CLTD Prospectus 2023

Overview

CLTD provides research-informed support in higher education learning and teaching. Our programmes and activities aim to enhance the quality of learning and teaching at Wits. We team up with faculties and service departments to support academics by providing:

• Academic professional learning courses, workshops and programmes

• Curriculum renewal and transformation

• Hyflex blended learning and teaching

• Evaluation and peer reviews of teaching

• Higher education research and the scholarship of learning and teaching

• Individual and institutional capacity building in learning and teaching

Scheduling

This prospectus sets out the Centre’s academic professional learning opportunities for 2023. Where dates have already been scheduled, these are stipulated. The coordinators’ contact details are provided in each case if you have any queries about any aspect of the prospectus, including logistics.

Cost

CLTD workshops are offered free to employees of the University. However, when workshops are conducted in contact mode on campus, the Centre incurs considerable costs in terms of catering, printing, and consultants’ fees. If a participant books a place in a workshop, and does not arrive, the attributable portion of costs so incurred will be recouped from the participant. There will be a penalty fee of R500 for non-attendance at a booked internal workshop, and R2 500 for non-attendance at a booked external workshop, unless we are given two working days’ notice to allow us to fill the place. (External workshops are indicated by means of an asterisk next to the workshop name).

Refreshments

When workshops are conducted in contact mode on campus, we provide tea and coffee at tea-breaks. You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages.

Booking

Bookings formostworkshops are done via Oracle. From the Oracle log-in page, click on Employee Self Service, and then on My Learning Gateway, then on My Learning.

All workshops are loaded under CLTD. Please book well in advance. All the workshops have limited capacity, and if your workshop of choice is full, you may need to be wait- listed for the next one scheduled. Only a few workshops of a particular type are offered each year, and these are filled on a first-comefirst-served basis. Please be advised that whilst every care is taken with the scheduling of training, due to unforeseen circumstances, there is a chance that dates and times may change.

Venues

All our workshops and courses will be offered in line with the university’s Learning & Teaching plan for 2023. A meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Where workshops and courses are provided in contact mode, they will mostly be in one of the venues in the CLTD Building, West Campus. The nearest gate is Enoch Sontonga Gate 9. (CLTD is diagonally opposite the Flower Hall). The rooms are designated Frog, Tree, and Snow. Only Frog Room is wheelchair accessible.

Please indicate on your booking form if you have specific needs related to being differently abled.

As parking space is limited, it is generally advisable, where possible, to walk to the building rather than drive, particularly when students are writing exams in the Flower Hall.

Website

Please visit the CLTD website at https://www.wits.ac.za/cltd/

Continuous academic professional learning pathways

As part of the professional learning opportunities, CLTD offers the following core programmes/courses/workshops. These courses aim to offer flexible engagement opportunities, requiring a self-directed approach to learning, with minimal, strategic contact or virtual sessions.

While we identify and recommend three learning pathways, please note that all offerings are open and flexible as per individual need.

The three recommended learning pathways with associated, differentiated offerings are depicted in Fig 1, some with an added mentoring component, underpinned by Community of Practice (CoP) principles.

Emerging and Early Career Academic (ECA)

• Tutor Programme/Partnership

• Early Career Academic Development Programme (ECAD)

• Now@Wits

• Academic Role

LEARNING PATHWAYS

• Facilitating Online

• Assessment in Higher Education

• Scholarship of Learning & Teaching

• Designing & building your course on ulwazi

• Digital Assessments

• Intro to Conferences (“BigBlueButton”) in ulwazi

• Enhance learning through video with Canvas Studio

Mid-Career Academic (MCA)

• Academic Role

• Facilitating Online

• Assessment in Higher Education

• Curriculum Development (CD 0-4)

• Introduction to Postgraduate Supervision

• Enhancing Postgraduate Supervision

• PGDip (Education) in the field of Higher Education

• Scholarship of Learning & Teaching

• Conceptualise, Design, Build and Evaluate your Course

• Using Gradescope in ulwazi

• Using Mastery Paths in ulwazi

• Using Canvas New Analytics to improve student engagement

• Engaging approaches/strategies for facilitating learning interactions

Senior-Career Academic (SCA)

• Senior Career Academic Transitioning (SCAT) programme

• Scholarship of Learning & Teaching

• Engaging approaches/strategies for facilitating learning interactions

• Smart Educational Technologies for Student-centred (Inter)active learning

• Course Review: Through the Lens of a Learner

Differentiated learning pathways

Learning and Teaching workshops, courses and programmes

Early Career Academic Development (ECAD) Programme

The Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development (CLTD) and the Wits Research Office have jointly developed a programme to support the professional learning of early career academics (ECAs).

The programme is based on the intention to nurture new and emerging academics within the Wits context and specifically aims to:

• Instil the value of holistic professional learning to enable the teacher, researcher academic citizenship and scholarly academic roles.

• Provide relevant resources and skills to mediate, negotiate and navigate the challenges experienced as early career academics within the Wits and higher education context.

• Provide access to a supportive and collegial Wits and higher education network with opportunities for collaborations, mentorships, and a community of care.

• Provide the dialogical space and platform to explore continuously changing higher education context and the changing demand made on academics and their roles.

The programme will be of particular interest to newly appointed academics at associate lecturer and lecturer levels, the academic pursuing a PhD qualification, and the academic who has a PhD qualification for 5 years orless

The ECAD Programme plans to provide support for ECADers to complement their disciplinary knowledge and skills by further developing their teaching, research, and interpersonal skills to enable them to effectively transition into productive academics within the Wits context. Successful completion of the programme will be based on participation in:

• mandatory full day ECAD orientation

• a choice of 3 research and teaching workshops, courses or programmes selected from the CLTD Prospectus

• 4 Communities of Practice meetings

• a 4-day facilitated online writing retreat

• Mentoring

• ECAD closing reflective valedictory session

Date: Various dates throughout the 2023 academic year to be communicated to participants.

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinators: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Mrs Rieta Ganas rieta.ganas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Enhancing Mid – Career Academic Transitions (EMCAT)

This Carnegie funded programme is a new initiative for mid-career academic staff members transitioning into professional and or academic leadership positions. In aiming to cohere the research, teaching and academic citizenship components of the academic role, this programme is a collaboration between the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development (CLTD), the Wits Research Office and the Transformation and Employment Equity Office (TEEO).

