Research Articles (Education Innovation)

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Perspectives and discourses on teaching evaluations in a South African university
(Routledge, 2024) Nsibande, Rejoice N.; Modiba, Maropeng M.; rejoice.nsibande@up.ac.za
The paper reports on a study that explored selected lecturers’ perspectives and discourses on a university’s Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) policy in South Africa; particularly what the policy prioritised in terms of purpose and evaluation processes. It also reports on the lecturers’ reflections on the additional questions they included in the self-designed evaluation tools. A questionnaire, informal group conversations, and extended observations were used to collect data, and Latour (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. Oxford University Press and Latour (2013). An Inquiry Into Modes of Existence. Translated by C. Porter. London: Harvard University Press works helped make sense of the lecturers’ perspectives and discourses. Findings indicate a partial grasp of what the SET policy promotes. Lecturers’ understanding seemed to emphasise teaching evaluations’ professional development and accountability functions. Little attention was paid to the context in which teaching and learning occurred. The conclusion suggests ways in which the guidance given to lecturers could be improved to help them understand and work more effectively with their university’s SET policy.
Neurophobia : the inconvenient truth
(Spanish Association of Anatomy, 2023-09) Venter, Gerda; Bosman, Marius C.; Lubbe, Johanna; gerda.venter@up.ac.za
Medical schools have implemented strategies in response to neurophobia to counteract the negative perception and improve neuroscience experiences for undergraduate medical students. In this study, we explored the attitudes, perceptions and preferred learning approaches of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students toward the teaching, facilitation, learning and assessment of neuroanatomy, as well as their perceptions on its relevance in the South African medical curriculum. A total of 299 undergraduate and five postgraduate students from the University of Pretoria participated in this study. We used a multi-method approach in which the undergraduate students completed an anonymous quantitative questionnaire, while the postgraduate students participated in a qualitative focus- group discussion. Undergraduate medical students preferred lecture notes to study from above any other type of literature and mainly used laptop computers as preferred electronic devices in preparation for their assessments. The favourite topic was cranial nerves, and the least popular was histology of the nervous system. Postgraduate students shared their undergraduate neuroanatomy experiences and provided constructive feedback and suggestions to undergraduate students and lecturing staff. Ineffective teaching methods and limited contact time remain factors that contribute to neurophobia in South Africa. Students perceive neuroanatomy as an interesting and important subject in their medical degree. However, changes are needed to modernize neuroanatomy and make it more accessible and student-friendly. The challenge then remains: how do we, as lecturers, modernize neuroanatomy in the medical curriculum to make it contemporary and clinically applicable?
A reflexive lens on preparing and conducting semi-structured interviews with academic colleagues
(Sage, 2022-11) Buys, Tania Lee; Casteleijn, Daleen; Heyns, Tanya; Untiedt, Hannelie; tania.buys@up.ac.za
In qualitative research, researchers often conduct semi-structured interviews with people familiar to them, but there are limited guidelines for researchers who conduct interviews to obtain curriculum-related information with academic colleagues who work in the same area of practice but at different higher education institutions. Using a pragmatic constructivist stance, we address the practicalities of conducting semi-structured interviews with fellow educators who work in the same area of professional practice, where the researcher has to address the dual roles of “insider” and “outsider” as well as that of researcher and participant. Interviewing academic colleagues offers a unique opportunity for rich data collection, but researchers should adopt a flexible conversational style during interviewing within research parameters and be acutely aware of their positionality and fluidity of roles. This article contributes to existing knowledge by drawing on the work of previous scholars in various areas of research and research methodology thereby offering a practical and theoretical perspective on conducting qualitative research interviewing in higher education institutions where the role of researcher and participant can become blurred. These guidelines and insights will also benefit researchers who conduct research with peers who work together in the same area of expertise, in similar contexts and with whom there are varying levels of working relationships.
Ensemble averaging using remote sensing data to model spatiotemporal PM10 concentrations in sparsely monitored South Africa
(Elsevier, 2022-10) Arowosegbe, Oluwaseyi Olalekan; Roeoesli, Martin; Kuenzli, Nino; Saucy, Apolline; Adebayo-Ojo, Temitope Christina; Schwartz, Joel; Kebalepile, Moses Mogakolodi; Jeebhay, Mohamed Fareed; Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel; De Hoogh, Kees
Please read abstract in the article.
Neurophobia : a side effect of neuroanatomy education?
