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- This study explores the access and adoption of emerging technologies for curriculum delivery in a rural South African university through the diffusion of innovation lens. It explores how first-year undergraduate students at the selected rural university experience the integration of digital tools into their learning experiences. Located in the rural higher education context, the research focuses on the interplay between the access of emerging technologies and the persisting digital divide. Qualitative design data collection was done using semi-structured interview questions with 20 students from four faculties, namely Education; Humanities and Social Sciences; Science and Agriculture; and Commerce and Law. The study adopts Diffusion of Innovation Theory as the theoretical framework that underpins how learners encounter, adopt and interpret technological innovations for curriculum delivery. Results reveal patterns of adoption based on the constraints of limited digital infrastructure, old devices, and a non-existent support structure. Part of the students’ comments included dependency on informal peer learning, with frustration dealing with inconsistent connectivity and training access. This interaction is also urgent for context-specific technology orientation programs and needs for strategic infrastructure development and pedagogical models which are inclusive and sensitive to rural realities in the fight to narrow the digital divide.
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- The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of subject advisers on curriculum change and delivery in secondary schools. The survey design which adopts quantitative research approach was used. Random sampling procedure is used to select b samples of 300 respondents in the study who are subject advisers. Questionnaires were administered to all selected 300 subject advisers, however, only 217 were duly completed and analysed for the study. The findings indicate among others that curriculum delivery is dependent on teachers’ familiarization with the curriculum, planning of lessons and teaching through the use of the curriculum. The study recommends that teachers should be motivated to familiarize themselves with the curriculum, trained periodically on how to use the curriculum when planning their lessons and teaching. Also, continuous curriculum change should be checkmated.
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- This discursive study examined the use of the learning management system (LMS) Moodle in rural South African universities. Moodle, a popular online programme, can be used to deliver learning activities, as well as online learning evaluations. The authors discuss LMS usage and adoption in higher education. LMS is a global online platform used in higher education institutions in developed countries across the globe, for decades. It has improved the education system in these developed countries by providing diverse students with learning opportunities, in their comfort zones. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, most developed nations adopted online methods, like LMS, for teaching and learning. Unfortunately, the pandemic lockdown in many developing nations, like South Africa, severely disrupted curriculum and educational activities for months. The South African Department of Higher Education and Training reviewed curriculum delivery approaches, to save academic activities due to COVID-19. Thus, it deemed online learning a higher education alternative to face-to-face curriculum instruction, during the lockdown to salvage the academic calendar, with LMS used as ideal online learning for student engagement.
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- Teachers' pedagogical beliefs are central to shaping their instructional practices and significantly influence the teaching and learning process. These beliefs are often reflected in classroom behaviour and inform the quality of teachers‟ instructional decision-making. In South Africa, various higher education institutions offer preservice teacher education programmes aimed at developing professional educators capable of upholding the core values of the teaching profession.This interpretive qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of pre-service teachers concerning their teaching skills during their enrolment in the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programmes at a selected rural university. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with 20 participants following their teaching practice placements. Thematic analysis was employed to identify and interpret key themes emerging from the data. The findings revealed that participants entered the B.Ed. and PGCE programmes with traditional pedagogical beliefs shaped by their own experiences as high school learners. However, these beliefs underwent noticeable transformation during their teaching practice in actual classroom settings. A recurring insight among participants was the disconnect between the theoretical knowledge acquired at university and the practical realities of the classroom. The study recommends a more deliberate alignment between pre-service teacher education coursework and the contextual realities of schools. Bridging this gap is essential for preparing future teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Moreover, the findings underscore the critical role of teaching practice in reshaping pedagogical beliefs and supporting the professional development of preservice teachers.
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- Novice teachers' use of English as the medium of instruction in curriculum delivery across all subjects in rural South African schools is the focus of this study. The duration of their entry into the profession as Post Graduate Certificate in Education holders is short and does not capacitate them enough, thus, making them weak and inexperienced, with a high degree of professionalism, especially at the commencement of their careers. This study investigates the lived experiences of selected novice rural teachers on the tasks of teaching in English across all subjects in the rural schools. Fifteen participants from 15 high schools were purposively selected from 15 different rural high schools from King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. The participants were engaged in a focus group discussion as well as classroom observations of these teachers for data collection. Data analysis for this qualitative study was thematically analysed to generate themes for the
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