scholarly journals A translanguage pedagogy to promote Biotechnology concept engagement and academic literacy in a linguistically-diverse university context

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SI) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nakhooda ◽  
◽  
Moragh Isobel Jane Paxton ◽  

Following the call for transformation, higher education institutions in South Africa were required to promote and implement indigenous languages in teaching and learning. This has led to various strategies and resources being explored and implemented, multilingual glossaries among them. In science, where English remains the global means of communication, our experience has been that such interventions are often underutilized. A more inclusive, holistic pedagogy is required to adequately prepare students, especially non-English speakers, for international scientific engagement. One such pedagogy is presently proposed and tested. Its purpose is to harness the dominant language - that which is most active in the learners’ minds - to first promote epistemological access to difficult scientific concepts, and after concept acquisition, develop the required English, scientific, and academic literacy. Biotechnology undergraduate students at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) - many of whom are international - reported enhancing their learning experience and recognised the significance of their dominant language in deep learning as a result of this translanguage pedagogy. Such a pedagogy demonstrates that multilingualism, far from being viewed as an impediment to teaching and learning, should be seen as a rich resource that needs to be harnessed to facilitate epistemic access, cognitive development, transformation, social cohesion, and respect for all languages.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Molefi Motsoenyane

In this review of Lynn Coleman's Teaching In Extended Programmes In South Africa, Molefi Motsoenyane explains how the book ably acts as a point of reference for teaching diverse students in a range of subjects, while also considering various administrative issues relating to extended curriculum provision.Key words: extended curriculum programmes, undergraduate students, teaching and learning, active learning, diversityHow to cite this article:Motsoenyane, M. 2020. Book review: Coleman, L. 2018. Teaching In Extended Programmes In South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Fundani, Centre for Higher Education Development, Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 4, n. 1, p. 86-88. April 2020. Available at: https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=144This 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/


Author(s):  
Marijana Prodanović ◽  
Valentina Gavranović

This paper focuses on students' perspectives on the quality of online teaching and learning environment, created, and organized as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which unexpectedly interrupted the traditional face-to-face education context and changed the delivery and mode of classes overnight. The aim of this research is to gather information pertaining to students' learning experience in an online education environment, and to gain a deeper insight into the nature of online delivery of classes as perceived by students who had not had any similar learning experience prior to this newly created educational context. The theoretical framework of the paper states the latest EU education policies passed as an immediate and urgent response to the pandemic and its aftermath. This pilot study relies on a qualitative research which includes the analysis of a corpus of questionnaires taken by a group of 52 undergraduate students majoring in English. The main part of the questionnaire is composed of open-ended questions, and the respondents were asked to write their own answers, thus providing a valuable resource for the analysis; the other part relies on one Likert-scale question measuring the overall attitude of the respondents to the online learning. The students' answers are analyzed and classified into several categories according to their common denominator. Not only do the results show the students' opinions related to the benefits and drawbacks of online delivery of classes, the comparison of online and traditional form of teaching and learning, types of courses which are more suitable to be delivered in one of these modes, and the students' suggestions how to improve the quality of online classes, but they also shed light on different aspects of online teaching and its complexities enhanced by social and psychological factors involved.


10.28945/2462 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Cope

The research reported in this paper investigated and compared the experience of learning about the concept of an information system (IS) at a scholarly, and an undergraduate level. A scholarly level learning experience was developed from the literature and represented a benchmark against which students’ learning experiences could be compared. A group of undergraduate students’ learning experiences were investigated in an empirical, phenomenographic study. An awareness and understanding of the process of seeking meaning was found to be an educationally critical aspect of a deep approach to learning about IS and a deep understanding of the concept of an IS. The finding has important implications for teaching and learning about IS. Learning tasks can be designed which aim to enhance learning through focussing students’ awareness simultaneously on the IS conceptual and learning aspects of seeking meaning. An example of the use of rich pictures to achieve this aim is given.


