Browsing by Subject "Higher Education"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The curriculum in medical education: a case study in Obstetrics related to students' delivery experience
    (2012) Mitchell, Veronica
    In this research project, the small sample of students displays varying experiences as they engage in the practical curricular tasks in Obstetrics. Their responses indicate the challenges they face which are exacerbated by uncertainty particularly when the university’s chosen values contrast with those confronted in the broader context in which any curriculum operates.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Dismantling doubt: a study on impostor phenomenon among women academics in South Africa
    (2025) Ojetimi, Ribhat; Meyer, Tamlynne
    Impostor phenomenon is a psychological phenomenon manifested through feelings of self-doubt about intellectual competence, skills, and accomplishments despite evident success among individuals. This results in a constant fear of being exposed as a fraud, hindering their confidence and prospects for professional advancement. Transformation initiatives in South African higher education institutions aimed at increasing the representation of women and black people have seen a notable shift in the demographics of the profession. However, this shift has also coincided with rising levels of impostorism among these groups, highlighting the complex interplay between societal changes and individual experiences within academic spaces. Existing research has predominantly examined the impostor phenomenon from individualistic and psychological perspectives. However, a notable gap remains in understanding the sociological factors influencing the impostor phenomenon. The researcher argues that history, context, and culture are key in understanding the manifestation of impostorism among women and blacks in the academic profession of South Africa. This study contributes to this lacuna by conducting a sociological exploration of the impostor phenomenon among women academics at the University of Cape Town. In-depth qualitative interviews with women academics, underpinned by feminist intersectionality and socio-cultural and organisational cultural framing, illuminate the interplay of societal structures and organisational cultures in shaping experiences of impostor phenomenon. This not only provides a more complex and nuanced understanding of the phenomenon but also sheds light on the continued existence of inequality and marginalisation in the academic profession.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Knowledge Claims: How can different types of knowledge be identified, documented and assessed in RPL applications of RPL credits. Comparison of two case studies at a South African vocational/professional higher educational institution (V/PHEI)
    (2025) De Graaff, Frederika Hilde; Cooper, Linda Helen
    The purpose of this study was to analyse the inner workings of RPL in the case of awarding credits for subjects within a qualification via RPL. For this study, RPL for credits requires the applicant to present informal and non-formal learning from the workplace in a manner that is recognisable within a higher education context. This qualitative study employed a case study methodology to highlight the uniqueness of two RPL applications: Human Resources Management and Architectural Technology. The RPL process at the institution is qualification-specific, with its RPL processes and requirements tailored to the qualification and its associated profession. Drawing on the concepts of different knowledge structures and disciplinary boundaries (Bernstein, 1999, 2000), knowledge from the formal qualifications was analysed, and the nature of the boundary in each knowledge field was explored. All documentation from the RPL process was analysed, and all academics involved were interviewed. To facilitate the RPL application, the academic departments changed the learning outcomes (LO) from the formal curriculum into RPL LOs for each qualification. A taxonomy based on the work of Anderson and Krathwohl (2002), consisting of two fields, type of knowledge and complexity of knowledge, was adopted as a conceptual tool to analyse and compare both sets of LOs. This study demonstrates that workplace knowledge can successfully be recognised for credits in an academic programme, under particular conditions. One enabling factor was that the knowledge structures of the disciplines concerned were found to be hybrid and segmented in nature. A further enabling factor was identified by drawing on the concept of 'chain of recontextualisation' (Evans et al., 2009). At least three interlinked processes o f recontextualisation were identified: Firstly, LOs from the formal curriculum were recontextualised into the RPL programme takes place; secondly, the RPL candidates recontextualised their workplace knowledge in the course of their portfolio development; and thirdly, the academics – in assessing the RPL application, interpreted (recontextualised) the evidence of workplace knowledge presented. The theoretical and knowledge contribution of this thesis includes that RPL for credit is not solely a process of Recognition of Prior Learning but also a process of Recontextualisation of Prior Learning (R-PL). The academics involved in the study adjusted and changed the learning outcomes of the formal programme for the purposes of the RPL programme. This demonstrates that selected learning outcomes of a formal programme need to be analysed and modified before an RPL process is undertaken. A further contribution is that this processes of recontextualisation points to the importance of a shared repertoire between the RPL assessors and the RPL applicants and highlights the significance of shared tacit knowledge (tacit-to-tacit knowledge) between RPL applicant and assessor within a specific field of expertise. The study demonstrates that granting credits via RPL is a complex process that requires a deep understanding of the curriculum, the workplace, the profession, and the legal framework within which the qualifications and RPL operate in South Africa. The conclusion supports Cooper and Ralph's (2016) view of RPL as a Specialised Pedagogy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Towards a Shared Understanding of emerging technologies: experiences in a collaborative research project in South Africa
    (Kennesaw State University, 2013) Ng'ambi, Dick; Gachago, Daniela; Backhouse, Judy; Bozalek, Vivienne; Ivala, Eunice; Bosman, Jan Petrus
