Centre for Teaching and Learning

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Buildig knowledge and knowers in writing retreats : towards developing the field of higher education teaching and learning
(HESA, 2017) Winberg, C.; Jacobs, C.; Wolff, K.
Writing for publication is essential for disseminating research findings, sharing initiatives and innovations with others, and developing the knowledge base of intellectual fields. This study explores the role of writing retreats in building knowledge and knowers in the field of Higher Education Studies, specifically within the area of higher education pedagogy. We conceptually frame our research with Legitimation Code Theory (Maton 2014) in order to analyse the different ways in which participants in writing retreats orientate themselves to the social practice of writing for publication and the knowledge base of higher education pedagogy. The data comprise participants’ feedback on writing retreats, collected from surveys and focus group interviews at two universities (a teaching-intensive university and a research-intensive university), and supplementary institutional data on retreat participants and their writing achievements. By examining the organising principles of the writing retreats in terms of how they build knowledge and knowers, we make explicit the knowledge-building practices that underpin successful writing retreats and the orientations towards these practices that are productive for potential authors.
Collaborative research in contexts of inequality : the role of social reflexivity
(Springer Verlag, 2017) Brenda, Leibowitz; Bozalek, Vivienne; Farmer, Jean; Garraway, James; Herman, Nicoline; Jawitz, Jeff; McMillan, Wendy; Mistri, Gita; Ndebele, Clever; Nkonki, Vuyisile; Quinn, Lynn; Van Schalkwyk, Susan; Vorster, Jo-Anne; Winberg, Chris
This article reports on the role and value of social reflexivity in collaborative research in contexts of extreme inequality. Social reflexivity mediates the enablements and constraints generated by the internal and external contextual conditions impinging on the research collaboration. It fosters the ability of participants in a collaborative project to align their interests and collectively extend their agency towards a common purpose. It influences the productivity and quality of learning outcomes of the research collaboration. The article is written by 14 members of a larger research team, which comprised 18 individuals working within the academic development environment in eight South African universities. The overarching research project investigated the participation of academics in professional development activities, and how contextual, ie. structural and cultural, and agential conditions influence this participation. For this sub-study on the experience of the collaboration by 14 of the researchers, we wrote reflective pieces on our own experience of participating in the project towards the end of the third year of its duration. We discuss the structural and cultural conditions external to and internal to the project, and how the social reflexivity of the participants mediated these conditions. We conclude with the observation that policy injunctions and support from funding agencies for collaborative research, as well as support from participants’ home institutions, are necessary for the flourishing of collaborative research, but that the commitment by individual participants to participate, learn and share, is also necessary.
Critical interdisciplinary dialogues : towards a pedagogy of well-being in STEM disciplines and fields
(HESA, 2018) Winberg, C.; Bozalek, V. G.; Conana, H.; Wright, J.; Wolff, K. E.; Pallitt, N.; Adendorff, H.
Students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) globally and in South Africa are generally not in a state of well-being. International and South African research studies show that undergraduate STEM programmes pose significant challenges to students and that many STEM programmes are marked by high attrition rates and poor student success. There is growing recognition that STEM educators need to teach the “whole student” instead of focussing only on STEM knowledge and skills. In order to teach in a holistic way, university educators themselves need to understand and achieve their own well-being. The paper argues that pedagogy of well-being and its associated concepts of competence, self-efficacy, community and inter-relatedness are key to academic staff and student well-being in the STEM disciplines. The focus of this paper is an inter-institution study on enhancing STEM educators’ capacity towards a pedagogy of well-being through teaching portfolio development in diverse institutional contexts. The research question guiding is the study is: How might academic development practitioners and STEM university educators’ successfully collaborate for the benefit of student well-being and success? Data for this study was obtained from “critical dialogues” between academic development practitioners and STEM university teachers, as well as an external evaluation of the project. The data comprise video-recordings of the critical dialogues and survey responses. The findings of the study indicate that there are barriers as well as productive spaces for interdisciplinary work towards well-being in STEM teaching and learning. The findings have implications for how STEM academics might engage in professional learning towards pedagogical competence, and offer suggestions for the ways in which academic developers might respectfully “transgress” into STEM disciplinary domains in support of a pedagogy of well-being in the STEM disciplines and fields.
