scholarly journals An ethnographic account of a snapshot in Professor Graham Duncan’s journey of educational professionalism

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Hertzog Du Toit
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education ◽  
Living Theory

This article takes the form of a meta-reflection on the educational contribution to the wider community of the University of Pretoria made by Professor Graham Duncan. It is but a snapshot of the academic life of a scholar of note. The epicentre of the article revolves around his educational professionalism that emanated from an intrapersonal point of departure.Through an ethnographic lens that informed my action research over many years, I document my numerous scholarly encounters with my colleague and former student. My meta-reflection is typical of my ontological-epistemological stance, mirroring some of the questions and ways of thinking Professor Duncan as lecturer continuously asked himself. Two main questions are focused on. Ontological: Who is Graham Duncan as scholar of teaching in higher education? Epistemological: What epistemological grounding informs his view of his teaching practice? As the nature of the article is ethnographic, I drew on texts created by Professor Duncan. These included a drafted article and emails that had been sent to me. I engaged with these texts in such a way that the article has become a living theory and affirmation of his and my educational values regarding facilitating and assessing learning in an innovative fashion. My analysis of his scholarly journey and texts offers rich qualitative data that are reported. The conclusion drawn is that Graham Duncan is an exemplar of a constructivist professional.

La retroalimentación: La clave para una evaluación orientada al aprendizaje

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-170
Author(s):  
Cristina Canabal ◽  
Leonor Margalef
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Authentic Assessment ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The University ◽  
Oriented Approach

Resumen:Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación-acción centrada en el análisis de los procesos de retroalimentación entre estudiantes y profesores entendidos desde una comprensión de la evaluación como aprendizaje. El contexto de la investigación es el Máster en Docencia Universitaria, en el que participa profesorado de diferentes ramas de conocimiento que desarrolla docencia en el ámbito universitario. Se detalla el primer ciclo de la espiral autorreflexiva de la investigación-acción, en el que se sistematizaron y analizaron los datos recogidos mediante diversos instrumentos, como cartas de retroalimentación, diarios reflexivos, grupos de discusión y entrevistas grupales. Los resultados muestran la relevancia del proceso de elaboración, recepción y análisis de las cartas como herramienta de retroalimentación así como su incidencia en la motivación de los estudiantes y en la mejora de sus aprendizajes posteriores. Se aportan datos sobre los diferentes tipos y condiciones de la retroalimentación que inciden en una evaluación orientada al aprendizaje. Es de destacar el impacto que el desarrollo de los procesos de retroalimentación tuvo en la esfera emocional y personal de los participantes. Las cartas de retroalimentación permitieron promover procesos de evaluación globales, complejos y auténticos, y por tanto, aprendizajes profundos, relevantes, más allá de los meramente estratégicos. Desde la perspectiva del profesorado-investigador se señalan las contribuciones de este proceso al análisis, reflexión y mejora de su práctica docente, y por tanto, de su propio desarrollo profesional.Abstract: This article presents the findings of an action research focused on the analysis of the feedback processes between students and teachers understood from a learning-oriented approach to assessment. The context of the research is the Master in Higher Education Teaching, which involved lecturers from different disciplines teaching at the University. The first cycle of the selfreflection spiral of action research is detailed and analyzed. Data were collected through different instruments, including feedback letters, reflective journals, discussion groups and group interviews. The findings show the relevance of the process of elaborating personal letters as a feedback tool as well as its incidence on the motivation of participants and on the promotion of their learning. In addition, this study provides more detail about the types and conditions of feedback processes which have an impact in a learning-oriented assessment. The influence of the process of feedback on the emotional and personal sphere of the participants is shown. The feedback letters allowed promoting global, complex and authentic assessment processes and therefore relevant and deep learning experiences beyond just strategic ones. Finally, from the teachers-investigators perspective the contribution of this process to the analysis, reflection and improvement of their teaching practice, and therefore, of their own professional development, is discussed.

scholarly journals Forskning i egen undervisningspraksis i høyere utdanning

2020 ◽  
pp. 225-251
Author(s):  
Sigrid Gjøtterud
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Report Quality ◽  
The Family ◽  
Research Scholarship ◽  
University Colleges ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

According to Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts in universities and university colleges, teachers are required to equalize their educational and research scholarship. Pursuant to this regulation, the report “Quality Culture in Higher Education” (KD, 2016) requests that teachers research their teaching practice in order to create communities where educational and teaching questions are discussed. Action research offers methodologies and strategies for such research in our daily educational practice. There are multiple branches within the family of action research used as foundations for researching one’s own practice. In this article I present a selection, discuss similarities and point out some differences. At the end I discuss the potential I believe such research holds for teaching in higher education.

