For the past two years, the university has been working on its vision for this new digital world. This vision is being made a reality through our Digital Business Strategy.

 

Prof Daryl Balia, deputy vice-chancellor for IT and Potchefstroom Campus operations, says the strategy is not an abstract concept far removed from our daily work life.

 

“We want to implement the strategy to become a practical way of life at the NWU, with staff members finding themselves in a work environment where digital tools are used to make their work life easier and more productive.”

 

Daryl says the strategy aims to implement a range of digital initiatives or projects across the NWU.

 

The purpose of these projects is to optimise processes and create new opportunities, solutions and quality stakeholder experiences. “As we implement the strategy, you might see an increase in digital projects all over the university.”

 

Some of these have already been rolled out (see text box) while other are still underway. We spoke to Ian Rothmann, a digital strategist who supports the Digital Business Strategy, about some exciting digital initiatives that are in the pipeline.

 

Accelerator Fund

 

“When you want to start a small to medium-sized digital project at the NWU but you do not have a budget for it, you can turn to the Accelerator Fund for fast-track funding,” explains Ian.

 

The Accelerator Fund is available throughout the year to any entity within the university. You won’t even have to wait long after submitting your project application, as the fund’s task team will regularly review new applications.

 

In addition, fund administrators will focus on monitoring and evaluating the project's progress, and give advice when needed.

 

Agility Hub

 

Do you need software to build something small that will eventually make a big difference in people’s work life? Well, look no further: as from early 2022, the Agility Hub will be your go-to place.

 

The hub will be a small in-house software development department specialising in rapid software development, especially when time is of the essence and innovation is involved.

 

The Agility Hub will focus on the latest technologies available, including web and mobile applications, artificial intelligence, bots, blockchain and virtual/augmented reality.

 

The hub will be able to deliver your business application before you know it, as they will use low-code development platforms that will reduce the amount of traditional hand coding.

 

A dedicated website

 

You can look forward to a brand new website with news, progress and access to Digital Business Strategy resources. In addition, a video entitled NWU Vision 2025 is being produced to create a vision of how the strategy will benefit us all at the NWU.

 

eSports Platform

 

Also keeping students’ needs in mind, the NWU is investigating rolling out an eSports platform.

 

The platform will allow students to play e-sports (video games) and mind games (for instance bridge, chess, checkers) in a structured way by affiliating to a club or hostel, or in an unstructured way by competing against random players.

 

The platform will be able to host several mediums such as PlayStation, Xbox, personal computers and cell phones.