{"id":17055,"date":"2024-09-04T17:10:19","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T15:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/?p=17055"},"modified":"2025-01-29T07:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T05:29:13","slug":"sunlearn-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/2024\/09\/sunlearn-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"SUNLearn Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[:en]<\/p>\n<h2><strong style=\"font-size: 16px\">January 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17156\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025.png 1884w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025-500x242.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025-768x372.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearnupdatejan2025-1536x744.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>Dear Students<\/p>\n<p><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">This message informs you of a <strong>new-look SUNLearn for 2025<\/strong> and what to expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Faculty-based SUNLearn instances<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Over the last few months of 2024, SUNLearn, as you came to know it, was migrated to a new faculty-based learning platform in preparation for the 2025 academic year. You will find your 2025 modules for which you are registered according to the faculties that present them at the following addresses:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 65.6496%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 59.3237%\">\n<p><b>EMSLearn\u00a0<\/b>(EMS &amp; MillSci)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2262%\">\n<p><u><a id=\"OWA58afb997-3d8b-84bf-0234-22a72aff3e7f\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/emslearn.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Femslearn.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194535192%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=a%2F1yW6Lcfs7YlzIH6PEKS415D6fDt6gj6loobqkP1SE%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"0\">https:\/\/emslearn.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 59.3237%\">\n<p><b>FMHSLearn\u00a0<\/b>(FMHS)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2262%\">\n<p><u><a id=\"OWA3d96c10b-afd8-db19-0628-8b758680a69e\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/fmhslearn.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffmhslearn.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194557438%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2FzT671no94BDgQp7%2BiXwqMfNqTqBymr8HprAEe18k%2B4%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"1\">https:\/\/fmhslearn.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 59.3237%\">\n<p><b>SocSciLearn:\u00a0<\/b>(Edu, FASS, Law, Theol)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2262%\">\n<p><u><a id=\"OWA006cd1ad-247b-813c-e441-7de5cc4608b3\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/socscilearn.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsocscilearn.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194571772%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=r5lRbhVuTJxJEOIEEb4KhPu6SfjFUILJzXF5LQoSybk%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"2\">https:\/\/socscilearn.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 59.3237%\">\n<p><b>STEMLearn:<\/b>\u00a0(Agri-Sci, Eng &amp; Sci)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2262%\">\n<p><u><a id=\"OWA07eaed81-c4dc-c5a3-e8ca-5fa3c7dc0f9b\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/stemlearn.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstemlearn.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194591122%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=TeKfqez1grBnMwR8By25TNs1omYd32Tsadlx8IwaVMw%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"3\">https:\/\/stemlearn.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Please note that starting in 2025, going to SUNLearn (<u><a id=\"OWA5a1ba411-d50d-3b9b-4590-f5787f789d3f\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/learn.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flearn.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194609504%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CWkbtYJ8iFoNC8PeOsClucYuIDEbB0whUGPOA3oY3CA%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"4\">https:\/\/learn.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u>), as usual, will also give you access to all the other faculty-based instances.<\/p>\n<p><b>The new-look SUNLearn learning environment<\/b><\/p>\n<p>To guide you into what to expect from and how to work in the new SUNLearn multi-faculty environment, we want to draw your attention to the following:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>The new faculty-based instances have a\u00a0<b>unified view<\/b>\u00a0(i.e., all instances can be accessed from any of the instances).<\/li>\n<li>You will have to\u00a0<b>use\u00a0<\/b><b><u><a id=\"OWA747b5033-f61e-461b-bd25-ededc3b96958\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EZfSqjFgtU5BhIhgkE5FFPMBSd-Dq2PhKEa0Tt7XLM19dg?e=Onoed6. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EZfSqjFgtU5BhIhgkE5FFPMBSd-Dq2PhKEa0Tt7XLM19dg?e=Onoed6\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"5\">MFA<\/a><\/u><\/b>\u00a0(Multi-factor authentication) to log in.<\/li>\n<li>SUNLearn will have a\u00a0<b>new look theme<\/b>. To introduce you to the new-look environment, you are invited to engage with:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/sites\/LearningTechnologiesResourceHub\/Shared%20Documents\/Forms\/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FLearningTechnologiesResourceHub%2FShared%20Documents%2FSUNLearn%20User%20Guides%2FInfographics%5FSUNLearn%202025%20%282%29%20%281%29%2Epdf&amp;parent=%2Fsites%2FLearningTechnologiesResourceHub%2FShared%20Documents%2FSUNLearn%20User%20Guides&amp;CT=1738128518519&amp;OR=OWA%2DNT%2DMail&amp;CID=f2dd9272%2D62dc%2Dcbfa%2D7992%2D3b0fb1f17c0d\"><b><u>An infographic<\/u><\/b><\/a> that highlights all the essential information on the new environment.