Research Publications (Arts and Design)

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The making of CourseMaker, a web-based shell program which can be set up by the teacher to run online courses
(2003) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
CourseMaker is an HTML shell program which was developed by the presenter as part of a Ph.D. research project on CAI/written composition, but which can be used for a variety of other instructional purposes. CourseMaker contains many of the elements of the traditional classroom translated into the electronic medium, and can be set up by teachers to run a variety of courses in either academic or non-formal subjects, along with any instructions, lesson materials or notes they may wish to include. It has features such as lesson links and pop-up boxes which make it possible to layer and cross-link teaching materials and resources either on CourseMaker itself or the Internet. CourseMaker also provides for input by students, who can continue with a course at any stage or level, and can choose which course or lesson to access as needed. Setting up courses on CourseMaker does not require knowledge of computer programming: courses can be set up by the teacher to suit different academic contexts, purposes and student target groups. CourseMaker is not a commercial product but research output which is thought to have educational potential when used either as or in conjunction with a web-based learning programme.
Blended learning as a response to change in a merged technikon: an account of three modes of delivery in a web-based Communication Skills semester course designed for Engineering students at DIT
(2003) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
The degree to which people are facing revolutionary technological changes in the near future is matched only by the degree of inertia evinced by educational institutions, particularly tertiary institutions. Even when such institutions undergo sweeping changes, as in the case of the recent merger between Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon, the reaction of most academic departments is to make desperate attempts to adjust and consolidate, and to think with nostalgia of “the good old days” rather than to introduce innovations. Yet as Taylor (2001) points out, an institution’s survival in the face of imminent widespread technological change depends not only on changing the way it does things, but on changing the things it does, and a common factor in innovation is often the introduction of new learning technology systems (Kenny, 2002). The “Fourth Generation” learning model described by Taylor is already a reality for educators, involving interactive multimedia online, Internet-based access to World Wide Web resources, and computer-mediated communication. While Taylor is writing in the context of distance education, the “flexible learning model” described is just as appropriate for blended learning, i.e., a mixture of face-to-face and computer-mediated instruction (also referred to as “mixed mode”). Moreover, when a merged “super-technikon” such as the Durban Institute of Technology swells its student numbers to over 20,000 and sprawls over a number of campuses, some of the techniques used for distance education might well apply. However, as Glor (1997) points out, effective innovation is “not just a question of coming up with ideas, but also of developing and realising them successfully”, and the transition “from strategic vision to university wide teaching change is ... a complex and largely uncharted one” (Lines, 2000). The Fourth Generation model of instructional delivery is in fact well within the capabilities of a growing number of the DIT staff who have completed the Pioneers Induction Programme to web-based learning (Peté et al, 2002), initiated in 2000, and are going from strength to strength with the current Pioneers 2003 group. This paper looks at an initiative by one of the Pioneers 2002 group (the author) to introduce a Communication Skills course in blended learning mode, mainly in the interests of enhanced delivery, but also in an attempt to find creative solutions to problems such as larger classes and diminishing resources. It will show that, while the assumptions about enhanced delivery were justified, in one case the initiative was all but sabotaged by the unfortunate convergence of multiple “merger glitches”, which individually could have been relatively easily overcome, but collectively posed a serious threat not just to academic quality but to course continuance.
The role of the social mechanism in social transformation: a critical realist approach to blended learning.
(2006) Pratt, Deirdre Denise; Gutteridge, Robert Geoffrey
This paper deals with ongoing curriculum development in mixed mode, focusing in particular on student response to blended learning at a multicultural University of Technology. This is currently the subject of a masters research project investigating the possible ways in which learner access and response to blended learning might be affected by socio-cultural elements. The research investigates the impact of socio-cultural factors on blended learning in the development of academic literacy in a tertiary vocational context, and, it is hoped, will identify some of the factors which contribute positively or negatively towards blended learning in multicultural settings. The research orientation is critical realism, which is highly compatible with the scaffolded constructivist learning approach used in the Department of English & Communication’s Comm. Skills Online course, but has additional ontological dimensions which are helpful in pointing the way to social transformation. A key concept in critical realist research is that of the social mechanism, which can be seen as having two aspects, formal and practical: Franck’s modelling process represents these as theoretical and empirical models respectively. A tentative empirical model of blended learning based on a theoretical model of course design is discussed: socio-cultural factors impacting on both affect and access issues in blended learning can be represented as input into the system inherent in the social mechanism. The merits and disadvantages of the video protocol analysis as a possible research tool for capturing data on student response to blended learning are also discussed, and the paper concludes with the implications of this type of modelling for social transformation.
