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Background: 'Snack writing' is a term coined to describe regular short bursts of writing on a larger academic writing task. There is extensive research on academic writing, but research on 'snack writing' is limited. Moreover, the idea of 'snack writing' in an online environment is not evident in the literature. Objectives: The study objectives were: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of an online 'snack writing' group; and (2) to identify what might enable or constrain productive academic writing amongst group members. Method: A reflective evaluation approach was used, in which participant researchers studied online chat data over a 6-month period. The study was framed by Activity Theory, in which digitally connected writing is understood as a new mediational means within an academic writing system. Results: 'Snack writing' in a digital environment was found to be effective when the writing task was focused, appropriate to the time available, and connected to a larger writing task. Goal setting, debriefing, and reflecting kept writers focused, while seeing a writing task develop over time enhanced confidence. Including writers with different levels of experience was effective for developing and sharing writing practices. Conclusion: Regular participation in digitally connected 'snack writing' is effective as it builds a supportive writing culture. Contribution: The study contributes to an understanding of how short bursts of writing in a digitally connected space could benefit academic tasks. The findings are therefore of use to postgraduate scholars, academics, and all those who want to progress an academic writing task when time is limited.

This study contributes a perspective on work-integrated learning (WIL) through the lens of South-North collaboration. The research question was: How might sharing experiences of WIL in different contexts enhance WIL practice in a local context? The purposive sample of twelve case studies; South Africa (n=6) and Ireland (n=6), represented business, engineering, biopharma and health sciences disciplines. Activity theory was drawn on to analyze data on program content, mechanisms and processes, and outcomes and challenges across the case studies. Key findings include: student support requirements, curricular modalities and assessment practices, levels at which WIL is offered, resourcing for WIL and understandings of WIL as enhancing students' employability and as a societal contribution. The data revealed similarities and differences in WIL practices within and across the two countries. Partners developed insights into their own and one another's practices, showing the potential of international collaboration to enhance learning and practice in local contexts.

This paper reports on a year-long project in an architectural technology department, which studied students’ oral language development in plenary discussions in a first year History and Appreciation of Architecture course. Data was obtained by videotaping classroom activities, and by interviewing the lecturer and students who were participants in the course. The data was analysed, using categories suggested by Activity Theory. The category of ‘rules’ was selected from the activity system for further analysis, using a Genre Ecology approach. The findings of the study show how technical communication is managed within a classroom based activity system comprising lecturer and students, and graphic and verbal texts, in a context of learning. Learning, teaching, and expert discourses of the architectural review genre interact and are negotiated by participants. Through participation in plenary discussion, students from diverse backgrounds contribute to one another’s experience of architectural design, and by valuing and responding to students’ contributions, the lecturer facilitates students’ understanding of the ‘rules’ of architectural communication, and enables students to access an expanded repertoire of the genre of architectural review.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the South African government's response of a lockdown required the cessation of all clinical training. Virtual environments offered alternative methods of teaching and learning clinical skills in an attempt to mitigate the cancellation of first year students' clinical visits. The research question of how a simulated workplace environment could replace first year students' workplace visits was addressed. A case study at a University of Technology focusing on a radiation therapy program provided an opportunity for academic and clinical lecturers and first year students to consider the qualities of the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training. Findings indicated that the environment could be incorporated into emergency remote teaching to enhance student learning as it provided an engaging, safe, and effective space in which to learn clinical skills. These findings have implications for the design of responsive curricula for the changing higher education and professional landscapes.

Background: The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and similar international assessments, have consistently shown South African intermediate phase learners' performance to be among the lowest worldwide. Of particular concern is the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Home Language in the Intermediate Phase and, specifically, the document's treatment of the assessment of reading comprehension. Objectives: In this study, the CAPS requirements for assessing reading comprehension were examined, with the aim of laying the groundwork for an improved policy framework. Method: The research design of the study involved evaluating the assessment of reading comprehension in the CAPS document, using a social realist approach to uncover its underlying structures and mechanisms. Results: The study found that a principled approach to the assessment of reading comprehension was lacking, which had a cumulative effect across the CAPS document, resulting in random, yet highly prescriptive, requirements. Conclusion: The study concluded that CAPS does not provide adequate guidance for improving reading comprehension and, moreover, that the prescribed programme of assessment is not supported by the research literature on reading comprehension. The study recommends that better, more evidence-informed and consultative policies and guidelines be introduced to support teachers in the assessment -- and, ultimately, the improvement -- of intermediate phase learners' reading comprehension.

