Facilitating Novel Teaching and Learning: ICT Challenges and Opportunities at the University of South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Ldm “Oupa” Lebeloane ◽  
Vuyisile Msila
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The University

Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Jared McDonald
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
The South ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Vice Chancellor ◽  
The University

Dr Jared McDonald, of the Department of History at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa, reviews As by fire: the end of the South African university, written by former UFS vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen.    How to cite this book review: MCDONALD, Jared. Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 1, p. 117-119, Sep. 2017. Available at: <http://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=18>. Date accessed: 12 Sep. 2017.   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

scholarly journals University of South Africa: Change Management and Leadership for Open Distance And E-Learning

10.28945/4228 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 001-011
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Change Management ◽  
University Management ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
E Learning ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Learning Development ◽  
The University ◽  
Management And Leadership

Antonia Makina, an education consultant in the Directorate for Curriculum and Learning Development at the University of South Africa (UNISA), was assigned the task of recommending a theoretical guideline for adoption by the management of the university in its quest to implement Open Distance E-learning (ODeL) at the university. This was because Open Distance E-learning delivery presented new challenges and opportunities that could not always be fully addressed by the traditional theories and guidelines. She needed to decide on the models she wished to propose as the theoretical guideline for adoption by the university management.

scholarly journals Bricolising Retired Teachers in South Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bekithemba Dube
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Retired Teachers ◽  
Available Resources

ABSTRACT This paper interrogates the challenges and opportunities related to re-engaging retired teachers in mainstream curriculum practice in South Africa. Some rural schools report poor performance, whereas retired teachers in their locality could help to mitigate this challenge. The paper used bricolage as a theoretical lens, because of its emphasis on using available resources to address ambivalence. The qualitative paper responds to two questions: What are the challenges facing integration of retired teachers? and How could retired teachers assist to mitigate poor performance? The paper found that many retired teachers are still active and can assist with mentoring and teaching and learning; however, there is no policy framework to guide their re-engagement. The paper argues that South Africa should tap into best practices of retired teachers through formulation of a policy framework that ensures the knowledge of retired teachers is not wasted, but harvested to address various trajectories, including poor performance.

scholarly journals Teaching outside the comfort zone: An overstated problem?

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 198-205
Author(s):  
Laura Vang Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Survival Strategy ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The University ◽  
Insight Into

Most teachers will eventually be assigned to teach topics that are outside their main area of expertise. In such situations, the teaching is often considered a major challenge. Lecture-based teaching has been framed as a survival strategy as teachers thereby can seek to control the classroom and avoid unforeseen questions from the students. However, limited literature exists on what can help make teaching efficient and comfortable when teachers have to teach outside their comfort zonether teaching styles have, however, largely been ignored and there is no consensus on how student learning is affected when teachers are working outside their comfort zone. To provide insight into the challenges and opportunities related to teaching outside the comfort zone, I refer to a pedagogical experiment from the ‘Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Programme’ offered by the University of Copenhagen. During this programme, I was assigned to teach a course that was outside my main specialization. Rather than turning to lecture-based teaching, I conducted a number of pedagogical activities including think-pair-share activities and role-play exercises. Based on these experiences, I argue that teachers should break away from the perception that lecture-based teaching is more comfortable. Even more importantly, I believe that teachers must shift their focus to student learning rather than their own performance.

scholarly journals Implementing Electronic Conferencing Within A Distance-Based University: University Of South Africa Case Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
E. Kritzinger ◽  
K. Padayachee ◽  
M. Tolmay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
Electronic Conferencing ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The outcome of this paper is primarily to survey and analyse student interactions with electronic conferencing systems and to reflect on the impact of such a system on the students’ learning within an open distance learning context. This pilot study is articulated within action research methodology to generate critical reflection on collaborative, online environments such as electronic conferencing systems for teaching and learning. This study aims to assess the benefits and feasibility of integrating such a system within the University of South Africa’s (UNISA) current organisational structure. These results are intended to generate debate and further research within the university into possible evolution in practice within the institution that would address contemporary learning needs of students. As this was a feasibility study, a comparative study of the current tools available for electronic conferencing was warranted. The findings of this study may be used as a basis for further investigation on the challenges that might face the university if online learning were to be implemented. The success of the online conference is nevertheless significant within the context of the University of South Africa. It provides the opportunity to re-examine the current print-based delivery system, and to devise strategies and solutions to significantly increase the quality of learning within the organisation.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Pedagogical Strategies Across Disciplines in Open Distance Learning at UnisaODL at Unisa

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemlall Ramdass ◽  
Fulufhelo James Masithulela
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
The University