(Springer, 2022-11) Venter, Gerda; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); Bosman, Marius C.; gerda.venter@up.ac.za
Neuroanatomy in the medical curriculum tends to be challenging for both lecturers and students. Students and lecturers perceive the relevance and importance of neuroanatomy differently. If not taught sufficiently, students develop a dislike or fear (termed neurophobia) for the subject. This fear prevents them from being receptive to the teaching and consequently applying the neuroanatomy knowledge in the clinical environment. Information on the approach and perception of undergraduate neuroanatomy lecturers in South Africa regarding neuroanatomy in the medical curriculum is scarce and inconclusive. A study was undertaken to explore the attitudes and perceptions of neuroanatomy lecturers towards the relevance of neuroanatomy, as well as the teaching techniques and approach thereof, in the medical curriculum. In order to determine whether the lecturers’ teaching approach and attitudes could be a contributing factor to neurophobia. In a cross-sectional qualitative study, neuroanatomy lecturers from the nine South African medical schools were invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire. Results were thematically analysed and grouped. Lecturing staff from seven of the medical schools participated in this study and included fourteen respondents. The respondents classified themselves mainly as either proficient (78.6%) or experts (15.8%) in their neuroanatomy teaching experience. All the respondents acknowledged that neuroanatomy is important in their students’ medical training. A lecturer’s perceptions and attitude towards the subject or content, greatly affect the facilitation approaches and techniques used. This might have far- reaching consequences for students as it might impact on their attitude towards the content.
Incorporating Ubuntu principles in a tutor training programme to promote academic success and wellbeing
(University of Johannesburg, 2022-04) Ndwambi, Mueletshedzi; Hlabane, Sipho; Motlhabane, Daniel; Malgas, Antoinette; alfred.hlabane@up.ac.za
Tutoring is one of the important components of student support designed to enable students to achieve their learning goals and improve overall success rates. Due to the pandemic, the use of educational technologies has moved from being a secondary mode of conducting learning interactions in the tutoring space to being the primary mode of learning. A question worth asking is: “what does tutoring look like when most students are no longer on campuses?” In an online environment, tutors are not only expected to support students with their cognitive and academic skills but also need to offer support on other skills such as social, affective, technical and metacognitive skills. This requires a paradigm shift in the roles and responsibilities of tutors. This reflective paper reports on the Tutor Professional Learning Programme (TPLP) which identified Ubuntu as a principle that tutors can utilise to support students to develop a range of skills required to succeed in an online learning environment. Characteristics that are associated with Ubuntu include but are not limited to: being caring, humble, thoughtful, considerate, understanding, wise, generous, hospitable, socially mature, socially sensitive and virtuous. These are identified as desirable characteristics that online tutors should possess.
Differential expression of platelet activation markers, CD62P and CD63, after exposure to breast cancer cells treated with Kigelia africana, Ximenia caffra and Mimusops zeyheri seed oils in vitro
(Routledge, 2022) Gomes, Monica N.; Fru, Pascaline; Augustine, Tanya N.; Moyo, Davison; Chivandi, Eliton; Daniels, William M.U.
Cancer patients, including breast cancer patients, live in a hypercoagulable state. Chemo- and hormone- therapy used in the treatment of breast cancer increases the risk of thrombosis. Due to differences in health care services between developed and developing countries, the survival rate of women with breast cancer in developing countries is low. Consequently, ethnomedicines are used and their efficacy as potential alternatives are being scientifically explored. The seed oils of Kigelia africana, Ximenia caffra and Mimusops zeyheri have anti-proliferative effects on hormone-dependent (MCF-7) and cytotoxic effects on hormone-independent (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells. In this study, we determined if these seed oils reduce the thrombogenic ability of breast cancer cells by measuring the platelet surface expression of the activation-specific antigens CD62P and CD63. MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells were pretreated with the seed oils before being exposed to whole blood of human female volunteers. An increase in CD62P and CD63 expression following whole blood exposure to untreated breast cancer cells was observed. Treated MDA-MB-231 cells reduced CD62P and CD63 expression while treated MCF-7 cells increased CD62P and decreased CD63 expression. Kigelia africana, Ximenia caffra and Mimusops zeyheri seed oils are able to reduce the thrombogenic ability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
The management of student success in extended curriculum programmes : a case study of the University of Pretoria Mamelodi campus, South Africa
(Higher Education South Africa (HESA), 2021-09-18) Ogude, Nthabiseng Audrey; Majozi, P.C.; Mathabathe, Kgadi Clarrie; Mthethwa, N.E.
