1,720,959 research outputs found
Enhancing the Use of a Teaching Portfolio in Higher Education as a Critically Reflexive Practice
Get PDFPublished ArticleTeaching portfolios in higher education are used for the purpose of reflecting on the lecturer’s practice to
improve student learning. Significant to academic development is the need to encourage staff to engage
in scholarly writing about their teaching and student learning as a critically reflexive practice through the
development of teaching portfolios. It was noted through the implementation of an academic development
programme at a university of technology across faculties that not many lecturers were in possession of
teaching portfolios and for the few who were, their main reason for developing them was for promotion
or to participate in teaching awards. This paper is about exploring the use of teaching portfolios for
critically reflecting on one’s teaching to enhance student learning, underpinned by Schon’s reflection
on- and in- action principle. The study used qualitative interpretive research design to determine the
awareness of university teachers on the purpose and importance of teaching portfolios. It was found that
19 participants were aware of the reflective purpose of the portfolios while 11 compiled them out of
compliance. This outcome implies that more lecturers need to be engaged in developing critically reflexive
teaching portfolios for enhanced teaching and student learning, as well as for increased participation in
the scholarship of teaching and learning
The extent to which knowledge of South Africa’s indigenous people (as key stakeholders) is part of rural development project management
Get PDFPublished ArticleIn the past two decades, the dawn of democratic governance in South Africa has influenced
relevant authorities to systematically integrate indigenous knowledge (IK) into rural
development project management. These projects are intended to uplift the socioeconomic
conditions of underdeveloped rural communities which, despite the existence of
rural development projects, remain characterised by high levels of inequality, unemployment
and poverty. These characteristics suggest a lack of success in rural development
projects. In order to enhance their success, these projects may need, among other things,
the integration of IK into rural development project management. The study used the
Northern Cape Province as a case study to measure the extent to which the knowledge of
South Africa’s indigenous people (as key stakeholders) is part of rural development project
management. The study employed qualitative design with individual and focus group
interviews being employed to collect data which was then analysed with Atlas.ti software.
The sample consisted of seven development projects from various districts in the study
area. Results indicated minimal involvement of IK in development project management
process, and where there was involvement, it was on an ad hoc basis and was done
without the knowledge of other critical stakeholders. The article recommends the inclusion
of IK in rural development project management, as well as the involvement of all relevant
stakeholders in project management process
Integrating indigenous knowledge of selected rural areas of the Northern Cape into development project management
Get PDFThesisThis study investigated the extent of the integration of indigenous knowledge of selected rural areas of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa into development project management.
South Africa has, in the past endeavoured to develop communities through projects, especially in rural areas but most of them have not done well. In addition, research has shown that high unemployment and poverty levels still seem to prevail. One of the reasons for this is the lack of involvement of communities and their knowledge of the whole project management process; thus, this study was conducted.
The objectives of this study were to determine the extent to which IKs of the Northern Cape are part of the development project management process; to conduct a literature review on the project management process and IK; to empirically identify key IKs of indigenous communities in the rural areas of the Northern Cape Province for inclusion in the management of development projects; to integrate identified IKs of indigenous communities in the rural parts of the Northern Cape Province into the management of development projects; and to develop guidelines for practically integrating IK into the management of development projects in rural areas.
A qualitative method of investigation was followed where a purposive sample of seven (7) rural development projects was drawn from all five municipal districts of the Northern Cape. These projects were identified as the main rural development projects from the sample frame provided by the Departments of Rural Development and Agriculture, and Economic Development, as well as the National Development Agency. This sample was therefore representative of rural development projects in the Northern Cape. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with the members of the projects, as well as representatives from the departments mentioned above. The data obtained were then captured and analysed using Atlas.ti.
The findings revealed the minimal involvement of indigenous communities and the minimal use of indigenous knowledge in the management of development projects which, in some instances, resulted in project management challenges, such as financial mismanagement and indecisiveness. Even the sparse indigenous knowledge used, was on an ad hoc basis. Based on the the empirical research, a framework for integrating IK into development projects is proposed to ensure that indigenous communities are actively involved, from the project’s initiation phase to the closure of the project
Enhancing Academic Development: A reflexive exploration of Staff and Students’ Experiences on curriculum co-creation
Get PDFAcademic development of students and staff is a critical element in higher education, especially with reference to their engagement in curriculum development. While higher education institutions advocate for the inclusion of students in curriculum co-creation, in practice, this has not been easily implemented. The urgency to create this collaborative ecosystem necessitates a reflexive contribution. In this article, I explore the experiences of academic staff and students on their engagement in curriculum co-creation with a specific focus on developing a study guide for the newly developed module, which is part of the decolonisation process. The emphasis on meta-cognitive skills and the social justice element in the curriculum development process ensures a responsive curriculum that meets the needs of society, students and staff in a cohesive and integrated manner. I underpin this reflective study on Schon’s theory of reflection on action. I argue that engaging students in curriculum creation stimulates deep learning, an empowerment attribute which I explore as it enhances innovative and critical thinking. This study employed qualitative methods of collecting and analysing data, followed by identifying important themes from the data. The reflections and emergent themes provide pathways to enhance academic development to encourage curricula co-creation processes in higher education
The humanities impacting communities through entrepreneurship: A case study of student enterprise from a South African university
Get PDFThe role of a university education is to transform and develop communities through the production of academically competent graduates and research, as well as through knowledge creation. However, research has shown that the level of unemployment in South Africa remains high despite the increasing number of graduates. The Faculty of the Humanities at a South African university has been intentional in impacting communities by inculcating a culture of entrepreneurship among students. In this article, I reflect on a case study of students from various disciplines, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, who have been mentored in entrepreneurship, have registered a business, and interacted with communities to provide identified services. I follow a participatory research approach to engage the students in a reflection on their relationships with the community members and on the impact of their interventions on these communities. I also analysed the data collected through a focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews to identify common themes and determine the attributes developed by students as they engaged in entrepreneurship. The findings from the reflections demonstrate the humanities students’ perceived value of entrepreneurship on communities’ development and graduates’ employability
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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