The professional opportunities will include:

• Engagements in relation to leadership in teaching, research & academic citizenship

• Creation of personally relevant transition plan supported by an academic portfolio writing retreat

• Dialogue, conversation and networking opportunities through Communities of Practice and small group mentorship sessions

Date: Various dates between February 2022 and June 2023 to be communicated to participants.

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinators: Mrs Rieta Ganas rieta.ganas@wits.ac.za

Mrs Natasha Munsamy natasha.munsamy@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Senior Career Academic Transitions

Within the ever-changing HE sector, ensuring that those entering leadership roles are fully equipped to do so is crucial. The Senior Career Academic Transitioning (SCAT) programme is designed to help participants recognise, explore, and develop their leadership style, and how they may seek to adapt their preferred style as the situation requires. Whether the goal is to effect change or maintain stability within the faculty, school or department, the programme can help you build the confidence and leadership skills you will need to become an understanding, resilient and influential leader collectively and collaboratively. This program is designed to support midcareer academics who are actively pursuing a promotion to senior career academics and those in the senior career academic track who wish to strengthen their leadership skills. Participants will benefit from a programme that includes presentations and

activities as well as in-session mentoring.

Expectation:

Participants are expected to attend all of the scheduled sessions and to prepare assigned work. This program is meant to be a coherent program through which all participants actively collaborate. A major value of the program is that participants get to know one another, form a learning community, and support one another.

Second Run

Date: 5 July

19 July

2 August

16 August

6 September

20 September

Mode/Venue and Time:

Leadership profiles

Collaboration/collective wisdom and knowledge

Leading in times of change

• Sessions will comprise a combination of contact and virtual. Contact sessions will be scheduled in 2-hour blocks spread over three months at the CLTD.

• Asynchronous/Ulwazi only: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

• MS Teams or CLTD: Wednesdays

o 10:00 12:00

o 1hr themed session

o 30 min reflective journaling session, and

o 30 min peer mentoring session

o (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinator: Ms Nazira Hoosen nazira.hoosen@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Now@Wits

The Now@Wits Programme for new academics, involves an orientation to the Wits context and a stronger sense of self as an academic within Wits; multidisciplinary and disciplinary Community of Practice meets and mentorship through peer review. Through varied engagements, the programme aims to create the conditions for new academics to continuously reflect on their learning and teaching, research and academic citizenship practices as they work towards a probation portfolio. This could advantage both the School and Academic with the opportunity to enhance ongoing performance conversations. Through collaboration with Faculty Representatives, the programme complements professional learning opportunities offered by each Faculty.

The Now@wits programme foregrounds the need to enhance confidence and

contextual exploration while being an academic at Wits. The programme aims to work with an academic’s already established identity to provoke a stronger confidence in generating self-knowledge to enhance learning and teaching, research and academic citizenship decision making and agency.

In full acknowledgement of the current academic workload, the programme is designed to run over 6 months taking careful consideration of the contact and virtual time allocated to engage with the varied sessions. A mandatory series of workshops, and multidisciplinary and disciplinary community of practice meetings will take place over a 6-month period.

• 2 consecutive full day workshops - Introduction to HE, Wits Context. Orientation: environment, management and stakeholder units, policies. Create awareness of the power of self and collective in navigating context to meet the demands of the academic role.

• Four 2½ hour face-to-face / CoP online meetings (2 multidisciplinary focus –CLTD and 2 faculty specific)

• 2 professional learning opportunities within the Higher Education context (internal or external to Wits)

• Peer review as a form of mentoring – build capacity for academics to do peer reviews. Look back feed forward – reflective practice. Group mentoring to occur during the Semester.

• Probation Portfolio - purposeful enough to lead to the completion of the firstyear probation form and build on it for the next two years. Can be a huge value add for self- build, self- scaffolding building on the principles of Continuous Professional Learning at Wits. Threading programme experiences through the Probation portfolio.

• I am a Witsie Celebration – Collective harvesting of ‘new’ and inclusive experiences.

Date: Various dates to be communicated to participants.

Mode/Venue: In person and online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinator: Mrs Rieta Ganas rieta.ganas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Academic Role

The role of a university teacher is an exceptionally demanding one that comprises and combines teaching, research, and academic citizenship. This short course explores these roles and focuses on the expectations of a university teacher in a blended learning environment. Teaching methods, practices, tools, planning, microteaching, reviews, and feedback are included.

Who should attend?

University teachers who are new to teaching, ornew to blended learning, and anyone interested in learning more about teaching in higher education. Semester 1 Date:

Mode/Venue: Virtual sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled every Wednesday from 10:00 till 12:00 over the 5 weeks on MS Teams. In addition, there will be activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed. Semester 2 Date:

Mode/Venue: Sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled every Wednesday over 5 weeks at CLTD. In addition, there will be activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Coordinators: Ms Natasha Munsamy natasha.munsamy@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Assessments: Diversify, Digitise, and Discover

There exists an urgent need in Higher Education to rethink assessment practices. This short course focuses on diversifying assessments and examining the critical role assessments play in learning. The journey begins with theoretical fundamentals and travels through diversity, equity and inclusion considerations, an exploration of tools and methods, curriculum alignment, assessment design and feedback.

Who should attend?

University teachers and anyone interested in exploring different ideas and options for assessment.

Mode/Venue: Sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled weekly on Fridays over 10 weeks at the CLTD. In addition, there will be activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Mode/Venue: Virtual sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled weekly on Fridays over 10 weeks on MS Teams. In addition, there will be activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Coordinators: Ms Natasha Munsamy - natasha.munsamy@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Curriculum Development Programme

The rate of change in the world demands that we re-imagine and restructure the

foundational learning relationships between students, knowledge, and teacher. New ways of thinking about curriculum are needed if we are to respond to the current challenges and future demands for excellence in Higher Education. Curriculum lies at the heart of what Higher Education institutions do with and for their students and constitutes the main vehicle through which the aims of Higher Education can be achieved. It is thus vitally important for the design, development, implementation, and ongoing renewal of curriculum to be underpinned by sound educational principles, guided by the values espoused by the institution offering the curriculum and fit for clearly articulated purposes. While the fundamental questions around curriculum design and development remain the same, the contexts and challenges keep evolving and changing. It is therefore important to encourage and support academic staff to develop appropriately structured and deepened curricula that promote the Wits key graduate attributes. This programme is structured for academics who wish to evaluate, revise, or develop a curriculum at a course or preferably programme level. The various aspects of the programme will address selected curricular issues, including selecting, sequencing, and aligning the knowledge areas that underpin the discipline or profession and the creation of curricular ‘spaces’ to support and enhance student learning.