<p class="Style2">Re-engineering technological strategies in teaching and learning in an open distance learning (ODL) environment is paramount as the demand for access to quality higher education escalates drastically on a year to year basis. The organisational framework requires change in order to accommodate the increasing number of students. In view of the changing higher education landscape and the increase in the number of students qualifying for higher education acceptance, open distance education has been opened to residential institutions. Despite the fact that demands is greater than supply in the higher education sector, the University of South Africa (Unisa), in reaction to the “competitive threat,” has embarked on the re-evaluation of ODL as a component of its teaching and learning methodology. Unisa focussed on its pedagogical approaches as a primary means of maintaining its competitive edge.  The challenges in the higher education sector are also attributed to the basic education sector that does not prepare students sufficiently for higher education. ODL, if applied appropriately, could be a strategy to address the issues of access, equality, and equity in a democratic South Africa. Pedagogical strategies that are functional and appropriate need to be applied in the higher education sector. Hence the research question is to determine what ODL strategies can be implemented to ensure that students are on par with traditional universities. Therefore, this paper explores the pedagogical strategies that colleges may use with the intent to improve delivery of teaching and learning in an ODL environment.</p>

scholarly journals Digitalization and Decolonizing Education: A Qualitative Study of University of South Africa (UNISA) Leadership

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 553-560
Author(s):  
Vuyisile Msila ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
The Road ◽  
New Vision ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The One ◽  
The University

The COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world in 2020 forced all educational institutions to search for new ways of teaching and learning. Furthermore, education institutions such as the University of South Africa (UNISA), like all other universities, found themselves with a huge task of promoting digitalization. As a traditional distance education institution, UNISA had to refine digitalization in a time of decolonization in the Global South. This case study examined the role of educational managers in sustaining effective digitalization. Eight UNISA managers were selected and interviewed to understand how they perceived the role of digital leaders. Furthermore, the study sought to understand why it is critical that managers should be in the forefront of digitalization. The study found that at present in Africa it is critical for digitalization to be combined with decolonization. Additionally, when digitalization and decolonization are implemented simultaneously, they become vehicles for social justice and democracy. This then means that education can be a tool for liberation and achievement where the digital divide is minimized. When implemented well, education institutions become institutions with access for success. The conclusions show that a set strategy based on a new vision for a university will harness digital leadership. The participants also mentioned strategic documents at the university; on the one hand are the Five Pillars of Change whilst on the other are the Eight Dimensions of Transformation. Furthermore, the participants claimed that their institution was on the road to success whilst building UNISA as an institution “Towards the African University that builds futures.”

Teaching and Learning Curricula Design for Entrepreneurship Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 293-320
Author(s):  
Lindiwe Nqobile Kunene
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Design Theories ◽  
The University ◽  
Appropriate Education

The teaching and learning of entrepreneurship have become critical in accelerating entrepreneurship activity in South Africa. Appropriate education in entrepreneurship provides students with skills, knowledge, and opportunities for growth and development to prosper in the field of entrepreneurship. By examining activities in the Bachelor of Commerce's (BCom) Management Major, which embeds entrepreneurship learning, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the chapter identifies gaps in its curricula design. It compares the Major with the principles that govern entrepreneurship education and curricula design theories. The chapter concludes that an appropriate curricula design for entrepreneurship development should foster learning that promotes entrepreneurship intention; it thus proposes a Management and Entrepreneurship Major that is more appropriate.

Informetrics Education in Library and Information Science (LIS) Departments at Universities in South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkosingiphile Zungu ◽  
Dennis N. Ocholla
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
The University

This study sought to explore informetrics education in Library and Information Science (LIS) departments at universities in South Africa. We adopted the pragmatic epistemology and pluralistic ontology for our study. The mixed research methods we employed were survey and content analysis. The survey comprised a questionnaire by means of which we collected data from the LIS heads of department (HODs) and informetrics lecturers, and we employed content analysis to analyse the content of course outlines. The study’s population was the LIS departments at the surveyed tertiary education institutions in South Africa. Nine LIS departments were targeted, and eight of them responded. At the time of the study, five of the nine LIS departments were found to offer informetrics education, namely those at the University of Cape Town, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Limpopo, University of the Western Cape, and University of Zululand. We established that the LIS department at the University of Zululand was the only department that offered informetrics education as an autonomous module/course as part of the full LIS programme. Other LIS departments offered it as a chapter or a unit in a module, and the University of Limpopo offered it at an undergraduate level. We found that the institutions surveyed offered informetrics education at different study levels and notches and that there was no uniformity in the content of the informetrics courses across the institutions’ LIS departments. Our findings indicated that the blended learning method was widely used, comprising case studies, group discussions, and online teaching and learning methods. We found that the various LIS departments experienced challenges (e.g. teaching capacity, student preparedness, and ICT support), and we suggested solutions to meet these challenges. We noted that informetrics education in South Africa was limited and we recommended more awareness creation, curricula development, short courses and awareness of global trends.

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