Browsing by Author "van den Berg, Geesje"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Book Review : Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures
    (2024-07-21) van den Berg, Geesje; Panda, Santosh
    Higher education for good is a book of hope that makes an essential contribution to the future of the university. Edited by Laura Czerniewicz and Catherine Cronin, it is an open-source book published in 2023. It explores how higher education can act as a transformative force for good within and outside the academic field. This is particularly relevant in a context marked by turbulence and severe crises in recent years. In this regard, Guzmán-Valenzuela (in the preface of the book) asks, "How can universities contribute to the good despite these rather gloomy and dark times, narratives, and practices?” (p. 33). The book addresses this question with hope by presenting theoretical and practical perspectives on rethinking and reshaping higher education.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Critical Reflection by Mature Students as Co-Developers of an Open Educational Resource in Foregrounding Their Learning
    (2023-11-17) van den Berg, Geesje; Mudau, Patience Kelebogile; Maphosa, Cosmas; Amponsah, Samuel; Manditereza, Blandina; van der Merwe, Jennifer; Mongwe, Stephen; Panda, Santosh
    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 critical reflection and the co-development of OER.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Student Perceptions of Online Examinations as an Emergency Measure during Covid-19
    (2023-07-18) Biccard, Piera; Mudau, Patience Kelebogile; van den Berg, Geesje; Panda, Santosh
    This article explores student perceptions of writing online examinations for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, examinations at an open and distance learning institution in South Africa were conducted as venue-based examinations. From March 2020, all examinations were moved online. Online examinations were introduced as an emergency measure to adhere to safety and health protocols. Although students in developed countries have indicated benefits to online examinations, less is known about students living in the Global South when it comes to writing examinations online. Not enough is known about the benefits and challenges of online examinations since they were implemented as an emergency measure. We aimed at exploring student perceptions of writing online examinations for the first time, improve examination processes by including student views. Through an analysis of 336 written responses to an open-ended question posed at the end of an online survey, we established that digital access, duration of the examination, and the examination system interface affected students’ success in online examinations. Based on the findings, we recommend that students need to be given tools and data to participate in online examinations. Furthermore, students should be granted ample opportunity to practise writing online examinations while receiving the necessary support.