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/sites\/LearningTechnologiesResourceHub\/_layouts\/15\/stream.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FLearningTechnologiesResourceHub%2FShared%20Documents%2FSUNLearn%20Video%20User%20Guides%2FSUNLearn%202025%20Student%20Guide%2Emp4&amp;nav=eyJyZWZlcnJhbEluZm8iOnsicmVmZXJyYWxBcHAiOiJTdHJlYW1XZWJBcHAiLCJyZWZlcnJhbFZpZXciOiJTaGFyZURpYWxvZy1MaW5rIiwicmVmZXJyYWxBcHBQbGF0Zm9ybSI6IldlYiIsInJlZmVycmFsTW9kZSI6InZpZXcifX0%3D&amp;referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&amp;referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2E965bcbc4%2D6ccd%2D4997%2Da0d9%2Dc679e494b982\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Overview video<\/strong><\/u><\/a> that shows you step-by-step how to access and start to use the new platform (Tip: view the video in full-screen mode).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you have any questions or want to tell us about a problem, don&#8217;t hesitate to get in touch with us via:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Helpdesk:\u00a0<u><a id=\"OWA9d867b0f-48ee-c328-3915-b7210f708048\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/learnhelp.sun.ac.za\/. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flearnhelp.sun.ac.za%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cef379a70541a4110b1eb08dd3ed64383%7Ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7C0%7C0%7C638735812194628496%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=EaSwI7OBzMUni5R7RZNdKTfdMX%2FKftAjxmjO5Ns%2BRbs%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"8\">https:\/\/learnhelp.sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Email:\u00a0<u><a id=\"OWA1555b81a-e299-a626-3ca9-74f1be89ce23\" title=\"mailto:learn@sun.ac.za\" href=\"mailto:learn@sun.ac.za\" data-linkindex=\"9\">learn@sun.ac.za<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Phone: 021 808 2222<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Warm regards,<\/p>\n<p>The Integrated Learning Technologies Team<\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><strong style=\"font-size: 16px\">November 2024<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17087\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-500x208.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Dear Staff and Students<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We are happy to report that, thanks to the efforts of our IT and Centre for Learning Technologies colleagues, the plan for a stable SUNLearn platform is well underway. The process of migrating all academic modules from SUNLearn to the four new faculty-based SUNLearn instances with their unified view is ongoing. All modules should be migrated to their new homes by the beginning of December 2024. This will allow staff to organise their modules on the new platform for a successful start to the new year. We thank all academic staff working on the migration on top of the daily demands of their jobs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We acknowledge the frustration SUNLearn caused during the first half of 2024 and want to thank everyone for their understanding and patience during trying times. The migration of FMHSLearn in July-August showed that the plan for creating different instances is working. Overall, SUNLearn and FMHSLearn worked well during the third and fourth terms. This gives us confidence that the new faculty-based instances of SUNLearn will provide a robust and reliable system for 2025 and beyond.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">In preparation for the migration, we <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EQqyFA2bt4pAju4sx8WIQyYB0OZI1dBIxsSw7RtZktnoMQ?e=zPgYxq\">asked all staff<\/a> to do extensive housekeeping on their modules, cleaning up and streamlining the content. This made a difference, and we want to thank all staff who supported the migration process in this way. We have also <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EZKDl-i9Uu1LuZONxj_pTa8BGPRhlTDLd181NiojSIwxhQ?e=byICY2\">asked staff<\/a> to start thinking about reviewing their SUNLearn modules to create more student- and system-friendly learning experiences. \u00a0In the coming weeks we will be communicating further guidance to navigate the new SUNLearn instances. We thank all staff who indicated they want to start with a fresh module look for next year. We hope more academics will also consider using the <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EYvc94EgmSRLucNrcfrLUhMBuiQUHgdTHu0TvvO3QpbSww?e=0HPY8g\">template<\/a> that we provided to organise their modules.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We believe the SUNLearn platform offers an opportunity to start a new phase in the use of our learning management system for effective teaching and learning. The Centre for Learning Technologies in the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Division is committed to providing support on the optimal utilisation of the LMS.\u00a0 We will communicate further in this regard next week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">With many thanks to all.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Prof Lis Lange<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Acting Senior Director DLTE<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">&amp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Dr Antoinette van der Merwe<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Chief Director IT<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong style=\"font-size: 16px\">September 2024\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17077 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/MFArolback.