Research conducted on online learning during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, clearly showed that a sense of community plays an integral part in creating a conducive learning environment. This has consequently influenced current perspectives on teaching practice and learning climate. From an African perspective, this is noteworthy as it simulates an environment where Ubuntu is possible. This is especially true for Academic Literacy (AL) classes on an Access Programme where the teaching approach typically stems from social constructivism. This approach enhances classroom participation by fostering peer-to-peer relationships, and teacher-to-peer relationships, which form an integral part of this teaching approach. For instance, students are motivated to share ideas and responsibility through peer or group work, as well as through teacher guidance and feedback. Thus, grounded in shared power and respect, a community underpinned by Ubuntu – ‘‘I am, because we are; and since we are, therefore I am’’ (Mbiti, 1989: 106), is ideally created. Through assessing students’ experience of the AL classroom environment, this study sets out to determine if the aim of creating a sense of community and inclusivity is present. Hence, the study focuses on improving the quality of teaching practice by establishing classroom community through analysis of Access students’ perspectives obtained from quantitative and qualitative data. Findings show positive results, implying that teaching and learning are improved if a sense of community and Ubuntu in the classroom is established. Therefore, the study aims to improve AL skills by ensuring that students feel a sense of community and Ubuntu in the classroom, and furthermore to recognize our students’ diversity through inclusivity. This aids learning in the AL class through socially just teaching practices, which will ultimately assist in student success at university.
{"title":"Ubuntu in the academic literacy class: Establishing a sense of community for inclusivity and effective learning","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6779","url":null,"abstract":"Research conducted on online learning during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, clearly showed that a sense of community plays an integral part in creating a conducive learning environment. This has consequently influenced current perspectives on teaching practice and learning climate. From an African perspective, this is noteworthy as it simulates an environment where Ubuntu is possible. This is especially true for Academic Literacy (AL) classes on an Access Programme where the teaching approach typically stems from social constructivism. This approach enhances classroom participation by fostering peer-to-peer relationships, and teacher-to-peer relationships, which form an integral part of this teaching approach. For instance, students are motivated to share ideas and responsibility through peer or group work, as well as through teacher guidance and feedback. Thus, grounded in shared power and respect, a community underpinned by Ubuntu – ‘‘I am, because we are; and since we are, therefore I am’’ (Mbiti, 1989: 106), is ideally created. Through assessing students’ experience of the AL classroom environment, this study sets out to determine if the aim of creating a sense of community and inclusivity is present. Hence, the study focuses on improving the quality of teaching practice by establishing classroom community through analysis of Access students’ perspectives obtained from quantitative and qualitative data. Findings show positive results, implying that teaching and learning are improved if a sense of community and Ubuntu in the classroom is established. Therefore, the study aims to improve AL skills by ensuring that students feel a sense of community and Ubuntu in the classroom, and furthermore to recognize our students’ diversity through inclusivity. This aids learning in the AL class through socially just teaching practices, which will ultimately assist in student success at university. ","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135082046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this conceptual paper, borne from the experiences of two ccademic literacy lecturers at the NWU, we ask, regarding elements of assessment, how we can sensibly adapt an intervention-style writing course in a post-Covid higher education context. We propose a course correction model, applicable to academic literacy writing courses, to address the pedagogical lacunae highlighted in a pre-pandemic context and compounded in the post-pandemic higher education context. We argue for the adaption of this writing course to contend with the under-preparedness of students for higher education, the issue of online learning and resultant student cognitive overload and additional challenges, such as the rapid development of AI and its effects on teaching and learning, and specifically writing courses. An important element which needs to be reconceptualised within the context of our compounded problem, is that of the writing assessment. In this paper we argue for moving away from placing major emphasis on assessing the final product of writing and shifting some focus to the pedagogical value of examining the student’s journey of writing. We therefore propose incorporating reflective writing as a significant element of assessment through our reflect-rewrite-model. The goal of this proposed model is to create a space for fostering student self-awareness, responsibility, critical thinking, and evaluation skills. Such outcomes should then contribute to the creation of effective and contextually relevant, academic skills development, which in turn should positively influence student success and mitigate some of the issues currently experienced in the module offering.
