Dr. Nicola Pallitt is an Educational Technology Specialist at senior lecturer level in the Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL) at Rhodes University. She provides learning design support and designs professional development opportunities for academics to use technologies effectively in their roles as educators. Nicola supervises postgraduate students and co-teaches formal courses in Higher Education. She received her PhD from the University of Cape Town. She values contextual and culturally responsive approaches to learning design and educational technology usage. She seeks to expand critical perspectives on educational technologies in Higher Education. Her research interests include learning design and online professional development. She has a strong interest in promoting inclusivity in the Educational Technology field and co-creating opportunities for practitioner-researchers working in African higher education. Nicola is part of the e/merge Africa team, an online professional development network for educational technology researchers and practitioners in African higher education.
Publication Record
Forthcoming
Book chapter:
Bali, M.; Pallitt, N. & Gachago, D. (in press). Compassionate Learning Design as an Approach to Critical Digital and AI Literacies. Handbook of Research in Digital Literacies, Eds. Julie Coiro, Elena Forzani & Jill Castek.
2025
Accredited journal articles:
Bali, M, Gachago, D., & Pallitt, N. 2025. Compassionate learning design as a liberating praxis: stories from learning designers around the world. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE). Special issue 35.
2024
Accredited journal articles:
Blackie, M.B.; McKenna, S.; Kramm, N. & Pallitt, N. 2024. Interrogating assessment in the age of Generative AI. African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies, 6(1), pp. 1–11. doi: 10.51415/ajims.v6i1.1528.
Book chapters:
Pallitt, N. 2024. Hopes and Values for the Next Generation of Educational Design Research. Eds. Inger-Marie F. Christensen, Lina Markauskaite, Nina Bonderup Dohn, Dwayne Ripley, Roland Hachmann. Creating Design Knowledge in Educational Innovation: Theory, Methods, and Practice. London: Routledge.
Pallitt, N., Gachago, D., & Bali, M. 2024. Embracing Change: Journeys to Learning Design. n Eds. D. Conrad & W. Archer. Portraits of Academic Life in Higher Education: From Hiring to Retiring. Brill.
2023
Commentary:
What is critical in EdTech research? Daniela Gachago in conversation with Nicola Pallitt, Najma Agherdien, Laura Czerniewicz, Tutaleni Asino & Paul Prinsloo. Special Issue: Critique and Criticality in CriSTaL. Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL), 11(SI): 119-126. DOI: 10.14426/cristal.v11iSI.651
Accredited journal:
Ziervogel, G. & Pallitt, N. 2023. Student-Created Videos of Climate Change Vulnerability: Opportunity for connection and care. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education, 38(1): 61-76.
Gachago, D., Bali, M, Pallitt, N. 2023. Equity-Oriented Learning Design: An Entangled Future. Postdigital Science and Education.
Ntshuma, N. & Pallitt, N. 2023. Technology, time and communication: Exploring postgraduate students' experiences of online supervision during the pandemic. Journal for New Generation Sciences (JNGS), 21(1):159-170.
Non-accredited journals:
Gachago, D., Bali, M, Pallitt, N. 2023. Changing from Within: Narratives of Resistance from Equity-Oriented Learning Designers. The Journal of Applied Instructional Design (JAID), 12(2).
Book chapters:
Pallitt, N. & Kramm. 2023. Beyond A ‘Noticing Stance’: Reflecting to expand postdigital positionalities. Eds. Jandrić, P., MacKenzie, A., & Knox, J. Constructing Postdigital Research: Method and Emancipation. Cham: Springer.
Pallitt, N.; Grossman, H.M.; Barlow-Zambodla, A.; Liu, J.C.; Kramm, N.; Sikoyo, L. & Tshuma, N. 2023. Chapter 8: Emerging principles for online cross-cultural, collaborative research. Co-teaching and co-research in contexts of inequality: Using networked learning to connect Africa and the world. Eds. Zifikile Phindile Shangase, Daniela Gachago and Eunice Ivala. Delaware, United States: Vernon Press.
*** This Open Access book can be downloaded for free here.
Salmons, J.; Nobes, A.; Pallitt, N. & Carr, T. 2023. Chapter 23: Teaching research methods online: informal or semi-formal professional development. Eds. Melanie Nind. Handbook of Teaching and Learning Social Research Methods. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 332–349.
2022
Accredited journal:
Pallitt, N. & Kramm, N. 2022. ERT as mobile learning by necessity: A sociomaterial perspective of lecturers’ design journeys. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL), 14(3): 1-15.
Book chapters:
Gachago, D., Bali, M., & Pallitt, N. 2022. Compassionate Learning Design as a Critical Approach to Instructional Design. In Quinn. J, Burtis, M., Jhangiani, S. & Walji, S. (Eds.) Toward a Critical Instructional Design. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc.
Pallitt, N., Bali, M., & Gachago, D. 2022. Academic Development as Compassionate Learning Design: Cases from South Africa and Egypt. In T. Jaffer, S. Govender & L. Czerniewicz (Eds.), Learning Design Voices. Advance preprint. https://doi.org/10.25375/uct.20028431
2021
Accredited journal:
Krull, G., Ganas, R., Pallitt,N., Kramm, N. & Riley, A. 2021. Reimagining support for learning and teaching in post-covid-19 South African higher education. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning, 5(1): 129-146.
Book chapters:
Romero-Hall, E.; Correia, A.P.; Branch, R.; Cevik, Y.D.; Dickson-Deane, C.; Chen, B.; Liu, J.C.; Tang, H.; Vasconcelos, L.; Pallitt, N. & Thankachan, B. 2021. Futurama: Learning Design and Technology Research Methods. Research Methods in Learning Design and Technology. Ed. Enilda Romero-Hall. New York: Routledge.
