Browsing by Author "Jawitz, Jeffrey"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Assessment and the quality of educational programmes: what constitutes evidence?
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Shay, Suellen; Jawitz, Jeffrey
    In a climate of growing accountability for Higher Education, there is an increased demand on assessment to play an evaluative role. National, professional and institutional quality assurance systems expect that the assessment of student performance can be used to evaluate the quality of teachers, learners, programmes and even institutions for the purposes of programme review, programme accreditation and institutional audits. While affirming the role of assessment as a catalyst for the improvement of teaching and learning, this paper problematises the use of assessment for evaluative purposes. Drawing on an Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) accreditation exercise, we illustrate the limitations of particular forms of assessment data as evidence of quality. The paper argues for assessment as a socially situated interpretive act and for validation as the on-going process of strengthening the alignment between our assessment tasks, procedures and outcomes, and the educational, political and social purposes which our assessment systems claim to serve. The central argument of the paper is that key source of assessment evidence for quality assurance purposes is to be found in the strength and effectiveness of programme validation systems.
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    Race and assessment practice in South Africa: understanding black academic experience
    (Taylor & Francis, 2012) Jawitz, Jeffrey
    Despite efforts to transform the racialised system of higher education in South Africa inherited from apartheid, there has been little research published that interrogates the relationship between race and the experience of academic staff within the South African higher education environment. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and critical race theory, this article traces the experience of two black male academics in relation to the assessment practices of their colleagues at a historically white university in South Africa. The interviewees, both graduates from the departments in which they teach, reflected on their experience of their departmental assessment practices both as black students and black academics. The analysis concludes that despite their differing perceptions and experiences they both regard the assessment practices of some of their white colleagues as undermining of their black students' efforts to succeed.
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    Understanding Education Technology Integration Experiences among Engineering Educators: A Cultural Historical Activity Theory Approach
    (2021) Cawood, Ka Wai; Jawitz, Jeffrey; Govender, Shanali
    Although the University of Cape Town has implemented various education technology projects in the last two decades, the disruptions experienced during the #FeesMustFall movement and the COVID-19 pandemic point to challenges with integrating technology successfully, highlighting the need to better understand technology integration in higher education. Based in the Engineering Faculty, I adopted a Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) perspective to understand the experiences of engineering educators with regards to education technology integration in a department. A qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews was conducted with engineering educators. The data was analysed according to the categories in CHAT. Individual educator analyses were presented as activity systems. These were then synthesised to a departmental level understanding. I found that all educators integrated education technology to varying degrees. These included the university's learning management system, Microsoft PowerPoint, document cameras, and various engineering technologies. Educators integrated education technology to improve the practical demonstration of engineering concepts, prepare students for the workplace, and improve the efficiency of certain tasks. Their integration efforts were mediated mainly by the university's infrastructure and their access to institutional technologies. Nondirective approach by the departmental and faculty leadership provided educators with the freedom to integrate education technology, although, some educators expressed a desire for increased leadership intervention. Technical and pedagogical support services from the university provided resources and support for integration. The technologies integrated by the educators were informed by their preference for teaching resources that visualised theory. Educators were concerned with the impact of lecture recording on attendance, highlighting sustainability issues of this technology. As all participants integrated education technology independently, future studies may benefit from understanding less active users' experiences, the contribution of support services, and the role of departmental leadership.