71 research outputs found
A comparative study of form and theology in the works of Flannery O'Connor and Simone Weil
No full textIn this comparative study of the form and theology of Flannery O'Connor and Simone Weil I interrogate how Weil's philosophical writings and her theology illuminate O'Connor's use of both narrative and non-fictional forms, and her Catholicism. The Introduction analyses how Weil's concept of superposed reading provides a new method of approaching both O'Connor, her writings, and O'Connor
studies, and focuses on how such apparently different women interconnect. Chapter One explores how both Weil and O'Connor attempt to write their theologies on the
souls of their readers yet are each subject to constraints imposed by form. Weil's concept of locating equilibrium between incommensurates is discussed, and her
distinctively philosophical approach to fictions and fictionality is used to investigate O'Connor's notion of prophetic fictions and the writer's role. Chapter Two assesses how both writers revivify Christian paradoxes. Weil's monstrous concept of affiiction, and O'Connor's use of the grotesque genre to jolt secular man into an
awareness of the sacred are scrutinised. Chapter Three studies how both writers consider an encounter between God and man is possible through the action of grace. My Conclusion interrogates how Weil's work can deepen our understanding of O'Connor's writings, and examines how successful O'Connor is at realising a truly
Christian literature. I conclude that despite being a writer of powerful fictions, O'Connor can not be totally successful in her mission as writer-prophet because
ultimately fiction escapes orthodoxy
Exploring current student-centred assessment practices in higher education towards adaptive graduates
No full textThe last three decades have seen significant educational reform, which have influenced the transformation of assessment practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). In addition, various societal and global changes have required that higher education create adaptive graduates who acquire and develop higherorder skills which include problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creativity and autonomy. Thus, HEIs are expected to produce adaptive graduates to meet the demands of the current national and international society and workforce. Literature suggests that student-centred assessments (SCA) can promote such higherorder skills, which have also become known as 21st century skills. Since, assessment is an integral part to learning and instruction, the design of assessments have become an important aspect in HEIs. This entails HEIs adapting to the paradigm shift from traditional assessment methods to student-centred assessment methods. This study adopted a case study approach to explore staff and student’s experiences of student-centred assessments. The respondents for this study were the staff and students from a Faculty of Accounting and Informatics at a HEI in South Africa. The findings reveal that while staff and students support various SCA and activities , the implementation of these assessments are hindered by challenges faced by staff . The contribution of this paper is to emphasize how student-centred assessment (SCA) practices foster the development of adaptive graduates while addressing the challenges to their effective implementation. Furthermore, this paper is significant to policymakers, educators, and institutional leaders seeking to enhance assessment practices and prepare adaptive, future-ready graduates
Development of a framework for the provision of student-centred assessment in higher education
No full textSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences specialising in Business Administration at the Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.The reform of education over the past three decades has influenced Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) to transform their assessment practices. Lecturers are required to
facilitate learning through an innovative and student-centred approach. This involves
inculcating knowledge, competencies and 21st century skills by integrating teaching
and learning and assessment practices. This paradigm shift to a student-centred
approach to assessment practices allows assessments to be authentic. Student
centred assessments increase autonomy, creativity, critical thinking and problem
solving skills. It prepares students to be adaptive graduates and life-long learners with
the ability to explore real-world challenges and problems. Consequently, assessment
practices perform an important role in Higher Education in order to address the critical
skills and autonomy needed by students, which can be provided through the use of
authentic or student-centred assessments that promote the use of 21st century skills.
Therefore, nationally and globally, HEIs are required to adapt to the paradigm shift.
Thus, the objectives of this study were to ascertain, explore and establish the practices
of student-centred assessments at the Durban University of Technology. This study
followed a convergent mixed methods design, adopting a case study approach. The
quantitative phase of the study comprised questionnaires completed by staff and
students from the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics. The qualitative phase was
a document analysis of the institutional documents pertaining to assessments. The
results from the quantitative and qualitative phases were analysed and interpreted to
present the findings. The results from both phases were triangulated with the
theoretical framework, conceptual framework and reviewed literature. The overall
findings revealed that there was a need for student-centred assessment practices.
