Saide

Saide Current Awareness
8 April 2024

Distance Education

Perspectives and Innovations in ODL Source: COL Youtube Video presentation by Professor Peter Scott, President & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning and Dr Tony Mays, Director for Education, Commonwealth of Learning. Delivered at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Perspectives and Innovation in Open and Distance Education, 1, 2024, New Delhi, India.
Enhancing Open Distance E-Learning with Artificial Intelligence Source: LinkedIN In an era where AI reshapes landscapes across industries, higher education stands on the brink of a transformative shift. Open Distance E-Learning (ODEL) institutions are at the forefront, exploring the integration of AI to transcend traditional educational models. This expose delves into the blend of theoretical foundations and practical applications of AI, aimed at personalising the learning experience, enhancing resource availability, and optimising educational outcomes while addressing ethical considerations and implementation challenges.

Education: South Africa

Educor qualifications are valid, says department Source:Mail and Guardian The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has assured students that the qualifications they have obtained from Educor’s private institutions are valid. “The qualifications issued or obtained during the period of registration and the phase-out period, remain valid and recognised,” said DHET spokesperson, Vali Mbele in a statement released on Wednesday.
Agricultural education under fire: Calls for curriculum overhaul Source: Food for Mzanzi South Africa's agricultural education system faces criticism for its outdated curriculum, and lacking of modern practices and technologies. Industry leaders stress the urgent need for reform to align education with industry demands
Gauteng Education Department investigates Curro’s controversial post Source: IOL The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) says it will investigate Curro’s racially charged social media post.The department added that it acknowledges the apology statement released by Curro Holdings regarding its recent post, which conveyed a racially unbalanced narrative.
New ‘exit’ certificate for school kids in South Africa – where 40% drop out Source: BuisnessTech New ‘exit’ certificate for school kids in South Africa – where 40% drop out. The Department of Basic Education says it will “step up” the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it plans to fully launch in 2025. The department’s annual performance plan for 2024/25 outlined the progress being made in transforming the school system into a new ‘three-stream’ model, and laid out the next steps for the plan in the year ahead. The GEC is a standardised qualification being piloted in South Africa for learners completing grade 9, which will give any school leavers some type of “currency” they can use to either find a job or pursue a different stream of schooling.
Department sparks controversy with ‘Toolkit’ Source: IOL Various religious, spiritual, cultural, educational, and traditional associations have formed a coalition and scrutinised the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) implementation of the Gender-Responsive Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education (GRP4ECE), also known as the ECE toolkit.
The toolkit aims to train pre-primary and primary educators to promote transgender ideology and gender diversity among children aged 0 to 9 years.

Language, Literacies and Research Writing

The impact of mobile application features on children’s language and literacy learning: a systematic review Source: TESOL An infographic of the journal article whihc describes a systematic review that synthesizes the evidence on the impact of features of mobile applications on children’s language learning. Experimental studies published from 2010 onwards with children aged 3 to 11 years old were included. Of the 1,081 studies screened, 11 studies were identified, which examined four features of mobile touchscreen applications: inbuilt narration, real-time conversation prompts, augmented reality (AR), and hotspots. Inbuilt narration had a positive impact on story comprehension and word learning compared to reading alone but not shared reading with an adult.
Speaking of Literacy: The Role of Speech-Language Pathology in Reading and Writing Development Source: IOWA Reading Research Centre In this ongoing podcast series, hosts Grace Cacini and Natalie Schloss will interview professionals in the speech, language, and hearing science field to better understand how their work supports the teaching of reading and writing skills. These episodes are intended for educators, students, caregivers, and any individuals who work with children who struggle with reading and writing tasks.
Schools are using research to try to improve children’s learning – but it’s not working Source: The Conversation Evidence is obviously a good thing. We take it for granted that evidence from research can help solve the post-lockdown crises in education – from how to keep teachers in the profession to how to improve behaviour in schools, get children back into school and protect the mental health of a generation.But Senior researcher Sally Riordan research and that of others show that incorporating strategies that have evidence backing them into teaching doesn’t always yield the results we want.

Open Access, Open Education and Open Educational Resources

OER24: Gathering Courage A blog post reflecting on the recently held OER24 Conference took place at the Munster Technological University in Cork and alist of all resources related to the conference available here.

