University of Johannesburg (UJ) students who may be struggling to manage their time and prepare for online examinations now have a virtual support resource to assist them overcome such challenges. The Academic Development Centre (ADC) has developed a new application in Blackboard, called On the Go: SOS (student online success). The organisation is able to publish bite-sized support resources to navigate challenges such as time management, how to stay motivated and preparing for online examination, among others.
ADC employed 14 dynamic content creators to assist in highlighting these resources as UJSOS representatives. The team is tasked with producing content to assist students in a series of tips and tricks, hacks and how-to’s. All the content produced by the UJSOS representatives is published on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. In the process, the UJSOS reps are learning valuable networking and content creator skills.
On why he is a UJSOS rep, Mulanga Bulala, an LLB student, says: “Taking into account that the aim of the SOS organisation is to promote student success for the UJ student community, my experience has been one I take pride in and one which has been exciting, especially because I can reflect on my contributions and the responses I receive.
“As an individual that loves empowering others, I have found great pleasure in being central on a programme that seeks to help students succeed in their studies. The range of information that I share also has an impact on myself to do what I am sharing, as I often find myself saying that you can’t share with them what you yourself are failing to do.”
The UJSOS reps have a TikTok account (@ujsos), an Instagram account (UJSOS) and a newly created YouTube channel playlist and we will be posting regularly, so please follow us for study tips. Our UJSOS reps also have a dedicated weekly time slot on UJFM every Wednesday at 16:15 so tune in and meet our student reps.
Another UJSOS rep is Nonkululeko Mashinini. “Being a UJSOS rep has been an awesome experience. I get to be the voice of the students and paint a picture of a real student to the whole world,” says Nonkululeko, a BCom Accounting student. “And to do it digitally is the fun part because I can relate to whatever content I put out there and students can relate to it too. It is nice to get feedback on something that students relate to, especially when it falls under the university. It really makes me proud.”
Liana Meadon, Senior Manager at ADC who runs the project, says: I’m incredibly proud of the content that our UJSOS reps are producing, and we are having fun supporting each other through these trying times.”
The UJSOS reps have a combined social media presence of over 94 000 people and we are hoping that with the help and support of the official UJ sites, we can increase the reach of the voices of our reps so that we can engage with students and discuss important issues. You can find their profiles in the On the Go: SOS organisation and keep an eye out for the #UJSOS for updates on your preferred social media platform.