Mechanism and software design: the use of a stochastic social-process algorithm in the design of a writing tutor program.
(2005) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
One of the chief difficulties in designing effective courseware for improving writing proficiency is that composing, like other forms of human communication, is a complex social process with little or no agreement as to its precise nature or structure. Designing a versatile writing tutor program which will mimic the functions performed by a human tutor requires a systematic investigation into the complex processes involved in composing, in particular its commonalities and variables, and the ways in which it is shaped to the various contexts in which it occurs. This paper suggests that in order to translate complex social processes effectively into educational software design, it is first advisable to discover the social mechanisms which effect the process. In the case of written composition, a complex modelling procedure was followed which used a process of reverse engineering to arrive at a system of essential communicative functions. The architecture of functions thus revealed validated a practical model of composing, which in turn could be seen to constitute a stochastic algorithm for composing. The algorithm was used as the basis for the design of a writing tutor program, which took the form of a help menu based around the five stages of composing depicted in the algorithm. The program has still to be tested out by learner writers working in various educational contexts.
An analysis of the design features of three mixed-mode courses in a master’s degree programme
(2005) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
This paper suggests that a system of communicative functions can be used to provide a framework for analysing course design, and illustrates this with reference to three mixed-mode courses intended for use in a master’s programme in Computer Assisted Language Teaching (CALT). The design principle is based on an architecture of functions necessary for effective communication, namely, the contextual, ideational, interactive social and reflexive functions. Because the principle is descriptive rather than prescriptive, and is thought to identify a deep structure of human functioning common to all social interaction, it provides a template for analyse of course design which can be applied within different educational paradigms. The template offers the course designer moving into a new milieu or medium the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on the process of instructional design. Issues such as the educational context, course content, learning interactions, academic requirements and assessment can be now viewed in terms of how these contribute to knowledge construction, rather than whether the outcome per se is desirable: the latter issue is already addressed comprehensively in current instructional design paradigms
Modelling social algorithms as design templates for educational software
(2006) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
Education involves a process of initiating learners into complex socio-cultural processes which may vary from culture to culture and even between institutions within the same culture, making it difficult to design versatile courseware which has some relevance for the social process to be mastered by learners. Moreover, social elements often operate intra- as well as extra-systemically in social processes, which makes it difficult for the courseware designer to differentiate between the commonalities and variables in learning processes. Yet in spite of the complexity of human social behaviour, psychologists have identified social algorithms which apply to various key domains, and which prepare young people for effective social functioning in a variety of life situations. It is the contention of this paper, based on doctoral research on modelling composition, that it is possible to identify social algorithms which underpin human learning, and which might form the basis for effective courseware, given that such programs would require customisable options so as to cater for the extra-systemic elements applying in various socio-cultural contexts. One of the means whereby social algorithms can be identified is provided by Franck’s modelling process, which uses the principle of reverse engineering. The modelling process is described in some detail, as is the central concept of the social mechanism (i.e. algorithm) with specific reference to the development of educational software in the form of a process-based writing tutor program.
Modelling writing as the basis for a writing tutor computer program.
(2005) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
To provide the basis for a writing tutor program which could be used in a variety of contexts, a modelling process was followed which produced both a practical and a theoretical model of writing. While the practical model provided learner writers with metacognitive strategies to carry out composing processes, the theoretical model underpinning it consisted of a system of communicative functions necessary for effective communication. Having been validated empirically, the practical model formed the basis for a writing tutor program, which was produced in the form of a help menu designed around the five stages of composing shown in the model. The program can be loaded onto the learner writer’s home computer and consulted while the writer is composing on computer, and was designed to allow for input by both teacher and student, which means that it can be customised to suit different educational contexts and purposes.
