Application of systems theory for analysing the sustainability foci and practices of the Faculty of Economics and Information Technology Systems: (A Case Study of Walter Sisulu University: Komani campus)
- Authors: Klishi, Konwaba Bomikazi
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Sustainable development Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa Mthatha , System theory , Curriculum evaluation South Africa Mthatha , Community engagement , Walter Sisulu University for Technology and Science
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/405281 , vital:70157
- Description: Sustainable development is a global concern that intertwines several factors, including poverty, biodiversity, inequality, water, and energy. This interconnection does not only affect the current generation but may have long term implications for future generations as we see the rapid spread of environmental risk in our local communities. In this study, systems theory was adapted for analysing the sustainability focus of the Faculty of Economics and Information Technology Systems (FEITS) at Walter Sisulu University. A qualitative research method was used during this research, and data collected from a purposive sample of staff, activities and documentation. In this study, Von Bertalanffy’s systems theory is applied to analyse the sustainability foci and practices of the FEITS. The study describes sustainability practices and concerns that emerge from research activities, community engagement activities and work-integrated learning. The theory is also used to analyse the connection between various subsystems of the faculty when addressing emerging local sustainability concerns. Education for sustainable development is an important aspect of this study as it considers the sustainability concerns in the curriculum from the perspective of current and future alternatives for the economy and socio-ecological aspects of communities. The following findings have emerged from the study: Contextual realities related to inequality were foci of discussion and concern in various qualifications. Socioecological issues and risks were found to be related to water and sanitation, food security and climate change. Sustainability discourse is related to health and wellbeing, peace, and security. There is an alignment of green skills to the curriculum of the faculty and pedagogical practices which relate to sustainability. The faculty participates in stakeholder platforms to respond local sustainability challenges and is developing courses in response to local development needs. This study has implications for the faculty’s curriculum in terms of the content of various qualifications, future research, and community engagement activities of the university. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
The nexus between Community Engagement and Academic Language Development
- Authors: Thondhlana, Mazvita Mollin
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Community engagement , Service learning Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa , Education, Higher Social aspects South Africa , Community and college South Africa , Academic writing Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa , Information literacy Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/405509 , vital:70177 , DOI 10.21504/10962/405509
- Description: Community engagement (CE) is now widely considered a core function of higher education worldwide. In South African higher education institutions (HEIs), there is an increasing focus on CE as a means of transforming the role of the university in society, though the forms and shapes of CE vary by institution. CE is positioned as part of the means of addressing the challenges within the South African education system, such as ensuring equity in academic access in the face of diversity and making sure higher education institutions are responsive to the needs of society. Community Engagement is increasingly being afforded the same status as teaching and learning and research in higher education. The idea that higher education should function as a public good is central to this. This study reflects on how CE can be expansively viewed as places of learning for students to achieve epistemic access with epistemic justice, particularly in increasing diverse and changing contexts. Despite the growing research on CE in HEIs, there is comparatively limited focus on the intersection between CE and language use and potential linkages with identity and epistemic access and