2016

Academic Conferences, Seminars and Symposia

Forum

News & Highlights

2016

Foregrounding Academic Literacies in Higher Education

Overview and Reflection

Unisa Cape Town hosts its 2nd Academic Development Symposium

Is it true that university students can’t read or write?” and “Why are lecturers hard on students, if “Academic English” is ‘no-one’ in South Africa’s first language?

These were some of the key observations raised at recently convened 2nd Annual Academic Development symposium, convened at the Unisa Cape Town campus from 17-18 August 2016. The theme of the year’s Academic Symposium focused on “Foregrounding Academic Literacies in Higher Education”.

The objective of the academic symposium was to create a broader space of engagement among teaching and learning practitioners, and also to yield stronger relationships between Higher Education (HE) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) professionals on how to address issues on academic literacies.”. This was the clear message of Mr John Abrahams, the Head of Facilitation of Learning, at the Unisa Western Cape regional campus

Key presenters to the symposium-proceedings, included the Fulbright post-doctoral scholar, Dr Venicia McGhie, Head of the Academic Literacies of Commerce section based at the University of the Western Cape; esteemed NRF-researcher, Dr Cecilia Jacobs, Director of the Centre of Teaching and Learning at Stellenbosch University, and Ms Tercia Terblanche, the Deputy Principal: Education and Training of the South Cape TVET Colleges.

In her keynote address, Understanding the Learning Challenges of our Students: Towards a Holistic approach to Student Success; McGhie highlighted the multiple learning challenges often faced by students of black (African, Coloured and Indian) descent entering the South African Higher Education system post-1994. In her presentation, McGhie questioned the status quo, by asking questions such what can we, as Higher Education institutions, provide the necessary support to students, and to provide them with epistemological access. In her presentation, McGhie focused her presentation in ‘seeing-the-student-as-a-human’, in which she further linked additional support to mentorship, coaching, and focused-driven strategies to support students in their quest towards academic success.

The address of Dr Cecilia Jacobs, entitled Academic Literacies in disciplinary domains: Opportunities and implications for higher education offered alternative understandings of academic literacies, and argued for a shift from normative to transformative approaches to the development of academic literacies. “There is a need for academic literacies professionals and disciplinary specialists to cross their disciplinary boundaries and to work collaboratively”. This presentation was well-received by many teaching and learning practitioners who want to collaborate to address both generic and disciplinary needs in their classroom.

In Foregrounding Academic Literacies in TVET Colleges, Tercia Terblanche, the Deputy Principal of Education and Training asserted that enabling environments to offer support to underprepared students should be addressed, and that interventions should be quality controlled through continues monitoring.

Other notable panel speakers included, Dr Debby Pheiffer (College of Law), Anton Jordaan (School of Accounting) Puleng Sefalane (HELTASA), Thembinkosi Mtonjeni (HELTASA), Fatima Slemming (Writing Centres SA), Sharifa Daniels (Stellenbosch University), Dr Rose Richards (Stellenbosch University) and Lesley Bergman (TeLL, Stellenbosch University), Engela Wiid (Unisa), Lynne Isaacs (Unisa) and Elizabeth Booi (Unisa).

From a student perspective, Nomonde Malanda captured the essence of Academic Literacies, and particularly critical literacies. Malanda, a CSET-graduate, has started various campaigns and projects after graduating. “We need to think in a way that can change the world after our graduation – and that in itself is also part of literacy”, Malanda responded with a smile in response to a question to why literacy is considered important.

“ This was a very pleasant space of engagement”, was the observation of Academic Development Coordinator, Jacques du Toit “ In all spheres, the whole concept of academic literacies is often seen as an add-on – whether in Higher Education or in TVET sectors - yet most practitioners miss the point. Academic Literacies should form an integral part of teaching and learning in classrooms and especially in distance learning contexts. If strong academic literacies skills are introduced from the onset, new students will start develop those skills needed. If embraced, such knowledge will even deal with the most socio-technical challenges when students encounter learning with technologies.”

Prospectus

In the last decade, it has become apparent that low throughput and retention figures indicated a serious degree of under-preparedness among the majority of learners entering the Higher Education (HE) system in general, to such an extent that the low literacy levels of entry-level students often obstruct the attainment of HE goals (Sondlo & Subotzky, 2010:05).

The poor performance of grade 12 learners in the national benchmark test (NBT) results, which is widely regarded as an important indicator of school-leavers academic reading, writing and quantitative literacy levels indicative of the under-preparedness among a majority of grade 12 learners entering higher education. Institutions of higher learning are therefore obligated to implement academic support programmes to support students.

The objective of this academic symposium is to create a space for both Higher Education (HE) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) specialists and practitioners to unpack some of the current literature and practice-driven initiatives related to academic literacies in practice. Presenters and facilitators include renowned experts, practitioners, established and emerging researchers in their respective fields to provide both theoretical and practical perspectives on how academic literacies should be addressed in higher education.

Presentations will foreground the theoretical frameworks and experiences of practitioners in the broader scope of academia. Presentations will:

- unpack students and facilitators’ literacies practices and experiences in higher education in South Africa.
- draw on best and reflective practices to create innovative, sustainable and efficient learner support environments to address literacies in curricula.
- encourage principled methodologies, approaches and techniques in higher education teaching and learning spaces to address skills development in high-risk courses.

- John Abrahams

Presentations

Keynote Sessions

Understanding the Learning Challenges of our Students: Towards a Holistic Approach to Student Success

Dr Venicia McGhie

Academic Literacies in disciplinary domains: Opportunities and implications for higher education

Prof Cecilia Jacobs

Foregrounding Academic Literacies in (TVET) Colleges

Tercia Terblanche

Parallel Sessions

‘Are we better teachers through technologies?’ A critical reflection on TEL and literacies acquisition in a developing African context

Jacques du Toit