OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "higher education"

Browsing by Subject "higher education"

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Open Access
A model for teaching green information systems in higher education
(2018) Mcgibbon, Carolyn; Ophoff, Jacques
The purpose of this study was to respond to a call to the Information Systems (IS) discipline to provide solutions to address global challenges such as the seventh Millennium Development Goal of ensuring an interconnectedness of society and the environment. Many academic disciplines have recognised that sustainability is one of the most significant challenges of our time and thus needs to be included in curricula; IS, as a discipline, needed to fill this gap. A longitudinal six-year study was undertaken at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of IS to introduce the concept of “Green” IS into a project management course with students required to measure an aspect of the campus carbon footprint. Drawing on Design Science Research, the author used kernel theories of Butler’s Model of Green IS and the Scharmer’s Theory U to inform the design. The goal of the curriculum intervention was to design a model with outputs of key Green IS technical and social competences. The intention was also to create an impact with a reduced Carbon Footprint at UCT, despite the current absence of regulatory pressure. A total of 183 students were involved in the study over a period of six semesters where the theories of Green IS were presented as the underlying frameworks for their course. Key principles were drawn from international best practice, including how to address “wicked” sustainability problems and adopting a focus on developing sustainability solutions. Formative evaluations were conducted at the end of each cycle of the design development. Archival evidence, as well as student reflective essays, was employed, and content analysis and coding of the empirical data were conducted using a data analysis software tool. Experts were invited to summatively evaluate the model in practice, and their questionnaires were also coded in Atlas-ti and tested for co-occurrences. The contributions are provided on two levels. A contribution is made on a theoretical platform by the design of “The Green U’’, a model that evolved iteratively and has its roots in the kernel theories of both Green IS and change management. On a practical level, the research offers guidance to IS educators on how to integrate sustainability into their courses. Via enabling The Green U to be exapted into other emerging IS themes, this research project thus provides the opportunity for a seam of rich possibilities for further quantitative and qualitative research.
Open Access
Access to learning resources in Post-apartheid South Africa
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology & International Development Research Centre, 2018-05-01) Gray, Eve; Czerniewicz, Laura; Joe Karaganis
Any inquiry into how university students get the learning resources they need for their education in post-apartheid South Africa must deal with three interrelated subjects: the legacy of apartheid, which continues to structure educational opportunities in important ways more than twenty years after the first democratic election; the organization and increasingly radical transformation of the commercial publishing market, which has been the primary source of textbooks and other materials in the system; and— common to all of the chapters in this book—the mix of new-technology-enabled strategies through which students do their best to get the textbooks and other materials they need. We track three decades of tensions around these issues, as post-apartheid leaders struggle to reform an educational system originally designed primarily to control and oppress rather than educate the majority population. Because the old system had grown up around numerous (and often colonially grounded) accommodations of the global publishing business, international copyright law, and—most important—a structural disregard for whether the system worked in more than a minimal sense, the pressure for reform has produced tensions on all of these fronts.
Open Access
An analysis of the theory- and employment-demands on mathematics for electrical engineering programmes at technikons
(1989) Swanepoel, Jonathan E
A preliminary study indicated a degree of dissatisfaction with the present mathematics curriculum at technikons amongst academic staff members of technikons as well as members of the electrical-engineering industry. The hypothesis of this study is that the present mathematics curricula for electrical-engineering at technikons are not fully compatible with the demands emanating from the theoretical and the industrial-training (in-service or workplace) components of the training of electrical-engineering technicians. The intent of this study is, firstly, to propose a framework of thought supporting engineering-mathematics curriculum-change in the context of electrical-engineering programmes as offered at technikons. The actual formulation of the syllabus content is supported by a curriculum-change model which takes cognisance of both the theoretical-demands and the workplace- demands in accordance with the aims of co-operative education espoused by technikons in South Africa. Secondly, a literature study of relevant past research leads to the development of a research methodology sympathetic to the present philosophy of technikon education for engineering-technicians in the country. The research methodology involves, firstly, a questionnaire response from practising engineers and technicians. Secondly, it involves the gathering of suggestions from technikon academic staff and the analysis thereof by a work-group representative of all technikons, and led by the researcher. Thirdly, seventy-nine (79) reference-texts to the electrical-engineering programmes (study-levels 1 to 4), offered at the Peninsula Technikon, were analysed for its mathematical content. The research findings supports the hypothesis. The thesis culminates in set of recommendations with regard to the applicability and composition of mathematics syllabi for electrical-engineering programmes at technikons.
