I have developed a student needs survey to assess student needs and incorporate the feedback into the design of courses. The survey assesses the level of digital literacy, academic literacy and contextual factors that may influence learning. It provides useful resources for students to address areas where they are not yet proficient. The survey also allows them to identify contextual factors that may influence their learning and the opportunity to formulate solutions to address the challenges that they have highlighted.  To view embedded documents on my website please log onto your UWC Gmail account. 

The literature indicates that students prefer experiential learning and immediate feedback (Bullen & Morgan, 2016). Teaching and learning using outdated pedagogies, such as ‘Powerpoint and talk’, do not provide students with the level of engagement that they require. Therefore, experiential learning provides the basis for my teaching and learning as it focuses on learning through experience. My class sizes exceed 250 students and this requires a large amount of administration to ensure that they obtain the necessary 21st-century skills and graduate attributes. 

Many of my students are the first to attend tertiary education and are from marginalised communities; therefore my teaching needs to take into consideration the lack of financial, emotional and psychological resources available to some of them. Some of my students have been pregnant, were victims of violence and are unable to afford to attend class lectures. So I am not only a lecturer, I am often a counsellor, a mentor and a motivator. Usually, I am the one who gives tough love and they may not often appreciate it or understand it when I push them to do better. I do this because I honestly care enough to want only the best for them. They often come back after they’ve graduated and are employed to say thank you. I am still in contact with many of my students via LinkedIn.