Saide Current Awareness
22 January 2024

 

Distance Education

  • Virtual Escape Rooms: a gamification tool to enhance motivation in distance education Source: RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia This study addresses the challenge of student demotivation in distance higher education and how it affects content assimilation. Moreover, it proposes an innovative solution through the application of the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model and the design and creation of a Virtual Escape Room, which focuses on the content of the International Trade subject. The AIDA model was implemented to capture students' attention, arouse their interest through challenges, maintain their desire to learn, and promote action in solving the necessary questions to advance to the next level and obtain a reward.
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  • Distance Education Alternatives for Lifelong Learning: Web2.5 and 3.0 AI-Powered Online Digital Learning Platforms Source: ALE-Virtual Community Digital Hubs A blog post describing the various digital learning platforms.that adult learners can now choose from which includes  a "transformative group of fully Web3.0 digital learning platforms featuring a fuller array of Web3.0 tools and striving to make adult education and learning more affordable, decentralized, and trustworthy."

 

 Education: South Africa 

Language, Literacies and Research Writing

  • Audible for Students: A Comprehensive Guide Source: Educators Technology.Com In a world where digital resources are becoming increasingly integral to our learning and teaching methods, understanding and utilizing platforms like Audible can significantly enhance our educational experiences. This guide is crafted to explore the myriad of ways Audible can enrich the lives of students, offering a trove of literary resources at their fingertips.
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  • Interactive reading: how to use it to boost early literacy Source: TES Magazine Reading aloud to children is a well-established practice in the early years, but how can teachers ensure pupils are active participants? The EEF’s Sinead McMahon shares advice
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  • New phonics-based reading curriculum rolled out in NYC. But is it working? Source: CBS NEWS By their own admission, the New York City Public School system has failed its students.Literacy is at the core of education, and yet the number of students who can't read, or are below grade level, is staggering.City public schools are in the midst of a multimillion dollar overhaul of how they teach kids to read. A quick look at the numbers reveals why: Before the 2023, more than half of city public school students grades 3-8 either could not read, or were reading below their grade level. 

 

Open Education and Open Educational Resources

  • GHOSHEH Model for Creating Innovative Open Educational Resources Source: Scholarly Community Encyclopaedia Open educational resources (OERs) are defined by UNESCO as any teaching, learning, or research materials, located in the public domain, in any format and medium, under a copyright released under an open license, which permit free access, reuse, repurpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others. The GHOSHEH model is considered an innovation based on the definition of innovation as an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new. It supports OERs through multiple learner-centered strategies with authentic assessments, and focuses on practice and reflection.

 

   Post Schooling

  • Minister unveils loan scheme for ‘missing middle’ students Source: University World News The South African government has announced a ZAR3.8 billion (US$201 million) loan scheme for the missing middle category of students at universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, writes Liabo Setho for SABC News.
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  • What counts as higher education aid and who is being aided?  Source: University World News Recent decades have witnessed the rising significance of higher education in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing persisting global challenges. Unlike basic education, universities have broad institutional functions: teaching and learning, basic research and innovation and community engagement in addition to the provision of other services such as hospitals, professional training and consultancy, delivering a range of public and private goods which directly or indirectly contribute to the SDGs.
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  • Academic Star Wars: An analysis of nine excellence initiatives Source: University World News By the beginning of the 21st century it was clear that the combination of massification of enrolments in higher education and the globalisation of science was creating fundamental change in higher education worldwide. Differentiation of academic institutions to serve diverse needs, internationalisation and the importance of research were among the key requirements of academe.

 

Skills and Employment 

  • Hope for ICT as 2023 matrics improve maths, science marks Source: ITWeb  Education experts agree the mathematics and physical science passes recorded by the matric class of 2023 are encouraging signs for the ICT sector. Mathematics and science are considered gateway subjects that provide learners with opportunities to access science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) / ICT sector career pathways. South Africa’s ICT/STEM skills are in short supply, with supply not close to meeting demand.
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  • Redefining the work week — South Africa’s path towards a four-day future Source: Daily Maverick In a world where the relentless tick-tock of the clock dictates our daily lives, the traditional five-day work week is coming under increasing scrutiny.
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  • Exposed as a fraud — how companies can avoid bogus employee hires Source: Daily Maverick Amid a rising tide of fake qualifications in South Africa, experts say more robust vetting processes are needed. This, in the wake of the Thabi Leoka PhD saga.

 

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

  • What Is Universal Design for Learning ? Source: EducatorsTechnology.Com  A blog post describing the principles, key benefits and how to integrate UDL in teaching. 
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  • Redefining Education in Times of Crisis - WISE On Air Source: WISE Channel Youtube Can education truly be a beacon of hope and change in the midst of a crisis? Or do we need to fundamentally rethink its utility? In this special episode of WISE On Air, we sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist and advocate for sustainable development, to explore this pivotal question. As we navigate through the complexities of ongoing conflicts like in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo, and the far-reaching impacts of the AI revolution, Dr. Sachs lends his insights into how technology, policy, and sustainable finance can reshape education in times of crisis. We delve into the potential of AI and other innovations in providing scalable education solutions where traditional systems are challenged by extraordinary circumstances.
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  • Smartphones Have Changed Student Attention, Even When Students Aren’t Using Them Source:EdSurge Holding student attention may be harder than ever. Even if educators make students put away their smartphones, internet-connected devices have changed the way people relate to others and made it harder for people to be present, argues a Georgetown University professor in a podcast which forms part of an Edsurge Guide.
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  • Learning Spaces with Sam Elkington: Talking Learning and Teaching Podcast: Following on from the Society for Research into Higher Education's excellent Landscapes of Learning for Unknown Futures symposia series, University of Teesside's Professor Sam Elkington shares some fascinating insights from the symposia series as well as his own take on the largely unexplored phenomenon that is learning spaces. Sam delves into critical questions on the role of space in learning, spatial considerations when designing instruction, the role and impact of digital technologies on space, and how we might better support colleagues to develop their spatial literacies in education contexts.
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  • Education in Practice Journal Source: University of Birmingham  In support of sharing effective practice in teaching and learning and educational enhancement the University of Birmingham has established the journal 'Education in Practice'.Education in Practice has been designed for all University staff working to enhance the student learning experience, be they academic members of staff or those from professional or support services. It provides an accessible publication route for those looking to disseminate teaching and learning practices, ideas and developments or outcomes from internally and externally funded projects, or from those studying on the PGCHE.

 

Technology-Enhanced Learning