Open Access
An exploration into the meaning that trans* students attach to their experiences at a South African University
(2022) September, Miché; Price, Linda
Universities are perceived as non-judgmental because of their tolerant environments and emphasis on producing well-rounded students. Despite transformative initiatives to create an inclusive culture, transgender and gender diverse students may still feel that they are treated unfairly due to stigmatisation or poorly implemented diversity policies. Studies have focused mainly on the gender binary practice of transgender individuals assimilating to cisnormativity. Yet, relatively little work has considered the implications of campus life where transgender students may experience discrimination because of gender-exclusive policies and practices (residence halls, bathrooms, public inclusion, training, and support). This study sought to address this gap. Data from a thematic analysis of qualitative semi-structured interviews were utilised to understand trans* students' perceptions and lived experiences at a South African university. Most of the participants revealed that a hostile climate for transgender students prevailed on campus and that the institution lacks resources and education on transgender issues. Findings reported three major themes: (1) Navigating the power of privilege and institutional systemic oppression; (2) Misalignment and invalidation of one's gender identity on campus; (3) The importance of understanding transgender health from a gender minority experience. Recommendations for creating greater inclusion for transgender students on university campuses are presented.
Open Access
Beyond enrolment: academic incentives, outcomes and performance in higher education
(2023) Neethling, Leigh; Leiman, Anthony
This study examined incentives, academic outcomes, and student performance in the South African higher education (HE) sector using the University of Cape Town as a case study. The analysis was conducted using a dataset that stacked three cross-sections of first year entering students and tracked these students over time. The thesis comprises six chapters. The introductory chapter provides background content on the research. Chapter 2 presents an exploratory and descriptive analysis of the South African HE sectors over the period 2004–2015. It focuses on a descriptive analysis of key South African HE indicators and outcomes. The first objective was to evaluate access to HE by identifying the pool of potential entrants through an examination of the school-leaving cohort of each year. The second objective was to identify racial enrolment, progression, and completion patterns to observe whether significant changes occurred over the period. The author finds that the differentials in performance between racial subgroups have narrowed over time. White students are shown to have the highest student success rates at above 80%, and although other subgroups show some improvement, they do not catch up to these rates. A trend analysis of the data, however, provided support for a fall in the dropout rate for all students. This chapter also provides evidence for persistence in but slower progression through HE. Chapter 3 presents a way to consider and evaluate the Dean's Merit List (DML) incentive system in the context of an African economy. The author evaluated the impact of academic recognition policies, specifically the DML, on student outcomes. Using a regression discontinuity approach, the chapter shows that the DML as an academic incentive policy, has largely negative rather than the intended positive effects over the short- and long-term on academic performance in the South African context. The results indicate that the DML has an unfavourable impact on subsequent academic performance. Students who received the award tended to earn lower grade point averages in subsequent years than expected. The findings suggest that the DML does not reinforce academic achievement. These results appear to be counterintuitive but support Bénabou and Tirole's theoretical expectations regarding extrinsic motivation in a situation of asymmetric information between an agent and principal. Chapter 4 investigates student performance over time by introducing a ranking variable of student achievement. The main finding is that race, gender, and performance on final school leaving examinations are important determinants of academic achievement. Female students outperform male students across the distribution of grade point average, and this finding is consistent with the growing international literature. Chapter 5 presents detailed evidence on the determinants of academic outcomes using discrete-time methods for competing risks survival analysis. An important contribution of this chapter is studying the determinants of dropout and graduation in HE in the context of an African country. While graduation is the preferred route of exit, voluntary and involuntary exit before completion remain prominent for a significant number of students. Interestingly, and contrary to other international studies, the author did not find support for financial aid status contributing to either voluntary dropout or graduation, even after controlling for academic and socio-economic background factors. Students on academic programmes are shown to be more likely to be involuntarily excluded and less likely to graduate or voluntarily exit HE then mainstream students. This is a cause for concern as these programmes are an initiative intended to address transformation and equity in, HE, attracting significant resources from within and outside universities. Chapter 6 summarises and presents policy discussions. Overall, the study shows that one-size-fits-all policies within the same institution applied across heterogenous faculties do not achieve their desired outcomes in the South African HE is setting. Considerable thought should be given to the nature of recognition policies as other basic requirements, such as course progression criteria, tend to crowd out the desired incentive effects of recognition policies. In addition, academic administrators should consider programmes that promote a decrease in outcome disparities in HE, including establishing more and expanding academic development programmes.
