Enhancing a Quality Teaching and Learning Environment in Large Classes in South African Universities: a Theoretical Exposition

Abstract

The perpetual increase in students’ enrolment in higher education institutions, worldwide, has recently emerged as a key concern for both students, educators, parents, policy makers and educational policy analysts alike. This phenomenon has been borne out of a global trend of massification of higher education as many countries begin to consider the importance of education and skills development in economic growth and social development. On the other hand, it has been triggered by the perceived pattern of commodification of higher education services in which student intake and teaching outputs are intricately linked to the financial sustainability of higher education institutions. In this paper, a critical examination of literature pertaining to Large Class Pedagogy and Learning Theories is undertaken with a view to determine how one could teach and ensure quality learning in large classes within a South African higher education context. Anchored within a critical qualitative frame of analysis, the assessment draws from existing literature on Large Class Pedagogy (LCP), learning theories, teaching approaches and learning styles to provide a conceptual lens in which the challenges associated with large class environments can be mitigated to offer an educational experience of acceptable quality. The paper provides a synthesis of pertinent issues that have arose in the critical examination of LCP and appropriate Learning Theories in a developing country context as that of South Africa. It appears that government funding to higher education institutions should be increased through adoption of large class size reduction policies, equitable allocation of resources to faculties and academic departments by universities, rigorous assessment of staff-student ratios and infrastructure when new academic programs are introduced, monitoring of adherence to approved yearly student enrolment targets in academic programme, adoption of collaborative learning methods by academic staff in which self-directed learning styles in students are encouraged and supported, optimal use of educational technologies through systematic integration of digitization in the learning and teaching environment, enhanced administrative psycho-social support to students and lecturers are some of the macro, mesa and micro level strategies required to enhance quality teaching and learning with increasing class sizes.