For three decades, numerous South African scholars have researched the efficacy of access programmes in providing alternative pathways to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through foundation provisioning. In light of this, Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) were designed for talented Black students who could not gain access to tertiary studies due to poor schooling conditions caused by apartheid. As scarce skills programmes that receive dedicated funding from government, ECPs are indispensable for redress, transformation, and socio-economic development. Consequently, they could be characterized as high stakes programmes that require a rigorous, evidence-led student success management approach to ensure effectiveness. This article argues for a customized approach to the management of student success for ECPs based on the Institutional Student Academic Development and Excellence Model. Using specific examples, the customized system, dubbed the Mamelodi Referral System, is discussed as well as the circumstances that led to its development. The article concludes with future areas for development and refinement.
Higher education uses community engagement-partnership as a research space to build knowledge
(Springer, 2021-02) Machimana, Eugene Gabriel; Sefotho, Maximus Monaheng; Ebersohn, L. (Liesel); Shultz, Lynette
The purpose of the current article was to compare the retrospective experiences of community partners with higher education (HE) qualifications, in community engagement (CE) in order to inform global citizenship as a HE agenda. Qualitative methodology was appropriate in this study as we were interested in gaining in-depth insight into the understanding of partners of HE-rural school CE-partnership. We conveniently selected an existing Flourishing Learning Youth intervention for the purpose of secondary data analysis of the retrospective experiences of several participant-groups. Researchers confirm that HE should promote social justice in development interventions. Insight generated by this study is the fact that community challenges are not confined to a lack of assets, but also include ignorance about the invaluable local resources.
Student support and transition through a buddy programme to foster social integration
(African Minds, 2021) Naidoo, Ana; Byles, Hestie; Kwenaite, Sindi; ana.naidoo@up.ac.za
The University of Pretoria (UP) began offering formal academic student support in 2011 when the first faculty student advisor (FSA) was appointed. Although many more FSAs were subsequently appointed, assistance to all the students in need of support remained insufficient. However, financial assistance through the collaboration grant received from the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2018 made it possible to explore new areas of support. The UP was able to pilot four innovations due to the availability of additional funds. These included generic workshops across faculties; the creation of a hub in the library, which served as a common contact point for students requiring assistance; the appointment of peer advisors; and a Buddy Programme for first-year students. This article explains the Buddy Programme as perceived by the senior students who mentored the first-year students. The mentors are known as “big buddies”. Our work on this programme is based on Tinto’s (1975) ideas about social integration. The Buddy Programme was introduced to assist first-year students in their transition from school to university life. This paper highlights the challenges that first-year students faced and it explains how the concepts could become institutionalised once university activities have been normalised in the post-pandemic future.
Using a social media project as a way to get students to communicate conservation messages to the general public
(Routledge, 2023) Shrader, A.M. (Adrian); Louw, Ina; adrian.shrader@up.ac.za
For conservation biologists to be effective, they need to be able to communicate to the general public. In today’s world, communicating means tapping into social media platforms. To get our final-year undergraduate students to engage with using social media as a communication tool, we had each of them create a video, blog, or podcast about a conservation issue they were passionate about. We provided guidance throughout the process but used self-regulated learning as our framework to get the students to engage with the learning process. We further expanded on this by having the students peer-mark 20 of their classmates’ projects. This achieved three outcomes, 1) they critically assessed content, 2) it exposed them to topics not covered in class, and 3) they could compare their achievements with those of their peers. To measure our success, we conducted an anonymous survey at the end of the course. Student feedback was very positive with creative freedom, peer-marking, and exposure to science communication being frequent responses. Ultimately, the project achieved our educational goals of fostering self-regulated learning and exposing the students to 21st century skills (e.g. critical thinking, creativity, communication, ICT skills) that they would likely use in their future careers.