{"title":"Course correction: The role of reflective writing assessment in a post-pandemic academic literacy course","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.7291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.7291","url":null,"abstract":"In this conceptual paper, borne from the experiences of two ccademic literacy lecturers at the NWU, we ask, regarding elements of assessment, how we can sensibly adapt an intervention-style writing course in a post-Covid higher education context. We propose a course correction model, applicable to academic literacy writing courses, to address the pedagogical lacunae highlighted in a pre-pandemic context and compounded in the post-pandemic higher education context. We argue for the adaption of this writing course to contend with the under-preparedness of students for higher education, the issue of online learning and resultant student cognitive overload and additional challenges, such as the rapid development of AI and its effects on teaching and learning, and specifically writing courses. An important element which needs to be reconceptualised within the context of our compounded problem, is that of the writing assessment. In this paper we argue for moving away from placing major emphasis on assessing the final product of writing and shifting some focus to the pedagogical value of examining the student’s journey of writing. We therefore propose incorporating reflective writing as a significant element of assessment through our reflect-rewrite-model. The goal of this proposed model is to create a space for fostering student self-awareness, responsibility, critical thinking, and evaluation skills. Such outcomes should then contribute to the creation of effective and contextually relevant, academic skills development, which in turn should positively influence student success and mitigate some of the issues currently experienced in the module offering.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"491 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135081891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Covid-19 pandemic catapulted higher education institutions to shifting their teaching, learning and assessment practices. Universities globally were abruptly forced to close their doors and adapt to digital learning platforms with the intention of meeting students’ learning needs. In a University of Technology (UoT) context such as the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa, the university had to relook the way it interacted and engaged with students. Writing centres at universities in South Africa have evolved and have led to the development of opportunities for collaborative learning underpinned by humanistic principles and interconnectivity in teaching, thinking and learning. Traditionally in the writing centre, students grow and develop in an informal way by face-to-face interactions in a physical space with tutors, peers and writing practitioners. However, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the writing centre has shifted to virtual learning platforms in order to continue creating inclusive and flexible learning spaces to foster criticality and academic and social resiliency in students. This paper explored how the writing centre as a vibrant community of practice (CoP), with the use of digital platforms initiated innovative tutoring techniques to contribute to creating a safe, enabling learning environment for students during these uncertainties. Paulo Freire’s idea of a Humanising Pedagogy (1970) and Lave and Wenger’s (1991) concept of communities of practice were used to gain insights into the contextual dynamics that shape a writing centre’s practice as the centre conceptualises how to respond to the ‘new normal’ in higher education. This paper asked a fundamental question about learning approaches and what is most valuable, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection included written reflections from eight writing centre tutors from one writing centre site and surveys with 20 student users. This enabled an understanding of their perceptions and experiences of using the writing centre remotely, within a qualitative, exploratory inquiry. The findings revealed that the writing centre acknowledges the socio-economic difficulties faced by students and sees the value of CoP and a humanistic approach in its work in assisting students in coping with challenges and the realities that currently confront them. It found that tutors are central to contributing to transformative, multi-modal learning, and the writing centre can serve as a vehicle for promoting and sustaining inclusive learning environments and new ways of supporting students during uncertain times such as the pandemic.