Contribution: This paper identifies key personal and academic factors in successful transfer to electrical, computer, and mechatronics (ECM) engineering programs. The findings support prior research on engineering transfer shows that successful students accumulate knowledge and behaviors in their sending institution that enable their progress in the receiving institution. Background: Institutional arrangements and processes, inclusive cultures and practices, social integration, and clear academic requirements support the transfer of students who go from two-year colleges and similar to follow engineering programs at four-year institutions. Various personal attributes are also associated with successful transfer. Research Question: What factors enable transferees to succeed in four-year ECM engineering degree programs? Methodology: Student data were obtained from the receiving institution's registration database and grades administration system. Database queries were used to identify transfer and non-transfer students' performance. Averages and frequencies of passes, fails, repeats, withdrawals, etc., were calculated and compared. There were limited data on students' personal challenges and non-academic strengths. Findings: All the students who attained Bachelor of Science degrees in ECM showed persistence and resilience in their journeys toward an engineering qualification, and had achieved high grades in mathematics at the sending institution.

The experiences of students with disabilities are the focus of the study, guided by the research question: What can we learn about inclusive formative assessment in work-integrated learning (WIL) from the experiences of students with disabilities? The capability approach was drawn on to theorize how inclusive formative assessment in WIL could contribute to students’ success and well-being. Five narrative interviews with six students were conducted over the course of their first year. The study found that students valued formative assessment tasks that combined engaged learning with preparation for working life. Formative assessment provided opportunities to showcase strengths and develop areas of weakness in a safe space. Above all, students appreciated lecturers who adapted assessment tasks to their needs. The study contributes to an understanding of inclusive formative assessment from the perspectives of students with disabilities and diverse learning needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African higher education institutions are increasingly under scrutiny to produce knowledge that is more relevant to South Africa's social and economic needs, more representative of the diversity of its knowledge producers, and more inclusive of the variety of the sites where knowledge is produced. Only a small percentage of South Africans are graduates of universities or technology institutes, and these graduates are not representative of the diversity of the South African population. As a result there is a shortage of skills to address the country's reconstruction and developmental needs. This places a burden on higher education institutions to expand access to their programmes, and to ensure that their programmes are relevant to the developmental context. Policy makers have found in the Gibbons [Gibbons, M., et al. (1994). "The New Production of Knowledge. The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies". London Sage Publishers] thesis on "Mode 2 knowledge production" a rationale for the transformation of higher education through the inclusion of practices which are less abstract, less discipline bound and closer to those processes which characterise the diversity and distribution of knowledge production in the wider society. Nowotny et al. [Nowtony et al. (2001). "Re-thinking Science. Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty". Cambridge: Polity Press.] have taken Gibbons' thesis further and have described society itself as becoming increasingly "Mode 2". In a Mode 2 society, differentiation is replaced with integration, and networks of knowledge producers conduct their work in transdisciplinary teams across widely distributed sites. Such "transgressivity" both pushes knowledge production systems forward and distributes and diffuses knowledge more widely throughout society. In this paper, it is argued that there is a need for higher education practitioners to engage critically--and constructively--with the knowledge bases of policy directives to ensure that the new teaching and learning processes and systems adequately prepare students for the complexity and diversity of South African society, and enable them to contribute meaningfully to its reconstruction and development.