From social algorithm to pedagogical application: some implications for educational software
(2006) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
Educational software geared to literacy development is too often based on what computer programs can do rather than on any deep-level consideration of the social process involved or how social processes are learned. As social psychology suggests that young people learn social behaviour by means of social algorithms, it is suggested that designers of educational software should consider identifying the algorithm involved as a basis for effective program design. Apart from resulting in versatile courseware, following this process means that the program structure itself can be made to reinforce the algorithm to be learned. This innovative educational design process is demonstrated by showing how a writing tutor program was designed around a composing algorithm underpinned by a deep structure of communicative functions. The resulting application could then be used flexibly in a variety of different educational contexts because the commonalities and variables in composing had been established.
Mirage of us. A reflection on the role of the Web in widening access to references on Southern African arts, culture and heritage
(Tydskrif Vir Letterkunde, 2010) Stewart, Graham Douglas James
This article outlines the broad aims of the Encyclopaedia of South African Arts, Culture and Heritage (ESAACH) Project then goes on to consider the ESAACH Website as a networked resource that speaks to the project’s vision of accessibility and participation. The wiki architecture is highly accessible to users and contributors alike. In addition to its robust structure as a reference work, a wiki encyclopaedia facilitates networked social collaboration uniquely suited to the co-operative principles of the project. Subject area specialists will exercise editorial control over the content of the wiki, and work with the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors and peer reviewers to assess contributions, recommend editorial corrections, and select articles, essays and entries for inclusion in the printed volumes of the encyclopaedia. The paper surveys existing Web-based reference sources on Southern African literature, arts and culture; provides an account of the evolution of the Verbal Arts section of the ESAACH wiki; and discusses the prototype ESAACH wiki.
Introduction
(Alternation. International Journal for the Study of Southern African Literature and Languages, 2002) Stewart, Graham Douglas James
Humanities Computing is a new discipline unfamiliar to the South African literary community. This special number of Alternation is intended to bring some perspective to the practice of humanities computing in South Africa by publishing a divergent set of reflections and approaches to the introduction of computers into the contemporary study of literature, and in particular the study of South African literature. The papers in this issue may also be viewed against a backdrop of a curriculum for humanities computing. The wide range of approaches reflected by the contributors suggests that there is no such curriculum as yet in South Africa, but the quality and innovativeness of the articles represents a first attempt to find a coherent conceptual framework to accommodate a humanities computing research agenda and provide a springboard for further development. Because the field of humanities computing is as yet ill-defined, the articles in this edition are inevitably eclectic - indeed, the primary purpose of this edition is to range as widely as possible over an emerging discipline to identify focus areas and expose areas of contention and also future research directions. One dispute which emerges here is between enthusiastic converts to digital technologies and skeptics. The former tend to dwell on the benefits that the systematic exploitation of lCTs can offer the humanities, and the latter -who are more apprehensive about the contribution computers can make on the humanities--on its limitations and disadvantages.
Tribe of colours - reclaiming identity via the Web
(Faculty of Arts and Design and Art for Humanity, Durban University of Technology, 2010) Stewart, Graham Douglas James; McNulty, Niall
Now in the second year of its development, the Encyclopaedia of South African Arts, Culture and Heritage (ESAACH) is both traditional encyclopaedia and hypertext web. Published volumes will emerge from the collaborative writing space provided within the wiki database. “You and I a tribe of colours” - by tapping into the collaborative spirit of social networking, ESAACH is emerging as a communal knowledge base that is far more than the sum of its parts. ESAACH is intended as a work of reclamation scholarship to address the dearth of reference material in South African arts, culture and heritage studies, and flights a number of concepts of importance in knowledge production for social transformation - notions that represent a fundamental shift in perspective: “panoramic, inclusive, democratic, and non-canonical”. An encyclopaedia, by its very nature, can never be complete. An online encyclopaedia never needs to be complete. Users can continually add entries or edit existing ones while an open-source community, (e.g. Media wiki) is continually improving and developing the management framework. An active community that has bought into ownership of the encyclopaedia, and has an interest in maintaining and growing its content, ensures its sustainability. This paper reports on work in progress, outlining the founding principles of the encyclopaedia and presenting the current state of the development and usage of the Verbal Arts section of the wiki. Later phases of the project include the Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Heritage.
