Geesje van den Berg

University of South Africa | unisa · Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies

This study explored learning which occurred when mature distance education students co-developed an open educational resource (OER) with their lecturers using Smith’s critical reflection as a method to guide reflection on their learning. This study is significant since student learning on the co-development of an open educational resource could not...

Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been part of our lives for some time, the launch of the Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) has given it renewed attention. While most of these debates are about higher education in general, this article focuses on schoolteacher education and teacher training. This research aimed to determine the co...

Distance learning in South Africa has been experiencing the unfortunate occurrences of low student throughput and retention. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to determine possible strategies for sustained learning. Framed by Ubuntu as its theoretical perspective, the researchers discovered valuable insights through a methodological literatu...

The use of open educational resources (OERs) within the broader context of open educational practices (OEPs) has many advantages, including the potential to result in self-directed learning, as students take responsibility for their learning. However, despite their vast potential, the promise of OERs has not yet translated into concrete and tangibl...

This article explores student perceptions of writing online examinations for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, examinations at an open and distance learning institution in South Africa were conducted as venue-based examinations. From March 2020, all examinations were moved online. Online examinations were introduce...

Assessment for Learning is useful in producing feedback that mathematics teachers may utilise to enhance classroom teaching. In this study, we look at how mathematics teachers in Alexandra Township, South Africa, utilise assessment for learning (AfL) to create a classroom culture that responds to learners' knowledge acquisition. This study used a q...

The article explored the need to provide ODL students with support that is more personalised in nature; support that speaks to the presence of a “human touch,” and specifically refers to an individual whose primary focus is on relationship building and fostering a sense of community and care amongst its online students. Although literature reveals...

In addition to academic support, the provision of dedicated affective support during a student’s online learning journey has a significant impact on their emotional wellbeing and ability to remain engaged with their studies. This kind of support is even more essential during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, during which students may...

The Fourth industrial Revolution (4IR) is forcing higher education (HE) into a new era where it must either actively and positively contribute to innovation, sustainability, and development or become obsolete and redundant. HE must leave its ivory tower and forge links and partnerships with society, industry, and governing bodies by delivering grad...

Online courses have risen in popularity over the last few years, mainly because of the convenience of studying from anywhere and at a time that is suitable for students. The Covid-19 pandemic has made online courses a convenient way to learn in a safe environment. Online environments that can instil a strong sense of community therefore need to be...

The purpose of this research was to identify students’ views on the use of WhatsApp in an online postgraduate course at a South African Open Distance eLearning institution during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, lecturers and students relied on their mobile devices to communicate using different tools, including WhatsApp. Although it is a t...

The study examined how 22 instructors (lecturers and tutors) perceived their roles in online teaching in a first-level course in open, distance and e-learning. The Community of Inquiry framework was used for the study. The research employed a case study involving questionnaires and document analysis. The findings revealed that the tutors saw their...

The Covid-19 pandemic provoked a paradigm shift never imagined by higher education institutions in the world, but especially in developing countries. Drawing on findings from a PhD study, this article aims to highlight the way in which Covid-19 accelerated professional development and training and technology adoption by academics in higher educatio...

The purpose of the chapter is to determine how open distance learning (ODL) can achieve the goals of social justice in a developing context, keeping the related challenges and achievements in mind, with specific reference to the University of South Africa (UNISA). Equity in higher education is seen as a human right for all citizens to have a fair o...

The purpose of this study is to report on the recognition of prior learning (RPL) experiences of students and academics in a graduate context at an open distance learning (ODL) institution. Although students and academics are the key participants in the RPL process for access to graduate studies, their experiences regarding the process, specificall...

Learning management systems (LMSs) provide possibilities to facilitate online teaching and learning; to create communities of inquiry, support dialogue and collaborative learning; and reduce students' sense of disconnectedness in distance learning. Nevertheless, studies show that LMSs are often under-utilized. This article reports on lecturers' per...

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine how school principals and nutrition coordinators see their roles in the management of school nutrition programmes for learners from disadvantaged communities. Design: In this qualitative study, a single case study design was used to collect data through open-ended questionnaires, follow-up int...

The objective of this study was to determine how school principals and nutrition coordinators see their roles in the management of school nutrition programmes for learners from disadvantaged communities.

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between lecturers’ beliefs and the actual methods they use in teaching reading. The study, which was conducted in teacher training colleges in the Amhara Region in Ethiopia, showed quite a number of discrepancies. The findings revealed that although in many cases lecturers were aware of the...

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is based on the principle that valuable learning, worthy of recognition, takes place outside formal education. In the context of higher education, legislation provides an enabling framework for the implementation of RPL. However, RPL will only gain its rightful position if it can ensure the RPL candidates’ succes...

In many parts of the world online education is still taking shape and faces many obstacles, including insufficient numbers of professionals prepared to teach using new technologies. This paper is a case study of academic capacity building to determine how a partnership between the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the University of Maryland Un...

This paper explores the relationship between university students’ academic self-concept, motivation and academic achievement. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether academic self-concept and motivation of students enrolled for the Quantity Surveying course at a university in South Africa could predict their level of academic achieve...

Education has been subject to a process of continuous educational reforms. The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ abilities to adapt to these reforms and to find out how this process of continual reform related to their identities as teachers. The study used a narrative research approach. The data for this research were based on the narrati...

The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers’ real-life experiences, during teaching and learning, in three aspects of their lives, namely as school learners, as tertiary students and as teachers, influenced their current educational practices. Transformative learning, which is based on psychoanalytic and critical social theories, was...

Both pregnant students and student mothers face many challenges. Their problems are often intensified by the fact that in many cultures women are expected to subordinate their needs and desires to those of their children and families. The objective of the research was to determine the socio-educational challenges of pregnant students and student mo...

In an increasingly complex and specialised society, it is imperative that individuals think critically and creatively. This kind of thinking is also required to achieve the critical outcomes as stated in the Revised National Curriculum Statement for South Africa. It seems, however, that higher-order thinking is unlikely to occur unless learners are...

A linguistic analysis of a literary text: Lexical cohesion in 'My broer se kraai' In this article the positive interaction between language and literature is investigated from a text-linguistic perspective. In text linguistics linguistic investigation is at stake as it attempts to establish the textuality of linguistic structures with the help of...

Language teaching and the theory of multiple intelligence. Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard's School of Education, claims in his book Frames of Mind (1983) that we do not have a single, fixed intelligence that can be determined with a standardized IQ test. He theorizes that there are at least eight different intelligences, and every person ha...

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