Background: ‘Snack writing’ is a term coined to describe regular short bursts of writing on a larger academic writing task. There is extensive research on academic writing, but research on ‘snack writing’ is limited. Moreover, the idea of ‘snack writing’ in an online environment is not evident in the literature. Objectives: The study objectives were: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of an online ‘snack writing’ group, and (2) to identify what might enable or constrain productive academic writing amongst group members. Method: A reflective evaluation approach was used, in which participant researchers studied online chat data over a 6-month period. The study was framed by Activity Theory, in which digitally connected writing is understood as a new mediational means within an academic writing system. Results: ‘Snack writing’ in a digital environment was found to be effective when the writing task was focused, appropriate to the time available, and connected to a larger writing task. Goal setting, debriefing, and reflecting kept writers focused, while seeing a writing task develop over time enhanced confidence. Including writers with different levels of experience was effective for developing and sharing writing practices. Conclusion: Regular participation in digitally connected ‘snack writing’ is effective as it builds a supportive writing culture. Contribution: The study contributes to an understanding of how short bursts of writing in a digitally connected space could benefit academic tasks. The findings are therefore of use to postgraduate scholars, academics, and all those who want to progress an academic writing task when time is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes a perspective on work-integrated learning (WIL) through the lens of South-North collaboration. The research question was: How might sharing experiences of WIL in different contexts enhance WIL practice in a local context? The purposive sample of twelve case studies; South Africa (n=6) and Ireland (n=6), represented business, engineering, biopharma and health sciences disciplines. Activity theory was drawn on to analyze data on program content, mechanisms and processes, and outcomes and challenges across the case studies. Key findings include: student support requirements, curricular modalities and assessment practices, levels at which WIL is offered, resourcing for WIL and understandings of WIL as enhancing students' employability and as a societal contribution. The data revealed similarities and differences in WIL practices within and across the two countries. Partners developed insights into their own and one another's practices, showing the potential of international collaboration to enhance learning and practice in local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an investigation into the incidence of plagiarism in the context of a new university of technology in South Africa. The findings indicate that plagiarism can take many forms, some of which are a result of dishonesty and academic misconduct, while others are related to the educational levels and cultural diversity of the faculty and student body. The paper argues that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to plagiarism is not likely to be effective within a context of development and change, different forms of plagiarism should be clearly identified, and different institutional responses are necessary to address these items. Index Terms--Academic misconduct, contexts of development, diversity, plagiarism.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the South African government's response of a lockdown required the cessation of all clinical training. Virtual environments offered alternative methods of teaching and learning clinical skills in an attempt to mitigate the cancellation of first year students' clinical visits. The research question of how a simulated workplace environment could replace first year students' workplace visits was addressed. A case study at a University of Technology focusing on a radiation therapy program provided an opportunity for academic and clinical lecturers and first year students to consider the qualities of the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training. Findings indicated that the environment could be incorporated into emergency remote teaching to enhance student learning as it provided an engaging, safe, and effective space in which to learn clinical skills. These findings have implications for the design of responsive curricula for the changing higher education and professional landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaizen -based work-readiness training originated in Japan and is based on the 'lean' production methods taught in Toyota factories in Japan and abroad. Kaizen -based training is rooted in the Kaizen principles of respect for others, the elimination of waste, continuous improvement, collaboration as the key to productivity and innovation as incremental in work processes. The Employability Improvement Programme (EIP), an initiative between the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and South African Universities of Technology, is a Kaizen -based short training programme that was introduced in 2011 with the intention to enhance South African University of Technology students' work-readiness. The research question guiding the study is: how could a short Kaizen -based intervention contribute to South African University of Technology students' work-readiness? The data for the study comprise curriculum documents, teaching and learning media, video footage and interviews with participants of the Kaizen events over the period 2016–2018. The study found that the EIP supported students' acquisition of interpersonal skills and personal dispositions towards work-readiness, but skills that were related to workplace relations in context, professional values and a sense of a broader contribution to society were largely absent. The study recommends that longer term, more integrated and better contextualised forms of training are necessary in attaining work-readiness in the complex South African work context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and similar international assessments, have consistently shown South African intermediate phase learners' performance to be among the lowest worldwide. Of particular concern is the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Home Language in the Intermediate Phase and, specifically, the document's treatment of the assessment of reading comprehension. Objectives: In this study, the CAPS requirements for assessing reading comprehension were examined, with the aim of laying the groundwork for an improved policy framework. Method: The research design of the study involved evaluating the assessment of reading comprehension in the CAPS document, using a social realist approach to uncover its underlying structures and mechanisms. Results: The study found that a principled approach to the assessment of reading comprehension was lacking, which had a cumulative effect across the CAPS document, resulting in random, yet highly prescriptive, requirements. Conclusion: The study concluded that CAPS does not provide adequate guidance for improving reading comprehension and, moreover, that the prescribed programme of assessment is not supported by the research literature on reading comprehension. The study recommends that better, more evidence-informed and consultative policies and guidelines be introduced to support teachers in the assessment – and, ultimately, the improvement – of intermediate phase learners' reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper identifies key personal and academic factors in successful transfer to electrical, computer, and mechatronics (ECM) engineering programs. The findings support prior research on engineering transfer shows that successful students accumulate knowledge and behaviors in their sending institution that enable their progress in the receiving institution. Background: Institutional arrangements and processes, inclusive cultures and practices, social integration, and clear academic requirements support the transfer of students who go from two-year colleges and similar to follow engineering programs at four-year institutions. Various personal attributes are also associated with successful transfer. Research Question: What factors enable transferees to succeed in four-year ECM engineering degree programs? Methodology: Student data were obtained from the receiving institution’s registration database and grades administration system. Database queries were used to identify transfer and non-transfer students’ performance. Averages and frequencies of passes, fails, repeats, withdrawals, etc., were calculated and compared. There were limited data on students’ personal challenges and non-academic strengths. Findings: All the students who attained Bachelor of Science degrees in ECM showed persistence and resilience in their journeys toward an engineering qualification, and had achieved high grades in mathematics at the sending institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]