{"title":"The role of writing centres in negotiating inclusive learning spaces in the context of Covid-19","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6795","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6795","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic catapulted higher education institutions to shifting their teaching, learning and assessment practices. Universities globally were abruptly forced to close their doors and adapt to digital learning platforms with the intention of meeting students’ learning needs. In a University of Technology (UoT) context such as the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa, the university had to relook the way it interacted and engaged with students. Writing centres at universities in South Africa have evolved and have led to the development of opportunities for collaborative learning underpinned by humanistic principles and interconnectivity in teaching, thinking and learning. Traditionally in the writing centre, students grow and develop in an informal way by face-to-face interactions in a physical space with tutors, peers and writing practitioners. However, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the writing centre has shifted to virtual learning platforms in order to continue creating inclusive and flexible learning spaces to foster criticality and academic and social resiliency in students. This paper explored how the writing centre as a vibrant community of practice (CoP), with the use of digital platforms initiated innovative tutoring techniques to contribute to creating a safe, enabling learning environment for students during these uncertainties. Paulo Freire’s idea of a Humanising Pedagogy (1970) and Lave and Wenger’s (1991) concept of communities of practice were used to gain insights into the contextual dynamics that shape a writing centre’s practice as the centre conceptualises how to respond to the ‘new normal’ in higher education. This paper asked a fundamental question about learning approaches and what is most valuable, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection included written reflections from eight writing centre tutors from one writing centre site and surveys with 20 student users. This enabled an understanding of their perceptions and experiences of using the writing centre remotely, within a qualitative, exploratory inquiry. The findings revealed that the writing centre acknowledges the socio-economic difficulties faced by students and sees the value of CoP and a humanistic approach in its work in assisting students in coping with challenges and the realities that currently confront them. It found that tutors are central to contributing to transformative, multi-modal learning, and the writing centre can serve as a vehicle for promoting and sustaining inclusive learning environments and new ways of supporting students during uncertain times such as the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135081884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Covid-19 pandemic brought about restrictions on physical interactions, which in many ways changed how we live and work. Due to these restrictions, writing centres at universities and other educational institutions around the world had to transition from traditional ways of supporting students to online or remote methods. To save the academic year, Wits University’s teaching and learning and other student support programmes, including the Wits School of Education Writing Centre (WSoE WC), were compelled to adopt Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL). Transitioning to ERTL meant1 reimagining student support in an online mode. This paper explores how the WSoE WC transitioned from face-to-face student consultations to offering online academic literacy support and development. The paper highlights the adaptation process in the transition, particularly how the WSoE WC dealt with the varying complexities accompanying ERTL. The main question guiding this exploration is: How did the WSoE WC negotiate the move to online academic literacy support and development during the Covid-19 pandemic? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the director of the WSoE WC, who steered the adoption of the online mode and the peer tutors who worked directly with students online. The findings show that transitioning to the online mode during ERTL was difficult and complex. However, collective and individual agency enabled continued student academic literacy2 support despite disruption and change. This paper contributes to the ongoing conversation around the role of writing centres at universities in South Africa and beyond, particularly during disruptions.
{"title":"From ‘business as usual’ to ‘business unusual’: Online academic literacy development for Education students during the Covid-19 pandemic","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6783","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic brought about restrictions on physical interactions, which in many ways changed how we live and work. Due to these restrictions, writing centres at universities and other educational institutions around the world had to transition from traditional ways of supporting students to online or remote methods. To save the academic year, Wits University’s teaching and learning and other student support programmes, including the Wits School of Education Writing Centre (WSoE WC), were compelled to adopt Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL). Transitioning to ERTL meant1 reimagining student support in an online mode. This paper explores how the WSoE WC transitioned from face-to-face student consultations to offering online academic literacy support and development. The paper highlights the adaptation process in the transition, particularly how the WSoE WC dealt with the varying complexities accompanying ERTL. The main question guiding this exploration is: How did the WSoE WC negotiate the move to online academic literacy support and development during the Covid-19 pandemic? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the director of the WSoE WC, who steered the adoption of the online mode and the peer tutors who worked directly with students online. The findings show that transitioning to the online mode during ERTL was difficult and complex. However, collective and individual agency enabled continued student academic literacy2 support despite disruption and change. This paper contributes to the ongoing conversation around the role of writing centres at universities in South Africa and beyond, particularly during disruptions.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135081889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for ongoing pedagogic changes in the higher education landscape, especially with the use of online modes of delivery. The digital shift triggered questions around student engagement and the need to ensure that, despite physical distancing, students did not feel alienated from online learning spaces. This was part and parcel of our ethics of care prerogative. In the context of teaching academic literacy online, our teaching experiences have prompted us to interrogate how we understand student participation and sense-making in online spaces during the pandemic. This is particularly important for us, as we view academic literacy as a set of socially embedded practices rather than decontextualised skills (Street, 1983). We argue that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the online chatroom as a boundary object (Bowker & Star, 2000) was recruited as a proxy for the traditional classroom. We focus on how this boundary object was recruited by us as academic literacy lecturers in our first-year academic literacy course to realise certain features of our pedagogy of discomfort. Through a critical discourse analysis of written interactions in the chatroom, we explore how we as lecturers constrained the multiple social uses of the chatroom in order to imbue it with a particular function, a sense-making space for the acquisition of academic literacy in the context of ‘Emergency Remote Teaching’.