The use of reflective photography in a large service-learning module
(Common Ground Research Networks, 2021) Jordaan, Martina; Jordaan, Dolf; martina@up.ac.za
The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) at a university in South Africa presents a compulsory undergraduate course, Community-based Project (code: JCP). It entails students working at least 40 hours in the community and then reflecting on their experiences. The module’s aim is for students to make a beneficial impact on a chosen section of society. It is a large-class service-learning module in which more than 1 600 students are enrolled annually. Therefore, with the JCP lecturer’s approval, each group identifies a project that it will execute in the community. Students have an opportunity to solve a problem collaboratively in a community setting. They then develop self-directed learning habits through practice and reflection to address a specific community need. The research aims to investigate the value of an assignment using the Fotofeedback Method™ in a service-learning module. As a research methodology, the Fotofeedback Method™ is predominantly used in social sciences. By integrating it into a hard science context, it allows students to engage visually in a critical reflection of their learning process. Using the Fotofeedback Method™’s reflective photography approach, students collected data by taking a photograph of a specific challenge they had encountered during the execution of their projects. Afterwards, they reflected on the visually captured problem and how they had resolved it. By means of a questionnaire, students critically reflected on the meaning of their problem-solving experience while viewing the visual material. The questionnaire was firstly validated by 10 groups before requesting ethical clearance. Thereafter, the students in the module were requested to complete the questionnaire and forward a photograph related to the questionnaire to the lecturer. Completion of the survey was voluntary, and 116 (29.07%) of the groups completed the survey and submitted a photograph through their group leaders. The researchers analyzed the students’ feedback on their photographs of the challenges they had encountered to identify themes according to systematic problem-solving and decision-making steps to determine what the students had learnt. The Fotofeedback Method™ is an acknowledged research method and is a highly flexible data-gathering tool. Photography is combined with narrative discourse related to a topic or experience. This process empowers students to experience their preservation of that moment through the photograph as a moment in time and structure their reflective thoughts. In a service-learning module, reflection plays an essential role in the educational process of student learning. The paper will discuss how the Fotofeedback Method™ can be used for critical reflection in the Community-based Project module for undergraduate students in engineering, the built environment and information technology. The study concludes that the Fotofeedback Method™ can be successfully implemented in a large-class service-learning module as an additional reflective assignment. It will give students the opportunity to critically reflect on their learning process visually.
Quality of service provisioning through resource optimisation in heterogeneous cognitive radio sensor networks
(Elsevier, 2021-01) Awoyemi, Babatunde Seun; Maharaj, Bodhaswar Tikanath Jugpershad; sunil.maharaj@up.ac.za
Recently, cognitive radio sensor networks (CRSN) have evolved as a result of the introduction of cognitive capabilities to conventional wireless sensor networks. In most CRSN designs, secondary users and/or sensor nodes are permitted, under certain constraints, to use the limited resources of a primary network. One major challenge with CRSN is how to optimally appropriate and use the limited resources available in driving their communication demands. To overcome this challenge, in this paper, we develop a resource allocation (RA) model that is capable of achieving a target quality of service (QoS) demand for the heterogeneous CRSN, despite the huge resource constraints imposed on the network. The RA problem developed is a complex optimisation problem. We analyse and solve the complex RA problem using the optimisation approaches of integer linear programming, Lagrangian duality and by a heuristic. We then study the performance of the RA model for the different solution approaches investigated. The results obtained are used to establish the optimality-complexity trade-off, which is a critical criterion for QoS decision-making in practical CRSN applications.
The teaching mix matters : rethinking veterinary education at a South African university
(University of the Free State, 2021-03) Pienaar, M.; Mostert, El-Marie
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in teaching and learning practices. The University of Pretoria in South Africa was not entirely unprepared for this event, since the university’s teaching strategy had gradually evolved into a hybrid delivery mode. In the Faculty of Veterinary Science, however, the practical nature of the discipline brought about unique challenges in implementing hybrid-mode teaching and learning methodologies. An intervention was thus required to empower lecturers in the faculty to adapt their teaching methodologies to incorporate the hybrid teaching and learning mode. The aforementioned intervention was gleaned from a professional development framework developed by Brown et al. (2010) with a definite focus on core knowledge, areas of activity and core values. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, the university’s educational support department developed and presented a tailor-made course, called “The Mix Matters: Step up your hybrid teaching”, to enhance lecturers’ hybrid teaching skills. Unknowingly, the workshop amply prepared the lecturers for what was still to come in 2020. The aim was to provide participants with a deep understanding of the complexities involved and the skills required for revising and quality-assuring academic courses for the hybrid-teaching environment. Using a mixed-method research design, this paper elucidates how the training and its learning outcomes inspired the lecturers to implement the hybrid teaching and learning mode that conforms to the University of Pretoria’s teaching and learning model. A noticeable paradigm shift was accomplished once the initial scepticism had turned into enthusiasm and positive attitudes.
From work-integrated learning to virtual case studies : navigating an alternative to fieldwork in paediatric occupational therapy
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-09) Van Niekerk, Karin; Uys, Kitty; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); karin.vanniekerk@up.ac.za
Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a crucial component of learning in the undergraduate occupational therapy (OT) programme. WIL provides essential work exposure, allows for theory-practice integration and forms part of the 1 000 clinical hours required by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), in order for graduates to be registered as occupational therapists. In March 2020, with the implementation of COVID‑19 restrictions, OT training – characterised by regular face-to-face contact between lecturers, students and service users – had to transform rapidly to virtual contact sessions. Although the HPCSA adapted regulations to allow for alternatives to traditional WIL, navigating the transformation to alternative clinical learning activities was challenging for teaching staff. Lecturers were concerned about whether they would be able to guide students to reach the learning outcomes of the curriculum.