Pornographic objectification of women through Kwaito lyrics
(Routledge, 2012-10-29) Blose, Maud
This Profile discusses the portrayal of women through Kwaito music and their frequent pornographic objectification in the popular township music genre. It considers the apparent shift away of Kwaito from its roots in the moment of popular expectation of the liberated South Africa and its desire to be an expression of the voices of the townships, both democratic, indigenous and controversial. The Profile draws on research to enquire into opinions of fans on the representation of women and asks whether the musicians have strayed from the track which has brought them into the limelight, popular support and success. While not representative of the whole genre, the Profile reviews a sample of lyrics and asks if there is another direction where popular music might go, particularly, whether gender equality and women’s sexual exploitation will continue to exist in tension and contradiction. It is argued that popular music as an example of township music culture that embraces the ideas of post-apartheid freedom and that speaks to the democracy, and of non-racism and gender equality, may have been overtaken by a more compelling commercial pull: that as long as it sells on the streets, anything goes. It is argued that gendered cultural values hold importance both in how women are represented by men and women in a male-dominated music industry and in a culture that must increasingly be aware of the crisis posed to women of uncritical acceptance of cultural messages that accept gender violence and abuse as a necessary ingredient for success.
Digital drawing and the creative process : in response to Dr. Paul Hamilton, drawing with printmaking technology in a digital age
(Tracey, 2011-04) Roome, John
Hamilton (2009) in Drawing with printmaking technology in a digital age discusses the role of drawing in relation to printmaking in the light of current digital technology. He argues that digital technology could pose a threat to the development of traditional drawing skills. Digital software makes it possible to produce visual images without requiring any drawing skills. The danger of this is that the work lacks originality and becomes slick. The question is raised as to whether digital technology poses a threat to the “nature and value “of drawing in a printmaking context. Hamilton goes on to discuss what he considers the value of drawing and looks at ways in which digital technology can be used to enhance the creative process. This paper was written in direct response to Hamilton as the issues that he raises resonate strongly with my own creative project. In my own paper Drawing in a digital world 2009 there are a number of interesting parallels. Coming from a printmaking background as I do, I value drawing as an essential part of my creative process. My experimentation with digital drawing and digital animation has made me aware of what Hamilton refers to as the potential for ‘cross fertilisation between traditional and digital platforms’ (Hamilton, 2009, p.14).
Eight days in September : the removal of Thabo Mbeki
(Taylor and Francis, 2013-01-21) Mngomezulu, Bhekithemba Richard
Apartheid, crime, and interracial violence in Black Boy
(Sage Publications, 2013-03-25) Makombe, Rodwell
This article critically interrogates the interplay of compatibility among crime, violence, and racial discrimination in Wright’s biographical novel Black Boy (BB). It exploits parallels between selected postcolonial and criminological theories to conceptualize crime and violence as a way of negotiating and translating hegemony in the third space of cultural enunciation. The objective of every oppressive system is to have an absolute monopoly on all structures of power, to make sure it has “total” control. This is evident in the American South where laws were enacted to exclude African Americans from the social, political, and economic spheres of life. However, that same system that was designed to silence and marginalize African Americans also, inadvertently, created spaces that led to the emergence of subcultures of resistance. This article focuses on criminal subcultures of resistance that emerged as a result of and in direct response to institutionalized racism/apartheid.
Social dynamics of suicide in South Africa : a theoretical perspective
(AJPHERD, 2012-09) Netshiombo, Kenneth; Mashamba, Tshilidzi
Suicide rates in South Africa are on the increase, particularly amongst the youth. What are the complexities of modern life which are driving the increase? The suicidal act of self-destruction signals society’s failure to provide good support systems and meaningful psycho-social well-being for its members. With its impressive Reconstruction and Developmental Programme (RDP), South Africa has not yet succeeded in extending the equivalent reconstruction of people’s minds and thought processes. In some instances the art of negotiating one’s existence on a daily basis is compromised by hostile socio-economic and political realities. The collective consciousness that once glued society has lost its bonding effect. Traditional systems of social support need to be revisited. The aim of this study is therefore to give a theoretical view of social dynamics of suicide in South Africa.