scholarly journals Theology and higher education: The place of a Faculty of Theology at a South African university

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaco Beyers
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Interreligious Dialogue ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
African Society ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
South African Society ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
The University

In 2017, the Faculty of Theology celebrates its centenary at the University of Pretoria. Celebrating a centennial is as much as looking back as looking forward. In a changing world with changing paradigms how does one remain relevant? Different challenges and expectations presented to tertiary institutions of education in a new dispensation puts all concerned with higher education in South Africa under pressure. The question addressed in this article is how will a Faculty of Theology (in this case at the University of Pretoria) remain relevant to such an extent that it is continued to be viewed as desirable to have such a faculty present at a university, participating in the academic process and simultaneously continues to contribute to the well-being of the South African society. The author suggests the following guidelines for consideration. In order to remain relevant for the next couple of hundred years the Faculty of Theology should engage contextually with society, practise interdisciplinary Theology, engage in interreligious dialogue while still remaining connected to faith communities. A paradigm of post-foundationalism enables Theology to exercise Theology in a relevant and meaningful manner.

scholarly journals Do LEGO® Models Aid Reflection in Learning and Teaching Practice?

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrissi Nerantzi ◽  
Craig Scott Despard
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Academic Practice ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Good Assessment ◽  
The University ◽  
Assessment Strategies ◽  
The Impact

In this paper we describe the use of LEGO® models within assessment of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) offered at the University of Salford. Within the context of the PGCAP, we model innovative and contextualised assessment strategies for and of learning. We challenge our students, who are teachers in higher education (HE), to think and rethink the assessment they are using with their own students. We help them develop a deeper understanding and experience of good assessment and feedback practice in a wider context while they are assessed as students on the PGCAP. We report on an evaluation of how the LEGO® model activity was used with a cohort of students in the context of the professional discussion assessment. We share the impact it had on reflection and the assessment experience and make recommendations for good practice.

scholarly journals Benchmarking of University teachers’ professional development: successful European, Chinese, and Russian practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 01004
Author(s):  
Tatiana Tregubova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Effective Practices ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Higher Education Organizations ◽  
The University

In the context of socio-pedagogical transformations of higher education organizations, the modernization of the system of teachers’ professional development becomes an integral component of the reforms. Today university teachers have to be ready for continuous development and advanced training throughout their lives. Thus, the study of the problem of university teachers’ professional development in Russia and abroad is very relevant and timely as a response to the modern requirements of civil society for the personality of the teacher. The need for professional development among university teachers is closely related to his (her) desire for more successful indicators in teaching activities. To do this, it is necessary to fulfill several pedagogical conditions, including the teacher's own awareness of the need for professional development; the interest of the university administration and the availability of resources to organize an effective professional development system, etc. The purpose of the article is to show some successful practices of the teachers’ professional development in Russian, Chinese and European universities which the author observed while visiting those universities within the realization the project “Enhancing teaching practice in the universities of Russia and China”. The article presents the possibilities of benchmarking in higher education, in particular, the use of the benchmarking technology as a method of studying the effective practices of organizing the teachers’ professional development in a modern university.

scholarly journals El aprendizaje en la educación superior / Learning Process of Higher Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
César Carbache Mora
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Educación Superior ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Educational Decisions ◽  
Educacion Superior ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Sociedad Del Conocimiento ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