The findings also indicated that staff supported various student-centred assessment
and activities. However, there was limited usage of student-centred assessment due
to the barriers and challenges that staff experience. The study recommends a
proposed framework for the provision of student-centred assessments. This
framework offers guidelines to assist lecturers in creating and evaluating assessments
that foster student-centeredness, and that influence higher-order thinking skills and
self-development.
Students’ Transition into Higher Education: Incorporating High-Impact Practices to Foster Smooth Transition and Academic Success
No full textThe transition into Higher Education (HE) is a problematic situation for students and academic institutions worldwide. This scenario is even more apparent in the South African environment as a majority of the student body resides in low-income, rural environments and are first-generation university students. Such a context presents unique challenges such as separation from family, cultural differences and family obligations, together with academic and social integration pressures, thus placing students in an unfamiliar environment within HE. If successful integration into HE is not achieved at this initial stage of entry, students face the risk of academic failure. The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges faced by South African first-year students as they transition into HE and the impact of peer mentorship on the successful progression of university students. Findings reveal that engaging in high- impact practices inherent in first-year student experiences ultimately leads to the promotion of student success in areas such as increased academic performance, participation in activities with educational goals, student contentment and persistence in completion of their studies. This paper proposes an intervention that supports a smooth transition of students into higher education as it draws from the strategies of High-Impact Practices (HIPs) applicable to undergraduate courses
Students’ Transition into Higher Education: Incorporating High-Impact Practices to Foster Smooth Transition and Academic Success
No full textThe transition into Higher Education (HE) is a problematic situation for students and academic institutions worldwide. This scenario is even more apparent in the South African environment as a majority of the student body resides in low-income, rural environments and are first-generation university students. Such a context presents unique challenges such as separation from family, cultural differences and family obligations, together with academic and social integration pressures, thus placing students in an unfamiliar environment within HE. If successful integration into HE is not achieved at this initial stage of entry, students face the risk of academic failure. The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges faced by South African first-year students as they transition into HE and the impact of peer mentorship on the successful progression of university students. Findings reveal that engaging in high- impact practices inherent in first-year student experiences ultimately leads to the promotion of student success in areas such as increased academic performance, participation in activities with educational goals, student contentment and persistence in completion of their studies. This paper proposes an intervention that supports a smooth transition of students into higher education as it draws from the strategies of High-Impact Practices (HIPs) applicable to undergraduate courses
Students’ Transition into Higher Education: Incorporating High-Impact Practices to Foster Smooth Transition and Academic Success
No full textThe transition into Higher Education (HE) is a problematic situation for students and academic institutions worldwide. This scenario is even more apparent in the South African environment as a majority of the student body resides in low-income, rural environments and are first-generation university students. Such a context presents unique challenges such as separation from family, cultural differences and family obligations, together with academic and social integration pressures, thus placing students in an unfamiliar environment within HE. If successful integration into HE is not achieved at this initial stage of entry, students face the risk of academic failure. The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges faced by South African first-year students as they transition into HE and the impact of peer mentorship on the successful progression of university students. Findings reveal that engaging in high- impact practices inherent in first-year student experiences ultimately leads to the promotion of student success in areas such as increased academic performance, participation in activities with educational goals, student contentment and persistence in completion of their studies. This paper proposes an intervention that supports a smooth transition of students into higher education as it draws from the strategies of High-Impact Practices (HIPs) applicable to undergraduate courses
Re-visioning one's selves: mirror reflections in the autobiographical works of Marguerite Duras
