Walking up hills, through history and in-between disciplines: MHH and Health Sciences Education at the tip of Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 270-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Tsampiras
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Art Music ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Special Study ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Health Humanities ◽  
Health And Healing ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University

Celebration, frustration, contestation and imagination all manifest themselves when examining the evolution of the field of Medical and Health Humanities (MHH) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). That this field has been growing at the same time as access to, inclusion in, and social justice issues linked to higher education have come under the spotlight has the potential to shape how we think and plan for the future of the field. Doing this will require treks up hills, journeys through difficult histories and dynamic dances in-between disciplines.This article examines MHH at UCT broadly, referring to projects and programmes that are underway primarily in the humanities and health sciences faculties. From this overview, the article specifically examines the curricula changes introduced in the Faculty of Health Sciences inspired by MHH and the author’s interest in historical consciousness. It describes current points of intervention in physiotherapy and MBChB undergraduate curricula; and through short-term special study modules that have allowed those interested in MHH to explore relationships between health and healing and art, music, writing, yoga, PhotoVoice, drama, drawing and complex histories.It discusses some of the challenges of introducing humanities teaching into health sciences curricula; and some of the tensions that result from the meeting of divergent epistemologies and pedagogies. The article considers if, and how, MHH might engage with social (in)justice, and inclusions and exclusions and potentially offer a balm to soothe the bruising effects of oppressive histories and a hegemonically hierarchical present.

Internationalization in the context of academic capitalism

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-68
Author(s):  
Susan Appe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Capitalism ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Central Offices ◽  
The University

This article is written from the perspective of a faculty member in a professional graduate degree program who is committed to internationalization, but also notes its challenges given the context in which higher education finds itself. First, the article outlines the ways in which higher education is thinking about internationalization, in particular with a focus on faculty-led short-term study abroad programs. Second, the article juxtaposes internationalization with the current conversation and debates about academic capitalism. Finally, it ends with overarching topics that deserve further exploration and include: (a) that internationalization is often tailored to faculty interests but that this might make systemic assessment challenging; (b) that there are shifting relations among the university central offices related to internationalization processes and academic departments; and (c) given the academic capitalism debates, the article asks whether we can implement and assess our internationalization processes while still adhering to academic quality and credibility.

GUITAR COMPOSER LEO BROUWER: THE CONCEPT OF A ‘UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE’

Tempo ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (245) ◽  
pp. 30-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive Kronenberg
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Art Music ◽  
Keen Interest ◽  
Universal Language ◽  
Leo Brouwer ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University

In the realm of art music, Leo Brouwer (1939-) is widely considered as the most significant living composer for the guitar. Since the latter part of the 20th century, students of the guitar at most, if not all, recognized music institutions have increasingly sought to perform Brouwer's works. Correspondingly, at the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town) respected instructors like Elspeth Jack, Neefa van der Schyff, and others, have over many years consistently and devotedly incorporated Brouwer's guitar literature into their teaching programmes. Cape Town's prized composer-conductor Alan Stephenson has similarly developed a keen interest in Brouwer's large-scale works, inspiring in 1998 a memorable rendition of Brouwer's acclaimed Elegiaco Concerto, performed by the talented soloist Christiaan Van der Vyver and the University of Cape Town Orchestra. In line with this, one of Brouwer's underlying goals has been to create works that are accessible to players of varying standards of performance. As a consequence, young, inexperienced, moderate, advanced as well as top internationally-acclaimed virtuosic players have all found some measure of contentment in performing Brouwer's guitar works.

scholarly journals Breakout Session: Empowering Fair Use Decisions in Higher Education: Developing Copyright Instruction for 90 Minutes or Less. Presented by Ben Harnke, Education & Reference Librarian, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Health Sciences Library, John Jones, Instruction & Curriculum Librarian, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Health Sciences Library, and Meghan Damour, Reference Intern, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Health Sciences Library.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Fair Use ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Breakout Session ◽  
Audience Participation ◽  
Class Session ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
The University