    While the practice of using educational technologies in Higher Education is increasingly common among educators, there is a paucity of research on innovative uses of emerging technologies to transform teaching and learning. This paper draws on data collected as part of a larger study aimed at investigating emerging technologies and their use in South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to improve teaching and learning. The research employed a mixed method research design, using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods—quantitative data from a survey of 262 respondents from 22 public HEIs in South Africa and qualitative data gathered from 16 experts/practitioners on their self-reflective definition of the term "emerging technologies". The paper concludes that levels of institutional development, access to resources, discipline, group belonging and individual motivation of respondents influenced the way they defined emerging technologies including what constituted an innovative use of technology, foregrounding the contextuality of emerging technologies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    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.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Using game design elements in Moodle to enhance student engagement at a Mozambican University
    (2025) Tivane, Claudino Dias Luis; Ng'ambi, Dickson
    The modern educational technologies have brought significant positive changes but are also posing challenges for teachers and students within universities. The introduction of technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and the entrance of digital natives into universities are contributing to the rapid integration of innovative educational practices, such as online learning. Online learning has gained traction in the new social reality, essentially after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced universities to adopt new means to deliver education during global isolation. However, despite its increasing popularity, to engage students in online learning remains one of the challenges faced by today's university teachers. Various teachers adopt online learning, whether compulsory or voluntary, without adequate preparation and indicative guidelines to support in designing online learning. This often leads to low student online engagement and suboptimal learning outcomes. The aim of this study is to propose ways of using game design elements in Moodle to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes in higher education. Moodle is currently the most widely used open-source LMS for delivering online courses in numerous countries, including Mozambique. When Moodle is well implemented, it can effectively support the education process and lead to enhanced student learning outcomes. This platform allows teachers to incorporate elements, such as game mechanics and other attractive components, to promote student engagement. The integration of game mechanics into a non-game environment, referred to as gamification, is gaining popularity in the education sector. This study applies a Mixed Methods Case Study Research (MMCSR) approach to explore how to integrate gamification in the Moodle platform for supporting in enhancing student engagement and learning results. It begins with a contextual analysis and literature review for an in-depth understanding of the problem and designing the intervention at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), in Mozambique. The intervention consists of design principles informed by the Laurillard's Conversational Framework for applying gamification in the Moodle platform to motivate student engagement. Overall, three teachers and 112 students from UEM participated in the intervention conducted in this study. The study utilizes qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. The primary data sources were transcriptions of teacher interviews and a file containing responses of the students to the questionnaires. The open-ended questions responses data were coded based on the inductive approach. The QualCoder software is utilized in this study for helping in qualitative data analysis, while the SPSS program is applied in generating the graphical representation of the quantitative data. The findings suggest that the application of gamification elements increases student engagement and enhances learning outcomes. The gamification within the Moodle platform creates an enjoyable and meaningful online learning environment and motivate interactions in three of the five communication cycles in Conversational Framework. The gamification elements, such as points, levels, leaderboards, and immediate feedback stimulate students to engage in learning activities and are particularly support in facilitating the teacher communication cycle (TCC), teacher practice cycle (TPC), and teacher modelling practice (TMC), leading to enhanced learning outcomes. The study also shows that integrating gamification elements increase teachers and students' satisfaction towards the use of the Moodle platform, as well as their intention to continue using it.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Who benefits from online education? How the implementation of technology in higher education can result in increasing inequalities in higher education institutions
    (2020) Pieterse, Allison; Mlatsheni, Cecil; Cliff, Alan
    The existing literature is inconclusive on how technology in education influences student outcomes and whether it will lead to an improvement in tertiary education access. This paper aims to determine whether the implementation of technology in higher education will lead to an improvement in the access to higher education through online education as well as improving student outcomes. In addition, the paper aims to show that implementing technology in higher education could increase existing inequalities amongst students from different backgrounds. The paper will do this by demonstrating the qualitative and quantitative factors which are the underlying reasons for some students doing better in an online setting compared to others. Furthermore, the paper will show that students from advantaged backgrounds with respect to race and income, benefit more from online and blended learning than students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Therefore, tertiary institutions need to provide caution when establishing blended learning and online education programmes as it could lead to increasing educational inequalities.