Experiential Education Conference at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, 10–11 November 2020
(African Minds, 2020) Schreiber, Birgit
Experiential Education as Pedagogy for Social Justice, Praxis and Practice for Shaping 21stâ€‘Century Global Citizen LeadersStellenbosch Universityâ€™s Division Student Affairs, Centre for Student Leadership, Experiential Education end Citizenshipâ€™s Co-curriculum Office, presented the Stellenbosch University Experiential Education Conference (SUEEC) from 10 to 11 November 2020.Â This was Stellenbosch Universityâ€™s first online conference and a first in South Africa and Africa focusing on experiential education and social justice. This two-day virtual highereducation conference was designed with experiential educators in civil society, university student affairs practitioners, and academics from across the world.The conference theme of â€˜Experiential education as pedagogy for social justice: praxis and practice for shaping 21st century global citizen leadersâ€™ emerged even more pertinent at a time of mass global upheaval, uncertainty and humanitarian crises. The intention of the SUEEC was to spotlight emerging trends and transitions in the higher education experiential learning domain and the intersections thereof with social justice and the formation of the global citizen leader. To accomplish the above entailed inviting world renown keynote speakers and subject matter experts, and to call for abstracts, master classesand exemplars (examples of best practice in experiential education).
Exploring student engagegment practises at a South African university : student engagement as reliable predictor of academic performance
(HESA, 2016) Schreiber, B.; Yu, D.
Student engagement is one avenue to explore how the experiences within and beyond the classroom impact student persistence behaviours. This article contributes to the sparse research in South Africa on the correlates of student engagement with academic performance at a Historically Disadvantaged University. The results suggest that engagement practices at this university are different across race and gender and that given the South African history we are able to generalise onto the South African higher education systems. Influences on persistence are complex and require a comprehensive approach which embraces the entire context into which student persistence behaviours are embedded. Engagement and academic performance trends across race and gender suggest that the ideals of the higher education framework of social justice, equity of opportunity and participatory parity remain elusive.
A lesson in listening : is the student voice heard in the rush to incorporate technology into health professions education?
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2015-05) Keiller, L.; Inglis-Jassiem, G.
Background. Early indications are that blended learning in health professions education has a positive influence on student satisfaction and learning. This is encouraging, as the call to incorporate technology in teaching and learning in higher education is increasing. The student voice in the planning and implementation of blended learning strategies is, however, not adequately addressed in many of the studies to date. Objective. To utilise videos and blogging in a problem-based learning physiotherapy module to enhance student engagement with content of problembased cases. Methods. Students completed a needs-analysis and engagement questionnaire. Videos made by students were uploaded to the learning management system and subsequent use of these videos was recorded. Two focus group discussions were held to evaluate students’ perceptions of the blended learning strategies. Results. Students perceived the level of engagement during case presentation periods to be satisfactory, but unsatisfactory outside of such periods. Focus group discussions identified the technology used in this study as being inappropriate for this population. Students had specific expectations of the roles of staff and students. There was a perceived lack of skill with regard to the use of the technology chosen. Conclusion. There is a need for the student voice to be heard with regard to both the rationale for implementation and the type of technology used in blended learning strategy innovations. This study recommends that student-generated videos of clinical skills could be implemented successfully with adequate support from staff.
Modelling the pre-assessment learning effects of assessment : evidence in the validity chain
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2012-10) Cilliers, Francois J.; Schuwirth, Lambert W. T.; Van der Vleuten, Cees P. M.