Author(s):  
Tannis Morgan ◽  
Stephen Carey

Two of the major challenges to international students’ right of access to higher education are geographical/economic isolation and academic literacy in English (Carey, 1999, Hamel, 2007). The authors propose that adopting open course models in traditional universities, through blended or online delivery, can offer benefits to the institutions and to the open education movement itself, in particular with non-Anglophone students. This paper describes the model and an implementation with undergraduate students in Canada, Mexico, and Russia. The implementation of the model was examined in three studies, which relied on data collected from student interviews, instructor observations and reflections, instructor interviews, course documents, and discussion forum transcripts. The authors note that the main benefit of an open course model is the development of academic literacy for students of English as an Other Language (EOL). Other benefits include 1) international course transfers, 2) breadth of professorial exposure for the students, 3) flexibility in professors’ employment and professional development, and 4) course credits for students. Some of the challenges include 1) varying levels of Internet access, 2) coordination of the participation of the instructors, and 3) different teaching and learning practices. The authors conclude that an open course model might be applied in various contexts, such as in disciplines where global perspectives are important, in applied/professional programs, and in distance or face-to-face courses. Also, the model is useful for students working together on research, case studies, or joint projects, and it could be applied within an institution to enhance inter-disciplinary content and approaches


Author(s):  
Georgios Neokleous ◽  
Koeun Park ◽  
Anna Krulatz

With English as an Additional Language (EAL) classrooms increasingly becoming culturally and linguistically diverse, the use of the students' home language(s) (HLs) can equip emergent bilinguals/multilinguals with the essential accoutrements that optimize their learning experience. To meet the realities and demands of contemporary classrooms, current research encourages teachers to make use of the students' entire linguistic repertoires and create space for a fluid and dynamic oscillation between the HL(s) and the target language (TL), which has been labelled as translanguaging pedagogy. Despite the constraints imposed by today's education policies, translanguaging is believed to have the potential to enhance the teaching of these students. Through the description of activities, this chapter discusses how taking up translanguaging theory can contribute towards fostering meaningful and affirming ways of teaching and learning EAL literacy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelly L. Freyn ◽  
Mina Sedaghatjou ◽  
Sheree Rodney

PurposeAn academic–practitioner divide exists suggesting the need for business education curriculum to more appropriately suit private-sector demands. This calls for pedagogical approaches that offer experiences and build skill sets to better prepare graduates for the workforce. The authors propose a framework, collaborative engagement experience-based learning (CEEBL), as a new pedagogical method for teaching and learning in business education. This research provides a viable solution to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The authors suggest CEEBL also offers business students new methods of engagement in the world of work.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study investigates the CEEBL framework applied to a business education course in competitive intelligence (CI) and a crisis simulation exercise that offer “real world” experiences to students. Data were collected in two semesters and included feedback from over 70 undergraduate students.FindingsResults suggest that the CEEBL framework provides students with the learning experiences to build much-needed skill sets. Additionally, Hallinger and Lu's (2011) assessment of overall instructional effectiveness showed positive statistical results for its dimensions.Originality/valueThe CEEBL framework is coined from two existing pedagogical underpinnings; collaborative engagement (CE) and experience-based Learning (EBL). These concepts offer insights into the ways in which CE promotes a rich learning experience. The new framework takes into consideration the relationship(s) among the dimensions of CE and EBL and how they intertwine with each other to create a pedagogical method that can better prepare students for a dynamic workplace. CEEBL can be easily adapted for online, hybrid or in-session teaching environments. Additionally, the framework offers flexibility in application to other disciplines while addressing current topics and issues through the capstone exercise.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saba Alnusairat ◽  
Duaa Al Maani ◽  
Amer Al-Jokhadar

