The People of UoPeople
J. Francois Barnard – 20 October 2019
When studying online, be prepared to meet people from all over the globe. I mean, really, from St Kitts and Nevis, from Russia, Italy, the Philippines, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal…
In the first few terms, I became friends with Chakib from Morocco and Aldy from the Philippines. Later, I met Rahel from Switzerland, who was living in South Africa with her parents at KwaSizabantu, a mission station. I met her for coffee at a mall when she was visiting Pretoria. And I met Ana in the Economics class. She is from Spain but lives in Holland. Massimo is from Italy but lives in China, and David is from Ireland and lives in Australia.
I love people, and I find mixing with various cultures an enriching experience. I love talking to them in the Discussion Forum and seeing the different approaches they have in the same scenario. Absolutely fascinating!
But then there is the other side also. A bit of a darker side. It did not surprise me, but if it were not there, we would have appreciated it. Abraham Lincoln famously said: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." And the test of character comes forward on the Moodle server when you give people power.
While I am writing this, I am 55 years old. I submit my work for peer assessment to some of these people who are half my age and who have not experienced life but have strong opinions about it. I am giving them the power to assess my work and give me marks according to their opinion as to what it is worth. Some have a feeble command of the English language and cannot understand what I say. Some love this power, and they exercise it as if they are the absolute authority on the subject at hand.
Fortunately, UoPeople knows that unfair assessments are possible, and we can bring an unfair assessment to the instructor for a reassessment. I have had to do it several times, and the outcome was satisfactory. But I hate having to complain about it.
The instructors are another online crowd we as students encounter, and I have been pleasantly surprised. Except for one or two of them, students have been treated respectfully, and they got the same in return. All of the instructors are volunteers who give their time and effort to tutor a group of students they will never meet in person. I have made a point of thanking the instructors for volunteering their skills to teach us.
Most students and instructors are from the United States of America. UoPeople is an American university, and most of the textbook material is American. Therefore, a solid American point of view is coming forward in tuition. When, for instance, Business Law is discussed, it is American law. Some European countries do not accept American accounting practices, but that is what we are taught. But I cannot expect UoPeople to make adjustments to cater to the international crowd they are serving. I tell myself that I can take from the American viewpoint that which applies to me and see what I have to do differently in my home country.
But that has never stopped me from reminding the Americans that the world does not revolve around them! In fact, I had a lot of fun doing so, poking them with an African stick.
Which brings me to humour.
I love writing, and humour is always part of it. But dealing with such a wide variety of people in one forum means that I can be misunderstood. Even those brilliant Chinese students who do so well in most of the courses do not understand puns and humorous nuances in the English language.
The students of the University of the People are primarily working people studying after hours. Few of them are full-time students. The variety is enormous. There are those from war regions. And then some live in poverty. Some really struggle to stay focused on their studies. I believe that this university is building alums of character. The university is ten years old now, and I look forward to hearing of great men and women from this university who have become movers and shakers in this world.