Ontologising social justice in decolonised and post-apartheid settings

One topical issue in South Africa since the 1994 democratic elections is how a socially just higher education may be advanced in the context of the decolonial demand for the recognition of diverse epistemologies in the curriculum. The challenge since 1994 however has been what social justice means in the decolonial and post-apartheid settings where injustices continue to be perpetrated on the basis of race, albeit covertly. This article examines African and South African epistemologies and ontologies of social justice, in the context of decoloniality and curricula transformation in higher education, that became more pronounced through the #Feesmustfall protests in 2015. I argue that while social justice occurs within particular historical and political contexts, it is necessary to discern some ontologies of social justice that are not necessarily reducible to contexts. Use is made of Realist (R), Critical Realist (CR) and Race Realist Theory (RRT) perspective to unpack paradoxical constructions of social justice in post-colonial and post-apartheid South Africa

Efficacy of Collaborative in Improving Learning Outcomes of Graphic Design in Higher Education

Published ArticleThis article presents collaborative design projects done by 28 second-year graphic design students. These projects were identified by the lecturer to be examples of ‘real’ world and ‘hands-on’ projects that are complex, challenging enough and could be impossible for an individual student to complete alone within the limited time frame. These projects not only require students to synthesise their work in a true collaboration, but also to complete work separately and turn it in together at the end. What set these collaborative design projects apart from other graphic design projects are the adept outcome and the amount of control that the students are given over the design

Efficacy of collaborative in improving learning outcomes of graphic design in higher education

n.a

Academic and professional pedagogy : a conceptual perspective

Published ArticleThis paper examines the discourses on technical vocation education and training (TVET) adopting a comparative perspective. In particular, we critically analyse the notion of academic and professional pedagogy to embed curriculum and pedagogy at Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa and at the Central University of Technology (CUT). This is conducted by analysing the term, vocational pedagogy within the context of Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs) and Universities of Technology (UT) in Germany, and Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa, respectively. We then proceed by exploring the idea of an Institute of Pedagogy at the Central University of Technology (CUT) that will become a centre of excellence where research on professional pedagogy will be undertaken by staff and students from CUT and other institutions, as well as other bodies, including government and the employer/industry

Scholarship of teaching and learning in the context of a University of Technology : a case of the central university of technology, Free State

Published ArticleThis article describes the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) to improve teaching and learning. Its focus is the genesis of the project, perceptions and perspectives of staff on SoTL, challenges facing SoTL, and the perceived significance and impact of the project. It is argued that SoTL has the potential of advancing teaching and learning generally and within one's disciplinary home. Thus, engagement in SoTL does not undermine one's disciplinary work, but rather enhances reflective practice and sharing practices with peers nationally and internationally. Quantitative data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The chi-squared test was applied and a p-value calculated for quantitative data of the survey. Only one area indicated significant frequency differences at the level of alpha (0.05). The qualitative data was elicited from written accounts by the participants and analysed in terms of emerging themes and issues. The article concludes that: engaging in SoTL encompasses scholarly teaching and meaningful learning; enhances scholars' contributions to their disciplines; involves a scholarly work not separated from everyday classroom practices; and that the teaching continuum, and perceived involvement, are critical aspects of improving one's practice at CUT and in specific disciplines

Die akademie in Suid-Afrika: ’n vervullende professie?

Academe in South Africa: a fulfilling profession? South African academics possess a collective value system. However, other value systems impact not only on their value system but also on their academic work. They typically find themselves working in an institutional, a national and an international context, each with its own hierarchy of values. A theoretical discussion of (the role of) values in the academic workplace is followed by an overview of the professional values held by South African academics as measured by means of the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) Survey, which was carried out in 2008. The survey revealed, for instance, a rift between the institutional value hierarchy and that of the academic profession. It can therefore be concluded that many South African academics seem to lead relatively unfulfilled professional lives, among others, because they find themselves working in an environment (various contexts) with many contradictions. These problems should be addressed for the sake of the well-being of both the academic profession and of the higher education sector

Globalising and internationalising the higher education sector: challenges and contradictions in less industrialised countries

The aim of this article is to explore ways in which higher learning institutions are affected by and are responding to globalisation, internalisation, managerialism and marketisation, both in the higher education in general and in particular in lesser developed countries, using South Africa as an example.

Higher education and training: privatisation and quasi-marketisation in higher education in South Africa

Paper presented at understanding private higher education in South Africa: a colloquium, Kopanong Hotel, Benoni, 9-10 April

Teachers educators in South Africa: something amiss with their academic performance?

According to some observers, academics responsible for teacher education in South Africa and elsewhere traditionally have not enjoyed great esteem as academics from their colleagues in other disciplines and university structures. This is not only because of the nature of their subject, but also because they prepare students for one of the less esteemed professions, namely school teachers. Data from the South African part of the 22 country survey known as the Changing Academic Profession Research Project (CAP)(2007/8) confirm that their academic performance was not quite as high as that of their peers in other academic fields. The CAP data further suggest that their lower academic performance, operationally defined as research publication output, might among others be related to them feeling less in control of their professional environment than their peers in other disciplines, especially at departmental level. The discussion also reveals several shortcomings in the CAP survey and the data it provides