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/MFArolback.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/MFArolback-300x119.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/MFArolback-500x198.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/MFArolback-768x303.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Dear Deans and Vice-Deans<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">As I communicated on Thursday, 5 September 2024, IT rolled out Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for SUNLearn and FMHSLearn during the IT Maintenance Weekend (6 &#8211; 9 September 2024). The message also indicated that the Computer User Areas would be excluded from the roll out not to affect assessments.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Early this week, it became clear that the rollout of MFA cannot be done as expected. Antoinette, her team and the Centre for Learning Technologies staff met to discuss this and we concluded that we need to roll back to the original configuration. We would like to engage further with you regarding MFA, specifically for assessments on SUNLearn and FMHSLearn in Computer User Areas.\u00a0As soon as possible, we will call a meeting with the Vice-Deans: Teaching and Learning to discuss this and the implications it is likely to have on changes to the yearbook.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Kind regards<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Lis and Antoinette<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17035\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-500x208.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>(An update from Prof Lis Lange, Acting Senior Director: Division for Learning and Teaching Enhancement)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Please note that SUNLearn and FMHSLearn may be unavailable from Friday, 6 September, at 21:00 to Monday, 9 September, at 07:00.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">During the upcoming IT Maintenance Weekend from 6 to 9 September 2024, we will implement Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on our Learning Management Systems (LMS). This update is crucial to ensure accurate monitoring of user access through the Azure administration portal, as well as maintaining the security and integrity of both SUNLearn and FMHSLearn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">After this upgrade, all users will be required to use the Microsoft Authenticator App as a second layer of security when logging on to SUNLearn and FMHSLearn.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"x_normaltextrun\"><b>NB: <\/b><\/span><span class=\"x_normaltextrun\">MFA will not be implemented in Computer User Areas and it will therefore not have an impact on assessments conducted in these areas at this stage.<\/span><span class=\"x_eop\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Many thanks for your ongoing cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>JUNE 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16881\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-500x173.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-768x266.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">SUNLearn has experienced disruptions and instability over the last year. The intensification of these problems at the start of the 2024 academic year required that IT and the Division for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (LTE) implement an emergency plan to optimise the performance of SUNLearn. This was done by distributing the storage and load across Faculty-specific LMS platforms. The first of these was FMHSLearn. The Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty has successfully used FMHSLearn since March 2024. This was followed by the creation of EMSLearn (EMS and Military Faculties), \u00a0STEMLearn (Science, AgriScience and Engineering Faculties), and SocSciLearn (Arts, Education, Law and Theology Faculties).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Where are we now?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Further migration to additional LMS environments was halted in May 2024 to ensure stability and continuity during the first semester of the academic year. The team supporting the FMHSLearn, SUNOnline, SUNLearn and Student Feedback platforms focused on ensuring that there was limited disruption to campus activities. We are very grateful for the cooperation of academics in \u201ccleaning up\u201d the system by reducing module sizes and duplications. This process is still underway within faculties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>What is the plan of action for Semester 2 this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<li><strong>Archiving and LMS preparation:<\/strong>\u00a0IT will utilise the remainder of the academic year to archive and remove all content on the SUNLearn database, up to and including 2022 content. The team will continue to prepare and test the LMS environments as indicated above to test and demonstrate the so-called \u201cunified view\u201d where students could have modules over LMS environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Engagement with Academic Affairs Council:<\/strong>\u00a0We will also engage with the Academic Affairs Council to assist us in preparing orientation material for students. After the December 2024 graduation, modules will be further migrated to EMSLearn, SocSciLearn and STEMLearn. This is in preparation for the 2025 academic year, at which time each of the LMS platforms will be live and available to staff and students as their new online Teaching-learning-assessment platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support from the Division for Learning and Teaching Enhancement and Centre for Learning Technologies<\/strong>: The DLTE, through the Centre for Learning Technologies (CLT) will continue to support staff and students via the SUNLearn support desk, including monitoring and support for assessments hosted on SUNLearn where needed. CLT will draft and circulate guidelines for instructional design to faculties for dissemination to lecturers. This will aid in reducing the size of large modules, while retaining the educational value of the blended learning approach followed at SU.