Saide

Saide Current Awareness
28 November 2023

Distance Education

Challenges of distance education: How to manage the pedagogical process of project-based learning Source: Innovations in Education and Teaching International The article addresses the challenges of distance education, i.e. how to manage the pedagogical process of project-based learning (PBL). The research objective was to use PBL as a teaching method where students learn by actively participating in a real professional task – preparing antenatal classes for future parents. We were also interested in developing recommendations for teachers and organisations using PBL in distance education.

Education: South Africa

Fees Must Fall protests ‘led to wrong policy’ in South Africa Source: Research Professional News Former vice-chancellors say “unaffordable” student aid bill is a regrettable consequence of fallism movement
The vice-chancellors of two of South Africa’s top universities during the ‘fallist’ protests of the late 2010s have criticised the surge in student financial aid that followed the unrest, branding the investment “unaffordable” and questioning its real-world value.
Competence of maths teachers questioned Source: IOLThe lack of competence of maths teachers was highlighted during a panel discussion at a maths education conference hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal under the banner of the US-South Africa Higher Education Network last week.
Transforming Education with AI Source: ITAfrica.COM In South Africa’s evolving education landscape, AI has the potential to address resource challenges faced by institutions. However, it is crucial for local educational institutions to adopt responsible and ethical AI use while navigating this technological evolution. Striking a balance between maximizing AI’s benefits in education and maintaining vigilant oversight is challenging but of utmost importance.Dr. Jolanda Morkel, Head of Instructional Design at STADIO, emphasizes the need for continuous validation of AI-generated content by students and educators.
Call it what it is — the SA education system is in complete ruins Source: Daily Maverick Reforming the education system is a bit like providing cough syrup for severe Covid-19. Hope, I am afraid, will not come from reform. We will only find it in total and complete system transformation.
How to choose the best online school Source: Mail and Guardian In an era dominated by digital advancements, online education has become an increasingly popular choice for students seeking flexibility and personalised learning experiences. However, with a plethora of options available, finding the best online school can be daunting. This article aims to guide parents and students through the essential factors to consider when selecting an online school in South Africa, ensuring that they make an informed decision that aligns with both local and international standards.
South African President Ramaphosa: Investing in education builds resilience in times of crises Source: EI.ORG “It is a real privilege to address this 10th Africa Regional Conference of Education International, particularly with its focus on shaping the future of education on our continent, as well as beyond. And the theme of your conference, 'Standing together for resilient education systems in times of crises', resonates very well with various crises that people of the world have had to face in recent times.” This was highlighted by the President of the Republic of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening speech.

Language, Literacies and Research Writing

The role of language in the teaching and learning of early-grade mathematics Source: Zenex South African learners in Grades 4 and 5 performed dismally in reading and mathematics in two recent international assessments (PIRLS 2021 and TIMSS 2019, respectively). A landscape analysis reviewed international and local literature, published between 2016 and 2021, and examined the extent to which 15 intervention programmes attend to language-related issues in the design and implementation of their early-grade mathematics programmes. The primary purpose was to identify how intervention programmes mobilise language to promote early-grade mathematics learning outcomes.

Open Education and Open Educational Resources

A Conceptual Approach to Transform and Enhance Academic Mentorship: Through Open Educational Practices Source: Open Praxis This paper offers guidance for policymakers and institutions keen on embracing Open Educational Practices within their mentorship strategies, advocating for co-creation and collaboration as foundational principles, to promote a wide range of open practices to foster transparency, inclusivity, creativeness, innovation and collaboration in academic mentorship. This conceptual paper explores the transformative potential of Open Educational Practices in the context of academic mentorship, which is per-se an open practice.
The Impact of Open Educational Resource Professional Development for Teachers in Secondary Education Source: Open Praxis.Scholars suggest that when teachers retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute Open Educational Resources (OER), the process of OER-enabled Pedagogy (OEP), they not only gain high-quality, digital teaching materials, but they also transform their teaching (Wiley, et al., 2017). Nonetheless, OEP is not an automatic outcome of using OER, rather it is dependent upon practicing key competencies through strategic professional development (PD).

