African Institutions Of Higher Learning Research Articles

The integration of Graduate Attributes within the hospitality management curriculum at higher education institutions

South African institutions of higher learning are responsible for producing graduates who are well-prepared for the demands of the world of work. To meet this imperative, universities have adopted the use of graduate attributes (GAs) to develop and showcase their graduates’ skills and competencies. Furthermore, the current economic landscape places pressure on universities to produce highly skilled and employable graduates. Despite the recognised significance of GAs, lecturers often encounter difficulties when attempting to integrate them into the curriculum. The problem (gap), however, is that lecturers find it difficult to integrate these GAs for various reasons, including a lack of comprehensive understanding, effective teaching methods, and reliable assessment strategies of GAs. Moreover, the absence of structured training programs for lecturers on how to integrate GAs into the curriculum is a hindrance to the GAs’ successful implementation. This paper aims to determine the extent to which the GAs have been implemented within the hospitality curriculum in South Africa. A desktop review study was conducted and analysed according to identified themes. The findings propose developing the framework, a guiding tool, that will enable academic institutions to integrate GAs into their curriculum.

Supervision of Doctoral Students with Disabilities in South Africa: Issues, Trends and Reflections for Best Practice

Supervision of Doctoral Students with Disabilities in South Africa: Issues, Trends and Reflections for Best Practice

Bibliometric analysis of the literature on the teaching of information literacy skills in Sub-Saharan African institutions of higher learning

Information literacy skills (ILS) have increasingly become indispensable in the higher education landscape largely due to the explosion of information which is generated by the Internet and a myriad of information communication technologies (ICTs). Known differently as bibliographic instruction, user education, user instruction, library instruction, instruction services, and libraries and learning, ILS boasts of an impressive history spanning more than ten decades during which a considerable body of multidisciplinary literature has been generated. However, although the impressive contributions of ILS are self-evident, bibliometric studies focusing exclusively on Sub-Saharan African contexts are scarce. Consequently, there is a limited understanding of how ILS are taught in the broader African institutions of higher learning landscape. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how this core skill is taught in the African context. The study employed bibliometric analysis and review methods to explore the profile and research trends in information literacy skills in African universities and higher education institutions. Data were collected from the Web of Science database‟s core collection from 1990-2021 (31 years) using a variety of search strategies. Data were analysed through Web of Science‟s Clarivate Analytics and some data were exported to Microsoft Excel to produce images and graphs. The findings of the study revealed: the year 2020 with the most publications; the University of South Africa the most productive research institution; E. E. Baro, the most prolific author in writing on IL; the most research productive country Nigeria; the most dominant publishing outlet journals and the most citations were received in the year 2020.

Students’ Satisfaction of Blended Problem-Based Learning: An Academic Experience at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Implementation of problem-based learning has been a challenge in most African institutions of higher learning including Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) due to deficiencies in the secondary education system. This article seeks to investigate the effect of blended problem-based learning (BPBL) practices on students’ satisfaction at KNUST during the Enhancing Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability in Higher Education in Africa (EEISHEA) 2019–2022 project. In line with this objective, a survey instrument was prepared and validated and a multistage sampling technique with an effective sample size of 1,304 students (621 female and 883 males), 71 lecturers, and 16 technicians across the six colleges of KNUST were obtained. The generalized linear models, simple and multiple logistic regression, were estimated from the data to compare effect of teacher-centered and BPBL paradigms on students’ satisfaction. To prevent overfitting, a cross-validation was performed on the fitted models. Receiver operating curve and area under curve were employed to ascertain the predictive power of the models. Results indicate about 67.35% of students posited that lecturers have incorporated some problem-based learning (PBL) elements into their course delivery. About 72.13% of respondents submitted that the integration of the PBL ignited their self-directed and collaborative learning and improved learner’s problem-solving skills. Furthermore, the fitted models suggest that BPBL, gender, level of program, and college influence students’ satisfaction. The odds of satisfaction of an individual in the BPBL group is 7.4 times higher than respondents in the traditional group with a confidence interval for the odds ratio (OR), (OR 7.4, 95% CI: 4.31–13.16).

