Stellenbosch University’s (SU) second academic term got off to a rough start when its online learning platform, SunLearn, crashed on the first day of online classes yesterday.
The problem was caused by an unexpected amount of traffic on SunLearn but was fixed by late morning, said Martin Viljoen, SU’s spokesperson.
Stellenbosch University’s technical servers were met with a higher demand than expected, as the second term started via e-learning platforms. As a result, students were unable to access online learning platforms. PHOTO: Stellenbosch University website
The second academic term was due to commence yesterday morning via e-learning, after an extended break due to the national lockdown.
“[SU’s] technology platforms are designed for high usage and have been tested repeatedly,” said Viljoen.
According to Viljoen, the university has taken proactive steps in order to continue with the academic program via e-learning, over the past few months.
Upgrades were made to SunLearn during the extended break in anticipation of an influx of users once e-learning began, Viljoen said.
“However, the system had a much higher demand than anticipated, which unfortunately caused the system to fail at times,” he said.
Students found themselves behind on their work as a result of problems on the site, said Matt Barbieri, a third year BAcc student at SU.
“I could not access SunLearn at all and [now] I am a lecture behind. I’ll catch it up today but it was frustrating,” Barbieri said.
Going forward, Viljoen said that SU is confident that students are provided with the necessary support for online learning.
“Much has been learned from these teething problems,” he said.
This article was updated at 11:24 on 21 April to include a comment from Matt Barbieri, a third year BAcc student at SU.