{"title":"The social uses of the online chatroom as a boundary object for the acquisition of academic literacy in pandemic times","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6774","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for ongoing pedagogic changes in the higher education landscape, especially with the use of online modes of delivery. The digital shift triggered questions around student engagement and the need to ensure that, despite physical distancing, students did not feel alienated from online learning spaces. This was part and parcel of our ethics of care prerogative. In the context of teaching academic literacy online, our teaching experiences have prompted us to interrogate how we understand student participation and sense-making in online spaces during the pandemic. This is particularly important for us, as we view academic literacy as a set of socially embedded practices rather than decontextualised skills (Street, 1983). We argue that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the online chatroom as a boundary object (Bowker & Star, 2000) was recruited as a proxy for the traditional classroom. We focus on how this boundary object was recruited by us as academic literacy lecturers in our first-year academic literacy course to realise certain features of our pedagogy of discomfort. Through a critical discourse analysis of written interactions in the chatroom, we explore how we as lecturers constrained the multiple social uses of the chatroom in order to imbue it with a particular function, a sense-making space for the acquisition of academic literacy in the context of ‘Emergency Remote Teaching’.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135081880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Restrictions and challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic challenged higher education institutions to innovate to keep reaching teaching and learning goals. In South Africa, existing social inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic restrictions and many students faced severe challenges in terms of access and support to aid in their academic success. Even under ‘normal’ circumstances, developing students’ academic writing skills and critical thinking ability can be challenging. It is this teaching and learning goal, along with the added contextual challenges brought on by the pandemic that prompted the intervention described in this paper. How can we teach and assess critical thinking, and higher-order aspects of academic writing, in such a resource scarce environment? In this paper, the development and results of formative, multiple choice question (MCQ)-style, online tests aimed at developing critical thinking and higher-order aspects of academic writing is discussed. The development of the test through intentional test item design and online test setup is explained whereafter statistical analysis of student participation and results are presented. These preliminary results show that students generally use learning opportunities to their advantage to learn and improve their marks. It also shows that flexible test structure and a supportive test environment can promote equality of outcomes for students, egardless of the contextual challenges they face.
{"title":"Optimising academic writing assessment during Covid-19: The development multiple choice tests to develop writing without writing","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6804","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6804","url":null,"abstract":"Restrictions and challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic challenged higher education institutions to innovate to keep reaching teaching and learning goals. In South Africa, existing social inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic restrictions and many students faced severe challenges in terms of access and support to aid in their academic success. Even under ‘normal’ circumstances, developing students’ academic writing skills and critical thinking ability can be challenging. It is this teaching and learning goal, along with the added contextual challenges brought on by the pandemic that prompted the intervention described in this paper. How can we teach and assess critical thinking, and higher-order aspects of academic writing, in such a resource scarce environment? In this paper, the development and results of formative, multiple choice question (MCQ)-style, online tests aimed at developing critical thinking and higher-order aspects of academic writing is discussed. The development of the test through intentional test item design and online test setup is explained whereafter statistical analysis of student participation and results are presented. These preliminary results show that students generally use learning opportunities to their advantage to learn and improve their marks. It also shows that flexible test structure and a supportive test environment can promote equality of outcomes for students, egardless of the contextual challenges they face.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135082048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Writing centres have had to adapt to many challenges, including the move to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. In South Africa this move was complexified by differential access to digital environments and contextual issues such as lack of electricity and rolling blackouts. Writing centres also need to consider the increasing massification of higher education and ways of harnessing diverse resources to enrich communication. This paper explores writing centre approaches to research and pedagogy within a social justice agenda, including combining an academic literacies approach with a multimodal social semiotic approach. It also investigates innovative approaches to teaching writing in diverse and multilingual contexts, including expanding the repertoire of resources used in writing consultations. It argues that the explicit utilisation of a range of modes can enhance writing production and enable writers to actively explore different modes for constructing meaning. The paper reflects on developing inclusive multimodal writing centre materials. It then explores the changing function of modes in online and face-to-face consultations (postpandemic lockdowns), including talk as mode, silence as mode, visual modes, and the use of time. The aim is to interrogate our academic practices concerning the diverse languages and various forms of communication that students possess, whether in virtual or physical learning environments.