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: SHIFTING FROM CONVENTIONAL CLASSROOM LEARNING TO ONLINE LEARNING IN SOUTH AFRICA’S HIGHER EDUCATION

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale has had a significant impact on all aspects of human activities. The integration of digital technologies has led to a substantial transformation of the worldwide education system. The primary objective of this investigation was to examine the transition from traditional face-to-face instruction to virtual instruction in South African institutions of higher learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The research utilised content analysis to conduct a scoping review of existing literature pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tertiary education establishments in the Republic of South Africa. The study reviewed journal articles and book chapters focused on the shift from conventional classroom learning to online learning in South Africa’s Higher Education to answer two research questions raised in the study. To ensure an in-depth search, the researcher searched 67 journals articles and identified 58 reports/studies satisfying the inclusion criteria. The findings of the analysis of these studies highlighted that the educational establishments were not adequately equipped for the abrupt shift from traditional face-to-face instruction to remote digital learning. Despite the expeditious efforts made by numerous institutions of higher education to incorporate online learning into their curricula, several obstacles were encountered during this technological shift towards the perpetuation of educational instruction. Consequently, it is recommended that institutions provide sufficient learning technologies, consistent internet data subscriptions for students, and technical support for lecturers to improve the effectiveness of online learning. On the other hand, the research has demonstrated that educational establishments have undergone a significant transformation from traditional in-person instructional settings to virtual learning environments.

Learning Management Systems as a platform for information sharing during the COVID-19

Background: During the outbreak of the deadly respiratory coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the 2019–2022 period, many South African institutions of higher learning adopted online learning management systems (LMS) to share information and salvage the academic project. This adoption was fraught with challenges including a lack or preparedness, resources and strategy on how to manage change. Objectives: The study examined the challenges faced while using an online LMS as an information sharing platform in academia, specifically in a rural-based university in South Africa during (COVID-19) lockdown period. In addition, the study also explored the state of readiness of the rural-based university to transition to an online LMS. Method: A quantitative research methodology was used to collect data through the administration of a survey to respondents from a rural-based university. The target population for the study was students and academic staff. Results: The study revealed that online learning management provided a collaborative knowledge and information sharing platform. This study established that LMS enabled the university to continue sharing knowledge and interact with their students, staff, and stakeholders to continue to facilitate teaching and learning. Internet connectivity, a lack of preparedness and data costs were cited as key challenges. Conclusion: This study highlighted how an online LMS was used as a collaborative and knowledge sharing platform during a global crisis. Contribution: The study contributes to information and knowledge sharing disciplines to create awareness to authorities on the importance of technology during a crisis.

African higher education institutions catching up: The potential of 4IR in closing the digital deficits

The new digital cultures brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are forcing universities to transform their practices as they prepare students for a future that will magnify the use of digital tools. Throughout the world, institutions of higher learning are gearing to maximise the benefits that could be gained from the 4IR. The concept, engaged university, ensures that the uniiversities will not leave the communities around them behind as they prepare for the future, for universities will play a huge role in contributing to the progress in societies. This conceptual article examines the opportunities of 4IR in African institutions of higher learning. The 4IR has potential to solve many of the ills in Africa, for the African societies still suffer ill health, poverty and illiteracy. The promise of the 4IR brings hope of minimising these ills as Africa moves towards advancement. Furthermore, there has been much balkanisation in African education hence some believe that the 4IR can create links between institutions within states and the entire African continent. Not only will new technologies transform research, scholarship and teaching, but these would also have impact on bringing forth new epistemologies although there is still a battle for more resources. The major challenge for 4IR in Africa will be to create links between new technological cultures and African cultures; universities are well-placed to face such challenges.

Higher education research, development agendas in Africa. Where is the convergence? A literature review

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the possible link among the African Development Bank (AfDB), Results Measurement Framework 2016–2025 and the research published at institutions of higher education on the continent in the last five years. The unregulated commercialisation of higher education in most African countries has been prone to large-scale abuse through wanting curriculum development and processes accruing to competence, skills needy and job market disoriented graduates.Design/methodology/approachThis study took a qualitative literature review analysis where research papers published in the last five years on higher education in Africa were searched. These were from Google and Semantic scholar and these were categorised in a detailed concept matrix.FindingsFindings indicate that there is hardly a connection between the AfDB Group development agenda on the continent and the research conducted and published by institutions of higher learning on the continent.Practical implicationsUniversities should prioritise a needs-based research agenda in their strategic planning and this implies commitment in terms of funding, human resource competency empowerment and partnerships with development agencies on the continent. African institutions of higher learning have not emphasised applied research practices to tackle pervading knowledge needs on the continent. Just like findings indicate, research in most of these institutions has been donor driven.Originality/valueThis study brings to speed the fact that if transforming Africa is going to take a strategic direction in the post-COVID-19 era, then partnerships between higher education institutions and development agencies operating on the continent will be an inevitable venture.

