Continuous assessment fit for purpose? Analysing the experiences of academics from a South African university of technology

Numerous studies have explored the potential of podcast integration in teaching and learning environments. This paper first presents and organises perspectives from literature in a conceptual framework for the effective integration of podcasting in higher education. An empirical study is then discussed in which the guidelines presented in the framework were evaluated for applicability in a selected course at a South African University of Technology. Since the results of the study revealed a number of aspects not accounted for in the conceptual framework, the framework was customised to make it more applicable for the particular higher education environment. The customised framework identifies four principles and a series of related guidelines for the effective integration of podcasts in a South African higher education teaching and learning environment. This framework can become a valuable resource for effective podcast integration in similar environments.

Download Full-text

Emergency LMS Training During COVID-19 at an African University of Technology

11th GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES - Global Conference on Business and Social Sciences Proceeding ◽

10.35609/gcbssproceeding.2020.11(113) ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 113-113

Author(s):

Leanri van Heerden

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Instructional Designers ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Skills Acquisition ◽

Online Delivery ◽

Face To Face ◽

Department Of Health ◽

University Of Technology ◽

E Learning ◽

Participant Perspectives

After the #FeesMustFall strikes that have been haunting South African universities since 2015, Instructional Designers felt pretty confident that they can drive their institutions through any dilemma. Along came the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic and they realised they have been playing in the kiddie pool all along. On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown level 5 to start on 26 March 2020 (Department of Health, 2020). Three days head start for a three-week lockdown (which was eventually extended till the time of writing) was a logistical nightmare for even the most technology driven universities. All staff were sent home with only enough time to grab their office plants and laptops and no idea how they were going to move forward. The issue with staff and students all working from home is that the lecturers working at the Central University of Technology (CUT), being primarily a face-to-face delivery university, was completely unprepared for moving their traditional and blended approaches to completely online. In their study, Mogeni, Ondigi and Mufo (2020) found that most of the investigated teachers were not empowered enough to deliver instruction fully online and either needed to be retrained, receive further specialised training or be trained completely from scratch. A lack of confidence in the delivery mode of instruction will cause even the most knowledgeable subject spcialist to fail in their task. At the CUT lecturers needed a way of quickly acquiring the necessary skills to deliver their content and assessments on the institution Learning Management System (LMS). The aim of this paper is to measure participant perspectives of an emergency intervention to facilitate the process of online delivery skills acquisition quickly and online. To ensure relevant results a systematic process of designing an intervention and recording participant perspectives is necessary. This extended abstract will take a look at the methods used to drive the paper, briefly discuss the results and findings, and lastly explore the implications and significance of the research for the use of higher education institutions for emergency LMS training. Keywords: LMS training; e-Learning; Online Instruction; Instructional Design

Download Full-text

Continuous assessment and matriculation examination marks – An empirical examination

South African Journal of Childhood Education ◽

10.4102/sajce.v5i2.391 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 17 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Servaas Van der Berg ◽

Debra Shepherd

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Career Planning ◽

National Curriculum ◽

Continuous Assessment ◽

Empirical Examination ◽

Sense Of Security ◽

False Sense ◽

Matriculation Examination ◽

School Careers ◽

Examination Preparation

<p>This study analyses information and feedback from matriculation level continuous assessment in the South African education system. Continuous assessment (CASS) at the time carried a 25% weight in the final matriculation (Grade 12) mark, and it provides feedback that affects examination preparation and effort. Weak assessment in schools sends wrong signals to students that may have important consequences for the way they approach the final examination. Moreover, similarly wrong signals earlier in their school careers may also have affected their subject choice and career planning.<br />This study compares CASS data to the externally assessed matric exam marks for a number of subjects. There are two signalling dimensions to inaccurate assessments: (i) Inflated CASS marks can give students a false sense of security and lead to diminished exam effort. (ii) A weak correlation between CASS and the exam marks could mean poor signalling in another dimension: Relatively good students may get relatively low CASS marks. Such low correlations indicate poor assessment reliability, as the examination and continuous assessment should both be testing mastery of the same national curriculum. The paper analyses the extent of each of these dimensions of weak signalling in South African schools and draws disturbing conclusions for a large part of the school system.</p>

Download Full-text

A preliminary inquiry on the association between pre-admission assessments and academic performance of first year dental technology students’ within a South African university of technology

South African Dental Journal ◽

10.17159/10.17159/2519-0105/2021/v76no4a2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 76 (04) ◽

pp. 187-193

Author(s):

Anisa Vahed ◽

Subhadranalene Naidoo ◽

Deepak Singh

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Academic Success ◽

South African ◽

First Year ◽

Technology Curriculum ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Technology Students ◽

