South African universities - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

Three South African universities have new approaches to assessing students: why this is a good thing

SOUTH African higher education faces many complex challenges rooted in the legacy of apartheid. They include the fact that many students are unprepared for or excluded from higher education. Quality education is not available to all. It’s therefore difficult for many students to remain in higher education and eventually graduate. DANICA SIMS, Lecturer, University of Oxford The data points to two persistent trends. The first is that, according to 2018 figures, 69% of young South Africans (20-24) were not enrolled in education programmes. The second is that racial disparities remain in the profile of those enrolled at higher education institutions.…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Studying engineering is tough: 6 insights to help university students succeed

EDUCATION

ENGINEERING courses are a popular choice among South African university students. But these courses are also gruelling and the attrition rates are high. The Council on Higher Education reports that half of the engineering students enrolled at South African universities do not complete their studies. That figure is similar in other parts of the world. CURWYN MAPALING, Senior Lecturer, University of Johannesburg Yet, some students weather the storms of an engineering degree with remarkable resilience, ensuring not just survival but success. How do they do it? I am a senior lecturer and trained academic advisor, registered as a clinical psychologist,…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

South African university students use AI to help them understand – not to avoid work

EDUCATION

WHEN ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it sparked many conversations and moral panics. These centre on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the information environment. People worry that AI chatbots can negatively affect the integrity of creative and academic work, especially since they can produce human-like texts and images. TANJA BOSCH, Professor in Media Studies and Production, University of Cape Town CHIKEZIE E. UZUEGBUNAM, Lecturer & MA Programme Coordinator, Rhodes University ChatGPT is a generative AI model using machine learning. It creates human-like responses, having been trained to recognise patterns in data. While it appears the model…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy – “Cover Up for Institutional Autonomy and Lack of Accountability”

NEWS

MANY South African universities are making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Instead of profiling their intellectual breakthroughs and recent innovations, stories of intimidation, nepotism, financial maladministration, fractious governance, and even worse – assassination attempts and actual murders – dominate our media. Not surprising then that a prevailing perception of universities ‘becoming a law unto themselves’ is taking hold in the public imagination. And that often, the reason for universities not being held to the same standards of public scrutiny is that universities hide behind academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Not so, says Prof Francis Petersen, the Vice-Chancellor and…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s dysfunctional universities: the consequences of corrupt decisions

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHAT happens when those responsible for managing universities cannot trust each other to act with integrity? In a nutshell, as I discuss in my new book, Corrupted: A study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities, dysfunction is the consequence. This is the situation playing out in some South African universities – sometimes with fatal results. In early January 2023, a protection officer who was guarding Fort Hare University vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu was shot dead in an apparent assassination attempt. The shooting has been linked to ongoing investigations into corruption at the university. Author JONATHAN JANSEN, Distinguished Professor, Stellenbosch…

Aug

2022

By The African Mirror

Universities shouldn’t use software to monitor online exams: here’s why

EDUCATION

PROCTORING software monitors a student’s computer or phone while they write exams. These programs have been around for some time but became ubiquitous during online learning during the pandemic. Proctoria, Respondus and Proctor U, the most popular programs, have enjoyed a 500% increase in usage since the start of COVID-19 and proctoring software is now a US$19 billion global market. Author SIOUX MCKENNA, Director of Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Rhodes University & Visiting Research Professor in Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, Rhodes University Some proctoring programs work by checking that the student has only the test software and…

Mar

2022

By The African Mirror

South African universities are training their gaze on the United States. Why it matters

EDUCATION

THREE academic institutions in Africa have established units dedicated to the study of the United States. They are the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Centre for the Study of the United States, the American Language Centre in Morocco, and most recently, the University of Pretoria’s African Centre for the Study of the United States. University of Pretoria Principal Tawana Kupe and Christopher Isike, the new Centre’s Director, explain why Africans need a better understanding of America. Authors TAWANA KUPE, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University, University of Pretoria CHRISTOPHER ISIKE, Professor of African Politics and International Relations, University of Pretoria…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

South African universities have taken to online teaching: but it can’t be permanent

EDUCATION

THE uptake of educational technology in South Africa’s higher education sector has been highly uneven and very slow. Before the pandemic, most courses offered in South African universities had some form of Learning Management System presence. Students could access course guides and readings, upload their assignments, and possibly communicate with their lecturer and peers via forums. But beyond that, many academics seemed to resist making use of the technology, even though it could allow for greater engagement and interactive learning. SIOUX MCKENNA, Director of Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Rhodes University And then 2020 happened and suddenly everyone found themselves thrown…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

What complexity theory can teach leaders of South African universities today

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITIES are complex, dynamic organisations which must adapt in ways that aren’t always planned or predicted. For some university leaders, such challenges present an opportunity to lead for great change within the sector. For others, the sheer speed of unplanned change makes the situation feel chaotic and overwhelming. CYRILL WALTERS, Postdoctoral fellow, Stellenbosch University To succeed, university leaders need to understand that the qualities of leadership that may have worked in the past are different to those required in a complex world. South African higher education institutions experienced significant political unrest since March 2015 when the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall movements…