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This plan of action requires that there is a close monitoring of SUNLearn during assessment period. For the IT\/CLT team to do this effectively, we need faculties to ensure that all their assessments are captured on the Assessment calendar. All high-stakes assessment dates and times (especially those happening in CUAs, and those that use special plugins like Coderunner) need to be captured on the Assessment calendar by sending a meeting request to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:learn@sun.ac.za\">learn@sun.ac.za<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Further constructive feedback from students and staff remains important so that we can improve the learning environment. We are committed to reacting with urgency to resolve issues and provide a reliable learning environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Many thanks for your ongoing cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>[:af]<\/p>\n<p><strong>November 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17093\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-1.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-1-500x208.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/09\/SUNLearn-Update-in-Nov-2024-1-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Dear Staff and Students<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We are happy to report that, thanks to the efforts of our IT and Centre for Learning Technologies colleagues, the plan for a stable SUNLearn platform is well underway. The process of migrating all academic modules from SUNLearn to the four new faculty-based SUNLearn instances with their unified view is ongoing. All modules should be migrated to their new homes by the beginning of December 2024. This will allow staff to organise their modules on the new platform for a successful start to the new year. We thank all academic staff working on the migration on top of the daily demands of their jobs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We acknowledge the frustration SUNLearn caused during the first half of 2024 and want to thank everyone for their understanding and patience during trying times. The migration of FMHSLearn in July-August showed that the plan for creating different instances is working. Overall, SUNLearn and FMHSLearn worked well during the third and fourth terms. This gives us confidence that the new faculty-based instances of SUNLearn will provide a robust and reliable system for 2025 and beyond.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">In preparation for the migration, we <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EQqyFA2bt4pAju4sx8WIQyYB0OZI1dBIxsSw7RtZktnoMQ?e=zPgYxq\">asked all staff<\/a> to do extensive housekeeping on their modules, cleaning up and streamlining the content. This made a difference, and we want to thank all staff who supported the migration process in this way. We have also <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EZKDl-i9Uu1LuZONxj_pTa8BGPRhlTDLd181NiojSIwxhQ?e=byICY2\">asked staff<\/a> to start thinking about reviewing their SUNLearn modules to create more student- and system-friendly learning experiences. \u00a0In the coming weeks we will be communicating further guidance to navigate the new SUNLearn instances. We thank all staff who indicated they want to start with a fresh module look for next year. We hope more academics will also consider using the <a href=\"https:\/\/stellenbosch.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/JPTestClass\/EYvc94EgmSRLucNrcfrLUhMBuiQUHgdTHu0TvvO3QpbSww?e=0HPY8g\">template<\/a> that we provided to organise their modules.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We believe the SUNLearn platformnoffers an opportunity to start a new phase in the use of our learning management system for effective teaching and learning. The Centre for Learning Technologies in the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Division is committed to providing support on the optimal utilisation of the LMS.\u00a0 We will communicate further in this regard next week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">With many thanks to all.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Prof Lis Lange<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Acting Senior Director DLTE<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">&amp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Dr Antoinette van der Merwe<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Chief Director IT<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>September 2024\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17035\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-500x208.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-MFA-2-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Please note that SUNLearn and FMHSLearn may be unavailable from Friday, 6 September, at 21:00 to Monday, 9 September, at 07:00.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">During the upcoming IT Maintenance Weekend from 6 to 9 September 2024, we will implement Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on our Learning Management Systems (LMS). This update is crucial to ensure accurate monitoring of user access through the Azure administration portal, as well as maintaining the security and integrity of both SUNLearn and FMHSLearn.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">After this upgrade, all users will be required to use the Microsoft Authenticator App as a second layer of security when logging on to SUNLearn and FMHSLearn.