Post Schooling

The right to HE is not yet a reality in Africa – Report Source: University World News The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has urged African countries to make the right to higher education a reality on the continent by reducing the cost of studying, expanding access, providing quality education and erasing gender inequalities. In a report, The Right to Higher Education in Africa: Briefing note compendium, issued recently, UNESCO noted that although the enrolment rate in higher education has more than doubled in the past two decades, Africa as a region has the lowest university enrolment rates in the world.
Free messaging app: Why do students still opt to buy data? Source: University World News South African higher education is plagued by inequalities due to the social and economic legacies of apartheid. More than 50% of the enrolment in higher education is from black, working-class, disadvantaged households from rural areas who depend on state-funded student aid. At the same time, some institutions of higher learning are also historically disadvantaged: they were designated for non-white students during the apartheid era. These institutions suffered discrimination, underfunding and limited resources, thus creating disparities in the country’s higher education system. In a rapidly evolving digital era, one of the big questions is: can technology help narrow the gap in access to education?
Pioneering an African university Source: Mail & Guardian UMP celebrates 10 years of trailblazing excellence Situated in the heart of South Africa’s picturesque Mpumalanga province, the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) stands as a testament to a decade of academic excellence, community engagement and transformative growth. Established in 2013, the university has emerged as a beacon of higher education, making significant strides in shaping the future of the region and the nation.
The issue of funding higher education: Global patterns compared to South African case Source: SA Journal of Higher Education In the past 30 years, since c. 1990, a higher education revolution has taken place in all parts of the world. This has been a costly exercise, and while the global higher education revolution can boast an enrolment explosion and has opened the doors of higher education to many, it has taken place within the parameters of the neoliberal economics, meaning that the imperatives of social justice and equity have not been adequately responded to.
Patrice Motsepe, Africa's first billionaire grants $1 million to Wits university for innovation Source: BusinessInsider Patrice Motsepe pledged an R20-million ( $1 million) endowment to provide funding for innovation and research at the University of the Witwatersrand. The funding is to advance innovation and research in the critical domains of water, energy, and digitalisation in South Africa. Starting in 2024, the program will initially sponsor 10 postdoctoral fellows annually.

Skills and Employment

SAP, UNICEF and GenU activate SAP Educate to employ youth skills initiative in SA Source: MediaLab SAP has reaffirmed its commitment to youth skills by profiling its SAP Educate to Employ initiative and its public-private partnership with UNICEF and the government. This commitment was addressed at an event held in Johannesburg.The event showcased the SAP Educate to Employ initiative and aimed to educate youth aged between 16 and 24 years on soft skills, foundational knowledge and SAP skills using the student zone on the SAP Learning site

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

Collaboration by design, Part 1: The role of spaces in teaching and learning design-led thinking Source: BizCommunity Teaching spaces have not evolved much over the past 50 years. As we prepare students for the new world of work at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika, we’ve begun considering the environments that students need – and want to – learn in.
An empirical review of a hybrid teacher education programme: Lessons from South Africa Source: ResearchGate Scholars have recommended hybrid learning to combat education problems in emerging economies due to their challenging contexts. It potentially offers a means to address growing demand without sacrificing quality or increasing costs. In this article we report on a new “hybrid” distance teacher education programme in which we sought to address the requirements of new policies (both institutional and national) by combining the blended and distance education approach.
Foregrounding Care in Online Student Engagement in a South African E-learning University Source: Open Praxis.This study reports how ethics of care principles were foregrounded in a first-year English module offered at an open distance e-learning (ODeL) university in South Africa to enhance online student engagement. Current research indicates that online student engagement predicts student success; however, there is a paucity of how ethics of care principles can be foregrounded in online student interaction to enhance student participation.
Assessment reform for the age of artificial intelligence Source: AU TEQSA This document was commissioned by TEQSA to support institutions as they reflect on the impact of generative artificial intelligence on assessment practices. The advice contained within this document is not part of TEQSA’s suite of Guidance Notes and is not intended to be prescriptive. There will likely be considerable variation in how individual institutions approach assessment reform implementation. Assessment is always complex and assessment design entails compromise. Thus, we offer inspiration for teaching and learning leadership, avoiding formulaic solutions but providing expert insights into how and why assessment may need to change in an age of artificial intelligence.

Technology-Enhanced Learning

A Free AI Literacy Guide from Google for Teachers and Students Source: Educators Technology Recently, Google has taken a significant step by updating Bard, their AI chatbot, to be accessible to teenagers. This move is part of a broader initiative to empower young minds with the tools and knowledge to harness generative AI technologies effectively. Alongside this, Google has introduced a plethora of educational resources, including complimentary AI courses and an AI Literacy Guide, which we’re focusing on today.
Unleashing the potential of generative AI, conversational agents and chatbots in educational praxis: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis of GenAI in education Source:Open Praxis In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, the pivotal axis around which transformation revolves is human-AI interaction. In this sense, this paper adopts a data mining and analytic approach to understand what the related literature tells us regarding the trends and patterns of generative AI research in educational praxis.
Lumping EdTech Under Screentime Can Damage Education Source: PsychologyToday Official screen-time inquiries are occurring in many countries this year. For example, the UK's Education Committee launched a hearing inquiry into how screen time affects education and well-being and the Norwegian government appointed a committee to make recommendations on children's screen use.
[http://Some critical readings on AI for my graduate students: an updated reading list]Some critical readings on AI for my graduate students: an updated reading list Source: Bryan Alexander. His latest blog post, Alexander writes :Earlier this month I blogged about finding good readings about AI for one of my graduate seminars. I listed a few, then blegged for more. In response, folks were very generous. Suggestions flooded in through the comments, then also by social media and email. So I wanted to corral all of them into one spot for my own use, and hopefully other people will find it helpful. If so, I can keep updated it over time, or migrate it to another platform....