Academics can opt to enrol for all 5 curriculum modules within the programme or may enrol for only selected modules as needed.Each CD module runs over one week using the blended approach with both synchronous and asynchronous activities (approximately 2-3 hours per day). Each of the CDs runs two weeks apart.

First Run: 27 March – 9 June (5 weeks)

Mode/Venue: CD 0 is offered fully online only

CD 1 4 will be offered in blended mode (both in person and online activities in Ulwazi)

Second Run: 24 July – 29 Sept (5 weeks)

Date:

Mode/Venue: CD 0 is offered fully online only.

CD 1 — 4 will be as a self-directed (fully online) course.

Coordinators: Dr Najma Agherdien najma.aghardien@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Please see session details below.

Curriculum Development Module 0 (CD 0): Learning and Teaching Philosophy

This fully online component of the curriculum development workshop series kicks off with an exploration of learning theories and how these theories inform personal learning and teaching philosophies. An understanding of how one views knowledge and how one comes to know is important as it shapes methodologies, approaches, and practices. Deep reflection on one’s philosophies (often tacit) goes a long way in being intentional about curriculum design.

First Run

Date: 27 31 March

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous/Ulwazi only

Second Run

Date: 24 28 July

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous/Ulwazi only

Coordinators: Dr Najma Agherdien najma.aghardien@wits.ac.za

Ms Nozuko Makhuvha nozuko.makhuvha@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Curriculum Development Module 1 (CD 1): Orientation and curriculum context

Curriculum orientation and curriculum context means different things to different people and operates at different institutional levels. This makes the concept of curriculum highly contested and complex especially within the curriculum decolonisation and transformation debates. To enable coherent and meaningful curricula, academics should critically interrogate their curriculum orientations and the influence this has on their curriculum decisions. Their curriculum design and development should be approached in a scholarly manner especially when required to evaluate, design, interpret and implement curricula. At the end of the workshop

you should be able to: Develop, describe and have an informed understanding of curriculum concepts and orientation; identify and analyse the global, national and institutional forces that shape the curriculum and the relationship between these; discuss the shifting nature of knowledge showing basic shifts in application and processes; reliably, accurately and coherently engage with the principles of constructive alignment; reflect on your current curriculum development practices and processes and create a curriculum map for your course. This course will follow a blended approach in the first semester and fully asynchronous (Ulwazi only) in the second semester.

First Run

Date: 17 21 April

Mode/Venue: MS Teams/CLTD: 18th and 20th April (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Time: 10:00 11:30

Activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course site.

Second Run

Date: 7 11 August

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous/Ulwazi only

Coordinator: Ms Valenshia Jagessar valenshia.jagessar@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Curriculum Development Module 2 (CD 2): Open pedagogies

Discover practical ways of making your pedagogy more contextually relevant and open to diversity. In this (half-day) workshop, we will explore ways of using open educational resources, open education practices, open access, and open facilitation practices leading to more engaging learning experiences. We will focus on approaches which take into account who students are (student identities) and what they bring with them (experiences and practices).

First Run

Date: 8 12 April

Mode/Venue: MS Teams/CLTD (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Time: 9:00 12:00 daily

Second Run

Date: 21 25 August

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous/Ulwazi only

Coordinator: Ms Nozuko Makhuvha nozuko.makhuvha@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Curriculum Development Module 3 (CD 3): Assessment for learning in HE

This module critically examines the role assessments play in learning and considers options for diversifying assessment practices. Diversity, equity and inclusion considerations in assessment design, principles of assessment, and feedback practices are included.

First Run

Date: 22 26 May

Mode/Venue: Sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled over the week at the CLTD. In addition, there will be activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Time: 10:00 12:00

Second Run

Date: 4 8 September

Mode/Venue: Virtual sessions of 2 hours will be scheduled over the week on MS Teams. In addition, there will be digital activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course, the link to which will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed.

Time: 10:00 12:00

Coordinator: Ms Natasha Munsamy natasha.munsamy@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Curriculum Development Module 4 (CD 4): Curriculum & Course (Re)Design

Do you currently teach a course you would like to revamp or improve? This workshop will give you practical ways to enhance your course through curriculum (re)design, adding multimedia and interactive elements, and developing authentic assessments. You will develop curriculum outputs to use in your course. Outputs may include a curriculum course map, module outline, student guide, assessment instruments and tools, multimedia, etc.

First Run*

Date: 3 7 June

Mode/Venue: MS Teams/CLTD: 18th and 20th April (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course site.

Second Run

Date: 25 29 September

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous/Ulwazi only

Coordinators: Ms Natasha Munsamy natasha.munsamy@wits.ac.za Mr Shane Pachagadu shane.pachagadu@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

* Please bring your own device.

Facilitating Online (#FO)

As a Wits academic, you are now required to develop a blended approach to your courses and include an online component. This facilitating online course (FO), an open educational resource (OER) has been reconceptualised for the Wits context and will support you in your new role as an online facilitator and designer of online interactions and engagements. You will develop the design skills required to create interactive online learning experiences and the facilitation skills required to enable meaningful online discussions. Additionally, you will acquire technical skills to use tools (such as blogs, podcasts, and synchronous communication software) to deepen student engagement. At the end of this course, you have the option to submit a portfolio (electronic collection of evidence) of your personal growth as an online facilitator where you receive a certificate of competence. As a summative assessment, the portfolio will demonstrate your learning journey over a period. You may also choose not to complete the portfolio where you will receive a certificate of attendance. The course is offered twice a year with each offering facilitated over a period of eight weeks (weeks 0 7).

Notional hours for this accredited course are calculated at 270 hours for the attendance certificate and 300 hours for the competence certificate, as follows:

Approximate hours

•

•

•

•

Mode/Venue: MS Teams/CLTD: (90 min session and 30min mentor/mentee meeting)

Time: Mondays 10:00 12:00

Activities and requirements on the Ulwazi course site.

2nd Run 4 September 26 October (8 weeks)

Time:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Mode/Venue: MS Teams: (90 min session and 30min mentor/mentee meeting)

Time: Mondays 10:00 12:00

Meeting and ulwazi course site link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Coordinator: Ms Valenshia Jagessar valenshia.jagessar@wits.ac.za

Contact: Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Tutor Professional Learning Programme (TPLP)

The Tutor Professional Learning Programme (TPLP) provides tutors with the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to enable them to execute their tutoring responsibilities.