success. Given that one of the major challenges in South African HEIs relate to difficulties experienced by students whose home language is not English, the experiences of students learning within CE contexts within those institutions warrants investigation. The main aim of this study was to explore second language English speaking students’ experiences of language in the Engaged Citizen Programme, a Community Engagement programme at Rhodes University aimed at offering students the opportunity of enhanced learning, giving students the opportunity to evaluate the theories and ideas taught in the university against the realities of the South African context. The programme is also intended to offer students the opportunity to learn with and from communities and thereby enable personal growth (ECP Handbook: 2020; p.3). Using an in-depth phenomenological approach, this study explored diverse students’ experiences of language use in both community engaged programmes and in the classroom as a basis for understanding the role language plays in such spaces and the impact of these programmes on epistemic access, justice and success for students in HEIs. The study explored the role that CE plays for second language English students as they navigate complex questions of identity and belonging in HEIs. In CE activities, such as the Engaged Citizen Programme, unlike traditional classroom learning, English is often not the medium of instruction, as learning takes place in community sites, where multiple other languages are spoken. In the traditional classrooms, English is the dominant medium of instruction which can bring challenges for students whose home language is not English. Students are faced with various challenges including failure to communicate effectively and understand content knowledge. Significantly this study found that this often related to a sense of self-worth and belonging and constrained their participation and engagement in class. It was evident from the students’ reflections on their experiences in the Engaged Citizen Programme that CE provided a more flexible space generally more comfortable to these participants; a space that promotes engaged learning without rigid rules. The students’ reflections affirmed the contribution of CE in promoting engagement of students outside the formal classes and enhancing the ways in which they use language freely. It was also evident from the students’ reflections that CE provided a space in which students can identify who they are and have a sense of belonging. In the context of diversity, the majority of the students said they come to the university feeling a level of under preparedness and cannot identity with dominant groups. The reflections from the students’ experiences therefore offer some insights into ways in which we can actively promote CE in supporting student access and addressing issues of epistemic justice in higher education. The findings suggest that many of the benefits of CE, such as higher levels of interaction and significant amounts of translanguaging, need to be brought into the formal classroom spaces because they enhanced student engagement. While CE was also seen to be challenging and there were calls for more support, the essence of the experience was as a space of personal development and awareness of social responsibility. The explicit normative value of CE was in contrast to the absence of such considerations in the formal HE curriculum and the student experiences suggest that much could be learned from this. The use of English, both on campus and in CE activities, was found to be value-laden and politically charged. The participants, black students who spoke English as an additional language, all related experiences of English being positioned as a ‘superior’ language. The students who were highly fluent in English experienced being positioned as ‘showing off’ and seen to have ‘forgotten their roots’. Students who were not highly fluent in English, on the other hand, often constrained their participation in class because they experienced concern that their mispronunciations and accents may be mocked. The essence of the experience of language use in both formal classroom settings and in CE activities is that this is tightly bound to identity and is ideologically fraught. This requires more explicit conversation in all learning spaces. , Kubatirana pamwe nenharaunda (KPN) (CE) iko zvino kwave kutariswa zvakanyanya sembiru yebasa redzidzo yepamusoro pasirese. MuSouth Africa muzvikoro zvedzidzo yepamusoro (ZZY) (HEIs), kune