Research Publications (Academic Support)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/211
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Item Affective and embodied pedagogy as pathways to equity in curriculum and responsiveness(2022-12-31) Fomunyam, Kehdinga GeorgeThe question of equity in the South African educational landscape and particularly in the curriculum at all levels cannot be over emphasised, however achieving this equity has proven to be daunting task. The purpose of this article is to explore affective and embodied pedagogy as alternative pathways to equity in curriculum and responsiveness. Hamilton (2007) argues that beyond the idea that equity is morally right, striving for radical educational equity, is a winning strategy for all learners regardless of their background. With resistance to the drive to achieve equity almost guaran-teed, questions arise on how to achieve the same and ensure that curriculum responsiveness takes places for all learners/students. This paper seeks to answer the question. This paper theorised affective and embodied pedagogy, and generated pathways or forces which can be used to establish equity and responsiveness in education. The paper proposes diffractive physicality, social vulnerability and rhizomatic spatiality as the key constructs for equity and responsiveness. The paper concludes that affective and embodied pedagogy can be used as pathways to achieve equity in curriculum and responsiveness.Item Introduction : theorising curriculum approaches and praxis(BRILL, 2020-01-01) Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, KhozaCurriculum studies is at the core of the educational endeavour: it informs what happens in every educational institution. As a result of the criticality or primacy of the curriculum, every educational practitioner appears to claim expertise in curriculum matters, and in the direction the field of curriculum studies should take. The curriculum practitioner, especially in Africa, has been given little or no space to theorise, orienting the future of the field in Africa. Instead, European and American curriculum theorisers have been allowed to exert a marked influence on the nature and direction of African theoretical and philosophical underpinnings, especially in relation to curriculum studies. This situation raises fundamental questions about the future of education in Africa in general, and curriculum studies in particular. While Europe and America seem to be experimenting with new philosophical paradigms in curriculum studies, Africa seems to be trailing behind by ten or fifteen years. A case in point is the implementation in South Africa in the late nineties of outcomes-based education (OBE) (a European and American theoretical enterprise), although there was clear evidence that it would not work. Is Africa, therefore, doomed to repeat the mistakes of Europe and America in curriculum studies? Has educa-tion in Africa preconditioned the theoriser only to explore traditions from the global North, rather than experimenting and articulating alternative pathways for education in Africa? Must curriculum theorising in Africa slavishly follow the traditions of theorising laid down by the global North, or can such tradi-tions be used as springboards for the articulation of alternative perspectives, as we strive to develop African curriculum matters?Item Student engagement as pathway for deterritorialising curriculum internationalisation in higher education(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2020) Fomunyam, Kehdinga GeorgeThis paper explores the concept of curriculum internationalisation in higher education. It recognises and articulates the fact that the curriculum internationalisation process needs to be deterritorialised and the best approach to this is ensuring student engagement. In discussing this in detail, the paper theorises student engagement and the different perspectives on and of engagement, discusses curriculum internationalisation and deterritorialisation. The paper then focuses on deterritorialising curriculum internationalisation through student engagement. The paper concludes with four key thoughts on curriculum internationalisation on the platform of student engagement in a deterritorialised context. The paper recommends that curriculum internationalisation should be contextual in nature. Also, deterritorialisation of the institution and the curriculum internationalisation process and the curriculum itself are key to successfully internationalising the curriculum and give students the best educational experience. Thirdly, for the curriculum internationalisation process to be successful, there is a need for a practical framework. And lastly, student engagement is critical in the internationalisation process and for the success of curriculum internationalisation itselfItem Theorising open curriculum charges as pathway to responsiveness in South African higher education(BRILL, 2020-12-14) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, BhekiCurriculum discourse in South African higher education has always involved debates around responsiveness and how best to make the curriculum respond to local needs. This was amongst the reasons for the call to decolonise the curriculum. With encounters in education being a function of the curriculum at play, it follows that the curriculum shapes the educational experience, and how prepared students are for the job market, be it to create employment or to seek such. With the rate of unemployment in South Africa increasing, the nation needs graduates who are job creators, not jobseekers. The open curriculum offers an excellent pathway for educational encounters which are not only responsive, but uniquely career-oriented. This chapter adopts Aoki’s conceptualisation of the curriculum as lived experience, making three fundamental arguments. First, the chapter argues that there is a need for the deconstruction of academic curriculum standardisation. Second, the chapter argues for an itinerant curriculum; and lastly, the chapter argues for curriculum encounters propelled by responsive curriculum matters in the South African higher education. The chapter concludes that career pathways have been hindered by poor curriculum choices. Such has been engendered by curriculum standardisation and hegemonic