Saide Current Awareness
8 October 2024

 

Distance Education

  • UP-CLOSE AND SOCIAL RISKS IN DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING EXPERIENCES Source: Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Education is both an institutional process and a set of conscious actions. Since its institutionalization, education has been viewed not only as an act of acquiring knowledge, but also as a socialization process. The traditional understanding of education, which views socialization as the its main purpose in addition to acquiring knowledge and shapes education policies accordingly, has emerged as a multi-dimensional sphere of discussion within “distance education”, which has become almost mandatory today with Covid-19. This study aims to examine the problem areas of distance education experienced with Covid-19 by using an interdisciplinary approach in a psychological, sociological, and socio-psychological framework. To examine the subject in-depth and make analytical generalisations, the research reflects the opinions of the main actors, students, and faculty members, as well as the researchers’ observations, in addition to the experts on the subject. The data analysis was conducted through the subjective evaluation of the researchers’ own experiences and the content analysis of teacher and student opinions. The results reflect that education is not only an activity of acquiring knowledge but also a socialization process, the educational bureaucracy and environment make a significant contribution to the socialization of students, and that distance education can only be used as a supportive model. Education isolated from real life that does not contribute to the socialization processes of students may bring important psychological and social problems.
  • The specifics of developing educational curricula in modern education: How to combine distance education technologies with classroom learning? Source: Science Direct The purpose of this research is to examine the specifics and formulate an algorithm for the development of educational programs incorporating distance and blended learning technologies. Analytical, sociological (utilizing semi-structured surveys administered to 96 educators and 128 students on the subject of distance and blended learning and its methodological support), modeling, and mathematical-statistical methods (Student’s t-test and analysis of variance ANOVA) were employed in this study. The survey confirmed the hypothesis of differences in attitudes toward distance learning among students and educators. Educational needs and challenges were identified, leading to the development of an algorithm for designing educational programs integrating distance and blended learning technologies. An algorithm has been devised for the development of educational programs based on the integration of distance and blended learning technologies. The study underscores the importance of continuity across educational levels and the early cultivation of distance learning skills.

Education: South Africa

  • 'Too little, too late': Mpumalanga education dept deprives matrics at 72 poor schools of tablets Source: News24 About 8 000 matric pupils from Mpumalanga's Bohlabela district scored between 0% and 39% in most subjects in the March and June exams. Behind paywall
  • Ramaphosa Champions Basic Education Reforms Amid Debate, Hails Teachers as Nation’s Pillars Source: IAfrica
    President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, despite ongoing public debate surrounding its provisions. Speaking at the 24th National Teaching Awards at the Birchwood Hotel in Kempton Park on Saturday morning, Ramaphosa addressed educators as South Africa joined the global celebration of World Teachers’ Day. The event paid tribute to the nation’s educators for their tireless dedication.“We are working to strengthen the foundation of early learning,” said Ramaphosa. “One of the major mistakes we’ve made as a country is delaying the introduction of early childhood development.”
  • World Teachers' Day | Challenges in SA education sector Source: eNCA Dumisani Tshabalala from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy discussed the state of South Africa's education sector with eNCA.
  • Are there too many school days in South Africa? Source: Primemedia A listener recently examined the number of school days in South Africa and found that the Department of Basic Education scheduled 200 school days last year, increasing to 203 this year. Lester Kiewit interviews Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa).
  • 51% of SA children face cyber threats; expert calls for digital education in schools Source: News24 Behind Paywall
  • Protesters call for educational funding amid cuts to teacher posts Source: IOL In celebration of World Teacher's Day, members of Build One South Africa (Bosa), with parents and pupils from John Ramsey High School, demonstrated outside the Legislature against the planned dismissal of over 2400 teachers in January 2025.
    The protest, which drew significant attention, featured demonstrators holding placards with messages such as, “Where are the funds?” and “No to cutting teacher jobs”.
  • Make teachers the heartbeat of efforts to transform education Source: The African World Teachers Day 2024 was established in 1994 by UNESCO to thank educators worldwide for their contributions to shaping the world. Where would we be without teachers? The rhetorical question becomes even more pressing when one confronts the urgent and dire state of South Africa’s current education system, which is deeply entrenched in crisis from a learning and teaching perspective. This problem demands immediate attention and action. The heartbeat of any school is the teacher. Yet, there is little recognition of society’s unsung heroes, without whom the crisis in the education system would be far worse.
  • Media Statement: Basic Education Portfolio Committee to Conduct Oversight Visits to Schools in NCape and WCape Source: Parliament of SA The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education will conduct oversight visits to two provinces—the Northern Cape and the Western Cape—this week to assess the state of schools. Committee Chairperson Ms Joy Maimela said today that the primary purpose of the oversight visit is to assess the state of schooling and readiness for the upcoming National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in 2024.
  • The Bela Bill: A step towards educational equity or bureaucratic overreach? Source: IOL As South Africa engaged with the world at the UN’s inaugural Summit of the Future, which took place on September 22 and 23, 2024, attention was turned to the country's progress toward the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more form Tara Roos, policy writer, researcher and political analyst, and serving as a UN Youth Ambassador for Education (SDG 4).

