The Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT)’s Learning and Teaching Development Centre (LTDC) hosted the 7th Teaching with Technology Summit this week, bringing together academics, researchers, and practitioners from across the higher education sector to reflect on the evolving role of technology in teaching and learning.
Opening the summit, Interim Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Rushiella Songca welcomed delegates from more than 10 universities, noting that their presence reflected a shared commitment to addressing common challenges in higher education.
“This level of participation reflects a shared recognition that the challenges we face in higher education are collective and that meaningful progress requires collaboration,” she said.
Professor Songca positioned the summit as both a catalyst for new ideas and a platform for consolidating ongoing efforts within the sector. She emphasised that while technology continues to shape the educational landscape, its value lies in how it is meaningfully integrated into pedagogy.
The university also hosted Professor Diana Laurillard, whose work has influenced global thinking on the relationship between teaching and technology. Professor Songca described her presence as significant for the direction the summit seeks to advance. “Her presence at the summit signals the level at which we must engage and calls us to move beyond tools towards theory-informed practice and evidence-based innovation,” she said.
At the centre of the discussions, she noted, is student success, which is about developing graduates who are capable, confident, and digitally fluent. “As we convene for this seventh edition, the imperative before us is that we must deepen the quality of our scholarship, strengthen the integration of technology in pedagogically sound ways, and expand collaboration across institutions,” she said. “Most importantly, we must ensure that the insights generated through this platform translate into improved learning experiences for our students.” In closing, Professor Songca drew on Nelson Mandela’s words to underscore the broader purpose of education. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” she quoted, adding that platforms such as the summit provide an opportunity to ensure that this transformative potential is realised in ways that are relevant, inclusive, and impactful.