curriculum practices adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. For a higher-education curriculum to be responsive, students, as co-constructors or creators of knowledge, need to be part of the process, driving the change they want to see in their future.Item The itinerant curriculum as a key to responsiveness in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigerian higher education(Society for Research and Knowledge Management, 2022-07-30) Fomunyam, Kehdinga GeorgeThe current age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) brings together digital, physical, and biological awareness in ways never before seen. The transition has contributed to new technology and developments, such as robotics, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. As a nation, Nigeria is still behind with preparations for its future through appropriate, unique educational practices in this era for its citizens. This is because the quality of Nigeria’s higher education curriculum has not improved much. To boost the responsiveness of Nigeria’s curriculum in this technological era, this theoretical paper explores the itinerant curriculum as an alternative direction to other highlighted alternatives in the literature. The paper explains how the itinerant curriculum can be used to achieve economic, cultural, disciplinary, and learning responsiveness in the era of the 4IR. The paper concludes that the itinerant curriculum is an important tool that can help Nigerian higher education achieve curriculum responsiveness.Item The itinerant curriculum as an alternative pathway for responsiveness in African higher education in the era of the fourth industrial revolution(Durban University of Technology, 2022) Fomunyam, Kehdinga GeorgeThe Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, and it has serious implications for education globally. The educational curricula used in the first, second, and third industrial revolutions may not necessarily be useful in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), as societal and organisational demands have changed. Curricula in African higher education needs therefore to adapt to the changing demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or else students may be unprepared for the demands of future organisations and the society. Therefore, to enhance the responsiveness of the curriculum in Africa, this paper examines the itinerant curriculum as an alternative pathway to other highlighted curricula in the literature. The study posits how the itinerant curriculum can be used to achieve curriculum responsiveness, economically, culturally, disciplinarily, and in learning. The study concludes that the itinerant curriculum is an important tool that can help African higher education achieve curriculum responsiveness in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.Item Rationalising the teaching intention of international postgraduate student lecturers(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2021) Matola, Noluthando; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Khoza, Simon BhekiHigher education students around the globe have continually searched for opportunities to further their education abroad, looking beyond the provisions of their home country in pursuit of quality education. Most of these students are either tutors, teaching assistants, or in lecturing roles within the university environment. Using a qualitative case-study approach, this paper investigates the teaching intention of international postgraduate student lecturers at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is in a bid to understand why these students choose to become involved in the teaching and learning process as lecturers. Participants were purposefully selected from a sample population of registered international postgraduate students at the university; and these participants were chosen in an order which ensured representation. Semi-structured interviews and observation methods were used, and data generated were analysed using grounded analysis. Findings reveal that international postgraduate students in this university chose lecturing, owing to the financial preconditions of undertaking postgraduate studies, to improve their interpersonal, communication, and cross-cultural skills, and also owing to legal restrictions. This paper therefore concludes that these reasons are valid and recommend several ways of helping these student lecturers function both effectively and efficiently.Item Can alignment of digital resources with needs produce a new curriculum theory for teaching?(BRILL, 2020-12-14) Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, KhozaTeaching and graduating students have become important responsibilities for academics, helping their universities to fulfil disciplinary, societal, and personal needs. Academics use digital resources to support their teaching processes, in order to increase the student completion rate for their universities, improving the world rankings with funding. Digital resources divided into hardware, software, and theories work well when they are aligned with relevant needs. Therefore, this chapter presents an interpretive case study of eight academics who taught students specialising in Curriculum Development at a university in South Africa. The study explored and understood the alignment of digital resources with human needs involved in the teaching of master of education (MEd) students. Semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, and document analysis were used for data generation. Purposive with convenience sampling was used to select the eight most accessible participants. The study revealed that, when digital resources were used for teaching, this created competing perceived and conceived spaces that had to be integrated into lived space. This chapter, consequently, recommends the understanding and the use of the lived space, which is capable of helping individuals to self-actualise and be able to address societal and disciplinary needs.Item Transforming the teaching and learning process in South African higher institutions(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2022) Matola, Noluthando; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Moyo, SibusisoTeaching 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.