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Learning online as a new experience for students who are accustomed to the traditional face-to-face contact learning may be associated with numerous opportunities and threats. The qualitative case study sought to establish, from students;... more
Learning online as a new experience for students who are accustomed to the traditional face-to-face contact learning may be associated with numerous opportunities and threats. The qualitative case study sought to establish, from students; experiences, the opportunities, and threats of online learning. The study was informed by the Community of Inquiry framework and drew from the experiences of the participants of a 4-week long intensive training programme in a rural-based university in Eswatini. A purposive sample of eleven participants participated in the study by completing a programme evaluation form and participating in an online focus group discussion session. The study utilised the thematic content analysis method to analyse the collected qualitative data. The study found that there were several opportunities realised in online learning as well as some challenges which posed threats. The flexibility and convenience offered by studying online and transcending the limitations of...
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This study assessed the structures and processes of quality monitoring of mentoring in the 1+1 Initial Primary Teacher Education model in Malawi. Data was collected from a sequential mixed methods design comprising a survey followed by a... more
This study assessed the structures and processes of quality monitoring of mentoring in the 1+1 Initial Primary Teacher Education model in Malawi. Data was collected from a sequential mixed methods design comprising a survey followed by a case study which employed document analysis and face to face interviews. 666 respondents (94% response rate) consisting 579 student teachers, 92 mentors, 91 headteachers and 4 lecturers at teacher training college participated in a drop-and-pick census survey. The Cronbach’s Reliability Coefficient (á) for the student teachers’, school mentors’ and headteachers’ questionnaires were 0.971, 0.827, and 0.858 respectively. In the case study phase, 6 purposively sampled participants from two case schools participated in the face to face interviews. Descriptive analysis, anchored in Statistical Package for Social Science, 20.0, was employed on the quantitative data; and qualitative data was analysed by using content analysis. The results revealed that men...
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The aim of the study was investigate implications for academic developers on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The research population consisted of three faculties in one South African university. The researchers used a qualitative... more
The aim of the study was investigate implications for academic developers on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The research population consisted of three faculties in one South African university. The researchers used a qualitative research approach with case study as a research design. The study followed an interpretivist paradigm because it consisted of faculties’ subjective experience on RPL. Purposive sampling consisted of a case from each one of the three faculties used. Data were collected using narrative reports of three cases from three faculties, and these were sent to the advisory centre that serves as a consultant of RPL issues. Data were presented from each of the cases and analysed thematically. The study revealed that there was a lack of knowledge from university RPL committees in three faculties understudied. It was concluded that faculties lack knowledge on RPL practices. It was, therefore, recommended that all RPL committees in the university be trained about RPL...
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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... more
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 be found in the literature. Within an interpretative paradigm, we used questionnaires with mainly open-ended questions to determine a particular group of students’ learning. Findings indicate learning about themselves, their interactions, and their contexts. The study puts forward specific implications to improve future practices based on the findings. The specific contribution is that students who engage in critical self-reflection change their perspectives, allowing them to self-examine and reflect on future actions. This learning experience assists students, lecturers and institutions of higher education in their approach toward crit...
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Scholars in Open Distance Learning (ODL) often refer to distance education as ‘open’. The concept 'openness' on open and distance learning is very fluid and often misunderstood. It is the purpose of this desktop survey to review... more
Scholars in Open Distance Learning (ODL) often refer to distance education as ‘open’. The concept 'openness' on open and distance learning is very fluid and often misunderstood. It is the purpose of this desktop survey to review relevant literature and make interrogation of the concept 'openness'. We advance questions such as; How open is open and distance learning. In what aspects is ODL open and to what extent is the openness. We discuss openness concerning targeted potential students and entry requirements in ODL institutions, the openness of teaching, and learning approaches as well as openness concerning communication, the flexibility of curricula, and assessment. We conclude by answering whether or not ODL institutions are open as well as suggesting measures and ways of enhancing openness in ODL institutions. Article visualizations:
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Mentorship as a concept in teacher training is vital in developing full professionals. It becomes even more effective if the mentors are adequately prepared for their mentorship roles. This study sought to determine: (a) the nature of... more
Mentorship as a concept in teacher training is vital in developing full professionals. It becomes even more effective if the mentors are adequately prepared for their mentorship roles. This study sought to determine: (a) the nature of training mentors had received in mentorship; (b) the extent to which they understood their role as mentors; (c) the mentors' views on the assistance they rendered to mentees; (d) the relationship between parent colleges and mentors; and (e) assess implications for teacher training in Zimbabwe. The study followed a descriptive survey design which utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A comprehensive questionnaire was administered on a purposeful and information-rich sample of 120 mentors in two provinces in Zimbabwe. Interviews were also held with some of the mentors to triangulate findings from the questionnaire. The study revealed that many mentors had not been given any formal training in mentorship; they were not really sure of ...
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The debate on what really contributes to successful PhD theses completion within minimum prescribed time is perennial and unending. A lot of studies on post-graduate research normally focus on modes of research supervision and student... more
The debate on what really contributes to successful PhD theses completion within minimum prescribed time is perennial and unending. A lot of studies on post-graduate research normally focus on modes of research supervision and student funding as the most important factors in PhD research work. However, there is a need to examine student-specific factors. Students may have the best research supervisors and be exposed to the best supervisory practices as well as have adequate research funding but still fail to complete their theses. One needs to have gone through a doctoral programme to understand and appreciate the student-specific factors and conditions that promote or hinder research progress. In this paper we argue that student-specific and not only institutionspecific factors are very crucial in the successful completion of PhD theses. The presentation makes a critical analysis of available literature and also draws from the writers’ own experiences as recent doctoral graduates. ...
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Online learning is different from face-to-face contact learning. The former is technology-mediated and often accused of lacking the interaction the learners would have when learning together in contact sessions. However, the richness of... more
Online learning is different from face-to-face contact learning. The former is technology-mediated and often accused of lacking the interaction the learners would have when learning together in contact sessions. However, the richness of online learning is flexibility, which allows learning to take place anytime from anywhere. Online learning through the utilisation of digital learning platforms may provide rich learning experiences. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted most institutions of higher learning to move to online learning due to restrictions on gathering. Some of the institutions were not prepared for this move and this resulted in challenges in implementing online learning effectively. When online learning is not implemented properly, students will be pedagogically distanced from the course instructor and the learning process. Moore’s (1989) transactional distance theory notes the importance of pedagogical distance to ensure effective distance learning. In this discussion, we u...