Digital Access Centres

Western Cape

The Directorate provides students with widened opportunities for accessing ICTs through contracting establishments within communities that have adequately functioning ICT infrastructures, such as computer facilities – these are referred to as Digital Access Centres. These facilities should have stable internet facilities, and include, but are not limited to printers, photocopiers, etc. The target group for such Digital Access Centres are students who reside in very remote rural areas, which are not at easy reach of Unisa’s regional centres.

Marketing and awareness

Students receive sms notifying them about the available Digital Access Centres in their immediate communities.
A list of available Digital Access Centres is also published on the myUnisa website (following Learner Support and Directorate: Instructional Support and Services (DISS) links).
Students may contact the regional service centres to enquire about the available Digital Access Centres in their regions.

Student access at the Digital Access Centres

An electronic student login system has been deployed at the Digital Access Centres to enable students to register their access (visits) when using the Digital Access Centres. All student access (visits) are registered electronically to ensure efficient and verifiable information about each telecentre and the access by each student.

Conditions for students using the Digital Access Centres

This benefit is only for registered Unisa students; no other person may use this benefit on behalf of any Unisa student.
Students should display a positive identification i.e. student card and/or ID Card or Passport to the Digital Access Centre Manager/Administrator on arrival at the Digital Access Centres.
The students must register their attendance online using the Digital Access Centres tool on MyUnisa to log their visits to the Digital Access Centre.
This is to ensure efficient and verifiable information about each Digital Access Centre and the visits by each student.
The Digital Access Centres Manager/Administrator will assist students during the login process.
Each Digital Access Centres has its own private centre code to enable the student login.
The duration of a session is 2 hours per day. When leaving the centre students must ensure that they end their access session by clicking “End Session” button on the system.
Each student is allowed to spend a maximum of six hours per week. The hours allocated per week per student must be used within a particular month, and will not accumulate nor carried over to another month.
If students browse the internet/use the computer for more than a maximum of six hours per week, students will be required to pay for the extra usage at a cost determined by the Digital Access Centre. Should the student need more hours beyond what it has been allocated, she/he should write a motivation to the following email: CommTelecentre@unisa.ac.za to request for extended hours.
Students may visit Unisa's website to register online, and to access information on myUnisa, the library and any other information related to student’s studies at Unisa. A postgraduate Unisa student, however, will also be allowed to access information in relation to the research topic of his or her studies.
This benefit extends to internet access and general computer usage for academic purposes only; it is not applicable to the use of other services, such as telephone and fax usage, photocopying or any other service a student may require from the Digital Access Centre.
The Digital Access Centres is an independent Contractor and operates for own risk and benefit and is not a UNISA owned Digital Access Centres. Students are therefore bound by the rules and regulations of the Service Provider, and students are expected not to contravene any of the rules and regulations given to students by the Service Provider.

Services

The following services may be accessed by the students at the Digital Access Centre:

typing of assignments
accessing myUnisa, including

downloading study material, including tutorial letters and study guides
submitting and tracking assignments and receiving assignment results
joining discussion forums
contacting lecturers
reading material posted by the lecturers
checking financial status at Unisa and paying fees using the credit card payment method
updating personal details
registering for additional modules during the registration period'
finding e-resources
checking examination timetable, changing exam venue and getting examination results

accessing myLife student e-mail account
accessing the online library
accessing Unisa’s Facebook page and Twitter feeds
searching for academic material (journals or articles) on the internet
accessing career and academic counselling services, using the link http://www.unisa.ac.za/counselling