ABSTRACTThe following analysis aims to investigate the present and the future of the Ecuadorian university, its relationship to work, citizenship and identity, higher education and learning, knowledge ecologies to link research and teaching in higher education and the pre service education: policies, programs and practices. The information society and knowledge required of citizens better prepared and more committed to the environment in which they live and develop. Aware of this reality, the university must rethink the principles that led to its creation. Moving from theorizing (conceptualization - observation) to the practical (research - reflection – criticality - involvement) valuing and respecting diversity and multiculturalism in tandem to raise awareness on the social responsibility of their knowledge. This rethinking of contemporary university must analyse as proposed by some researchers (Montero, Patricio. 2010) the megas educational trends and challenges for higher education that have implications on key educational decisions related to the relevance and validity of higher education. In particular, for curriculum development, methodologies for both teaching and assessing also the management of teaching. 1.- Globalization marked by the knowledge society. 2.- Training for a highly dynamic interdependent labour structure. 3.- The survival of organizations depends on the knowledge possessed by its staff. 4.- Changes in the design of intelligent behaviour and productivity of people. 5.- Changes on the conception of learning, emphasizing the concern of internal processes of people for learning.RESUMENEl siguiente análisis pretende investigar el presente y el futuro de la universidad ecuatoriana: su vinculación al trabajo, la ciudadanía y la identidad, la enseñanza superior y el aprendizaje, ecologías del conocimiento en cuanto a enlazar la investigación y la docencia en la educación superior, así como el pre servicio de la educación: las políticas, programas y prácticas. La sociedad de la información y el conocimiento requiere de ciudadanos mejor preparados y más comprometidos con el medio en que les toca vivir y desenvolverse. Consciente de esta realidad la universidad debe de replantearse los postulados que la llevaron a su creación. Pasar de la teorización (conceptualización - observación) a la practicidad (inves-tigación – reflexión - criticidad- involucramiento) valorando y respetando la diversidad y la multiculturalidad a la par de concienciar en la responsabilidad social de sus conocimientos. En este replanteo la universidad de hoy debe de analizar, como lo proponen algunos investigadores (Montero, Patricio, 2010) las megas tendencias educativas como desafíos para la educación universitaria que tienen implicaciones en las decisiones educacionales claves vinculadas a la pertinencia y vali-dez de la educación superior. En especial, para el desarrollo curricular, las metodologías tanto para la enseñanza como para la evaluación y para la gestión de la docencia. Cinco son las que se plantean: 1.- La globalización marcada por la sociedad del conocimiento. 2.- Formación para una estructura laboral altamente dinámica e interdependiente. 3.- La super-vivencia de las organizaciones depende centralmente del conocimiento que posee su personal. 4.- Cambios en la concepción de comportamientos inteligentes y la productividad de las personas. 5.- Cambios sobre la concepción del aprendizaje, enfatizando la preocupación de los procesos internos de las personas para el aprendizaje. Contacto principal: [email protected]

Back to the Future

2019 ◽  
pp. 237-252
Author(s):  
Gabriele I.E. Strohschen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Instructional Methods ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
The World ◽  
The University

This chapter corroborates competence-based and social-situational educational practices with the principles of Blended Shore Education (BSE) and Metagogy. These two theorems emerged from several action research projects that engaged Chicago community members, university students, and educators from around the world. The principles, tenets, and descriptions of applied instructional methods in the context of civic and social engagement projects demonstrate how teaching and learning praxes and curricula and program design can be achieved by and with the learners, by the university, and by the community stakeholders to result in relevant and meaningful education models in higher education.

English Language Learning as Intercultural Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Hamza R'boul ◽  
M Camino Bueno-Alastuey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intercultural Relations ◽  
Intercultural Experience ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

Teaching English in higher education entails additional factors and considerations that exemplify the complexity of accounting for the diverse population in modern higher education institutions. In particular, the increasing flow of international students and the employment demands of functioning in multicultural contexts render helping students to develop a critical understating of intercultural relations an important aspect of English language teaching. With the increasing adoption of English as a medium of instruction and its use as a lingua franca in intercultural communication, it is important to structure English education in a way that accounts for intercultural relations both in and outside the university. In addition to the postmodern conceptualizations of interculturality that emphasize the fluidity of culture, language and identity intercultural relations are characterized by power imbalances. That is why this chapter makes a case for the necessity of considering sociopolitical realities in intercultural English language teaching in higher education.

scholarly journals Early Presbyterian influences at the University of Pretoria

2008 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
The State ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Institutional Level ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
The University

Presbyterianism, through two significant personalities, provided an important impetus to the formation and development of the early University of Pretoria. Their contribution has to be understood in terms of the contexts of their Scottish Presbyterian heritage, South Africa in the early years of the twentieth century and the state of higher education prevalent at that time. Together these contexts may be described as political, religious and educational. Prof AC Paterson made significant contributions both in teaching and administration at the institutional level. Prof E Macmillan made his contribution in the field of teaching, but never divorced from the very context where ministry has to be exercised.

Preparing Critical Educators and Community-Engaged Scholars Through Participatory Action Research

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Meagan Call-Cummings ◽  
Melissa Hauber-Özer ◽  
Jennifer Rainey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Discrete Method ◽  
Emancipatory Pedagogy ◽  
The University

Participatory action research (PAR) is a community-based form of inquiry conducted with individuals affected by an issue or problem being studied rather than about them. Rather than a method of inquiry, PAR is an epistemological stance towards knowledge and knowledge creation that is rooted in critical, emancipatory pedagogy. Because it is an orientation, rather than a discrete method, PAR is difficult to teach. Here the authors explore the experiences of both undergraduate pre-service teachers and doctoral students as they seek to reconcile PAR principles and practice with their personal and professional backgrounds. The purpose is not to present the best approach for teaching PAR in the university classroom; rather, it is a reflective exploration of the experiences of the authors' participants, which reveals rich insights into what it feels like to become researchers within the ‘culture' of formal higher education in the United States.

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