Sharing our Stories : using an online encyclopaedia as the basis for a general education module on local history, creative writing and social justice
(LIASA, 2012) Stewart, Graham Douglas James
Conventional wisdom suggests that the best way of equipping first-year university students with the skills to cope with the rigorous demands of discipline-specific discourse is through an “academic literacies” approach. In other words, by developing their abilities to discern different disciplinary contexts and settings, students may more confidently adopt appropriate linguistic practices in their studies (Archer 2010: 497). I would suggest that where the approach frequently falls short, is in the narrow range of discipline-specific materials provided for student consumption. To achieve the desired levels of linguistic agility for university study, students need a mental gymnasium with a truly challenging set of apparatus. It is not only students of literature who need exposure to creative writing. Reading of creative fiction can ignite the narrative imagination of the first-year university student, provoking an exploration of cultural diversity, social justice and identity. Novels, plays, poetry and short stories can engage the reader more deeply than factual studies, and engender a thoughtful, responsive and responsible attitude towards society. A sense of social justice is fundamental to the development of good citizenship, and it has been argued that the study of creative writing, especially that which is embedded in local and regional history, provides a sound scaffolding for student learning experiences through related writing activities and debate. Online literary and historical encyclopaedias can provide an ideal information landscape for the development of learning modules that focus on local literature. A structured e-learning module may build on such online sources by assisting the student to navigate the abundant references and discover materials that may be probed more deeply through reading assignments, writing tasks and discussion. This paper presents a case study of the design and development of a general education learning module – “Sharing our stories” – intended to provide students with enriching encounters with local literature while advancing their academic reading and writing skills. The module draws on the content of the Encyclopaedia of South African Arts, Culture and Heritage (ESAACH) which plays an integral part as a springboard to the exploration of local writing. While students encounter a variety of short stories, extracts from novels and biographical writing, a blog feature ensures that the students’ own contributions are lodged within the bigger story – what Ngugi wa Thiong’o calls the “collective history” - of our region (Wa Thiong’o 1986: xi).
The Springfield College Shakespeare Productions
(AJOL, 2013) Pearce, Brian
Effective integration of ICT in blended learning programmes : a morphogenetic approach
(IJLHE, 2014) Pratt, Deirdre Denise
Currently criteria for evaluating mixed-mode courses do not go much beyond the paradigmatic level, which poses problems if the evaluator’s preferred paradigm of knowledge construction is not congruent with the course designer’s. A critical realist approach is suggested, using Margaret Archer’s morphogenetic approach to social structure in order to provide a deep-theory explanation for effective integration of ICT in blended learning, moreover, one which does not favour any particular pedagogical epistemology. This is because critical realism provides a meta-theory for exploring causality at the ontological level, and accepts the existence of diverse epistemological positions in its ontology, rather than prescribing educational belief and value systems. The proposed framework will be illustrated by applying it to three best-practice mixed mode courses designed for undergraduate lecturing, staff induction and research capacity building respectively. It is hoped that this application of a deep-theory explanation will not only identify for practitioners the elements which are likely to result in effective mixed mode course design, but will also explain why this is so. This study is part of an ongoing project being carried out at a university of technology, and is intended to contribute to a theory of hypermedia communication based on social functioning.
Cultural nationalism in Mashingaidze Gomo’s A Fine Madness
(SciELO, 2014) Makombe, Rodwell
For many years, African countries have struggled to develop an ideological framework that suits the dynamics of the African context. From the writings of literary artists to those of political figures such as Kwame Nkrumah, the call has remained consistent: Africa needs to formulate its own path of development and disentangle from the tentacles of colonialism and neocolonialism. While négritude, as a cultural movement, was a direct response to the impact of Western civilisation on Africans in the aftermath of colonization, Gomo’s A Fine Madness may be read as a response to the West’s dominance in the neoliberal global order. It interrogates the relationship between Europe and Africa in light of persistent war and instability in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Like négritude, Gomo’s work advocates the promotion of African ways of doing things politically, economically and culturally and shuns neocolonial relationships of exploitation. Adopting an anti-imperialist position, A Fine Madness holds the West responsible for fuelling conflict in some African countries for commercial gain. The article interrogates the concept of cultural nationalism as it has been appropriated in Gomo’s work. Focusing on selected poems, the article argues that A Fine Madness is a militant intervention in African politics, and a voice of resistance to the obtaining neoliberal global order.