Language, Literacies, Research Writing and Publishing

  • WATCH | Education In Crisis | Innovative ways to improve literacy levels Source: eNCA With South Africa lurching from one crisis to another, our future generations could spiral into disaster if nothing is done immediately. The incredibly low levels of literacy and inability to read for meaning by many pupils, is a concern. Civil organisations, education experts and the Basic Education Minister are urgently calling for interventions. But what exactly are those interventions? How easily implementable are they? And how do we speak to these youngsters on a platform that identify with? Su Little is the Programme Director at TOTS - or Turn On The Subtitles and talks to eNCA about possible interventions.
  • Language departments should design courses that meet demands in job market ―Anthony Source: Tribune Online Horeb Anthony is a broadcaster, linguist, and PhD student at the University of Mississippi, United States. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, he speaks about his work and issues in language education in Nigeria.
  • How Parents Impact Their Kids’ Reading Skills Source: Psychology Today Recent surveys document less reading among students at all levels—and especially among struggling readers.Reading for pleasure has strong correlations with higher grades and test scores. More fluent readers have increased activation in key areas of the brain. Parents reading to or reading along with children can promote reading fluency and comprehension.
  • Bringing heritage into schools can boost SA’s literacy efforts Source: Mail and Guardian Setswana author Helen Kobani remembers growing up with her grandmothers telling her stories about ancient African rulers around the fire. She speaks fondly of the importance of oral storytelling and how this is part of a proud African tradition. She worries that, in our modern age, it is falling by the wayside.

Open Access, Open Education and Open Educational Resources

  • Journal Article (Preprint): “More Alike than Not: The Open Access Preferences of Humanities Scholars” Source: InfoDocket Several studies have noted that humanists have not been as quick or enthusiastic in their adoption of Open Access (OA) as their colleagues in other disciplines. This article leverages the Ithaka S+R US 2021 Faculty Survey to provide contextualized analysis of the OA and Open Education Resources (OER) preferences of humanities scholars, as well as some practices related to OA and OER, relative to their colleagues in other disciplines. Findings suggest that although humanists do stand apart in many OA preferences, the small effect sizes render these differences less important than previously suspected. The implications of these findings are considered alongside the lower rates of OA publication among humanists.
  • Teaching and Learning 2.0: Integrating Generative AI into Open Education Resources Source: LMU Library Youtube On Sept. 27, 2024, Liza Long, associate professor of English at the College of Western Idaho, and Reed Hepler, digital initiatives and OER librarian at the College of Southern Idaho spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of using Generative AI with students and offered hands-on experience with key tools. Part of the "Open Voices, Just Choices: Crafting Open Educational Resources for Social Change" speaker series.
  • OEG Voices 074: Tony Bates and A Personal History of Open Education Source: Open Education Voices Join us for a wide ranging conversation with Tony Bates (https://www.tonybates.ca/) covering his long and on ongoing span of being active in open and distance education. We start from his being part of the very first days of the Open University through his years based in Canada but working globally being integral to the development of online learning through the web. He has long been publishing open textbooks and sharing his perspectives on his own website (https://www.tonybates.ca/) . We go right up to present day where Tony is active in exploring the role of artificial intelligence.

Post Schooling


Skills and Employment

  • Young people have been seriously let down — nobody chooses a life where you have to ask for a handout, says Minister Gwarube Source: Daily Maverick A Daily Maverick webinar explored the critical need for youth empowerment in South Africa . Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Nape Senong shared insights on breaking down barriers and harnessing the power of young leaders to address unemployment.
  • The 4IR dilemma in education Source: ITWeb Bold, comprehensive and urgent education reforms are needed to ensure SA has a skilled workforce for the fourth industrial revolution.
  • Baker McKenzie Partners with Sentebale to Empower Youth in Southern Africa Source: Polity In the face of a youth crisis marked by soaring unemployment, a widening digital divide, inadequate healthcare, and limited access to quality education, Southern Africa is at a critical juncture. Responding to these urgent challenges, Baker McKenzie is strengthening its partnership with Sentebale to tackle these urgent issues. The global law firm sponsored the charity’s gala dinner and participated in a strategic round-table discussion on 4 October 2024. Together, they are committed to developing sustainable solutions that empower the region's youth by bridging the digital gap, enhancing educational opportunities, and creating pathways to meaningful employment.

Teaching and Learning: Local and Global

Technology-Enhanced Learning

  • Addressing AI bias a moral imperative, says Prof Marwala Source: ITWeb 'Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of transformation and offers immense potential for innovation, and the capability to address the most pressing challenges facing the continent and the world.' So said Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, rector of the United Nations University and under-secretary general of the United Nations, speaking today at the 17th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGov).
  • MCK Special School and iSchoolAfrica use tech to drive inclusive education Source: ITWeb Two South African educational institutions that cater to learners with special needs have collaborated to help hearing-impaired students develop digital literacy. MCK Special School in Lenasia, Johannesburg, has partnered with iSchoolAfrica's Disability and Inclusion Programme to equip learners with iPads and other digital tools.
  • Should Online Courses Have Less Students, Why? Source: Faculty Focus Dr. Samantha Clifford an instructional designer with Northern Arizona University’s Online Innovative Pedagogies and part time adjunct professor in the Anthropology Department suggests differentiated class caps might be more effective in ensuring a high-quality educational experience for students in the various modes .
  • Closing the digital divide in higher education Source: Times Higher Education A one-size-fits-all approach to digital literacy training simply won’t cut it; institutions need to tailor programmes to the varying needs of their staff
  • Youth report 2024: technology in education: a tool on our terms! Source: UNESCO This report is the result of an extensive consultation process in partnership with Restless Development involving over 1,500 youth and students across 8 regions. The consultations invited participants to reflect on the key challenges and opportunities for the use of technology in education in their regions through the lens of the recommendations in the Global Education Monitoring Report (the GEM Report) on technology in education: Technology on our terms.The report calls for decisions about technology in education to prioritize learner needs after an assessment of whether its application would be appropriate and equitable and provides a compass to use for youth and students from around the world when using technology in education.