Open Access
Changing Centres of Teaching and Learning an analytical review
(UCT, 2021) Czerniewicz, Laura
This analytical review reflects on the ways that centres for teaching and learning in universities are formulated and how they might change to best respond to and address the changing needs of students, academics and institutions in a post pandemic era. Drawing on discussions with experts, personal experience and grey literature, the key considerations to be addressed are articulated, in order to spell out the options for CTLs in a variety of contexts
Open Access
Conceptualizing curriculum differentiation in higher education: a sociology of knowledge point of view
(Taylor & Francis, 2012) Shay, Suellen
Sociologists of education rooted in social realism have for more than a decade argued that knowledge matters in education, there are different kinds of knowledge, not all forms of knowledge are equal and that these differentiations have significant implications for curriculum. While this argument has made an important contribution to both theoretical and policy debate, the implications for curriculum have not been sufficiently addressed. In other words, a theory of differentiated knowledge has not translated into an adequate theory of differentiated curriculum. Drawing on Basil Bernstein's work on knowledge differentiation and Karl Maton's Legitimation Code Theory, this paper offers an empirically derived emerging framework for conceptualizing differentiated higher education curricula with a particular interest in occupationally and professionally oriented curricula. The framework illuminates the principles underlying curriculum differentiation, thus enabling a richer conversation about epistemological access and progression.
Open Access
Considering inequality as Higher Education goes online
(Association for Learning Technology, 2015) Czerniewicz, Laura
This presentation explores the ways in which inequality manifests as the higher education sector increasingly moves to online and digitally-mediated forms of delivery.
Metadata only
Copyright guide for educators in SA
(2010) Donnelly, Shihaam
This resource contains materials for educators on copyright laws in South Africa, particularly educators in higher education. **UPDATED**This resource assists with creating awareness of copyright laws in South Africa and can serve as a teaching aid or information supplement.
Open Access
Cultural-historical factors influencing OER adoption in Mongolia’s higher education sector
(African Minds, International Development Research Centre & Research on Open Educational Resources for Development, 2017-09-12) Batbold, Zagrdagchaa; Trotter, Henry; Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams; Patricia Arinto
The research presented here investigates the strategies and practices of educators from six public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Mongolia in order to understand the role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in their work. It addresses the question: Which cultural–historical factors shape OER activities in Mongolia’s higher education sector? In addition, the study sets out to determine whether OER has the potential to move beyond a niche innovation advocated and funded by international donors to one that is broadly adopted, implemented and disseminated by local educators. The study employed a sequential exploratory model in which qualitative interviews comprised the first stage of data collection, followed by quantitative surveys. The interviews were conducted with 14 participants recruited using a convenience sample from four Mongolian HEIs, two government organisations and three non-governmental organisations. In total, eight educators and six administrators were interviewed. A follow-up survey was conducted with 42 instructors and administrators at six HEIs, also recruited through convenience sampling. The study utilised Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a framework to analyse the data. Findings indicate that despite recent efforts to promote OER by funding agencies and the government, OER awareness remains modest amongst higher education instructors and administrators. It is therefore not surprising that OER adoption rates in Mongolia are low. As a result, a culture around OER engagement has not yet emerged, with only isolated individual educators adopting OER. In contrast with many academics who often worry about the quality of OER, Mongolian educators appear to be more concerned about a particular sub-component of quality, which is relevance. In addition, many study participants expressed reservations about the potential value and utility of OER.
