“I just told my students that we are going to have our lecture via Twitter and that they needn’t attend class on the specified date”. Marian Pike, Public Relations Management lecturer had a rapt audience at the first-ever annual Research and Innovation in Teaching and Learning (RITAL) Conference in December. Pike’s Twitter lecture was a world-first, and her RITAL conference paper, titled ‘Learning tweet by tweet: Reshaping lectures for Twitter’, highlighted the benefits of using the popular social network and micro-blogging service in education.

Pike added that she is planning on “tweeting” a lecture again in the near future, after experiencing how effective this medium of communication can be.

Prof Chrissie Boughey, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Rhodes University delivered the keynote address to a packed auditorium on the Granger Bay campus. The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development hosted the ground-breaking conference, where Boughey spoke about her research on Universities of Technology. She also paid tribute to the work of her colleague Prof Terence Volbrecht, former Fundani CHED Director, who is about to leave CPUT and South Africa. Showing research statistics she had done independently, Boughey said she found that “only 5% of students graduated in regulation time at UoT’s, while 56% of students leave the system without ever graduating”.

Volbrecht, who will be emigrating to Australia soon, believes more can be done to improve higher education institutions while bettering the percentage of graduates. “We have to be far more systematic in our approach to better the current state of affairs. Research shows that students drop out because of non-academic issues. If the government can join forces with higher education institutions, it would be a step in the right direction”, Volbrecht insisted.

Presentations followed and were categorised according to the themes of the conference. These included Innovative Teaching Practice Educational Research; Developing Responsive Curricula; Improving Student Learning; and Innovative Teaching Practice.

In addition to the use of Twitter, Facebook and blogging was also investigated as a means of innovating in teaching at CPUT. In a paper presented by Dr Ivala and Mrs Gachago, a significant finding was that appropriate use of Facebook and blogs enhances student engagement in learning activities. The social network site was found to be a great “blurrer of boundaries” between students’ academic and social lives, and thus a positive force in improving their engagement.By: Mariëtte Adams

Written by CPUT News
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In a bid to curb first-year dropout rates, CPUT will roll out an integrated First Year Experience (FYE) Project.

Details of this project, which is spearheaded by Fundani CHED, was revealed at the RITAL conference held recently at the Granger Bay Campus.

The annual RITAL conference provides a platform for CPUT staff to showcase research into innovative teaching and learning initiatives.

This year’s theme was Reclaiming Quality: Enhancing the scholarship of teaching and learning in Higher Education. CPUT staff delivered presentations that focused on the subthemes of curriculum development, teaching, learning and assessment practices, and first years. 

Fundani CHED’s Dr Nosisana Mkonto presented on the FYE Project and says first-year retention is not just a South African problem, but a global one.

Mkonto says studies have shown that there are numerous reasons why students fail or withdraw from their studies, ranging from financial difficulties to a mismatch between the student and the course.

Mkonto says first years need to be nurtured and supported.

“As the CPUT community we are going to create a supportive, integrative first year to enhance student development and success,” she says.

The FYE Project focuses on high-impact activities and practices, such as an extended orientation programme and an early warning, referral and support system. Interventions such as online help material, workshops and a mentoring programme have also been included in the project.

Mkonto says when conceptualising the project, they looked at how best they could integrate it to ensure that faculties and support departments work alongside one another to ensure student success.

As a result, structures have been set up in faculties to ensure the success of the project and training will also be rolled out for academic staff.

“The support is not only for students at risk, but for all first years,” says Mkonto

Written by Candes Keating
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