Saide Current Awareness
19 August 2024

 

Distance Education

  • Report: Teaching Online Students to Self-Regulate Learning Source: Inside Higher Education New research suggests that short skill-building activities can motivate self-regulated learning among learners taking courses remotely.
  • Quarterly Review of Distance Education Volume 25 #1 Source:INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING The Quarterly Review of Distance Education is a rigorously refereed journal publishing articles, research briefs, reviews, and editorials dealing with the theories, research, and practices of distance education. ... The Quarterly Review defines distance education as institutionally based, formal education, where the learning group is separated and where interactive technologies are used to unite the learning group.

   Education: South Africa

Language, Literacies, Research Writing and Publishing

Open Access, Open Education and Open Educational Resources

   Post Schooling

  • 7,000 new PhD graduates in 10 years is all about innovation Source: University World News The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) has moved a step closer to realising its ambition of boosting the production of doctoral graduates in Africa with the announcement that its executive committee has approved 16 new collaborative PhD programmes set to launch in January 2026.
  • HE can help shape a generation that values gender equality Source: University World News As we celebrate Women’s Month in South Africa, we also reflect on the progress made towards gender equality in different spheres of society. Academia is one of them.
    The landscape for women has changed dramatically over the past few decades, with more women than before accessing higher education and stepping into leadership roles.
  • Universities feel financial pinch amid political turmoil Source: University World News The higher education sector in the Southern African kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is facing tough times with two high-profile universities experiencing financing squeezes. The University of Eswatini (UNESWA), the country’s largest public national higher education institution, and the Southern Africa Nazarene University (SANU) – also public – are struggling with debts.
  • Master’s student emphasises importance of support programmes at national conference Source: NMU An article on the recent Siyaphumelela Conference in which  NMU's Masters student Lelonathemba Ndaleni presented. 
  • 5 things to know about new university funding model that has rattled some Kenyans Source: K24Digital The new university funding model introduced by the government has sparked significant interest and discussion among students, parents, and educators.
  • UJ the only university in South Africa to improve its standing in the latest global ranking Source: UJ According to the latest 2024 edition of the Academic Rankings of World Universities (ARWU), otherwise known as the Shanghai Ranking, released yesterday, UJ is now ranked among the top 500 universities, moving up from the 501 – 600 band it was ranked in 2023 to 401 – 500 band this year.
  • VUT Roundtable discussion calls for gender culture in higher education to be re-examined Source: VUT On 15 August 2024, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT)’s Institutional HIV and AIDS Unit (IHAU) hosted a gender diversity and inclusion round-table discussion at Sisonke Restaurant. This discussion sought to enhance how the VUT community thinks about gender issues, looking deeply into gender mainstreaming, culture of inclusivity and embracing gender diversity in higher education.
  •  UNISA struggling to restore battered image Source: Youtube The University of South Africa is struggling to restore its battered image following reports of maladministration and a witch-hunt. Last year, then Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande, placed the university under administration. This followed the recommendation of the independent assessor Prof. Themba Mosia. The damning report found serious financial mismanagement, compounded by the university drifting from its core mandate. 

Skills and Employment

  • Huawei ICT Academy Instructor Summit 2024 Accelerates 4IR Skills In South Africa’s Higher Education Landscape Source: Tech Financials Huawei welcomed instructors from some of South Africa’s top tertiary institutions, leaders from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), as well as its own executives to the company’s Johannesburg campus for the Huawei ICT Academy Instructors’ Summit 2024. The Summit is hosted annually to bring together instructors to share their experiences, knowledge, and successes as they navigate a rapidly developing industry, which is being reshaped by modern technologies.
  • LIST OF TOP OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH: APPLY NOW!! Source: LinkedIn
  • Closing the gender gap: The rise of female entrepreneurs in South Africa Source: BizCommunity South African women are closing the gender gap in entrepreneurial activity.Driven by many factors ranging from perceived opportunity to job scarcity, they are starting businesses which in turn creates employment opportunities for others, with the country boasting one of the highest proportion of women-led companies employing 20 or more people globally.
  • Unemployment and Higher Education in South Africa: Navigating a Complex Landscape Source: LinkedIn This article delves into the intricate relationship between unemployment and higher education in South Africa, based on recent data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q2 2024. Alarming trends in official and expanded unemployment rates are highlighted, particularly affecting young graduates and marginalised groups. Critical challenges facing the higher education sector are discussed, including access, equity, graduate employability, transformation, inclusion, and education quality.

Teaching and Learning: Local and Global

  • Academic Success Tip: Promoting Inclusivity With the Syllabus Source: Inside HIgher Education A study from Worcester Polytechnic Institute found students believe their instructors are more inclusive if they include specific features, such as their pronouns and materials from diverse scholars.
  • Why We Should Normalize Open Disclosure of AI Use Source: Chronicle of Higher Education It’s time we reclaim faculty-student trust through clear advocacy — not opaque surveillance, writes Marc Watkins
  • Workshop Resources for Student Supports Source:AIEduSimplified Lance Eatons blog post on a workshop he hosted recently for higher education staff that support students. He shares a host of resources used in the workshop. 
  • Rethinking Assessment for Generative Artificial Intelligence  Source: Leon Furze A free 60 page eBook which covers everything from ways to update assessments, to the reasons I advise against AI detection tools. 
  • Learning Outcomes for Instructors, Not Just Students Source: Faculty Focus If you teach, you know about learning outcomes. Unless you inherited your courses from someone else, you’ve developed lists of them. You’ve probably had to submit these lists to the administration to be reviewed and possibly revised. You might have been asked to map these outcomes against your department’s or institution’s broader learning objectives. And you’ve definitely assessed your students against them. There’s a fair bit of work involved with learning outcomes, and justifiably so. They help ensure that we’re on the right track in fostering our students’ intellectual, emotional, and in some cases spiritual growth. We need them.

Technology-Enhanced Learning