OBJECTIVES We previously developed a model of the pre-assessment learning effects of consequential assessment and started to validate it. The model comprises assessment factors, mechanism factors and learning effects. The purpose of this study was to continue the validation process. For stringency, we focused on a subset of assessment factor–learning effect associations that featured least commonly in a baseline qualitative study. Our aims were to determine whether these uncommon associations were operational in a broader but similar population to that in which the model was initially derived. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 361 senior medical students at one medical school was undertaken using a purpose-made questionnaire based on a grounded theory and comprising pairs of written situational tests. In each pair, the manifestation of an assessment factor was varied. The frequencies at which learning effects were selected were compared for each item pair, using an adjusted alpha to assign significance. The frequencies at which mechanism factors were selected were calculated. RESULTS There were significant differences in the learning effect selected between the two scenarios of an item pair for 13 of this subset of 21 uncommon associations, even when a p-value of < 0.00625 was considered to indicate significance. Three mechanism factors were operational in most scenarios: agency; response efficacy, and response value. CONCLUSIONS For a subset of uncommon associations in the model, the role of most assessment factor–learning effect associations and the mechanism factors involved were supported in a broader but similar population to that in which the model was derived. Although model validation is an ongoing process, these results move the model one step closer to the stage of usefully informing interventions. Results illustrate how factors not typically included in studies of the learning effects of assessment could confound the results of interventions aimed at using assessment to influence learning.
Postgraduate research supervision : more at stake than research training
(SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein, 2010) Bitzer, Eli
Is research training of students the key responsibility of postgraduate supervisors? While many academics would agree, supervisory roles might involve more than training postgraduate students. This article argues for the importance of research training as well as development interventions for supervisors. Drawing on relevant conceptions and a proposed supervisor development scheme, twenty-one supervisors reported how their supervisory roles have changed after interventions in five developmental areas. Similarly, supervisors who participated in a four-day supervision conference reported important developmental gains. The article proposes that supervisors seem to assess their supervisory roles and responsibilities more holistically and critically after and as a result of development interventions.
Professional learning for teaching at a research-intensive university : the need for a ‘care-full’ environment
(HESA, 2018) Herman, N.; Bitzer, E.; Leibowitz, B.
The participation of academics in professional learning opportunities for teaching plays an important role in promoting the desired outcomes of higher education teaching and learning. If university teachers pursuing a career in academia however perceive the environment as non-appreciative and non-supportive, in other words, ‘care-less’ to such endeavours, they could become demoralised as a result of human and emotional responses. The purpose of the reported research was to explore the influence of their environment on the decision-making of academics to participate in professional learning opportunities at one research-intensive university. It shows what impact the care-less treatment of teachers may have on their decisions to learn to teach. Findings indicate that academics do not perceive the existing institutional environment as “care-full” (Milligan and Wiles 2010) towards teaching or university teachers. Carving out a teaching career in a care-less environment appears to have a negative influence on academics’ decision-making for professional learning. One implication of these findings is that university management should realise that a care-full environment to enhance professional learning for teaching, certainly at research-intensive institutions, is essential for such professional learning, for individual academics and subsequently for students and society, to prosper.
Put listening to the test : an aid to decision making in language placement
(Stellenbosch University, 2010) Marais, Fiona; Van Dyk, Tobie
Universities and other higher education establishments throughout the world, including South Africa, have become concerned about the academic literacy levels of the students they enrol. The problem at most South African tertiary education institutions, which is in line with global trends, is certainly considerable, with almost a third of the students identified as being at risk. A lack of ability in academic discourse is seen as a major cause of students' failure to complete their courses within the given period. In 2006, as part of a nationwide attempt to remedy the academic literacy crisis, Stellenbosch University, along with other academic establishments, officially decided to implement a test of academic literacy in both English and Afrikaans. At Stellenbosch University, the English version of this test is known as TALL (Test of Academic Literacy Levels). It was developed to assess reading and writing abilities in an academic context. The results are used to ‘stream’ students into programmes which assist them in acquiring the various skills deemed necessary for their academic success. Students are sorted according to their TALL results into 'high risk' and 'low to no risk' categories, however, a need has been identified for further screening of the borderline students whose performance in the test falls between these two groups. Administrative and logistical limitations have, thus far, prevented listening skills from being included in the construct of TALL, but there is general consensus that listening is an important skill, particularly at university level. The focus of the research project, reported on in this article, was to design, and put into practice, an academic listening test (ALT) to assist in decision making regarding the placement of first-year students in approved language courses at Stellenbosch University. The qualitative and quantitative results obtained from the various administrations of ALT were analysed to determine the reliability and validity of the test. The final phase of the study involved the correlation of these results with those of TALL to establish whether ALT could assist the TALL administrators in making more informed decisions.