The presenters shared their experiences and strategies for effective fair use instruction for researchers and faculty members at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The session featured multiple discussion prompts, in order to allow for audience participation. Specific themes and practical tips about fair use instruction included obstacles and challenges, developing the fair use class session, and planning and logistics. Links to supplementary presentation material and tools are provided.

scholarly journals PRO ET CONTRA. LECTURERS OF TOMSK AND TYUMEN UNIVERSITIES ON THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THEIR PROFESSION

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
M. V. Gribovskiy ◽  
◽  
A. N. Sorokin ◽  
G. Z. Efimova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
State University ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The World ◽  
The University ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article discusses the results of a field study conducted in 2019 at Tomsk State University (TSU) and Tyumen State University (TyumSU). The purpose of the study is to investigate the motivations behind educators’ choice of their profession and the aspects they say as its advantages and disadvantages. Methodologically, the study is based on 43 in-depth interviews with lecturers of TSU and TyumSU. These universities are located in Siberian cities and are among the group of the leading higher education institutions in Russia. The study shows that the lecturers associate the benefits of work at the university with the opportunities provided by the ‘5-100 Project’ to attain the world standards; good working conditions; prestige of work at a reputable university; stability of university employment; feeling of belonging to the academic; and so on. Most educators are dissatisfied with such aspects of university work as bureaucratization; redundancies; short-term contracts; the lack of transparency and inefficiency in funds distribution; and irregular working hours. We found that despite some divergence of views, the faculty of the TSU and TyumSU share a lot of opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of university work. Thus, the cases of the two Siberian universities provide us with the insights into a larger picture of the Russian system of higher education. These findings can be useful for HR services of universities for recruiting and retaining personnel.

scholarly journals On the academic freedom in the times of crisis of liberal democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-743
Author(s):  
Janina Godłów-Legiędź
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Academic Freedom ◽  
Education System ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
The University

Motivation: The crisis of liberal democracy reveals a new dimension to the dispute over the role of the university. Declining trust in elites and the growing uncertainty during the pandemic challenge the belief that the key aim of the university reform should be to subject it to the global mechanism of competition as well as to introduce modern management principles. In the American society, there is a growing belief that the higher education system in the United States is heading in the wrong direction and that universities are politically biased. Despite this, the American system inspires higher education all over the world, including Poland. Even during the pandemic, the attention of the academic community in Poland is focused on the lists of journals constituting the basis for the evaluation of universities and academics. Aim: The aim of the article is to demonstrate the threats posed by a higher education system governed by the dominant economic and political forces. The author evaluates the economic forces behind the parameterisation and ranking system, challenging the rationality of the Polish higher education reforms. The source of the arguments for academic freedom is the political economy that places economic goals in the perspective of long-term universal goals and examines the complex relationships between the economic, political and moral aspects. Results: Academic freedom is not a privilege of the academic world, but one of the foundations of the successful development of a democratic society because science and education cannot be subject to existing patterns of thinking and current economic and political forces. But modern universities are driven to act like firms in competitive market places and they are following trends set by short-term economic and politic interests. Political economy is an effective tool for analysing functioning of higher education operating in quasi-market conditions, imposed by the dominant market players and the state. Understanding the forces underlying the reform of universities requires an analysis of the processes of interpenetration of economic and political processes, which means that the paradigm of political economy is gaining importance. In view of the requirements imposed on universities, dictated by short-term interests, the most important thing is the awareness that the necessity of state financing means that no solution will guarantee autonomy, if there is no responsibility of the academic community and self-discipline of its members.

scholarly journals Toward Inclusive Higher Education in a Global Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Ortiz Colón ◽  
Miriam Agreda Montoro ◽  
María Colmenero Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The University ◽  
Students With A Disability