The programme consists of a series of asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities that will provide tutors with practical insights on tutoring in a blended mode. The training workshops will focus on how to design and facilitate for meaningful tutoring that will stimulate students’ learning. The following topics will be covered:

• Exploring the tutoring space from the South African context

• Teaching for learning in the tutoring space

• Blended learning in the tutoring space

• Introduction to assessment and feedback

• Diversity in the tutoring space

• Digital tools for learning and teaching

Date: 16 February 23 February 20 April 25 May 13 July

Time: 10:00 13:30 10:00 13:30 10:00 13:30 10:00 13:30 10:00 13:30

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitator: Mr. Daniel Motlhabane daniel.motlhabane@wits.ac.za

Contact: Muele Ndwambi mueletshedzi.ndwambi@wits.ac.za

Special requests for group training sessions outside of the designated slots can also be arranged.

Scholarship of Learning &Teaching

UCDP grant-funded Scholarship of Learning &Teaching

As part of interrogating ‘good’ teaching practices - what programme quality enhancement could look like - we will explore an overview of the scholarship of learning and teaching (SoLT) in Higher Education. We will further outline several suggestions through which SoLT may be established and scholarship improved. We invite not only the UCDP SoTL Grant Funded participants but also all interested academics tocome andshare their thoughts, ideas, and practices on enhancing SoLT.

Linked to this project, a number of open educational resources (OER) will be shared (e.g., infographics, readings/summaries, podcasts) and we invite you to co-create and share more resources going forward.

An invitation to submit proposals to the University Teaching Development and

Research Grant was shared on 1 Dec 2022. The application due date is 19 January 2023. For more information, kindly contact the Project Lead and Project Coordinator.

Project lead Dr Kershree Padayachee kershree.padayachee@wits.ac.za

Project coordinator: Dr Najma Agherdien najma.aghardien@wits.ac.za

Contact: Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Postgraduate Graduate Diploma (Education) in the field of Higher Education

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (In the field of higher education) is offered by the School of Education in collaboration with the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development (CLTD) at the University of the Witwatersrand. The broad aim of the PGDip E (HE) is to provide academics with a relevant tertiary teaching qualification in line with international trends. The programme is designed to foster a scholarly and professional approach to university teaching, assessment, and curriculum development and design. Specific aims are to assist academics to:

• Strengthen their roles in teaching, assessment, and curriculum development and course design

• Update and extend their “working theories” and practices as educators.

• Deepen engagement with the university as a rapidly changing site of research and scholarship.

The qualification consists of three core modules namely: Learning and Teaching in Higher Education; Assessment in Higher Education, and Curriculum Design and Development in Higher Education. New Directions or Enhancing research supervision can be selected as the elective. The PGDip E (HE) is a formal 120-credit qualification at NQF level 8 and the qualification is awarded by the Faculty of Humanities. Participants must complete the post graduate registration procedures with Wits School of Education.

Date: TBC

Time: TBC

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinators: Dr Laura Dison laura.dison@wits.ac.za

Ms Rieta Ganas rieta.ganas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Technologies for Teaching (T4T)

Designing & building your course in ulwazi

This webinar will focus mainly on intentionally designing, building, and publishing your course site.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, you should be able to structure your course using the Modules function:

• Set up your homepage.

• Upload and manage your files.

• Add content to your course by

o Building activities into a module

o Outlining your own outcomes. Date

Wednesday, 8 February

Wednesday, 22 February

Wednesday, 1 March 12:00 14:00

Wednesday, 15 March 10:00 12:00

Tuesday, 12 July 12:00 14:00

Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinators: Antoinette Malgas Antoinette.Malgas@wits.ac.za

Nkaba Senne Nkaba.Senne@wits.ac.za

Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa Zamalotshwa.Mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Conceptualize Your Course using a Curriculum Map

This workshop explores the possibility of every student receiving an engaging learning experience, and no one is left behind. It has been specifically designed to assist you in planning, developing, and assessing your course, with a focus on incorporating grounded learning experience design principles. Additionally, the workshop will emphasize the importance of prioritizing equity and inclusion in blended learning strategies.

To get the best out of this course, we recommend that you attend the (Design and Develop your course in ulwazi) or are familiar with using ulwazi. To register for this course, please refer to the booking form in the table above.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Plan learning environments that intentionally accommodate the 3Cs (care, communication, and collaboration)

• Design a learning environment that values 3Cs.

• Reflect & evaluate your curriculum mapping concept diagram.

Week

3 August

Thursday 10 August

Week 5: Thursday 17 August

Mode/Venue: Blended (One session per week over 5 weeks)

Coordinators: Antoinette Malgas Antoinette.Malgas@wits.ac.za Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa Zamalotshwa.Mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Course Review: Through the Lens of a Learner

The COVID19 Pandemic sent learning and teaching into a whirlwind spin for both students and staff. This changed experience has left some academics with courses that were not designed to provide engaging, memorable learning experiences. Course Review: Through the Lens of a Learner is an asynchronous course that focuses on how educators/facilitators could enhance an online/blended course that would positively contribute to students’ online learning experience.

This course explores various strategies and frameworks that educators/facilitators could use to improve on an online/blended course design. To get the best out of this workshop, it is advisable to have your course site that you can review at the end of the workshop.

The content of this course is based on four supporting pillars that are essential to a well-designed online/blended course:

Pillar 1:

The initial learner experience: strategies on how to prepare and orientate students to the new “online” learning environment.

Pillar 2:

Guiding students and their learning: strategies how to provide frequent meaningful and relevant learning opportunities to establish a learning community.

Pillar 3:

Accessibility, design and usability: Get insight on Universal Design for Learning and techniques for creating accessible content.

Pillar 4:

Course Evaluation: course participants will use the adapted Quality Matter Rubric to review their own online courses and develop a course improvement plan.

Date Time 22 May 2 June Asynchronous online course 10 July 21 July Asynchronous online course

Mode/Venue: Asynchronous and virtual meet up sessions

Coordinators: Mr Shane Pachagadu shane.pachagadu@wits.ac.za

Ms Mei Luo Mei.Luo@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Digital Tools for Assessment

Effective education involves the integration and alignment of three core systems, namely curriculum, learning and teaching, and assessment. In this context, ensuring alignment between course outcomes, content and assessment is important for curricular coherence, and contributes to the validity of assessments. Consequently, there is a need for academics to appreciate the role of assessment in student’s learning and to be able to design quality assessments for particular contexts. In addition to the need for authentic, valid assessment practices, more generally, there is a growing need to become familiar with technologies for use with assessments.