The relationship between identity, language and teaching and learning in higher education in South Africa
(Stellenbosch University, 2005) Leibowitz, Brenda; Adendorff, Hanelie; Daniels, Shariefa; Loots, Ansie; Nakasa, Sipho; Ngxabazi, Nosipiwo; Van der Merwe, Antoinette; Van Deventer, Idilette
The study on the relationship of identity, language and teaching and learning was conducted by a team of eight members at a higher education institution in the Western Cape. The aims of the research were to investigate the relationship between language, identity and learning, to show how this investigation can benefit dialogue about transformation, and to facilitate the research development of the team. The research design made use of narrative and educational biography in semi-structured interviews with 64 staff members and 100 students. The study supports views of identity as constructed and non-unitary. It shows how language, both as proficiency in the dominant medium of communication and as discourse, is a key component of identity in a higher education institution. The interviews demonstrated how, according to lecturers and students, language and discourse function as primary influences on individuals’ acculturation and integration into the academic community. According to the interviewees, language as a marker of identity is interwoven with other aspects of identity. It is both a resource and a source of identification and affiliation. The research demonstrated that dialogue and self reflection can be facilitated via research into identity, teaching and learning, and that this can be beneficial for both the interviewees and the research team.
Using a theoretical framework of institutional culture to analyse an institutional strategy document
(University of South Africa Press, 2016) Jacobs, Anthea Hydi Maxine
This paper builds on a conceptual analysis of institutional culture in higher education. A theoretical framework was proposed to analyse institutional documents of two higher education institutions in the Western Cape, for the period 2002 to 2012 (Jacobs 2012). The elements of this theoretical framework are ‘shared values and beliefs’, ‘language’, ‘symbols’ and ‘knowledge production’. Even though the larger study focused on two higher education institutions, the focus in this paper is only on Stellenbosch University (SU). The aim of the paper is to explore how the constitutive elements of the proposed theoretical framework are constructed in the Institutional Intent and Strategy 2013-2018 document of SU. The findings of the larger 2012 study suggested a missing link between transformation and institutional culture. Although SU is striving towards an inclusive campus or institutional culture, the contention is that transformation extends far deeper. The current analysis reveals that the challenges SU is facing are two-fold. Firstly, the university has to make sure that the proposed ‘core processes’ represent significant actions to address the challenges related to transforming the university’s institutional culture. Secondly, SU should guard against the use of concepts such as ‘redesign’ to imply transformation.
A wake-up call : equity, inequality and Covid-19 emergency remote teaching and learning
(Springer, 2020-09-23) Czerniewicz, Laura; Agherdien, Najma; Badenhorst, Johan; Belluigi, Dina; Chambers, Tracey; Chili, Muntuwenkosi; De Villiers, Magriet; Felix, Alan; Gachago, Daniela; Gokhale, Craig; Ivala, Eunice; Kramm, Neil; Madiba, Matete; Mistri, Gitanjali; Mgqwashu, Emmanuel; Pallitt, Nicola; Prinsloo, Paul; Solomon, Kelly; Strydom, Sonja C.; Swanepoel, Mike; Waghid, Faiq; Wissing, Gerrit
Produced from experiences at the outset of the intense times when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions began in March 2020, this collaborative paper offers the collective reflections and analysis of a group of teaching and learning and Higher Education (HE) scholars from a diverse 15 of the 26 South African public universities. In the form of a theorised narrative insistent on foregrounding personal voices, it presents a snapshot of the pandemic addressing the following question: what does the ‘pivot online’ to Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL), forced into urgent existence by the Covid-19 pandemic, mean for equity considerations in teaching and learning in HE? Drawing on the work of Therborn (2009: 20– 32; 2012: 579–589; 2013; 2020) the reflections consider the forms of inequality - vital, resource and existential - exposed in higher education. Drawing on the work of Tronto (1993; 2015; White and Tronto 2004) the paper shows the networks of care which were formed as a counter to the systemic failures of the sector at the onset of the pandemic.

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