The aim of this study was to analyse the perception of teaching staff at the University of Jaen regarding the integration of students with a disability, and to describe the interventions they use to respond to the specific needs of these students, to examine the differences that exist in teachers’ interventions for students with a disability based on their faculty. To this end, a descriptive methodology was used (n =300 teachers), and the data were gathered using a Tutoring and Attention to Special Needs in the Classroom Questionnaire (TASN-Q). The results were organised in terms of the tool’s different dimensions and, in general, revealed that the teaching staff do not consider themselves sufficiently prepared to provide an educational response to students with a disability. The best-prepared teaching staff belonged to the Faculties of Social and Legal Sciences and Health Sciences. This study confirms the need for training in special needs processes to enable university teaching staff to participate in an inclusive model.

scholarly journals UCT Open Textbook Journeys

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Production Models ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University ◽  
Open Textbooks ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Textbook Development

The UCT Open Textbook Journeys monograph tells the stories of 11 academics at the University of Cape Town who embarked on open textbook development initiatives in order to provide their students with more accessible and locally relevant learning materials. Produced by the Digital Open Textbooks for Development (DOT4D) initiative, the monograph contributes towards a better understanding of open textbook production by providing details related to authors’ processes and their reflections on their work. The collection aims to provide rich anecdotal evidence about the factors driving open textbook activity and shed light on how to go about conceptualising and producing open textbooks, and to aid the articulation of emerging open textbook production models that advance social justice in higher education.

An Interactive Mobile Lecturing Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olutayo Boyinbode ◽  
Dick Ng’ambi ◽  
Antoine Bagula
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Educational Resource ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University

Although use of podcasts and vodcasts are increasingly becoming popular in higher education, their use is usually unidirectional and therefore replicates the transmission mode of traditional face-to-face lectures. In this paper, the authors propose a tool, MOBILect, a mobile lecturing tool that enables users to comment on lecture vodcasts using mobile devices, and aggregated comments become an educational resource. The vodcasts are generated through Opencast Matterhorn and YouTube. The tool was evaluated at the University of Cape Town with students’ own devices. The paper reports on the architecture of the MOBILect, its framework for student-vodcast interaction, and evaluation results. The paper concludes that the MOBILect has potential for use as a supplement to the traditional face-to-face lectures especially in scenarios of large classes, or where the medium of instruction is not the students’ mother tongue.

Internationalizing Higher Education: The Development of Practice and Policy in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (7) ◽  
pp. 1758-1791
Author(s):  
Nadine Dolby
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Mission Statements ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University

Background/Context Internationalization has moved from the periphery to the core of many universities’ policies, mission statements, and strategic plans. In contrast to earlier paradigms of internationalization, the current period is significantly shaped by the global dominance of capitalism, the rise of the audit and accountability culture, and states’ retreat from funding of public services and goods, including higher education. Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how the practice and policy of internationalization evolved in the specific context of a South African university from 1996 to 2006. Setting The research took place in the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO) at the University of Cape Town in 2006. Research Design This research is an instrumental case study of IAPO at the University of Cape Town in 2006. Data Collection and Analysis The analysis presented in this article is based on three major sources of data. First, I examined documents produced by IAPO from 1996 (the founding of the office) to 2006, including reports, strategic plans, operational plans, goals and objectives, financial reports, all publicity material, and the draft of the internationalization plan. Second, I analyzed documents produced by the University of Cape Town during this same time period, including mission statements, annual reports, documents related to the transformation process, and the university's 2006 policy on internationalization. Third, I interviewed all key personnel (9 individuals) in IAPO in March 2006. Conclusions/Recommendations I identify three areas that are the focus of the major concerns and tensions regarding internationalization in the first 10 years of the office: study abroad, international full-degree students, and relationships with Africa and the rest of the world. I argue that the lack of a formal institutional policy on internationalization allowed for considerable individual and organizational agency in these areas. While the adoption of a formal policy in 2006 may hinder and channel internationalization policy, IAPO's practices have transformed the everyday life of the University of Cape Town, though some of the outcomes have been unanticipated.

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