This workshop focuses on assessment in the field of Higher Education with special emphasis on assessment tools in ulwazi and other available platforms.

Session 1: Discussion & Assignment tool

• Discussion tool:

o Setting up graded discussion topics.

o Grading discussion topic using rubrics

o Grading discussion topic using SpeedGrader.

• Assignment tool:

o Setting up an Assignment link.

o Setting up Peer review & group assignment.

o Grading assignments using rubrics.

o Grading assignments using Speedgrader.

o Setting up assessment weighting linked to Gradebook.

Session 2: Quizzes (Quizzes tool & Studio)

• New quizzes

o Setting up a quiz using various question types.

o Setting up question banks.

o Randomising from question banks.

o Moderate function for grading, adjusting attempt and time limit.

o Grading a Quiz (manual grading).

o Re-grading a Quiz.

o Releasing feedback.

• Studio tool

o Embedding a quiz to a video.

o Setting up an assignment with a quiz embedded video.

Mode/Venue: Online

Coordinator: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Facilitators: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Antoinette Malgas antoinette.malgas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Using Gradescope in ulwazi

Gradescope is an assessment tool that allows lecturers to grade and provide feedback on handwritten paper-based student work, quizzes, and assignments in an online platform. The toolis well suitedforgrading assessments based on handwritten work, calculations, drawings or chemical structures, cells, circuits, coding, etc. With Gradescope, students can upload written assessments to be graded. Lecturers can mark student assessments with annotation tools using text and pencil comments as feedback with reference

to a dynamic rubric. The session will cover the following:

• How to create different question types in Gradescope

• How to enable your students to submit their work to Gradescope.

• How to grade assessments in Gradescope

• How to create rubric items

Mode/Venue: Online

Coordinator: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Facilitators: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Antoinette Malgas antoinette.malgas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Using Mastery Paths in ulwazi

Mastery Paths allows you to create differentiated assignments that would enable you to customise a learning pathway for your students based on their performance of a particular assessment. The learning pathway could consist of different Content Pages, Quizzes, Discussions and Assignments.

Mode/Venue: Online

Coordinator: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Facilitators: Ms Neo Petlele neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Mr Shane Pachagadu shane.pachagadu@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Intro to Conferences (“BigBlueButton”) in ulwazi

This webinar will focus on facilitating synchronous online learning interactions in ulwazi. Some of the topics that will be covered include:

• Accessing conferences

• Setting up online meeting spaces

• Facilitating synchronous learning in your course sites

Mode/Venue: Online

Facilitators: Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa zamalotshwa.mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Creating engaging videos with Canvas Studio

Canvas Studio is a modern video platform that allows instructors and students to actively collaborate through video media. Studio makes it easy for lecturers to create engaging videos and for students to participate in dynamic conversations and assessments. This webinar will look at how to:

• Navigate Studio.

• Create videos using Studio

• Design and deliver assessments that are embedded directly in the video.

• Use studio analytics to improve learning.

Mode/Venue: Online

Facilitators: Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa zamalotshwa.mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Ms Neo Petlele Neo.petlele@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Engaging approaches & strategies for facilitating learning

Have you ever been frustrated by the quiet whisperings of students in the background or students that simply do not engage during a lesson? These whisperings or non- responsiveness of students may be perceived as a distraction. One could however encourage these whisperings and draw on students to engage interactively by creating a safe and collaborative learning environment. Depending on your teaching approach, this could be done by the creative use of tools such as chat, discussion forums, emoticons, or voice participation. This workshop focuses on how we can use various educational technologies to meaningfully enhance student engagement in both synchronous and asynchronous learning and teaching environments.

5 June 19 June 10:00 11:30

4 September 15 September 10:00 11:30

Mode/Venue: Online

Facilitators: Ms Mei Luo mei.luo@wits.ac.za

Ms Antoinette Malgas antoinette.malgas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Using ulwazi’s New Analytics to improve student engagement

In an online class we don’t receive feedback from our students in the same way that we do in a face-to-face class, so how do we know how our students are doing in an asynchronous learning environment? The Canvas New Analytics tool helps you see the interaction students are having with the course materials in your course on ulwazi. These analytics can help you identify which students may not be as engaged and allow you to reach out to those students.

This webinar will look at how to:

• enable the new analytics tool

• view student page views and participation activity.

• track average course grades using interactive graphs or tables

• message students who meet certain criteria

• download student views and participation data.

Mode/Venue: Online

Facilitators: Mr Shane Pachagadu shane.pachagadu@wits.ac.za

Ms Mei Luo mei.luo@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Using Turnitin in ulwazi

Turnitin is a similarity detection tool that helps prevent plagiarism by checking content similarities across various platforms. Some topics that are covered include:

• How to set up your Turnitin assignment

• Submitting your documentation to the Turnitin system

• Accessing and analysing a Turnitin report

• Printing your report

Mode/Venue: Online

Facilitators: Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa zamalotshwa.mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Ms Antoinette Malgas antoinette.malgas@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

The evolution of technology has changed the landscape of education. The use of smart technologies that could enable agentic, interactive learning and teaching have become widespread. Smart learning environments have been gaining traction in education since it allows the fostering of collaborative learning opportunities where educational technologies are used meaningfully. Our two-day training webinar and face-to-face workshop consist of the following:

Day 1: Online (9:00—10:30)

This session will introduce participants to the Smart Classroom teaching and learning technologies and suggest ways to use these technologies to create an (inter)active student-centred learning experience.

Day 2: Face-to-face (10:00 12:30 in Gatehouse building GH403, East Campus)

This face-to-face workshop occurs the day after the webinar and will demonstrate how smart technologies may be applied in real-life teaching and learning situations and will offer participants an opportunity to test out various teaching and learning scenarios.

Bookings need to be made at least 48 hours prior to the training session and participants should arrive at the onsite workshops at least 15 minutes before the session begins.

To support you further, we have also developed a self-directed course that provides suggestions of various approaches that one could use in the Smart Classroom. To learn more about this course, please visit the ulwazi CLTD – Smart Educational Technologies Course.

Coordinator: Ms Mei Luo mei.luo@wits.ac.za

Facilitators: Ms Mei Luo mei.luo@wits.ac.za

Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa zamalotshwa.mlotshwa@wits.ac.za

Contact: Instructional Design Support IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Evaluation Services

CLTD offers support to academic staff to elicit feedback on effectiveness of teaching and courses for the purposes of continuous reflection to inform decisions on professional learning, enhancement of learning and teaching practice as well as accountability. Different methods should be used to ensure a holistic evaluation of teaching practice. Each method offers different benefits, and the technique chosen should be appropriate to the purpose which has prompted the evaluation process.