Admission Tests ◽

University Of Technology ◽

Dental Technology

The use of selection, diagnostic, proficiency, placement, admission, manual dexterity and aptitude tests can reportedly predict students’ academic success. Predictive admission procedures help to reduce dropout rates, improve academic performance, increase success rates, and selectively exclude applicants who are unlikely to be successful in the course. There is an absence of research, however, in this area of work in Dental Technology. To examine the association between pre-admission assessments and Dental Technology students’ academic performance in a South African University of Technology. A quantitative and cross-sectional study design was used. The target populations were the 2018 and 2019 first-year Dental Technology students. Retrospective data extracted from academic records and programme files were statistically analysed to measure the correlations against students’academic performance. Despite there being no significant differences between pre-admission tests and students’ academic performance, there were significant positive correlations between first year university subjects. There are indications of horizontal coherence between the discipline-specific subjects in the first-year Dental Technology curriculum. Examining the association between pre-admission tests and students’ academic results through to graduation, together with the horizontal and vertical alignments of all subjects in the undergraduate Dental Technology curriculum, can facilitate the learning pathways for students to succeed academically at universities.

Download Full-text

Student support to enhance student living and learning at a South African University

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Higher Education Advances ◽

10.4995/head16.2016.2659 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Isabella Coetzee

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

South African ◽

Student Support ◽

Support Structures ◽

Social Challenges ◽

Higher Education System ◽

Support Programme ◽

University Of Technology ◽

African Higher Education ◽

South African Higher Education

Quantitative measures show that the higher education system in South Africa remains inefficient and this reality poses significant challenges to all universities. The Faculty of Humanities at the Tshwane University of Technology has added a Student Support Programme to the existing institutional student support structures. In this article, the author reflects on the experiences of student supporters who were appointe in 2014 and 2015 for the enhancement of students' living and learnining to improve success in the Faculty of Huanities. The findings indicated that this programme has indeed improved the academic performance and personal circumstances of hundreds of students. The under-preparedness of students entering South African higher education institutions was highlighted as a major obstacle in academic performances. The majority of students who are supported by this programme experience intense personal and social challenges that are by and large brought about by and as the result of severe financial needs. The student supprters were adamant in their departing statement that much more had to be done over and beyond the general and existing approach and support structures at the Tshwane University of Technology to support these students.Keywords: Student support; Student living; Student learning; Social challenges

Download Full-text

Transforming Assessment in Response to COVID-19

Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership - Investigating the Roles of School Management Teams in Curriculum Delivery ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7168-2.ch016 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 246-265

Author(s):

T. Dhurumraj ◽

Sam Mabune Ramaila ◽

Ferhana Raban

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Critical Role ◽

Assessment Practices ◽

Continuous Assessment ◽

Learner Engagement ◽

Pedagogical Content ◽

Empirical Inquiry ◽

Professional Capacity

Assessment plays a critical role in teaching and learning. Continuous assessment advocates for a sustainable learner engagement in a cyclical manner that provides information on performance, feedback, as well as critical support that serves to engender mastery of skills. Continuous assessment encapsulates the use of both formative and summative assessment. COVID-19 compelled teachers as agents of educational change to fundamentally rethink the enactment of assessment within the context of remote teaching and learning. This chapter reflects the transformation of assessment practices adopted by purposively selected teachers at South African schools in response to formidable instructional challenges induced by COVID-19. The empirical inquiry is underpinned by the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. While teachers expressed fundamental appreciation of the key pedagogical affordances of technology integration in remote teaching and learning, they bemoaned the lack of professional capacity required for a meaningful enactment of technology-mediated assessment.

Download Full-text

The use of portfolios for continuing assessment of physiotherapy students in clinical practice settings

South African Journal of Physiotherapy ◽

10.4102/sajp.v60i4.193 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

Author(s):

N. Naidoo

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

South African ◽

Core Curriculum ◽

Portfolio Assessment ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Continuous Assessment ◽

Physiotherapy Student ◽

Life Long Learning ◽

Self Development ◽

Physiotherapy Students

Many and varied methods of assessment are used to evaluate undergraduate physiotherapy students. Different modes of assessment occur as a result of contrasting educational theories and because the purpose of assessment is variable. In this era of performance assessment related to the students’ mastery of the core curriculum, portfolios can enhance the assessment process by revealing a range of skills and understandings. This fits snugly into the physiotherapy curriculum for undergraduate continuous assessment purposes. Portfolio assessment can facilitate more reflection on students’ learning, more ownership of learning and more awareness of self-development. This supports the South African Qualifications Authority’s objective for higher education of reflection and life-long learning in our students. This article presents discussion on the use of portfolios in physiotherapy student learning and assessment in clinical practice.

Download Full-text