Post Schooling

Africa’s PhDs: study shows how to develop strong graduates who want to make a difference Source: The Conversation The challenge for universities is to produce graduates who can work with others to produce knowledge and research that can change institutions and societies for the better. That is the basis on which the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (Carta) began developing an approach to teaching PhDs 12 years ago. The consortium supports faculty members of public universities and research institutes on the continent who want to pursue a PhD. The training covers a range of research methods to ensure graduates value multidisciplinarity. It also includes a focus on stakeholder and community engagement and prepares students for life after their PhD. To date 245 fellows have been through the programme. So far 160 have graduated.
Teaching university students how to learn matters for retaining them Source: The Conversation Deena Kara Shaffer discusses her doctoral research in holistic learning strategies, her professional consulting work supporting students as well as her publications which focusses on how learning interventions can support students.
Higher education in Africa: Pathways to relevance and impact Source: University World News Once it was recognised that higher education was vital for Africa’s development, steps were taken to start increasing higher education enrolment which, several decades ago, was abysmally low at 3% to 5%. Existing institutions doubled or even tripled their enrolment and there was also a large growth in the number of universities in all countries.
Currently, there are perhaps some 1,300 recognised tertiary education institutions in Africa, about half of which are private; and the numbers continue to grow. Although this has resulted in an increase in enrolment, in Sub-Saharan Africa, enrolment on average currently still stands at roughly 11%, which is low compared to the global average of about 38%.
Japan-backed science hub to involve 10 African universities Source: University World News An international project by the government of Japan and local partners meant to turn a Kenyan university into an African regional hub for teaching and research in science, technology and innovation (STI), has recently identified agriculture, engineering and information and communications technology (ICT) as starting points for establishing collaboration with universities in 10 African countries including South Africa. The Japanese, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has been implementing the AFRICA-ai-JAPAN project since June 2020. The projects are aimed at strengthening knowledge and skills in the fields of agriculture, engineering science and biotechnology through using local indigenous knowledge, resources and experiences to solve Africa’s development problems.
Birthplace, parental education, ethnicity fuel inequalities Source: University World News In the study, ‘New Evidence on Inequality of Opportunity in Sub-Saharan Africa: More unequal than we thought’, that was released on 19 March 2024, four senior economists at the World Bank, Drs Aziz Atamanov, P Facundo Cuevas, Jeremy Lebow, and Daniel Gerszon Mahler, investigated economic inequalities in surveys conducted in 18 countries based on the average consumption per person. The countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau and Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Atamanov’s team analysed a sample of about half a million people aged 15 and older.

Skills and Employment

Aspirant Black chartered accountants in South Africa feel marginalised, hurting pass rates and their mental health Source: The Conversation Every year the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants administers the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). This board exam is the last hurdle for an aspiring chartered accountant en route to qualifying. The latest results, released in late February, had an overall pass rate of 52%. The pass rate for white candidates was 76% and the pass rate for Black candidates was 39%.
The Conversation Africa asked Sedzani Musundwa, a registered chartered accountant and accounting lecturer who has researched the experiences of Black chartered accountants, to unpack the results.
Transforming mindsets in learnerships for sustainable careers Source: ITWeb There are several obstacles for trainees to overcome when they move from learnerships to steady jobs, ranging from a lack of funds to talent mismatches with available positions. Making sure graduates have the necessary abilities is crucial, especially in the fast-paced field of IT, where advancements are developing at an accelerated rate.
Unemployed Doctors Spend A Night Outside KZN Health Offices Source: Health E-News A group of about 100 unemployed junior doctors spent last Tuesday night camped out in front of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) health department’s offices in Pietermaritzburg. The doctors, who completed their community service in December last year, staged a sit-in at the Natalia building where the department is housed. They say they aren’t leaving until they get formal letters of appointment from the department.