The following sessions are made available to all staff in order to support engagement with evaluation of teaching and courses. Staff are encouraged to enrol for the sessions according to need, alternatively contact the CLTD evaluations team for assistance.

Student Evaluation of Teaching and Courses

Academic staff with teaching responsibilities are required to conduct evaluations of their teaching and courses, and further reflect on this as part of a process to enhance the quality of offerings. CLTD believes that effective evaluation of teaching and courses requiresacademic staff to understand the purpose of evaluations and further create opportunities for evaluations that support reflective practice. The webinar aims to provide participants with an opportunity to do the following:

• Examine the purposes of evaluations and different tools that can be used.

• Familiarise themselves with the processes and the platform used at Wits to conduct student evaluations.

• Explore ways in which students can be encouraged to participate constructively in evaluation processes.

• Prepare for using evaluation feedback in processes of continuous improvement of teaching and courses.

Date: 9 February

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Contact: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Peer Reviews

Peer Review is a process through which valuable feedback on teaching practice and courses could be solicited by engaging the expertise of academic peers. Engaging in peer reviews provide academic staff an opportunity to triangulate data drawn through student feedback (questionnaires) in the process of self-reflection. Peer reviews create an opportunity for academic staff to examine and reflect collaboratively on teaching practice based on observed lessons and other selected teaching artefacts. The process is meant to be collegial and supportive in a manner that allows for professional learning of both the reviewer and the reviewee. The workshop targets all staff tasked with the responsibility to conduct reviews in the respective schools and those that want their teaching and course to be reviewed. The workshop provides participants with an opportunity to:

• Examine the purpose of peer reviews and relevance in supporting development of teaching competence.

• Engage with the guidelines for conducting meaningful peer reviews (i.e., clarify roles and responsibilities)

• Address different concerns or challenges related to peer review processes

• Explore the idea of a peer review as a scholarly and collaborative reflection activity.

Date: 16 February

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Contact: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Student evaluation of teaching and courses using Blue Explorance

In 2020 the Blue Explorance system was launched across all faculties. This means all academic staff should use the online system for conducting student evaluations. CLTD will continue to support staff to use the Blue Explorance system. Support is provided to all staff through self-help material, webinars, and consultations. Faculties or schools may request for customised sessions.

Using Blue Explorance system to conduct student evaluations

This course is aimed at introducing the basic functionality of the Blue Explorance Student Evaluation of Teaching system to academic staff. The process to be followed when using the system, and the responsibilities of the different stakeholders (lecturers, students, and Evaluations team) will be explained

Date: 23 February

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitators: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Ms Nthabiseng Mokoena nthabiseng.mokoena@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Blue Explorance tools: Question Personalisation & Response rate monitor

This course is aimed at established Blue Explorance users, aiming to enhance student participation and quality of evaluations. Knowledge of Blue Explorance will be consolidated and further features for enhancing user experience will be explored. The focus of the webinar is on:

• Question personalisation tool (design evaluation forms for quality feedback), and

• Response Rate monitor (encourage student participation in evaluations).

Date: 28 February

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitators: Dr Rejoice Nsibande rejoice.nsibande@wits.ac.za

Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Ms Nthabiseng Mokoena nthabiseng.mokoena@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Blue Explorance Open lunch hour discussions

These discussions - 1 per semester – is aimed at academic staff and provides a forum for open discussion about the online evaluations system. CLTD Evaluation Services staff will be present to respond to questions and challenges experienced by staff when using the Blue Explorance system.

Date: 18 May Time: 13:00 14:00

Date: 21 July Time: 13:00 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitators: Dr Rejoice Nsibande rejoice.nsibande@wits.ac.za

Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Ms Nthabiseng Mokoena nthabiseng.mokoena@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Nompumelelo Mazibuko nompumelelo.mazibuko@wits.ac.za

Self-help material

The CLTD appreciates that academics have busy schedules hence not everyone will have the opportunity to participate in organised sessions. To address this, easy-to- follow materials are developed and made accessible to all staff. Self-help material includes step-by-step guides (on how to select questions, monitor students’ participation, and access reports), a short video on evaluation process, and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ documents (for staff and students). These are available on the ‘Better Blended Learning’ site on ulwazi, as well as on the CLTD website

More information on evaluations

Peer Reviews

CLTD recommends that lecturers use expertise from within their Faculty or disciplines to conduct peer reviews. The CLTD is open to School/Faculty requests for a peer review workshop to support both staff identified as reviewers and those staff that require a review.

Learning and Teaching Advisors in the Faculties may be contacted for advice on using Peer Reviews. It is highly recommended that all reviewers go through training so that they are prepared for the responsibility.

It is important to remember that Peer Review is labour and time intensive. It is advisable to prepare for and schedule for the review well in advance. Academic staff are encouraged to engage with colleagues in faculty or school to conduct reviews.

Using Evaluations Constructively

CLTD’s preferred stance is to use evaluation of teaching and courses in a formative approach aimed at supporting reflective practice, rather than to make categorical judgements about an individual’s teaching practice. CLTD is happy to assist academic staff and academic managers in this regard.

For general information on Evaluations of Teaching and Courses at Wits University, please use the following link to access the relevant policy:

http://intranet.wits.ac.za/exec/registrar/Policies/Forms/AllItems.aspx

For information on the Blue Explorance system and other evaluation matters, please

contact the following CLTD staff:

• Mpumi Mazibuko

 (011) 717 1483

 Nompumelelo.Mazibuko@wits.ac.za

• Nthabiseng Mokoena

 (011) 717 1469

 nthabiseng.mokoena@wits.ac.za

For further information on conducting an evaluation of your teaching or interpreting and use of feedback data collected:

• Dr Rejoice Nsibande

 011) 717 1474

 Rejoice.Nsibande@wits.ac.za

Research and Postgraduate Supervision

Publishing for Impact

Whether you are driven by altruism and want your research to improve the world, or by a desire to increase your reputation as a research focused scholar, or a combination of both, you need to plan where, when, and how you publish your research. Too often we base our publishing habits on what we pickedupfrom ourPhD supervisors and colleagues without giving any thought to a careful strategy. Join Dr Robin Drennan in a workshop that looks at the wide array of possibilities for sharing your knowledge with others. In this workshop you will be exposed to ideas that may help you strategically decide where your research output is to be shared and / or published.