Transforming the Teaching and Learning Process in South African Higher Institutions

Teaching and learning is a complex process, which deals with different individuals with different expectations from diverse backgrounds, with different cultural and social capital involved in this process. The teaching and learning process in most South African institutions of higher learning has been plagued by several challenges over the last decade. In this research, the experiences of international postgraduate student lecturers teaching at a university in KwaZulu-Natal were examined. Utilizing the curricular spider web as its framework, it evaluates the experiences of international students lecturing at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to identify the challenges faced by students in this institution during the teaching and learning process, and create a transformation path that can be adopted by other South African institutions of higher learning. This framework utilizes ten different components, each answering some key questions, and all stemming from the rationale for teaching and learning. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research conducted semi-structured interviews involving six participants who were pursuing different postgraduate degrees at the University. Interviews with each participant were conducted in English, lasted about 60 minutes each, and were digitally recorded and transcribed afterwards. Data were analyzed using an open coded process and findings reveal that transforming the teaching and learning process at these institutions of higher learning will largely involve making major changes to the curriculum content, learning activities, and learning resources.

Using plagiarism feedback as assessment for learning to socialise students into disciplinary writing: A theoretical perspective

Plagiarism is an increasingly common offense at some South African institutions of higher learning. The plagiarism range of assessment tasks escalated during the last two decades, as a result of the changing student body that has entered universities after 1994. To address this problem, universities have implemented different electronic plagiarism detection programmes such as Turnitin and Safe Assign that can identify similarities in paragraphs of texts from different documents. The problem is that students are not being trained on how to interpret the results provided by these plagiarism detection programmes. Presently, feedback from plagiarism detection programmes is not being utilised as a self-assessment learning tool but instead is used as a discipline measure to penalise students. Given this gap, this theoretical article argues that the feedback from plagiarism programmes should be used by lecturing staff to teach students about citing and making knowledge claims to socialise them into the literacy of the discipline. This article draws from Knight’s (2001) and Chew, Lin Ding, and Rowell (2015) model on assessment for learning, which argues that feedback on assessment tasks should be used to improve students’ writing to avoid plagiarism. This emphasised the need for a standardised “Turnitin policy” be in place at institutions to enable a continuous learning experience for all students across the institution. The article concludes the critical role of lecturers to socialise students into the discourse community, by making explicit the rules of the discipline through assessment, resulting in students not being tempted to plagiarise.

COVID-19: Exposing unmatched historical disparities in the South African institutions of higher learning

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on the rampage and severely affected lives of many globally. The disruption resulting from the pandemic cuts across various aspects of the society such as the economic, social, environmental and educational domains. This article specifically explores the impact of COVID-19 on the higher education system in South Africa and also delves into academic challenges experienced by students during the pandemic. The article explores students’ experiences during the pandemic in conjunction with challenges which existed in the higher education system before the advent of COVID-19 owing to the legacy of apartheid, transformational and other developmental issues in the South African context.

Towards a Blended Programme for Arabic and Other Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) in the South African Higher Education Context

Disruptive technologies are widely used in education today. They aim to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies of students. The field of applied linguistics, in general, and foreign language teaching, in particular, have benefited immensely from the developments taking place in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). However, meaningful learning cannot be achieved by using technology indiscriminately; an understanding of educational theories and key instructional design models is urgently required. The present study argues that the adoption of established instructional design models will yield effective learning materials not only for the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) but also for language classrooms in general. It investigates the use of ADDIE instructional design model for designing and developing a blended syllabus for teaching Arabic as a foreign language in South African institutions of higher learning. The study also deals with the attitudes of the students towards the designed blended syllabus. The proposed syllabus is based on a wide range of web-based tools and e-learning specifications such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). This study serves as a guideline for developing instructional materials for teaching Arabic, as well as other languages.