<\/span> <span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">NB: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">All the Computer User<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> areas will be <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">excluded<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> and it will therefore not have an<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> impact on assessments<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> at this stage<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Many thanks for your ongoing cooperation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 2024\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16881\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-500x173.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2024\/07\/SUNLearn-Update-on-stabilisation-efforts-1-768x266.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">SUNLearn has experienced disruptions and instability over the last year. The intensification of these problems at the start of the 2024 academic year required that IT and the Division for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (LTE) implement an emergency plan to optimise the performance of SUNLearn. This was done by distributing the storage and load across Faculty-specific LMS platforms. The first of these was FMHSLearn. The Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty has successfully used FMHSLearn since March 2024. This was followed by the creation of EMSLearn (EMS and Military Faculties), \u00a0STEMLearn (Science, AgriScience and Engineering Faculties), and SocSciLearn (Arts, Education, Law and Theology Faculties).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Where are we now?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Further migration to additional LMS environments was halted in May 2024 to ensure stability and continuity during the first semester of the academic year. The team supporting the FMHSLearn, SUNOnline, SUNLearn and Student Feedback platforms focused on ensuring that there was limited disruption to campus activities. We are very grateful for the cooperation of academics in \u201ccleaning up\u201d the system by reducing module sizes and duplications. This process is still underway within faculties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>What is the plan of action for Semester 2 this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<li><strong>Archiving and LMS preparation:<\/strong>\u00a0IT will utilise the remainder of the academic year to archive and remove all content on the SUNLearn database, up to and including 2022 content. The team will continue to prepare and test the LMS environments as indicated above to test and demonstrate the so-called \u201cunified view\u201d where students could have modules over LMS environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Engagement with Academic Affairs Council:<\/strong>\u00a0We will also engage with the Academic Affairs Council to assist us in preparing orientation material for students. After the December 2024 graduation, modules will be further migrated to EMSLearn, SocSciLearn and STEMLearn. This is in preparation for the 2025 academic year, at which time each of the LMS platforms will be live and available to staff and students as their new online Teaching-learning-assessment platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support from the Division for Learning and Teaching Enhancement and Centre for Learning Technologies<\/strong>: The DLTE, through the Centre for Learning Technologies (CLT) will continue to support staff and students via the SUNLearn support desk, including monitoring and support for assessments hosted on SUNLearn where needed. CLT will draft and circulate guidelines for instructional design to faculties for dissemination to lecturers. This will aid in reducing the size of large modules, while retaining the educational value of the blended learning approach followed at SU.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This plan of action requires that there is a close monitoring of SUNLearn during assessment period. For the IT\/CLT team to do this effectively, we need faculties to ensure that all their assessments are captured on the Assessment calendar. All high-stakes assessment dates and times (especially those happening in CUAs, and those that use special plugins like Coderunner) need to be captured on the Assessment calendar by sending a meeting request to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:learn@sun.ac.za\">learn@sun.ac.za<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Further constructive feedback from students and staff remains important so that we can improve the learning environment. We are committed to reacting with urgency to resolve issues and provide a reliable learning environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Many thanks for your ongoing cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>[:]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[:en] January 2025 Dear Students This message informs you of a new-look SUNLearn for 2025 and what to expect. Faculty-based SUNLearn instances Over the last few months of 2024, SUNLearn, as you came to know it, was migrated to a new faculty-based learning platform in preparation for the 2025 academic year. You will find your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11479,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61998,3256,54476],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-it","category-news","category-sunlearn"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 23:11:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11479"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17055"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17160,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17055\/revisions\/17160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}