Browsing by Author "Koen, Mariette"

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    A small-scale classroom research approach to curriculum renewal
    (AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2011) Koen, Mariette
    INTRODUCTION: Ross argues that the term curriculum can be interpreted as the organisation of desired learning experiences and that it represents a guide to lecturers of what is to be taught in specific institutions (Ross 2000:8). Challenges to organise such learning experiences in order to optimise teaching and learning opportunities are nothing new. Over the past decades universities have experienced increasing pressure from government, stakeholders and employers to design programmes that prepare graduates for today’s competitive working environments. In Chapter 1 of this book, Bitzer confirms this issue by outlining the need for a systematic and scholarly approach to curriculum inquiry as a measure to address academic achievement demands and to keep curricula relevant and effective. Stefani (2009:40) adds that the way a curriculum is designed will influence the way in which students approach their learning. It is therefore not surprising that South African teachers in higher education are constantly reminded to measure the effectiveness of their programmes in order to enhance student learning. A practical challenge is thus how to design a curriculum in the current accountability environment, one that provides students with authentic learning experiences in which they are provided with opportunities to demonstrate skills, knowledge and values required for their future professions.
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    Two master’s students’ perspectives on higher education studies in pursuit of scholarship
    (AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2009) Koen, Mariette; Bester, Marianne
    This chapter reviews how higher education studies can hold much promise for improving lecturers’ professional development by exploring the journey of two master’s students under the same supervision. The intention of this chapter is to provide a concise description of two journeys against the background of self-discovery, identity development and professional growth. First the authors argue that new expectations, knowledge, globalisation and demands engulf almost all aspects of academics’ lives in the changing world of higher education in South Africa today. As a result academics, like other professionals, need to update themselves and be engaged in professional development, a lifelong engagement that allows them to expand, develop and deepen their understanding of teaching and learning. In the subsequent section the authors explain that in higher education studies the line between epistemological and ontological realities becomes blurred when a student acquires new knowledge and skills while joining the quest for new ways of being a teacher, researcher and scholar. In the final section the authors describe how higher education studies allowed them to enhance and transform their ways of being as higher education teachers and they highlight the way that higher education studies challenged them to embrace scholarship. They share with the reader the idea that as a result, engaging in higher education studies did not only influence and/or change some of their perceptions and conceptualisations, but they also acquired new skills and knowledge as they developed as teacher, researcher and scholar. They conclude that becoming scholars in teaching and learning is an ongoing process of professional development that requires integrity, persistence, enthusiasm, passion and courage.