Studying and teaching ethnic African languages for Pan-African consciousness, Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance: A Decolonising Task

In order to conquer and subjugate Africans, at the 1884 Berlin Conference, European countries dismembered Africa by carving her up into pieces and sharing her among themselves. European colonialists also antagonised Africans by setting up one ethnic African community against the other, thus promoting ethnic consciousness to undermine Pan-African consciousness. European powers also imposed their own “ethnic” languages, making them not only “official”, but also “international”. Consequently, as the Kenyan philosopher, Ngũgῖ wa Thiong’o, persuasively argues, through their ethnic languages, European colonialists planted their memory wherever they went, while simultaneously uprooting the memory of the colonised. Cognisant of efforts in some South African institutions of higher learning to promote African languages for the purpose of promoting literacy in African languages, this article argues that while this exercise is commendable, ethnic African languages should be deliberately taught to “re-member” Africa and rediscover Pan-African consciousness. By doing this, African scholarship would be aiding Africans’ perennial and elusive quest for Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance.
 Keywords: African Renaissance, Ethnic African Languages, Ethnic European Languages, European Colonialism, Pan-African Consciousness, Pan-Africanism

Against white supremacism: whistle blower Kylie Thomas and Open Stellenbosch movement

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to underscore postcolonial approaches that undercut racial inequities as they foster racial equality and inclusivity at higher institutions of learning, especially in racialised spaces in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis article dwells on whistleblowing as a channel of demythologising Whiteness in South African universities. While the #RhodesMustFall movement at University of Cape Town enjoyed much critical attention, concurrent movements in other universities such as Open Stellenbosch movement did not. This could be attributable to the methods used, especially whistleblowing, an unorthodox method employed to radically question university symbols, to disrupt racial superiority. In revisiting the movement's campaigns, the article specifically highlights Kylie Thomas' whistleblowing to underscore the role of humanities in fostering social transformation beginning with spaces of knowledge production such as universities.FindingsThe research found that challenging apartheid murals and monuments on South African institutions of higher learning required aggressive but creative approaches. This called for unmasking foundations of White supremacism. Whistle blowing and activism against White supremacism boldly confronted apartheid legacies that appear to be well preserved.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to the 2015 South African student movements. The emphasis is on Open Stellenbosch movement which has received lesser critical attention compared to #RhodesMustFall. It envisions equality, diversity and inclusion in learning institutions which is achievable only through robust activist approaches to institutional/systemic racism in the institutions, rather than armchair theorising.Originality/valueThis article examines ways in which unorthodox methods such as whistlelowing and activism work to disrupt regimented White supremacism in an institution of higher learning founded on racist ethos.

Transforming African Education Systems through the Application of IOT

The project sought to provide a paradigm for improving African education systems through the use of the IOT . The created IOT model for Africa will enable African countries, notably Namibia, to exchange educational content and resources with other African countries. The objective behind the IOT paradigm in Africa's education sectors is to provide open access to knowledge and information. The study revealed that there are no recognised platforms in African education systems that are utilised by African governments to interact, communicate, and share educational material directly with African institutions. As a result, the current research developed a model for transforming African education systems using the IOT in the Namibian context, which will serve as a centralised online platform for self-study, new skill acquisition, and self-improvement using materials provided by African institutions of higher learning. Everyone is welcome to use the platform, including students, instructors, and members of the general public

UNFULFILLED POTENTIAL: CONFINED DESTINY OF HISTORICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE, 1960 -2015

Recently, there are growing countrywide dialogues within several universities, and certainly at the University of Fort Hare about curricula review and realignment of academic departments. History is central to such discussions, and in this institution, it is not simply as a scholarly discipline, linked to teaching and research. Indeed, the identity of Fort Hare, as the first African institution of higher learning in the sub-Sahara makes its legacy even gripping. Almost every epoch of the evolution of Fort Hare had generational imprint: from the first half of the twentieth century whereby it surpassed its mission origin, to an institution with several individuals entwined to continental developments, and national political movements in the later decades. When it became a conventional case of National Party (NP) government control and influence, albeit with resistance from 1960, it forged another character, reflected by Afrikaner domination of academia and the rerouting thereof, for social and political control, whilst being aligned to apartheid policy. The remodelling of the institution in the era of democratic South Africa, germinated other facets, on various fronts as the institution had to reposition itself to new realities that continue to test centres of higher education, whilst still demanding clearer academic vision. That inclusive history of Fort Hare remains significant, but, an equally essential one for this paper is how this institution grasped its rich bequest, and endeavour to constitute its history department? Relying on empirical records from 1960 to 2015, this paper outlines distinct fortunes of Fort Hare’s history department. Whilst the paper also stresses the significance of this discipline, particularly within fields of social sciences and humanities, it also cautions how overriding plans can also be dire for the subject.

