Saide Current Awareness
28 November 2022

 

Distance Education

 

 

Language and Literacy

  • The Myth of Normal Reading : A research article in which the authors argue that the educational and psychological sciences must embrace the diversity of reading rather than chase the phantom of normal reading behavior. Through critically discussing the research practice of asking participants in experiments to read “normally”,the authors draw attention to the large cross-cultural and linguistic diversity around the world and consider the enormous diversity of reading situations and goals and finally observe that people bring a huge diversity of brains and experiences to the reading task and conclude with four implications on the science of reading.
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  • The Science of Reading and the Media: Is Reporting Biased?  In a three-part Critical Conversations series, Maren Aukerman from the University of CalgaryI highlights media bias by examining how well-intentioned journalism about the “science of reading” is frequently biased and inadequately research-based, and ultimately makes the case that such reporting has damaging consequences for the teaching of early reading. 
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  • Sold a Story An Apple podcast series in which Emily Hanford investigates four authors and a publishing company that has made millions selling and promoting disproven ideas and debunked practices on the science of reading to unsuspecting schools and parents.
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  • Charlize, let me tell you a little something – a journey to Afrikaans Marianne Thamm reflects on Charlize Theron and the Afrikaans language.

 

Open Education and Open Educational Resources

 

Post Schooling

  • University of Pretoria to launch pioneering Centre for Asian Studies in Africa The connections between Asia and Africa are many and they are dense. They stretch back in historical time, they shape our present, and they will most certainly animate our future in decisive ways. Recognising this, the University of Pretoria is about to launch its response to this demand – the Centre for Asian Studies in Africa.
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  • Project embeds SDGs in curricula, identifies best practices Several universities in South Africa, together with a Greek institution and one in Cyprus as partners and funded by the European Union (EU) have been working on a project to embed the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education curricula.
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  • UCT’s Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng advocates for compulsory basic language courses at universities
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  • Leadership in higher education is often about reaching out and listening to people Professor Jonathan Jansen says one important lesson he has learnt from his leadership experience at all levels in higher education – is that you have much less power than you would think. He has been a head of department, dean, and vice-chancellor. 
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  • Higher education leaders’ perspectives of accessible and inclusive online learning In this qualitative study, nine higher education online learning leaders were interviewed to understand leaders’ perceptions about how institutions provide accessible and inclusive online learning. Results demonstrated that despite varying conceptualizations of accessibility and inclusivity, online learning leaders perceive an insufficient but growing emphasis in higher education. Overall, participants described instructional designers as the most knowledgeable and skilled in this area. Participants described a lack of agency for instructional design teams and a need to advocate for buy-in from senior leadership. 
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  • University rankings are an unscientific and socially damaging billion-dollar game Professor Sioux McKenna weighs in on the rankings issue describing the vast amounts of money many universities expend to improve their place on the rankings and the strategic decisions that are made to favour rankings placement over transformation. 
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  • Joburg Planetarium gets R75m high-tech facelift Wits University and mining firm Anglo American have invested R75 million in funding the refurbishment, expansion and digitalisation of the 62-year-old Johannesburg Planetarium. It will be transformed into a new, future-savvy, multidisciplinary research, training and science facility.
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  • NSFAS ups student allowance by 5%; accommodation by 7% The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has listened to the requests of thousands of students for their allowance to be increased as the cost of living continues to spike.
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  • SDGs: A framework for socially responsible universities The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework provides an opportunity for universities to “collaborate across differences” and represents a new “common language” for social responsibility, according to speakers at the University Social Responsibility (USR) Summit, held in a hybrid format from 16 to 18 November under the theme, “Education and Action for a Sustainable Future”.

 

Skills and Employment 

  • Call for 50 local youths to join upskilling learnership Forge Academy & Labs, SA’s self-proclaimed “Harvard for the fourth industrial revolution”, is looking for 50 young adults from Gauteng and Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, to participate in its paid-for upskilling learnership programme.
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  • Young data pioneers polish their skills at top universities It’s said the power of data analytics to transform business performance has become better understood, but South Africa has too few specialists in this field. Now, a band of big data boffins will be applying their substantial intellects to some of the critical problems of our time at top local universities - as beneficiaries of an annual fellowship established by leading fashion and home-ware retailer TFG.

 

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

 

Technology Enhanced Learning