Pallitt, N.; Gachago, D. & Bali, M. 2021. No Size Fits All: Design Considerations for Networked Professional Development in Higher Education. Conceptualizing and innovating education and work with networked learning. Eds. Nina Bonderup Dohn, Stig Børsen Hansen, Jens Jørgen Hansen, Thomas Ryberg and Maarten de Laat. New York: Springer.
Non-accredited journal:
Networked Learning Editorial Collective (NLEC): Gourlay, L.; Rodríguez-Illera, J.L.; Barberà, E.; Bali, M.; Gachago, D.; Pallitt, N.; Jones, C.; Bayne, S.; Børsen Hansen, S.; Hrastinski, S.; Jaldemark, J.; Themelis, C.; Pischetola, M.; Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L.; Matthews, A.; Gulson, K.N.; Lee, K.; Bligh,B.; Thibaut, P.; Vermeulen,M.; Nijland, F.; Vrieling-Teunter, E.; Scott, H.; Thestrup, K.; Gislev, T.; Koole, M.; Cutajar, M.; Tickner, S.; Rothmüller, N.; Bozkurt, A.; Fawns, T.; Ross, J.; Schnaider, K.; Carvalho, L.; Green, J.K.; Hadžijusufović, M.; Hayes, S.; Czerniewicz, L. & Knox, J. 2021. Networked Learning in 2021: A Community Definition. Postdigital Science and Education, 3, 326–369 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-021-00222-y
Conference presentations:
IRCEES. 2021. A Collaborative Experiential Approach to Support Equitable Cross-Cultural Research. Association for Educational Communications & Technology Annual Convention, Chicago & Virtual, 2-6 November. Recording here.
IRCEES. 2021. Cross-cultural Collaborative Research Panel: An Evolving Process with Multiple Perspectives. Association for Educational Communications & Technology Annual Convention, Chicago & Virtual, 2-6 November.
IRCEES. 2021. Educational Technology Usage in African Higher Education Contexts: Preliminary Results and Cross-cultural Collaborative Research Process. Association for Educational Communications & Technology Annual Convention, Chicago & Virtual, 2-6 November. Slides here.
2020
Accredited journal:
Czerniewicz, L.; Agherdien, N.; Badenhorst, J.; Belluigi, D.; Chambers, T.; Chili, M.; de Villiers, M.; Felix, A.; Gachago, D.; Gokhale, C.; Ivala, E.; Kramm, N.; Madiba, M.; Mistri, G.; Mgqwashu, E.; Pallitt, N.; Prinsloo, P.; Solomon, S.; Strydom, S.; Swanepoel, M.; Waghid, F. & Wissing, G. 2020. A Wake-Up Call: Equity, Inequality and Covid-19 Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning. Postdigital Science and Education, 2, 946–967.
Non-accredited journal:
Belluigi, D., Czerniewicz, L., Khoo, S., Algers, A., Buckley, LA., Prinsloo, P., Mgqwashu, E., Camps, C., Brink, C., Marx, R., Wissing, G., & Pallitt, N. 2020. “Needs Must”? Critical reflections on the implications of the Covid19 ‘pivot online’ for equity in higher education. Digital Culture and Education.
Conference proceedings:
Gachago, D., Pallitt, N., & Bali, M. 2020. No Size Fits All: Design Considerations for Networked Professional Development in Higher Education. Proceedings of the Networked Learning Conference. Denmark, online.
2019
Book chapter:
Pallitt, N.; Venter, A. & Koloko, M. 2019. Whose ‘Game Culture’ is It, Anyway? Exploring Children’s Gameplay across Cape Town. Video Games and the Global South. Ed. Phillip Penix-Tadsen. Pittsburgh, PA: .Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Accredited Journal:
Winberg, C.; Adendorff, H.; Bozalek, V.; Conana, H.; Pallitt, N.; Wolff, K.; Olsson, T. & Roxå, T. 2019. Learning to teach STEM disciplines in higher education: a critical review of the literature, Teaching in Higher Education, 24 (8), DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2018.1517735
2018
Accredited Journal:
Winberg, C.; Bozalek, V.; Conana, H.; Wright, J.; Wolff, K.; Pallitt, N. & Adendorff, H. 2018. Critical interdisciplinary dialogues: Towards a pedagogy of well-being in STEM disciplines and fields. South African Journal of Higher Education, 32(6): 270‒287.
Conference proceedings:
Pallitt, N.; Carr, T.; Pedersen, J.; Gunness, S.; & Dooga, J. 2018. Perspectives on Learning Design in African Higher Education. Proceedings of the International Conference on e-Learning (ICEL), 5-6th July 2018, Cape Town: South Africa. Pre-print version here.
2016
Accredited Journal:
Winberg, C. & Pallitt, N. 2016. “I am trying to practice good teaching”: Reconceptualizing e-portfolios for professional development in vocational higher education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(3): 543–553.
2015
Book chapter:
Pallitt, N. & Walton, M. 2015. The scripted sandbox: children's gameplay and ludic gendering. In Bulfin, Scott and Nicola Johnson, Eds. Critical perspectives on technology and education, pp. 105–126. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
2012
Accredited Journal:
Walton, M. and Pallitt, N. 2012. ‘Grand Theft South Africa’: games, literacy and inequality in consumer childhoods. Language and Education. 26(4): 347–361.
2009
Online Open Access journal:
Pallitt, N. 2009. Scarce resources: Conflict and sharing in discourse around primary school email use. International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, Vol. 5, (5).