Teaching pharmacology online : not just another narration
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-09) Cordier, Werner; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); werner.cordier@up.ac.za
The COVID-19 pandemic placed educators in unique circumstances, not only due to their discipline- and student-specific considerations, but also their personal and professional milieu. Given a series of sudden additional academic, managerial and research responsibilities, transitions of the first author’s pharmacology learning opportunities to an online setting required consideration of educational scholarship, resources and a tumultuous daily schedule.
Do we assess what we set out to teach in obstetrics : an action research study
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-06) Adam, Sumaiya; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); Van Rooyen, Marietjie; sumaiya.adam@up.ac.za
BACKGROUND: Medical education empowers students to transform theoretical knowledge into practice. Assessment of knowledge, skills and attitudes determines students' competency to practice. Assessment methods have been adapted, but not evaluated, to accommodate educational challenges. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether assessment criteria align with obstetrics learning outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a collaborative action research study, in which we reviewed and analysed learning outcomes and assessments according to Bigg's model of constructive alignment. Data were analysed as per levels of Bloom's taxonomy. RESULTS: Final-year students have two 3-week modules in obstetrics, with 75% overlap in learning outcomes and assessments. Ninety-five percent of learning outcomes were poorly defined, and 11 - 22% were inappropriately assessed. Summative assessments were comprehensive, but continuous assessments were rudimentary without clear educational benefit. There is a deficiency in assessment of clinical skills and competencies, as assessments have been adapted to accommodate patient confidentiality and increasing student numbers. The lack of good assessment practice compromises the validity of assessments, resulting in assessments that do not focus on higher levels of thinking. CONCLUSION: There was poor alignment between assessment and outcomes. Combining the obstetrics modules, and reviewing learning outcomes and assessments as a single entity, will improve the authenticity of assessments
Breaking the isolation : online group assignments
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-09) Adam, Sumaiya; Coetzee, Melantha; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); sumaiya.adam@up.ac.za
The COVID‑19 pandemic forced educators to go online in a hurry in 2020 and adapt their teaching and assessment approaches. However, despite the urgency, teaching and assessment still need to remain constructively aligned, enforce learning, and be student centred while simultaneously developing 21st century graduate attributes and critical thinking skills. While interactive and collaborative learning is frequently cited as a good educational practice in the online environment, this learning approach is not without challenges for the student or the facilitator.
Do we assess what we set out to teach in obstetrics : an action research study
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-06) Adam, Sumaiya; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); Van Rooyen, Marietjie; sumaiya.adam@up.ac.za
BACKGROUND. Medical education empowers students to transform theoretical knowledge into practice. Assessment of knowledge, skills and attitudes determines students’ competency to practice. Assessment methods have been adapted, but not evaluated, to accommodate educational challenges. OBJECTIVES. To evaluate whether assessment criteria align with obstetrics learning outcomes. METHODS. We conducted a collaborative action research study, in which we reviewed and analysed learning outcomes and assessments according to Bigg’s model of constructive alignment. Data were analysed as per levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. RESULTS. Final-year students have two 3-week modules in obstetrics, with 75% overlap in learning outcomes and assessments. Ninety-five percent of learning outcomes were poorly defined, and 11 - 22% were inappropriately assessed. Summative assessments were comprehensive, but continuous assessments were rudimentary without clear educational benefit. There is a deficiency in assessment of clinical skills and competencies, as assessments have been adapted to accommodate patient confidentiality and increasing student numbers. The lack of good assessment practice compromises the validity of assessments, resulting in assessments that do not focus on higher levels of thinking. CONCLUSION. There was poor alignment between assessment and outcomes. Combining the obstetrics modules, and reviewing learning outcomes and assessments as a single entity, will improve the authenticity of assessments.
Bringing literature to life : a digital animation to teach analogue concepts in radiographic imaging during a pandemic - lessons learnt
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2021-09) Essop, Hafsa; Lubbe, J.C. (Irene); Kekana, Mable; hafsa.essop@up.ac.za
The fourth industrial revolution is upon us, bringing with it modern trends and new imaging equipment and techniques to radiography. While resource-rich institutions have successfully moved from analogue to digital equipment, many institutions in resource-constrained countries still depend on analogue equipment to deliver radiographic services to their communities. Radiography relies heavily on analogue and digital machines to create images for diagnostic purposes, and it is important that radiography students are trained in both these aspects to align their skills with the available resources in different healthcare settings. Undergraduate radiography students in our department have to attend both work-integrated learning and formal face-to-face contact sessions.

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