THE Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Teaching and Learning and the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) is hosting a Siyaphumelela webinar on student-staff co-created curriculum and relational teaching in higher education on Wednesday, 9 February 2022 on Microsoft Teams.
Siyaphumelela is an initiative which seeks to broaden evidence-based post-secondary student success strategies; the programme focuses on building student success through data analytics. It is a three-year challenge grant which is currently on phase 2. The grants are made available by the Kresge Foundation and their goals are to improve institutional capacity by collecting and integrating data with Institutional Research, ICT (ITS), Academic Development, Planning, and Academic Divisions.
The project aligns with the South African Universities Models of Success in using data analytics to improve student outcomes by creating greater awareness and support for using data to improve student success. Siyaphumelela also aims to build a culture of data-based evidence using a large cadre of experienced data analytics professionals supporting student success.
CELT’s Hambisa Project leader: Nalini Chitanand explained that this webinar emanates from the work and the philosophy of partnerships and co-creation of the Hambisa (Moving the Middle) focus 2 area project, which is a part of the broader university Siyaphumelela project.
“This philosophy of cultivating partnerships and co-creating learning and teaching is embedded through all Siyaphumelela focus areas,” she said.
The guest speaker at the event is Dr Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement Institute for Academic Development (IAD), at the University of Edinburg.
Giving insight, Dr Catherine Bovill relayed that there has been a growth of interest in co-creation and partnership research and practice over the last five to 10 years around the world.
“In this webinar I will introduce co-creation and the many forms it can take in different areas of curriculum and other university settings. I will examine real examples of practice, benefits and challenges of both co-creations of the curriculum and co-creation in the curriculum. I will also explore some of the challenges and opportunities co-creation presents for inclusion and decolonisation. Finally, I will argue that co-creation both relies on positive student-staff relationships, but also contributes to building positive relationships,” she said.
She further added that the evidence for beneficial outcomes for students from developing positive student-staff relationships and from experiencing co-created curriculum is growing and poses questions for the ways teaching takes place in higher education. The webinar will also include presentations as well as offering opportunities for interaction.
For further information, contact the Hambisa Project leader: Nalini Chitanand, nalinic@dut.ac.za or Nivedhna Singh, Siyaphumelela@dut.ac.za.
Pictured: Dr Catherine Bovill
Waheeda Peters
