In South Africa nurses are frontline health care workers in a district based primary health care system. The shortage of nurse with its impact on health care is well documented. The challenge is to train sufficient competent nurses. Stellenbosch University is addressing this educational need and has invested in e-Learning products with ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) such as the Learning Management System (LMS) and satellite based Interactive Telematic Education (iTE) systems to enhance the training it offers postgraduate nurses. A blended “brick and click” approach is designed to obtain the optimal blend of e-Learning activities to achieve the outcomes of a range of postgraduate programmes for nurses. This blend includes face-to-face activities, text based materials and activities on WebCT as web-based learning management systems and the activities on the Interactive Telematic Education satellite-based platform.

The focus is on learning rather than technology per se. The policy is guided by a student-centered learning and teaching environment which is embedded in an university policy where “within student-centered university education, the “transferring knowledge” approach makes way for “teaching activities that facilitate learning” and the focus is on the nature, quantity and quality of learning that takes place.” The challenge when using e-learning activities is therefore to find optimal blends of e-learning activities to create this student-centered learning and teaching environment.

Many prospective post-graduate students living in remote areas often experience that a residential university has barriers which deters access. These may include insufficient funds, lack of on-campus student accommodation, work environment related problems such as the unavailability of study leave, family circumstances, etc. For these students iTE serves as a convenient technology vehicle to participate in post-graduate programmes. The iTE platform is based on satellite, cell phone (GPRS) and smart card technology and consists of an on-campus studio and twenty five remote learning centres situated across South Africa to create a virtual learning environment to support synchronous teaching and learning opportunities for post-graduate students. Electronic recordings of the broadcasts are also available. iTE Students are asked to login with their student cards or by means of their cell phones to register their presence at the different learning centres. By doing so an attendance register is electronically compiled. A complete record of student participation is captured on the iTE data base. iTE allows direct two-way communication between the lecturer and students while a lecture is in progress. Real-time interaction between the lecturer and students which is one of the distinctive attributes of iTE, allows for the collaborative co-construction of knowledge rather than a passive one-way transfer of knowledge which makes it appropriate for postgraduate adult learning (Park & van der Merwe 2008).
The Division of Nursing has demonstrated the capability to recruit postgraduate students with an average annual growth rate of 20 -25 % over the past 8 years from a diverse social, educational, generational, class and geographic base. iTE forms a vital component of the post-graduate delivery strategy of the nursing division in its attempts to address the increasing demands for nurse training.