No full textThis thesis explores the construction of the central figure of a cycle of four works relating to Marguerite Duras' adolescence in Indochina: Un Barrage contre le Pacifique, L'Eden Cinéma, L'Amant, and L'Amant de la Chine du Nord. In these texts, biographical fact - the conventional foundation of autobiographical writing – is shown to be mutable, as Duras (re)creates and re-visions the past and self in question. The plurality of Duras' textual history suggests that the central figure's construction does not lie, as we might have anticipated, in a performative reading of her past. A new and alternative explanation for the central figure's construction is proposed: namely, that she is described by a series of mirror reflections within, between, and beyond the texts. The thesis is divided into four sections. Chapter I draws upon psychoanalytical and feminist theories to introduce the notion of mirror reflections in intra- and extra-textual contexts, with particular reference to interpersonal relationships, textual devices and reader involvement. Chapter II examines the deliberate alteration of the central figure's image and reflection, discussing questions of power, performance, and (self-) objectification. Chapter III focuses on the interaction between writing and written selves, on the re-visioning of self and history, and questions the 'autobiographical' status of these texts. Chapter IV suggests that the four accounts act as intertextual mirrors, forming contradictory reflections that profoundly shape the reading experience by destabilising any previously confirmed sense of the textualised selfhood. The iterative (dis)establishment of the written self is also explored in relation to Duras' perception of writing as a process that is concurrently creative, destructive and chaotic. It is concluded that the mirror trope is indeed useful in describing the construction of the central figure of these texts, yet it brings the reader no closer to locating the central self and her past in a form that is neither plural nor provisional
Improving Community Health Using an Outcome-Oriented CQI Approach to Community-Engaged Health Professions Education
No full textThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Health professionals providing health-care services must have the relevant competencies and clinical experiences needed to improve population health outcomes in different contexts. Current models of health profession education often fail to produce a fit-for-purpose workforce ready and willing to provide relevant, quality care to underserved communities. Evidence is emerging that community-engaged and socially accountable health workforce education, i.e., aligned with priority health needs, produces a workforce ready and willing to work in partnership with underserved regions. This model of education fosters greater affiliation between education and service delivery systems and requires institutions to measure graduate outcomes and institutional impact. The Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet), a partnership of socially accountable health workforce education institutions, has developed and tested a Social Accountability Framework for Health Workforce Education (the Framework) and toolkit to improve alignment of health workforce education with outcomes to assess how well education institutions meet the needs of the communities they serve. The Framework links education and service delivery creating a continuous quality improvement feedback loop to ensure that education addresses needs and maximizes impact on the quality of service delivery. The Framework also provides a unifying set of guidelines for health workforce policy and planning, accreditation, education, research, and service delivery. A key element to ensuring consistent high quality service delivery is an appropriately trained and equitably distributed workforce. An effective and comprehensive mechanism for evaluation is the method of CQI which links the design, implementation, accreditation, and evaluation of health workforce education with health service delivery and health outcomes measurement
Origins of N-formylmethamphetamine and N-acetylmethamphetamine in methamphetamine produced by the hydriodic acid and red phosphorus reduction of pseudoephedrine
No full text© 2019 Elsevier B.V.. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (March 2019) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyN-Formylmethamphetamine (FMA) and N-acetylmethamphetamine (AMA) are suspected to be trace by-products in methamphetamine (MA) produced from pseudoephedrine using the Nagai reaction. However, these amides are not rational by-products of the Nagai reaction.
FMA is an intermediate in the synthesis of MA using the Leuckart reaction. However, as there is the possibility that FMA is a by-product of the Nagai reaction, the significance of FMA as an indicator of the Leuckart reaction has been debated. It is therefore important to establish whether AMA and especially FMA are by-products of the Nagai reaction and thus establish their significance as synthetic route markers.
From the work presented here, FMA is a by-product of the Nagai reaction but the mechanism by which FMA arises could be not determined.
AMA was also shown to be a by-product of the Nagai reaction, most likely due to reaction between MA and phenyl-2-propanone (P-2-P), itself a by-product of the Nagai reaction. Furthermore, during GC analysis of Nagai reaction products, MA has been shown to react with P-2-P or ethyl acetate in the injector to form AMA.
