my qualification. So here's a review of each of my modules, because I've also noticed that the experience with each module and lecturer can be completely different.
Mathematics(2022): good lecturer, quick responses to questions, and study plan and assessment dates are consistent.

Academic English and writing(2022): good lecturers, we had a Telegram group where the lecturers would update us constantly and respond to all our questions. Assignmeny feedback could have been more detailed.

Chemistry (2022): Assessment dates were consistent, but received barely any communication from the lecturer, only really to communicate about due date changes etc. Practicals at the Muckleneuk campus were alright, we received a lot of guidance, but lecturers only arrived 2 hours after they said we were meant to be there, with no explanation as to why.

ChemEngFundamentals: good lecturer, quite a difficult module, but in 2022 the lecturer changed a due date to a few days earlier than was originally stated. This put me in a terrible position, as I had my Chemistry practicals the two days before and I was only notified in the middle of that, so I didn't have enough time to prepare and failed the test (I would have had three extra days). I have noticed that this year, redoing the module, things have taken a positive turn in terms of consistency and communication.

Materials tech and Drawing:
These two modules I have also failed last year, and I am currently redoing them. Last year, I had a full-time job while I had Drawing. I asked for days off for my test that would have been the 19th of May, but then, with only a few days' notice, the test date was changed to the 8th. I could not get off of work and could not write the test, thus I failed the module. Communication with the lecturer for these modules was also not great, barely got any feedback on tests and she rarely responded to emails. She also only marked our tests at the end of the semester (including the first ones). Things have improved this semester though, we've had much more communication from her this time and she has had Teams classes with us, where she told us she would mark the tests earlier and things would be done differently this year.

Physics (2023): wonderful lecturer. This module is quite difficult, and it's a lot of work, but she really puts her best effort into helping us prepare and always responds to questions quickly on our Whatsapp group. 10 out of 10. 

EUP1501 (2023): we are quite a lot of students in this module, it is like a general first year module, so I can understand that things are a bit delayed here. But, enrollment into MyITLab, which is where we do some projects, has taken quite a long time and while the communication is good, the module site can be a bit confusing - I have heard from other students that they also struggled with it a little bit.

Overall, I'd say my experience at Unisa has gone from terrible to quite good. This University doesn't cost as much as other South African universities and the online studying works perfectly for me. 

One thing that I think disappointed me a bit is that it is very difficult to work and study here. Unisa is seen as the only option for many students who have to keep working, but with all the last-minute scheduling and changes it can become very challenging and nearly impossible to manage a job and studying. Now that I am working part-time it is working for me.

Also, a lot of people look down on Unisa because it is an online University. The academic standards are definitely high, and all of our exams and major tests are invigilated through webcam. You have to study hard to make it, and I don't think a lot of people get away with cheating.

Another note - the invigilation app is terrible sometimes. This also cost me in terms of failing modules - it simply would not work sometimes. If you are thinking of studying here, make sure you have access to a good computer or laptop with a webcam. Anything below 6GB of RAM, and that app becomes extremely unreliable - it will just stop working in the middle of a test. We're told that 4GB of RAM is enough, it is not. Trust me.

I was looking forward to a great time studying at UNISA because it  has been a very long time since I last studied. However I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have t go to campus everyday but only sometimes because we had to do all our assignments online which was a good refresher of many skills such as Excel, Publisher, and other software in Microsoft. It was very exciting because we got to know about the latest technologies such as AI, Cloud, and other applications such as global company trade simulations with stock trade and also about Logistics, Operational management and so on. In general the academic staff was on par with their knowledge and very informative.

I was looking forward to a great time studying at UNISA because it  has been a very long time since I last studied. However I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have t go to campus everyday but only sometimes because we had to do all our assignments online which was a good refresher of many skills such as Excel, Publisher, and other software in Microsoft. It was very exciting because we got to know about the latest technologies such as AI, Cloud, and other applications such as global company trade simulations with stock trade and also about Logistics, Operational management and so on. In general the academic staff was on par with their knowledge and very informative.

I have completed two honours degrees through UNISA, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience both times. Though it is challenging to study through a distance learning institution due to motivation and discipline sometimes lacking, I loved that I was able to study around my work schedule, and complete assignments in my own time. I would hihgly recommend UNISA!

I have completed two honours degrees through UNISA, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience both times. Though it is challenging to study through a distance learning institution due to motivation and discipline sometimes lacking, I loved that I was able to study around my work schedule, and complete assignments in my own time. I would hihgly recommend UNISA!

the school offered online learning. One ought to be focused in order to survive and pass. I did not attend face to face lessons. But through dedication and the structure of the school's learning schemes, i was kept on my toes.