Open Access
Degrees of openness: the emergence of open educational resources at the University of Cape Town
(University of the West Indies, 2009) Hodgkinson-Williams, Cheryl; Gray, Eve
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide a range of opportunities to share educational materials and processes in ways that are not yet fully understood. In an extraordinary development, increasing numbers of traditional and distance universities are using ICTs to make a selection of their teaching resources freely available as 'open education resources' (OER). The University of Cape Town recently signed the Cape Town Open Education Declaration signalling some senior level support for the notion of OER. In anticipation of an institution-wide roll-out, lecturers and educational technologists at UCT are grappling with the issues that need to be addressed to meet this intent. This paper suggests that careful analysis of existing educational materials and processes is necessary to provide an indication of what can be done to make them more openly available beyond the confines of an individual teaching and learning space. However, the deceptively simple term “open” hides a reef of complexity. This paper endeavours to unravel the degrees of openness with respect to key attributes of OER, namely social, technical, legal and financial openness in an attempt to make the task of identifying where changes could be made to existing teaching materials or processes a little easier for the lecturer and the educational technologist alike. While acknowledging the potential value of content, we contend, however, that it is the opening up of educational processes, which we are calling Open Pedagogy (OP) enabled by the Web 2.0 technologies that are set to play the more transformational role in the collaboration between students and lecturers.
Open Access
Disciplinarity in question: comparing knowledge and knower codes in sociology
(Taylor & Francis, 2012) Luckett, Kathy
This paper contributes to understanding why curriculum design in a discipline with a horizontal knowledge structure is difficult, time-consuming and contested. A previous paper on the same case study in one sociology department reported that students who had completed the general sociology major found it lacking in coherence. To illustrate the problem, I selected two third-year sociology courses, Urban Studies and Diversity Studies, and set out to compare and contrast how knowledge claims are made and legitimated in these two discourses. The paper also has a methodological focus – to demonstrate the potential of systemic functional linguistics as a method of discourse analysis that can complement and deepen a sociological analysis – Bernstein's sociology of education and in particular his concept of 'grammaticality'. I seek to make explicit the basis for knowledge claims in these two sub-disciplines and then to investigate how this 'grammar' is built into criteria for assessing students. The long-term goal of this project is pedagogic – to understand how academic discourses work, in order to contribute to the development of more coherent curricula and visible pedagogies with explicit assessment criteria, for the enhancement of teaching and learning. The analysis shows that the 'grammars' of these two academic discourses (in the same discipline, sociology) are based on different ordering principles: they are based on different ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions. The analysis also shows that the respective 'grammars' do 'get into' the assessment criteria, although in a contextually contingent manner. The paper concludes by suggesting that the use of SFL as a method of discourse analysis within a social realist sociology of education framework proved to be fruitful and worthy of further development, particularly for education development work where the quest to make explicit the criteria for producing a 'legitimate text' is critical.