Caution is recommended if the relative abundance of AMA and/or FMA are used as a basis for determining whether MA samples have a common source or not. Furthermore, it is clear that FMA cannot be considered to be a route-specific by-product for the Leuckart reaction – it is the abundance of FMA in a reaction mixture or profile, not simply its presence, that points to the involvement of the Leuckart reaction
Bythocypris Brady 1880
No full textGenus <i>Bythocypris</i> Brady, 1880 <p> <i>Type species.</i> <i>Bythocypris reniformis</i> Brady, 1880.</p> <p> (1) Remarks on subgenera of <i>Bythocypris</i></p> <p> Based on carapace characters, Warne (1990) described a new subgenus of <i>Bythocypris –Bythotriangularia</i> Warne, 1990 —to include the species with “subtriangular to oval” lateral valve outline, “inner lamella moderately broad”, and “adductor muscle scar pattern typically bythocypridid except that individual scars are commonly subdivided”. The following species were included in the subgenus <i>Bythotriangularia</i>: the type species <i>B. spiriscutica</i> Maddocks, 1969; plus <i>B. eltanina</i> Maddocks, 1969; <i>B. promoza</i> Maddocks, 1973; and <i>B. mozambiquensis</i> Maddocks, 1969.</p> <p> Warne (1990) diagnosed the subgenus <i>Bythocypris</i> Brady, 1880, as follows: valve lateral outline “smooth, reniform to sub­reniform or sub­rectangular”, “inner lamella of moderate size, and adductor muscle scars that are usually undivided”.</p> <p> Warne (1990) completely ignored the several anchistrocheline soft part characters (elongated hypostome and labrum; fused podomeres of antenna I and appendages V to VII; hemipenis with short copulatory process and one also short accessory process) of <i>Anchistrocheles antemacella</i> Maddocks, 1969, <i>A. barnharti</i> Maddocks, 1976, <i>A. hartmanni</i> Maddocks, 1976 and <i>A. mcquadei</i> Maddocks, 1976 and transferred these four species to the subgenus <i>Bythocypris</i>. These assignments are herein considered invalid, and these four species are considered to belong to the genus <i>Anchistrocheles</i> Brady & Norman, 1889 (sensu Maddocks 1976).</p> <p> The author himself (Warne, 1990: 106) noticed that intermediate carapace lateral outlines exist between the two “diagnostic” sub­reniform and subtriangular forms, and even further, that the type species of the subgenus <i>Bythocypris—B.</i> <i>(B.) reniformis</i> Brady, 1880 —is one of these intermediate forms: “the sub­reniform carapaces of the type species is intermediate in shape between the sub­rectangular carapace of <i>B. (B.) subrectangularia</i> sp. nov. and the subtriangular carapace of <i>B. (Bythotriangularia</i>), (…) but is closer to the sub­rectangular forms than to the subtriangular forms”. Another example of intermediate valve outline was cited by Warne (1990: 111): “ <i>B.elongata</i> Brady, 1880 may also belong to <i>B. (Bythotriangularia)</i> but it is more elongated than other species included in the new subgenus and has a very narrow inner margin”.</p> <p> Ostracod valve outline, especially in smooth forms, is known to be a very plastic character, with similar outlines being convergently present in different families (for example: Bythocyprididae, Cyprididae, Krithidae, Macrocyprididae, and Pontocyprididae). In addition, the width of the zone of concrescence may also vary, since it changes according to the time of the last moult, with newly moulted individuals presenting a thinner zone of concrescence than those which moulted longer before (Keyser, pers. comm.). Moreover, the subdivision of adductor muscle scars varies according to “preservation, individual variation, method of illustration, and interpretation by an individual observer” (Maddocks, 1995: 207). Unfortunately, no consistent character is left for the recognition of both subgenera of <i>Bythocypris</i> as proposed by Warne (1990), making it impossible to recognise these taxa. Consequently, no subgeneric assignment is attempted herein.