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes of students in higher educational institutions in Jordan towards the use of online design studios during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown and discusses how their use could enhance the learning process.Design/methodology/approach615 undergraduate students studying architecture in Jordanian universities were recruited to explore the factors that constituted and affected their perceptions of online design studios.FindingsThe findings of this study highlight that many of the participants felt uncertain about aspects of their online learning experience and wanted more guidance and support. Reasons of this disengagement include technical factors, such as poor network quality and lack of familiarity with the new applications. Students and tutors' personal situations when working and studying from home are also relevant due to the tutors' lack of expertise in online teaching, and the limitations of peer interaction. Together, these factors can make the experience of the online design studio more challenging.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was nationally representative of architecture students from various institutions. However, the study was limited to an exploration of students' opinions, and it did not include the points of view of tutors and decision-makers.Originality/valueThis research was conceived during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, whilst both tutors and students were experiencing dramatic changes in their modes of teaching and learning due to the sudden move from on-campus design studios to a virtual alternative, with only the bare minimum of resources and relevant experience. Learners' perspectives can enhance understanding of online design studios to assess their quality and effectiveness.


Author(s):  
Wendy Rawlinson

Feeling disenchanted with my communication pedagogy to undergraduate students at a university of technology, I searched for a means to improve my practices. Poetic inquiry assisted in unveiling how my personal and professional lived experiences had moulded my lecturer self and negatively influenced my communication practices. The reflexive writing of poems created an imaginative space in which embedded values and assumptions could be excavated, and the complexity of my entrenched beliefs made visible. The creative space helped crystallise my thinking and generate fresh insights into my white race and class privilege. New interpretations of how a merging of my personal and professional identities could improve my classroom teaching and learning were evoked through poetic inquiry. Furthermore, as a form of analysis, it served to disrupt ingrained instrumentalist patterns of thinking and acting whilst enabling a more imaginative envisioning of my communication pedagogy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Jalberth Fernandes De Araujo ◽  
Izadora Soares Cardoso ◽  
Ariadne Caroline Silva Guedes ◽  
Ianca Rocha Ferreira ◽  
Helvio Rubens Reis De Albuquerque

Several researches indicate that undergraduate students are unsatisfied with their learning experience at university. One of the reasons is the non-effective communication between teachers and students. The non-effective communication may cause problems in teaching and learning, which are fundamental and professional skills that teachers and students must continually develop. Problems in teaching and learning impact directly the learning experience at university of the students, and improve the communication between teachers and students can solve the problems. The communication and, consequently, the teaching and learning, can be improved using the undergraduate student’s feedback. In this paper, a methodology to improve the teaching and learning is presented. The methodology is based on the use of undergraduate student’s feedback, and it was utilized in an electrical engineering classroom during one year. Based on the results, teaching, learning, communication, motivation, engagement and satisfaction of the teacher and students have improved correlating the methodology with the learning process and growth mindset.


Author(s):  
Rachel Dicker ◽  
Mikey Garcia ◽  
Alison Kelly ◽  
Parisa Modabber ◽  
Alex O'Farrell ◽  
...  

Student expectations with regard to what comprises quality in higher education can impact upon their learning, engagement and overall satisfaction. Perceptions of quality are not always clearly articulated and may vary by gender, ethnicity and year of study. In this study, undergraduate students completed a questionnaire indicating whether they agreed, disagreed or were unsure about 15 statements related to quality in higher education. A total of 340 students across four year groups participated (Levels 3-6), with more female than male participants and a range of ethnicities represented. There was broad unanimity in the recognition of the importance of both teaching and learning and relationships with academic staff in defining quality. Overall, there were low levels of satisfaction with the amount of contact with academic staff and uncertainty about whether students thought they were getting a high quality education. Some differences in relation to support services were seen in different ethnic groups, and more males than females were satisfied with support services although this varied by year group, and student numbers were small. These results suggest the importance of clearly articulating what is available in terms of support (academic, pastoral, study and health) to all students. The teaching and learning experience, and relationships with academic staff are clearly important and given the uncertainty about overall perceptions of quality, these aspects need to be highlighted to students so that they understand the value of what they are receiving.Keywords: quality, perceptions, relationships, feedback, teaching & learning


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