Open Access
Discursive constructions of medical students identities in informal course-based online discussions
(Taylor & Francis, 2008) Huang, Cheng-Wen; Archer, Arlene
Studies into student identity have tended to focus on formal academic writing for assessment purposes. However, this is beginning to change with a shifting academic and semiotic landscape. More and more tertiary institutions are making use of the writing opportunities afforded by the online environment. Online forums are popular as they promote interaction and discussion among students. This change in the academic landscape has allowed for new approaches to studying the discursive constructions of student identity. Using critical discourse analysis, this paper explores how students construct their identities in informal course-based online discussions in Higher Education. It focuses on the various discourses medical students draw on and the language of online communication in identity construction. By providing a site for students to interact with each other, these online discussions provide for a more active curriculum where students are involved in the meaning-making process.
Open Access
Dynamics of identity and space in higher education: an institutional ethnographic case study of a transforming university
(2021) Cornell, Josephine; Kessi, Shose; Ratele, Kopano
Higher education globally is characterised by persistent inequality, which is particularly acute in South Africa. Due to the enduring legacy of colonialism and apartheid, students from certain categories of identity are marginalised, whereas others are privileged. An essential element of these dynamics of power is space. Intersections of identity such as race, class, ability and gender are axes of power in differential experiences of space. Despite this, space is often neglected in research into higher education transformation in South Africa. Through an institutional ethnography, this study examines the dynamics of space and identity at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The study involved a photovoice project, roving interviews and surveys with students; the collection of multimodal data in which space is documented; campus observations; and semi-structured interviews with staff and policymakers. The first analysis chapter involves a multimodal discourse analysis of the identity discourses produced for the Jameson Plaza by the students in the study, specifically as a place of belonging and connection and a place of alienation and discomfort. The second analysis chapter examines the institutional power geometries at play at the UCT across three specific dimensions: 1) spatial memory and material familiarity; 2) material campus symbolism; and 3) spatialised social practices and relations. The findings illustrate how space and power across these dimensions engender experiences of spatialised belonging or spatialised alienation on campus. The affective potentialities of campus, in turn, influence the types of identities students construct for themselves across campus space. Emerging from these considerations, the final analysis chapter explores what student do across, within and through campus spaces. The chapter focuses on everyday use of space by students at the individual level, and specifically spatial coping strategies students use to negotiate and manage their daily lives on campus.
Open Access
e/merging across Africa: five papers on the use of educational technology in African Higher Education
(Kennesaw State University, 2013) Carr, Tony
This guest editorial comments on the rapidly changing environment for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in African Higher Education Institutions (HEI), introduces the e/merge online conferences and gives a brief introduction to the papers in the special issue.
Open Access
Education for All Week 6 - Final words
(2018-06-01) McKenzie, Judith; Ohajunwa, Chioma
In this video, Judith McKenzie and Chioma Ohajunwa discuss the highlights of the Educational for All MOOC and the community engagement around it. They discuss the kinds of feedback and experiences shared by the MOOC participants. Judith discusses how inclusive education can benefit not just children with disabilities (and their families) but also assist children without disabilities, particularly in fostering a greater sense of acceptance of diversity. They discuss the importance of a community-based approach to learning, and ask that the participants of the MOOC carry on their learning and engagement with each other after the MOOC in order to sustain the Community of Practice that has begun to emerge around inclusive education.
Open Access
Educational investment towards the ideal future: South Africa’s strategic choices
(2017) Shay, Suellen
Although there has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe, such expansion has not resulted in a more equitable system. Drawing on the work of Nancy Fraser, equity in higher education is conceptualised as ‘parity of participation’ and includes both equity of access and outcomes. The tensions between expansion and equity are illustrated by comparing South Africa’s equity challenges with those of Brazil and the USA. Focusing on South Africa’s critical choices, four scenarios or possible futures are provided to illustrate some of the trade-offs and strategic choices. The main argument is that if South Africa’s higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes. Furthermore the investment needs to be strategically targeted to interventions that can serve as systemic levers of change for reducing drop-out rates and improving graduation rates. To this end, over the next decade the state needs to prioritise an investment in an undergraduate curriculum more ‘fit for purpose’. The investment needs to be in curriculum reform that normalises different levels of foundational provision, identifies and removes curriculum obstacles that delay or impede graduation, and provides opportunities for ‘breadth’ for all students, not only those who come from privileged backgrounds.