Teaching and Learning: Local and Global

Empowering Teaching: Challenging Hierarchies For Social Justice Source:Forbes Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, Hana Huskić, and Christina M. Noto have written a new book titled Disrupting Hierarchy in Education: Students and Teachers Collaborating for Social Change. In the book, they work to dismantle education as we currently see it. Guided by Paulo Freire’s classic book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, they turn many of our traditional ways of thinking on their heads. How, you might ask?
First, they challenge banking education — which they describe as a model of education in which students are seen as “receptacles of knowledge” from a teacher.
Reflective writing as summative assessment in higher education: A systematic review Source: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice Reflective Writing as summative assessment has gained popularity across a wide range of subjects in Higher Education. This systematic review searched three cross-disciplinary databases and analysed twenty-two primary research papers published between 2007 and 2022 to investigate (1) the reasons for setting reflective writing as summative assessment, (2) support offered to students engaging in this kind of assessment, (3) student and (4) staff experiences of reflective writing as summative assessment. Using descriptive coding methodology, the review found reflective writing to be used mainly as part of larger assessment tools in professional degree programmes to foster employability and encourage students to reflect on professional practice. Support was provided through specific frameworks, exemplars, feedback and workshops, and when used to foster the incremental development of reflective writing skills in students led to positive experiences. However, the review also highlights a number of issues relating to lacking assessment literacy among students and staff.
Four Practical Tips for Creating Leaders in the Classroom Source: Faculty Focus When we envision the traditional classroom setting, we tend to visualize the power at the front of the room. The instructor is standing over a podium while the students are seated looking up at the one who holds the future of their course grade. The instructor asks a question and the student answers. The instructor administers an exam, and the student is expected to know the materials to receive a passing grade. Yet, research has found that organizations are in dire need of transformational leaders, and too often, faculty practice traditional bureaucratic pedagogies that neither model nor develop the values and skills that students need to become transformational leaders (Luechauer & Shulman, 2007).
Elevating High Impact Teaching Through Continuous Improvement Source: Faculty Focus High impact practices (HIPs) have been in higher education for nearly two decades and include practices that are effective for a wide range of students, particularly students from historically underrepresented groups. HIPs help first-year students engage in deep-level approaches to learning that allow for increased retention, integration, and transfer of knowledge (Kuh, 2008). These varied practices can take on many forms based on student body characteristics and the priorities and strategic initiatives of the university (Kezar & Holcombe, 2017). HIPs can be embedded throughout course work to support student learning and engagement by enhancing existing instructional practices; however, universities must continually and strategically analyze their use of these practices to ensure that ‘impact’ stays at the forefront.

Technology-Enhanced Learning

Writing Case Studies Using Generative AI: Interactive Role Play Source: Faculty Focus In part 1 of this two-part article series, we examined how educators can use GenAI to rapidly design case studies that are used as pedagogical tools in the classroom. These cases were created with the assistance of GenAI, but remained under the control of the educator. In part 2 of this article series, we will use GenAI to create interactive role plays that adapt to each student, providing customized feedback that directs the narrative of the case based on each student’s responses. This is a new type of case study, reminiscent of the “choose-your-own-adventure” book series. This type of adaptive, personalized case study wasn’t possible before the development of GenAI. Here, the educator abdicates control since each student will go on a different journey with an infinite number of options and outcomes, but these are responsive to each student’s preferences and needs.
How Do Students Adapt to Video Conferencing in Learning? Source: RIED Blog: Ibero-American Magazine of Digital Education The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed the educational landscape, propelling higher education institutions into an unfamiliar virtual terrain. In this context, communication within university classrooms has found an unexpected entirely in Google Meet, offering a window to academic continuity in times of physical distancing. This study, conducted by researchers from the University of Alicante, delves into the depths of this forced shift, exploring how videoconferencing has become an essential pillar in maintaining the educational bond between teachers and students .
Generative Dialogues: Generative AI in Higher Education Source: Spotify A series of conversation about generative artificial intelligence and its implications for higher education, hosted by Helen Beetham and Mark Carrigan.
Helen Beetham researches critical digital literacies in higher education and blogs about generative AI from a critical perspective. Mark Carrigan is a digital sociologist and a prolific blogger who writes on (among many things) emerging technologies in education, social media, and philosophies of technology.
A framework for inclusive AI learning design for diverse learners Source:Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. This research highlights a synthesis of recent literature on artificial intelligence (AI) learning design frameworks.This paper proposes a novel framework to guide the design of inclusive AI learning experiences, and it presents an illustrative example of applying the authors proposed inclusive AI learning design. The LinkedIn discussion post also further unpacks the insights shared
Guiding Students to Reflect on AI-Generated Feedback Source: Google Docs Anna Mills shares her presentation on integrating a teacher-designed, dedicated app for formative feedback (MyEssayFeedback.ai) which she hopes will help students to use AI to support writing for thinking and communication with humans.
Experimental Learning Design for Artificial Intelligence and Writing Source: SubStack Post This presentation reports on an experimental Fall 2023 course on Artificial Intelligence and Writing. Informed by extended mind theories of composition, this course was designed to help students experiment with diverse approaches to using AI tools across the composition process while also developing historical, theoretical, practical, and ethical knowledge. The course addressed LLM writing tools such as ChatGPT as well as media tools for creating images, video, and audio. Learning experiences are based on weekly creative challenges which provide engaging opportunities to experiment and reflect on the use of specific AI tools and techniques. These challenges enabled the course community to collaboratively explore and test abundant applications of AI tools.
What AI Can Do Today? Source: Awesome AI Tools An analysis of 5661 AI Tools with identified capabilities with OpenAI GPT-4, producing a list of 30257 tasks of what AI can do today.
Practical AI Strategies Online Course Source: LeonFurze.Com He writes: Practical AI Strategies was released in January and has received great reviews from educators in Australia, the US, UK, Europe, South East Asia, and across the world. Over the past couple of months, I have been working on an online course to accompany the book, and it is almost ready to launch.