</p> <p> (2) Remarks on <i>Bythocypris reniformis</i></p> <p> There is considerable taxonomic confusion concerning the name <i>Bythocypris reniformis</i>, which was reported from the Western Atlantic (North and South), Southwestern Pacific, Southwestern Indic and Southern oceans, and from the Pleistocene to recent sediments (Fig. 22, Tab. 4).</p> <p> Brady (1880: 46) described <i>Bythocypris reniformis</i> based on a “considerable number of detached valves, together with a few entire specimens,” collected through dredgings off Culebra Islands, 713m (# 24), off North Brazil, 340 and 1234m (# 120 and # 122), off Prince Edward’s Island (subantarctic region), 91 to 274m, and off Moncoeur Island, Bass Strait, 70 to 73m. Chapman (1941) recorded <i>B. reniformis</i> from southeast Australia (860 and 924m). Maddocks (1969) assigned to <i>B. reniformis</i> subfossil specimens with very different valve morphology collected “near Tulear, Madagascar, and elsewhere on the western Madagascar coast to depths of” 3530m (75 specimens, 475 to 3530m) and off south­eastern Brazil (108 specimens, 1227m). Later, Puri and Hulings (1976) erected as the lectotype of <i>B. reniformis</i> a subfossil RV (length 1.09mm) from Culebra Islands (713m). The last authors erroneously designated topotypes (1 RLV and 1 LV) from Prince Edward Island (91 to 274m). The lectotype differs from the illustrated [sic] topotype in the more equilateral lateral outline, more straight anterodorsal margin (instead of smoothly rounded), and more concave ventral margin of the former. The lectotype also differs from the specimen illustrated by Brady (1880, Pl. 5.1b) by the more truncated anterior margin, and more rectilinear outline, especially the straight anterodorsal margin presented by the former species. The specimens collected off south­eastern Brazil (Maddocks 1969, Fig. 45.J–M) differs from the lectotype of <i>B. reniformis</i> because the former: (1) are more smoothly rounded, subtriangular valve outline; (2) have a more arched dorsal margin; (3) present maximum height at mid­length (instead of anterior to it); (4) present much larger size (1.51 to 1.62mm instead of 1.09mm). The specimens from the Mozambique Channel (Maddocks 1969, Fig. 45.N–U) differ from the lectotype of <i>B. reniformis</i>, because the former: (1) have a more sub­reniform outline; (2) have a more obtuse posterior angle; (3) have a less concave ventral margin; (4) have a more broadly rounded anterior margin; (5) present maximum height posterior to mid­length (instead of anterior to it). Finally, Briggs (1978) reported <i>B. reniformis</i> from Ross Island, Antarctica (no illustration or description was provided).</p> <p> Specimens from Marion Island (Dingle 2003) also vary from the lectotype of <i>B. reniformis</i>. The RV (Dingle 2003, Pl. 1.4) shows: (1) more smoothly rounded dorsal margin (the lectotype presents a more arched dorsal margin, with straight anterodorsal margin and conspicuous anterodorsal angle); (2) posterior angle of the first species is more obtuse than the last species; (3) ventral margin is concave in the former sp. and broadly rounded anteriorly and upswung posteriorly in the type material. The LV (Dingle 2003, Pl. 1.3) lacks the conspicuous anterodorsal angle, has a more smoothly rounded dorsal margin, slightly convex (instead of concave) ventral margin, and more obtuse posterior angle than the topotype from off Marion Island.</p> <p> Based on the above, I conclude that specimens previously recorded as <i>B. reniformis</i> should be included in at least 4 different species (1. type locality – Caribbean; 2. off Canada; 3. off Brazil; 4. off Mozambique Channel;?5. off Australia).</p>Published as part of <i>Brandão, Simone N., 2008, New species of Bairdioidea (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from the Southern Ocean and discussions on Bairdoppilata simplex (Brady, 1880),? Bairdoppilata labiata (Müller, 1908) and Bythopussella aculeata (Müller, 1908) *, pp. 373-452 in Zootaxa 1866</i> on pages 406-407, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/183820">10.5281/zenodo.183820</a>
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