Charlene du toit- Brits

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 tangible OER adoption and development in the Global South, and specifically in South Africa. It also seems that the flow of OERs is mostly in one direction, namely from developed to developing country contexts. The purpose of this article is to determine what the literature reveals regarding OER adoption and development in South Africa. Within an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative approach, we used an integrative literature review to collect data. Two large databases were consulted, and after applying the chosen inclusion and exclusion criteria, six relevant texts were found and discussed. The findings reveal that limited research is avail...

This book covers original research on the implementation of open educational practices through the use of open educational resources at the university level. The emphasis on open education in this book is on contextualising resources, supporting student agency and fostering self-directed learning specifically within a South African milieu. The envisaged chapters cover conceptual and review research and empirical work focussing on open educational practices and the use of renewable assessments. The work starts off with an overview of an institutional-wide open education project that prompted the research followed by research on open education in terms of various modules in the health science, music education, law, philosophy, dietetics, anthropology, French language learning, journalism and political science. There is a clear gap in the literature on open education in terms of open educational practices, specifically in terms of contextualising resources, supporting student agency and fostering self-directed learning in a South African context. Despite the existence of some general works on open education in terms of policy, social justice and open textbooks, this book will be unique in exploring the intersections of openness, specifically with contextualisation, student agency and self-directedness.

Discussions of dialogue have been at the heart of Distance Learning (well known in the theories of Borge, Holmberg and Moore). This theoretical article focuses on formulating criteria for evaluating the social capital of a particular Distance Learning community, at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus (NWU), and attempts to put forward specific thoughts regarding the importance of dialogue as a key pedagogical method within the Distance Learning setting at NWU through which social capital is being shaped. A number of educationalists recently re-examined the position that dialogue occupies in the Distance Learning setting. Distance Learning is to facilitate through a distance; these students and lecturers are divided physically in occasion and space. Consequently, Distance Learning students and lecturers lack the communal physical attendance that is imperative for communication. In Distance Learning, many communication pathways are imprecise. This article specifically deal...

This book on self-directed learning (SDL) is devoted to original academic scholarship within the field of education, and is the 6th volume in the North-West University (NWU) SDL book series. In this book the authors explore how self-directed learning can be considered an imperative for education in a complex modern society. Although each chapter represents independent research in the field of self-directed learning, the chapters form a coherent contribution concerning the scholarship of self-directed learning, and specifically the effect of environmental and praxis contexts on the enhancement of self-directed learning in a complex society. The publication as a whole provides diverse perspectives on the importance of self-directed learning in varied contexts. Scholars working in a wide range of fields are drawn together in this scholarly work to present a comprehensive dialogue regarding self-directed learning and how this concept functions in a complex and dynamic higher education context. This book presents a combination of theory and practice, which reflects selected conceptual dimensions of self-directed learning in society, as well as research-based findings pertaining to current topical issues relating to implementing self-directed learning in the modern world. The varied methodologies provide the reader with different and balanced perspectives, as well as varied and innovative ideas on how to conduct research in the field of self-directed learning.

OPSOMMING Die hoofdoel van onderrig is om toekomstige selfgerigte burgers te ondersteun in die verkryging van 'n blink toekoms en om die nodige SGL-vaardighede te verskaf om in 'n loopbaan goed onderrig te word. Onderwys, per se, is 'n sleutel tot lewe, kennis, selfvertroue, selfrespek en selfgerigtheid. Verder stel onderwys individue in staat om selfgerig vir die lewe voor te berei. SGL is as teoretiese raamwerk gebruik om die sentraliteit daarvan in die voorbereiding van ons toekomstige arbeidsmag te onderstreep en om uit te lig dat die ontbreking en nie-bevordering daarvan in skole tot agterstande kan lei soos dié wat gedurende die Covid-19-afsonderingstydperk en gepaardgaande skoolsluitings te voorskyn gekom het. Daar word kortliks besin oor die impak van Covid-19 op die volgende: i) die grondslag wat vir basiese onderwys gelê word; ii) die voordeel wat sekere leerders uit aanlyn onderrig getrek het; iii) ouerbetrokkenheid, iv) die belangrikheid van 'n onderwyser...

There has been a major focus on redesigning curricula and with this in mind, self-directed learning (SDL) also has also become a more imperative feature within the curriculum, and more emphasis is placed on the effective implementation of SDL within teaching and learning communities (classrooms). The aim of this theoretical article is to present a framework that is intended to create an awareness of the impact of the environment of students on SDL. This proposed framework has the potential to empower students when applying SDL in their learning and to act as guide or source for educators who want to development the SDL skills of students. The questions that provide the focus for this paper are: why do students struggle to deal with SDL and or to be prepared for employing SDL in their studies, and secondly: Which factors (domains) of a student's existence influences his/her preparedness to be an effective self-directed student and if educators ought to accommodate students differ...

This paper examines simultaneously the influence of teachers’ expectations and behaviour on learners’ experiences and motivation to learn Mathematics. Extensive research concerning the influence of teachers’ expectations and teaching behaviour was done in other countries such as Canada and Israel. The fact that research into this phenomenon in South Africa was limited, motivated me to explore the influence of Mathematics teachers’ expectations on Mathematics learners’ performance. In literature, most of the researchers agree that some learners experienced SFP during the teaching and learning process and that teachers’ behaviour correlates with their suspected expectancy of the learners’ academic (Mathematics) abilities. In other words, teachers react and teach according to the information they believe is true about the learners. The analyses confirmed that Mathematics learners responded positively to, and experienced constructive positive criticism by the Mathematics teachers as mot...

This book on self-directed learning (SDL) is devoted to original academic scholarship within the field of education, and is the 6th volume in the North-West University (NWU) SDL book series. In this book the authors explore how self-directed learning can be considered an imperative for education in a complex modern society. Although each chapter represents independent research in the field of self-directed learning, the chapters form a coherent contribution concerning the scholarship of self-directed learning, and specifically the effect of environmental and praxis contexts on the enhancement of self-directed learning in a complex society. The publication as a whole provides diverse perspectives on the importance of self-directed learning in varied contexts. Scholars working in a wide range of fields are drawn together in this scholarly work to present a comprehensive dialogue regarding self-directed learning and how this concept functions in a complex and dynamic higher education c...