{"title":"Exploring multimodal approaches for writing centres in remote and in-person configurations","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.7121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.7121","url":null,"abstract":"Writing centres have had to adapt to many challenges, including the move to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. In South Africa this move was complexified by differential access to digital environments and contextual issues such as lack of electricity and rolling blackouts. Writing centres also need to consider the increasing massification of higher education and ways of harnessing diverse resources to enrich communication. This paper explores writing centre approaches to research and pedagogy within a social justice agenda, including combining an academic literacies approach with a multimodal social semiotic approach. It also investigates innovative approaches to teaching writing in diverse and multilingual contexts, including expanding the repertoire of resources used in writing consultations. It argues that the explicit utilisation of a range of modes can enhance writing production and enable writers to actively explore different modes for constructing meaning. The paper reflects on developing inclusive multimodal writing centre materials. It then explores the changing function of modes in online and face-to-face consultations (postpandemic lockdowns), including talk as mode, silence as mode, visual modes, and the use of time. The aim is to interrogate our academic practices concerning the diverse languages and various forms of communication that students possess, whether in virtual or physical learning environments.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"245 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135082049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Belonging is important for student motivation, retention and engagement. However, belonging is difficult to foster in the online environment, and the pandemic necessitating a shift to online learning has meant that many senior students may not feel that they belong at university. Drawing on qualitative data obtained via two online questionnaires, this paper conceptualises the impact of online learning on students’ sense of belonging by focusing on the interconnected nature of spatial, academic and social belonging, which serves to foster an overall sense of personal belonging. The paper also considers what the role of academic literacy modules is in this situation, as they are uniquely situated to foster a sense of belonging in students. A model for conceptualising the interconnected nature of belonging is also presented.
{"title":"‘It does not feel like I am a university student’: Considering the impact of online learning on students’ sense of belonging in a ‘post pandemic’ academic literacy module","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.6780","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.6780","url":null,"abstract":"Belonging is important for student motivation, retention and engagement. However, belonging is difficult to foster in the online environment, and the pandemic necessitating a shift to online learning has meant that many senior students may not feel that they belong at university. Drawing on qualitative data obtained via two online questionnaires, this paper conceptualises the impact of online learning on students’ sense of belonging by focusing on the interconnected nature of spatial, academic and social belonging, which serves to foster an overall sense of personal belonging. The paper also considers what the role of academic literacy modules is in this situation, as they are uniquely situated to foster a sense of belonging in students. A model for conceptualising the interconnected nature of belonging is also presented.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135082051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.12
Zingiswa M. Jojo
{"title":"Engaging mathematics student-teachers in an Open Distance e-Learning context","authors":"Zingiswa M. Jojo","doi":"10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.12","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"118 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77405561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.4
M. F. Omidire, F. R. Aluko
Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybridmode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed.
{"title":"Academic and institutional readiness towards e-Learning to inform policy and practice in an evolving post-school education sector","authors":"M. F. Omidire, F. R. Aluko","doi":"10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593x/pie.v40.i1.4","url":null,"abstract":"Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybridmode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"107 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79352215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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