kuwedzera kwekupa nguva kuKPN kunyangwe mamiriro uye maumbirwo eKPN achisiyana zvichienderana nechikoro chacho. Nematambudziko ari mukati memunezvedzidzo muSouth Africa uye nekumwewo, sekuenzanisira mukuwanikwa kwedzidzo mukusiyana kwevanhu nemaitiro uye kuona kuti zvikoro zvepamusoro zvinoteerera zvinodiwa munharaunda, KPN yaakupihwa kukosha kumwechete nekudzidzisa nekudzidza uyewonetsvagiridzo mudzidzo yepamusoro nechinangwa chekushandura nzira idzo ruzivo rwunoshandurwa mukushanda kwedzidzo yepamusoro sechinhu chakanakira munhu wese (ona Bhagwan: 2017). Shanduko yemaonero ekugadzirwa kwezivo nebasa remayunivhesiti mumagariro, kubva kunzira dzakare dzekuzvionera pamusoro kuenda kumayunivhesiti anobatikana nenharaunda zvinoonekwa senzira chaiyo yekuzadzisa chinangwa chekuti mayunivhesiti ave anodavira kune zvakapoteredza, aine mutoro nazvo uye achiunza shanduko. Pamwongo wemakakatanwa anechekuita neKPN panenyaya yekuti KPN inogona kutariswa zvakanyanya sevanze dzekudzidza dzevadzidzi uye kuwana kupinda munezveruzivo nezvekururamisira, kunyanya mukuwedzera kwokusiyana nekushanduka kwemamiriro ezvinhu. Zvakadaro, kunyangwe paine kukura mukufarirwa kweKPN muZZY, kune kushomeka kwekutarisa panosangana KPN nekushandiswa kwemutauro uye hukama nezvekuti unozviti uri ani uye kuwana kupinda munezvezivo nekubudirira. Muchiitiko chekudzidza kuburikidza nezviitwa zveKPN, zvichisiyana nekudzidza muimba yekudzidzira (kirasi) kwagara kuripo muZZY, Chirungu hachisiriicho nzira yekuraira nayo, sezvo kudzidza kuchiitika munzvimbo dzirimunharaunda. Mumakirasi ekudzidza kwagara kuripo, Chirungu ndomutauro unonyanyoshandiswa pakurairidza izvo zvinogona kuita kuti vadzidzi vanotaura mutauro usiri Chirungu kumba vatarisane nematambudziko anosanganisira kukundikana kutaura zvavarikuda, kuvenehukama nezvirikuitika chaizvo uye kunzwisisa ruzivo rwezvinodzidzwa zvinogona kukanganisa kutora chikamu kwavo nokubatirana kwavo nezvinengezvichiitika mukirasi. Nokuda kwokuti rimwe rematambudziko makuru muZZY zvemuSouth Africa rinechekuita nezvinetso zvinosangana nevadzidzi vane mutauro wekumba usiri Chirungu, panefaniro yekuoongorora zvinosanganikwa nazvo nevadzidzi mukati meKPN. Wongororo iyi idavidzo kumukaha uwu. Chinangwa chikuru chewongororo iyi chachiri chekuongorora zvinosanganikwa nazvo nevadzidzi vanotaura Chirungu semutauro wechipiri muEngaged Citizen Programme, chirongwa cheCommunity Engagement chine chinangwa chekupa vadzidzi mukana wekusimudzira madzidziro, kupa vadzidzi mukana wekuyera/kuongorora pfungwa dzirimukudzidza nemaonero munezvinodzidziswa muyunivhesiti zvichiyenzaniswa nezviri kuitika muSouth Africa pamwe nekupa vadzidzi mukana wekudzidza kubva kune nepamwe nenharaunda zvichitungamirira kukukura semunhu mumwe nemumwe (ECP Handbook: 2020; p.3) paRhodes University, inovayunivhesiti inoshandisaChirungu pakurairidza. Ichishandisa nemaitiro akadzama nzira yekuongorora inonzi phenomenological approach wongororo iyi yakatarisa zvinosanganikwa nazvo zvevadzidzi vakasiyana-siyana mukushandiswa kwemutauro muzvirongwa zvokubatirana pamwe nenharaunda uye mukirasi sehwaro hwekunzwisisa zvibereko zvezvirongwa izvi pakuwanikwa kwezvezivo, kururamisira uye kubudirira kwevadzidzi muZZY. Wongororo iyi yangayakanangawo zvakare kuongorora basa rinoitwa neKPN kuvadzidzi avo mutauro wechipiri urichiRungu pavanenge vachiedza kupindura mibvunzo yakaoma inechekuita nezvekuti ndivanaani uye nekuva kwavo chikamu chemuZZY. Zvakava pachena kubva mukufungisisa kwevadzidzi pamusoro pekuvevangavarimuchirongwa Engaged Citizen Programme kuti KPN kwakavapa nzvimbo yakasununguka uye yakagadzikana, inosimudzira kudzidza kunobata pasina mitemo yakaoma/isingashandurwi. Kufungisisa kwevadzidzi kwakasimbisa zvinounzwa neKPN mukusimudzira kuvanechekuita kwevadzidzi munezvinoitika kunze kwemakirasi nekusimudzira nzira dzavanoshandisa mutauro nadzo vakasununguka. Zvaivawo pachena kubva mukufungisisa kwevadzidzi kuti CE yakapa nzvimbo yekuti vadzidzi vazive kuti ndivanaani uye kuti vanzwe kuti ndevepi. Mumamiriro ekusiyana kwezvinhu, vazhinji vevadzidzi vakati vanouya kuyunivhesiti vachinzwa vaine chiyero chekugadzirira chepasi uye vasingagoni kufambidzana nevemapoka aripamusoro/anemukundo. Zvakabuda mukufungisisa kwevadzidzi pamusoro pezvavakapinda mazviri/zvavakasangana nazvo zvinopa mamwe manzwisisiro atingashandisa enzira dzatingashingairira nadzo kusimudzira CE mukutsigira vadzidzi kuwana kupinda nekugadzirisa nyaya dzekururamisira munezvezivo mudzidzo yepamusoro. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-10-14