Date: 20 and 21 July

Time: 09:00 13:00

Venue: CLTD

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

Project Planning in the Research Context

How do you plan a research project? Is it possible to plan research? The classical project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) is often unsuitable for research projects simply because it is impossible to estimate the time for each task. Research is, after all, a step into the unknown. Take heart, this does not mean your research project will descend into chaos. There are other ways of managing research projects that are agile enough to deal with the complexities of volatile research projects. Dr Robin Drennan, the Director for Research Development in the University Research Office, will describe some of these more agile project management techniques that will allow you to plan, in the absence of information and despite uncertainty, for the unknown.

Date: 12 May

Time: 10:00 12:00

Date: 15 September

Time: 09:00 13:00

Mode/Venue: Online* Mode/Venue: CLTD

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

* Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Planning your Academic Career

Do you know what you need to do today to achieve your career goals in six years’ time? A successful academic career requires a considerable amount of juggling. Research, teaching, supervision, community engagement, funding, sabbaticals, conferences, promotion, NRF ratings they all need to be factored into your plan. Dr Robin Drennan, the Director for Research Development in the University Research Office, will help you develop a five to seven-year macro plan that will ensure you are well placed to make the best of your career. An emphasis is placed on research throughout this workshop.

Date: 10 March

Time: 9:00 13:00

Mode/Venue: CLTD

Date: 2 June

Time: 10:00 12:00

Mode/Venue: Online*

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

* Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Planning your Sabbatical

A sabbatical comes once every six years so it is vital to make the most of it. Dr Robin Drennan, the Director for Research Development in the University Research Office, will share some pointers on how, when and what to plan for a successful sabbatical. This workshop will help you develop a plan and so make the most of the opportunity. Your sabbatical plan should maximise the impact of the time on your research. Various funding options will also be discussed.

Date: 3 March

Time: 9:00 13:00

Mode/Venue: CLTD

Date: 9 June

Time: 10:00 14:00

Mode/Venue: Online*

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

* Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Writing Winning Proposals

Discover, with the support of Dr Robin Drennan, Director for Research Development in the University Research Office, how to write a persuasive proposal for research funding. Having understood that every funder is contractually bound to deliver a return of some sort on the funds under their management, it is plain to see several ‘magical buttons’ that will get you funding. Some of these buttons are explicit but others are not. The trick is to

find them. The workshop material also covers the differences between a research plan, a problem statement, rationale and motivation, and aims and objectives, all elements of typical proposals. The importance of selecting appropriate reviewers, leaving nothing to chance and the need to make every part of the proposal supportive of your bid for funding are also discussed. Finally, the workshop explores differences in writing styles: Persuasive writing used in proposals and standard writing techniques used in the publication of research outputs.

Date: 17 March 19 May 18 August 6 October

Time: 09:00 13:00

Mode/Venue: CLTD Online* CLTD Online*

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

* Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Lunchtime Talk How to Structure an Academic CV

The curriculum vitae, which is Latin for ‘course of life’ is a very important tool in the quest for academic achievement. At the simplest level it is a record of your achievements, a trace record, at the other extreme it can take on all the elements of a marketing campaign. Join us for a lunchtime (1 hour) discussion on different ways to layout your CV to best emphasise your achievements.

Date: 21 April

Time: 13:15 14:15

Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitator: Dr Robin Drennan robin.drennan@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyi.Motaung@wits.ac.za

Zotero

This is a virtual workshop that will introduce you to Zotero, a free, open-source alternative to reference manager systems. Zotero allows you to easily save bibliographic details, comments, indexing terms, and direct links to webpages, word documents, and even articles that are in library subscription databases. You will be shown how you can use Zotero to integrate your references into your research in many citation styles using Microsoft Word. For more information, please visit Library Libguides.at http://libguides.wits.ac.za/zotero

Date: 11 May 3 August 5 October

Time: 9:30 11:00 9:30 11:00 9:30 11:00

Mode/Venue: Online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Facilitator: Ms. Thuli Dhlamini Thuli.Dhlamini@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

* Dates and times will be communicated via Wits News, and Events on the Intranet.

Introduction to Postgraduate Supervision

Good supervision is central to successful graduate research. This half-day introductory workshop explores models and systems of supervision, institutional policy and procedures, and supervisor-student relationships.

Date: 11 Apr 19 May 6 Jun 18 Aug 23 Oct 15 Nov

Time: 10:00–13:00 10:00–14:00 10:00–14:00 09:00–13:00 10:00–14:00 09:00–13:00

Mode/Venue: CLTD Online* CLTD Online* Online* CLTD

Coordinator: Dr Najma Agherdien najma.aghardien@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

* Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed

Enhancing Research Supervision

This course aims to enhance research supervisory capacity taking into account the diverse context and conditions in which supervisors work as well as the differences in institutional and disciplinary postgraduate supervisory practices and processes.

After engaging with the course and the course materials the participant should be able to:

• Develop a strategy to address power relations and create an inclusive and participatory learning environment in their supervisory context

• Critically reflect on the importance of scholarship in their learning environment.

• Critique their supervisory practices and implement changes aimed at enhancing student learning.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the supervisory processes in their context and recommend improvements

• Participate in a collegial network of support and build a community of practice that enhances supervisory practice

• This 30-credit short course at NQF Level 8 comprises the following phases: 3 days face-to-face; 6 weeks on-line; and 3 days face-to-face and

includes assessment tasks. A Portfolio (100%) inclusive of formative and summative assessments must be submitted at the conclusion of the course for credit assessment.

Date: 17 April 09 June

Time: 9:00 11:00

Mode/Venue: CLTD & online (Meeting link will be e-mailed once bookings are confirmed)

Coordinators: Dr Anniah Mupawose Anniah.Mupawose@wits.ac.za

Dr Emmanuel Ojo Emmanuel.Ojo@wits.ac.za

Dr Najma Agherdien najma.aghardien@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

Other Professional Learning Opportunities

Students at emotional risk

The Counselling and Careers Development Unit is offering a half-day workshop to Wits academic and administrative support staff. The workshop covers mental wellness, as well as basic skills to identify, contain and refer students in need of psychological or psychiatric intervention. This includes the identification of certain high-risk characteristics/circumstances associated with the deterioration of the functioning of a student.