Thriving in the face of adversity: Mapping experiences of international students in a South African higher education institution.

Despite the diverse experiences, knowledge, skills, values, potentials, and abilities that international students studying in South African universities possess, their voices still remain unheard or silent. Therefore, this article presents a qualitative case study research approach of twelve international students in their postgraduate and undergraduate level of study critical dialogue concerning their experiences and wellbeing in South Africa. Meanwhile, this study was conducted with the purpose of exploring international students’ experiences in a South African institution of higher learning. As a result of the photovoice method and the focus group, discussion method was utilised for the data generation method. In addition, the purposive and convenience sampling method was used to select a specific group of students and the research context. However, this study was framed using the Bandura agentic capability theory in order to explore and understand the international student experiences in a South African higher educational institution. The findings of the study indicate that international students’ experiences of their host environment were diverse and mostly constraining. They identified several elements within the meso, micro, macro environment that inhibited their learning, growth, and development which needs to be addressed. The study highlights that addressing these inhibiting elements will help to improve the international student’s wellbeing within their learning environment. This article also concludes that by enhancing international student’s wellbeing and addressing the challenges they are experiencing will help in promoting and providing an enabling learning environment to assist them learn better, attain and achieve their academic goals as well as develop holistically in their host environment.

Socioeconomic Implications of Examination Fraud and Assessment Irregularities in South Africa’s Higher Education Sector: A Futuristic View

This paper, based on scholarly as well as documentary evidence, intends to highlight thesocioeconomic implications of fraud and assessment irregularities in South Africa’s higher education. Highereducation institutions serve nation building purposes and as such it is expected that what they produceshould be of high standard in order to further this purpose. Lately, owing to the rise in assessmentmalpractices across South African institutions of higher learning, calls have been made by business andsociety for ways to deal with this. This paper asks a few questions related to what constitutes fraud andassessment irregularities and the sources of these. The paper also points out what these portend for highereducation in South Africa while at the same suggesting some recommendations. This paper contributes to theliterature on the growing concerns of educators and researchers regarding high levels of examinationmalpractice and assessment irregularities within higher education sector globally, but in particular SouthAfrica.

Investigating The Challenges Of E-Learning In A Developing Institution Of Higher Learning: A Hypothetical Approach

The popularity of e-learning (EL) largely infiltrated into every sector of South African institutions of higher learning. This growing interest in EL is due to the advent of rapid internet technologies. For decades, South African institutions of higher learning have accepted EL as a vital learning tool for the enhancement of learning and teaching within the higher education sector. However, there are countless challenges that continue to hinder learning and teaching activities. This study seeks to determine the relationships between various challenges and EL capabilities through stated hypotheses. The study is a descriptive, qualitative design aided by a quantitative approach that were applied to collect data. In total 150 full and part-time ICT students including four permanent ICT lecturers participated in the study. By means of statistical methods of descriptive, inferential statistics aided by independent t-tests, three stated hypotheses were formulated and tested. The study therefore, recommends that higher institutions of learning should increase investments in various EL programs including relevant ICT infrastructure development and also in levels of connectivity. The study further recommends that EL contents should be designed taking into account the cultural characteristics of students.

Corporate Communication—Adversarial, Transmission, Dialogical

ABSTRACTThe trauma that followed organisational change through the twin inductions of transformation and New Public Management in some South African institutions of higher learning during the decade of the 2000s illustrates the need to pay attention to the communicative dimensions of organisational change. By means of a discussion of four kinds of workplace communication, this actual workplace study examines some specific instances of transformation and the restructuring of the South African tertiary sector, specifically, the hypothetical analytical composite New Name University (NNU) that represents an agglomeration of newly named and merged institutions that have become the visible form of the transformed edu-scape. The methodology was a lived one—action research—in that the authors were consulted by the university in which they were employed to analyse the prevailing corporate relations communication strategy and to suggest alternatives. The additional changes wrought by managerialism include new levels of bureaucracy alien to traditional academic culture and requirements of performance management that are no less onerous. The discussion suggests that a dialogical model of communication may well have brought about a different and more inclusive outcome than those that transpired in the NNU.