Open Access
Educational technology - mapping the terrain with Bernstein as cartographer
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2010) Czerniewicz, Laura
This paper uses the literature of educational technology as the site of analysis in order to map the field of educational technology. Having considered Kuhn and Bourdieu's theories, the paper frames the analysis of the field in Bernsteinian terms as a horizontal knowledge structure in a vertical knowledge discourse. Using the concepts of interacting discursive planes, the paper maps the field in terms of its general approach planes and its problem planes. Finally, the paper shows that researchers in the field themselves acknowledge its weak grammar, and calls for commensurability of approaches to be acknowledged in order for robust knowledge to be developed and the legitimacy of the field to be enhanced.
Open Access
Exploring the transition: a case study of RPL students in a postgraduate programme
Brenner, Aimee; Goodman, Suki; Meadows, Alison
There has been a movement across South Africa's education sector to widen access and participation in higher education (HE). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programmes offer an opportunity to do so by providing access to HE to those who do not necessarily have the prerequisite requirements. There is still much to learn regarding RPL programmes and the unique needs and challenges of RPL students, as most of these programmes are still in the pilot stage. This study is specifically concerned with the transition of RPL students into postgraduate HE, as little research has been conducted on this topic. To gain a deeper understanding of RPL student transition, the researcher followed a case-study approach in which the experiences of RPL students enrolled in an online postgraduate diploma programme in management in marketing (PgDipMM) at a South African university were investigated. The programme piloted a novel RPL assessment and selection process which aimed to address criticisms of previous models. Qualitative data was obtained through eight open-ended, in-depth interviews with RPL students enrolled in the programme. Using a thematic analysis approach, nine key themes were identified as possible mechanism that facilitated RPL students' successful transition into the postgraduate diploma and six themes that did not. Findings indicated that, to a large extent, the novel RPL assessment and selection process appeared to have facilitated RPL students' successful transition into a postgraduate diploma through technical preparation and building students' confidence in their abilities. Possible enablers and barriers to RPL students' successful transition were also identified and discussed. In short, the enablers included learner maturity, transference of prior knowledge and skills, social support, sense of belonging, access to effective resources and financial security. Conversely, the barriers included academic difficulties, under preparedness for the intensity of HE and time restrictions. The study had theoretical and practical implications in that it contributed to our understanding of RPL student transition to HE and provided suggestions for ways in which their successful transition can be facilitated
Open Access
Human rights, disability, and higher education : conference held at UCT Middle Campus, Cape Town from 25 to 26 January 2003
(University of Cape Town. Intercultural and Diversity Studies of Southern Africa (iNCUDISA), 2014-09-19) University of Cape Town. Intercultural and Diversity Studies of Southern Africa (iNCUDISA); Van Zyl, Mikki
This report will be of value to Disability Studies scholars, educational theorists and researchers, as well as those interested in the construction of disability within the context of transformation in post-apartheid South Africa. Over the past three decades, the discipline of Disability Studies has emerged as an independent field within the social science research and theoretical arena. Questions surrounding the nature and origin of (oppressive) societal responses to impairment - ranging from service installations to bureaucratic policies, linguistic conventions to exclusionary practices - are the primary concern of the field. Disability Studies attempts to examine and debunk the 'disabled' identity as one ascribed to individuals arbitrarily, yet selectively designated as disabled. Broadly, key theoretical positions within the field assert that the negatively valued and ascribed group identity of being 'disabled' is one which serves, through the operation of complex ideological machinery, to justify and obscure the systematic exclusion of persons so designated from equitable participation in the production of culture. This study looks at dynamics of human rights and disability within higher education institutions from this perspective.

Browsing by Subject "higher education"

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