http://hdl.handle.net/10500/6544 2013-06-19T04:05:34Z 2013-06-19T04:05:34Z Gous, I. G. P. Roberts, Jennifer http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9502 2013-05-18T22:03:00Z 2012-09-01T00:00:00Z

Breaking the sound barrier : using technology to bridge the divide between lecturer and student in an ODL setting Gous, I. G. P.; Roberts, Jennifer Language broke through the barriers dividing the modules in the mind, according to the cognitive scientist Stephen Mithen. It is, after all, easier to talk someone to a distant hunting ground than to walk him there. Is the same possible in an open and distance learning environment? Traditional teaching and lecturing is predominantly about talking, but because lecturer and student are located at a distance, in ODL the focus is currently more on writing. This may not have to be the case, though. In an experimental phase, the teaching of a Unisa course “The Bible and Life Skills” (OTS2603) makes use of the LiveScribeTM SmartPen to audibly bridge the divide between lecturer and student. This inexpensive piece of equipment enables a lecturer to create and link written notes and the spoken word, and effortlessly share it with all students who have the ability to access PDF files. In generational theory terms, the new student is ready for this – isn’t it time for the new lecturer to make his or her voice heard? ODL12 Conference paper

2012-09-01T00:00:00Z Goodwin-Davey, A. A. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9501 2013-05-18T22:02:32Z 2012-09-01T00:00:00Z

Exploring the discourse of academic blogs : staking a claim within higher education discourse Goodwin-Davey, A. A. If we Google “How to write a blog”, we get about 1 110 000 000 results in 0.30 seconds (13 February 2012). But how can we describe this explosive phenomenon called blogging, more specifically when used in higher education? This presentation provides an analysis of educational blog texts from several perspectives to describe how this type of digital text is evolving into its own type of discourse. The focus is on educational blogs in the higher education sphere, specifically around issues of open distance learning (ODL). As a genre, this type of blog has yet to be analysed in depth from a rhetorical perspective. The presentation is a description of the linguistic and metatextual components of educational blogs and gives insight into possibilities of how blogging can be integrated into various teaching and learning scenarios. The blogs are analysed to identify themes and specific language and rhetorical features in relation to several issues: register and tone; information versus interpersonal focus; authorial stance and agency. At the same time, we have broadened the typical textual analysis scope to include metatextual issues such as webpage design and hypertextual features. Preliminary results have indicated that blogs are increasingly used as a source of accurate, valid and reliable information and have moved beyond mere personal reflection. Blogging has changed the way information is disseminated, and in educational contexts, specifically challenging traditional conceptions of “the sage on the stage” and “the guide on the side”. Because of the nature of educational blogging, with the comment function, the texts are no longer created by a single “dedicated author”, but go through a process of co-creation and ongoing engagement. In this way, blogging can play a unique role in higher education – by further enriching the teaching and learning environment, and by challenging our views of academic discourse. ODL12 Conference paper

2012-09-01T00:00:00Z Fungura, N. Chikumba, S. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9500 2013-05-18T22:03:00Z 2012-09-01T00:00:00Z

Relationship between formative and summative assessment in open distance learning : University of South Africa : School of Engineering case study Fungura, N.; Chikumba, S. Formative and summative assessments are an integral part of learning. As such, they have been emphasised by educational theorists, practitioners and policy-makers as critical to the success of educational curricula. Formative assessment can be defined as assessment for learning and summative assessment as the process of grading a learner. This paper delves into formative and summative assessment practices and instruments in an Engineering distance learning environment and seeks to correlate student performance in continuous assessment and final summative assessment. A case study of Unisa’s School of Engineering is presented. The Unisa systems of assessment consist of a complex array of infrastructures and personnel. The processes of formative and summative assessment are described in this paper; first the ideal form of formative assessment is discussed, followed by the challenges of the system as experienced by lecturers and learners. This is followed by statistics of the learners’ performance in formative assessment versus summative assessment in a third-year level Chemical Engineering course. A statistical comparison is made of the end-of-semester performance of learners who participate in formative assessment and those who do not. ODL12 Conference paper

2012-09-01T00:00:00Z Du Plessis, E. C. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9499 2013-05-18T22:02:54Z 2012-09-01T00:00:00Z

Students' views on e-learning Du Plessis, E. C. In the distance teaching institutions where e-learning initiatives are underway and where the planners and administrators grapple with effective adaptation and implementation of technology-enabled education, students’ views on e-learning assume considerable significance. Access to computers and the internet by students plays a crucial role in making an effective shift from a traditional distance education mode of delivery to web-enabled education and teaching. In this study, the researcher focuses on the views of Unisa distance education (DE) students who are enrolled for the PGCE qualification. Data are collected by means of (mainly) quantitative research, plus a certain amount of qualitative research. This paper reports the findings of a study in progress regarding students’ standpoint on and access to e-learning. ODL12 Conference paper

2012-09-01T00:00:00Z