Evolving Higher Education
The Impact of Visionary and Inclusive Leadership in Higher Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ramashwar Bharuthram
The remarkable revitalisation of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) at the turn of the century was an unprecedented achievement in the history of higher education in South Africa. In November 2001 UWC was an institution in dire straits, burdening a huge financial debt, a disillusioned and demoralised staff complement still reeling from the trauma of retrenchments, coupled with an academic project facing collapse as student numbers dwindled by a third to less than 10 000. Is there a future for such an institution, described by some as a ‘basket case’ with very bleak prospects of survival? This was the landscape that confronted the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the University of UWC. Fast forward to December 2014. The CEO retires from office, bestowing upon his successor a financially sound institution with a flourishing academic project, recording unprecedented achievements, enriching the lives of more than 20 000 students, and widely acknowledged as a research-led university. This paper discusses how visionary and inclusive leadership with the steadfast belief that your past does not determine your future, galvanised an entire organisation into achieving through a process of sense-making that which was once deemed impossible. While the focus is institution specific, it nevertheless sets out some of the critical issues facing higher education transformation as it seeks new paradigms for linking teaching and learning with research and innovation.
Facilitating The Research Writing Process with Generative Artificial Intelligence View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Thomas D. Cox, Laurie Campbell
In higher education, generative chatbots have infiltrated teaching and learning. Concerns about how and if to utilize chatbots in the classroom are at the forefront of scholarly discussion. This quick-hit paper offers a plan to teach learners about generative AI writing tools and their ethical use for writing purposes. As generative AI tools continue to emerge, this guide can support instructors from all disciplines to engage learners in getting the most accurate information.
Featured Gradual Implementation of Active Learning Impacts Students’ Motivation and Critical Thinking in an Undergraduate Genetics Course
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marcos Nahmad
A major challenge for undergraduate science instructors is to maintain students motivated while, at the same time, deliver critical thinking skills. We conducted a prospective study to measure the impact of gradually implementing active learning on motivation and critical thinking in students enrolled in several sections of a genetics course, which has high drop out and failure rates in the undergraduate biology curriculum of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Instructors received training and guidance on planning and delivering active-learning material in their course, but the implementation has been gradual, and several topics are still taught through traditional lecturing. We hypothesize that topics taught using evidence-based active learning result in higher achievement in test scores, higher levels of critical thinking and student motivation compared to topics delivered traditionally by the same instructors. Preliminary data suggest that active learning enhance student motivation and critical thinking, especially in students with a record of poor or average scores in prior courses. These results suggest that a gradual implementation of student-centered, evidence-based teaching practices could significantly improve learning and motivation of students.