The primary objectives of this workshop are to provide university staff, who act as first responders for students, with relevant information to assist and support these students during their university career

Dates: 28 Mar 24 May 27 July

Time: 09:00 12:00 13:00 16:00 10:30 14:30

Mode/Venue: In person (CLTD building)

Facilitators: Mar: Thabile Adams thabile.adams@wits.ac.za

May: Eduarda Da Trindade eduarda.datrindade@wits.ac.za

Jul: Kerry Gordon kerry.gordon2@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyisile.Motaung@wits.ac.za

Basic Supporter Skills training

The Counselling and Careers Development Unit staff are offering academic, support and residence staff a two-day workshop on supportive skills and basic counselling. The requirement for the attendance of this Supportive Skills course is full attendance of the Students at Emotional Risk workshop. This training includes sections on self- reflection and self-awareness, as well as supporter and counselling skills.

Please note: Staff who are feeling emotionally fragile orwho have experienced recent trauma or bereavement are advised not to attend at this point.

Date: 3 4 October

Time: 09:00 16:00

Mode/Venue: In person (CLTD building)

Facilitators: Ms Esmeralda Vilanculos esmeralda.vilanculos@wits.ac.za

Kerry Gordon kerry.gordon2@wits.ac.za

Contact: Ms Khanyi Motaung (011) 717 7171 Khanyisile.Motaung@wits.ac.za

Wits Learning and Teaching Conference

CLTD hosts an annual Learning and Teaching Conference (open to the higher education community). This Conference is planned for the second semester. More information to follow.

Date: TBC

Contact: Ms Candice Michael (011) 717 1475 Candice.Michael@wits.ac.za

About CLTD

Our Principles and Beliefs

We nurture and accept conditions that promote agency and creativity in order to endorse critical thinking, purposeful research-informed trialing or experimenting, re- discovery, renewal and innovation in African Higher Education contexts. We do this because in the past we have tended to accept learning and teaching solutions borrowed from elsewhere, often divorced from our own contexts.

Our distinctive approach to facilitation, learning, and research promotes a “non- judgmental” culture as the basis for the creation of transformative and creative communities, where tensions and diversities of opinions are welcomed as norms, but where independent thought and opinion are welcomed as we recognise others as we recognise self not lower or higher. In this context, there is a genuine meeting of the minds where knowledge production is inward and outward looking, resulting in authentic collaborations and partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally. Our fundamental ideal is that of ‘trust’ and ‘acceptance’, where we all become culturally, socially, and environmentally responsible in our diverse aspirations of academic support provision. We are rooted in Johannesburg with its strong cosmopolitan edge, and we intend using this to our advantage, to ensure that the city is both the focus for our teaching and research work, and the platform from which our local and international relationships grow.

Mandate

The Centre for Learning, Teaching & development (CLTD) focuses on Continuous Academic Professional Learning, modelling hyflex Active Blended Learning. As part of a broader Curriculum Design and Development strategy, andbyapplying and engaging in research on facilitation practices, we aim to contribute towards deepening student learning and enhancing university teaching practices.

CLTD offers:

• Formal programmes such as the PG Dip (Education) in the field of Higher Education

• Informal workshops such as Postgraduate Supervision, Teaching/Academic role, and Assessment in Higher Education

• Support for academics, mostly through hands-on workshops, to design and develop hyflex blended learning courses

• Student and peer evaluation of and self-reflection on courses and

teaching

Vision

Our vision is to inspire, influence and contribute to the development of transformative, effective, and innovative facilitation practices that enhance student “access with success” in meaningful higher education practice.

Mission

We collaborate with individuals, academic departments, and academic support units to build capacity and foster community development around good university teaching, and the stimulation of an institutional culture that values meaningful learning, guided by the Wits Learning and Teaching Plan 2020 2024.

To achieve the CLTD mission, we strive to:

• Enrich the status of learning and teaching at Wits by engaging with, encouraging, and celebrating Wits teachers

• Support academics as university teachers and researchers, and explore, integrate, evaluate different approaches to learning, teaching, & assessment

• Promote inclusivity and diversity through collaborative curriculum design and renewal

• Promote and support the adoption of a hyflex blended learning approach to Active Blended learning and teaching approaches and practices

• Promote university-wide Communities of Practice (CoPs) by creating dialogue around and conversations about learning and teaching

• Promote and support effective lecturer and course evaluation practices

• Promote and develop a culture of research and scholarship of learning and teaching (SoTL) in Higher Education

• Anticipate and address evolving issues and opportunities within Higher Education Academic practice by offering expertise locally, nationally, and internationally

Foregrounding the Strategic and Operational Plan

In developing our Operational Plan, four drivers have emerged as key in achieving our goals for CLTD. These will underpin our service and support delivery over this year, including:

• A ‘Distributed Leadership’ (Spillane, 2005, 2012) approach in delivering

educational programmes in partnership with others locally, nationally, and internationally

• Commitment to the continuous professional learning of CLTD staff

• Our research and its growing impact on the Higher Education landscape, and

• Modelling the application of, and engagement with digital technology in providing hyflex blended learning opportunities for our course participants.

Faculty Collaboration / Partnership

The table below shows the CLTD reps and Faculty learning and teaching representatives that will collaborate to offer customised, contextually relevant learning opportunities to faculties. As far as possible, the teams aim to negotiate:

a. customised learning opportunities (early career, mid-career and senior career) to identified cohorts

b. customised/faculty specific offerings (if/when needed) to groups/schools on an ad hoc basis

c. staff engagement in reflection/evaluation at the end of each semester (all Faculties)

d. a scholarly approach to learning and teaching

e. the fostering of communities of practice

f. quality enhancement

Due to capacity constraints, we strongly recommend working with groups/schools as opposed to individuals

CLM Ms Rieta Ganas and Ms Neo Petlele

Engineering Ms Nozuko Makhuvha and Ms Nkaba Senne

Health Sciences Ms Nazira Hoosen and Ms Mei Luo

Humanities Ms Valenshia Jagessar and Ms Antoinette Malgas

Sciences

Ms Natasha Munsamy and Ms Zamalotshwa Mlotshwa

Dr Greig Krull, Ms Fiona Macalister, and Ms Myrtle Adams-Gardner

Ms Tebatso Phala

Dr Shirra Moch, Ms Hilary, Dr Ann George, Dr Paula BarnardAshton, and Mr Mark Allen

Dr Catherine Tam and Dr Nora-Lee Wales

Dr Kershree Padayachee, Dr Ashwini Jadhav, and Ms Phiwe Dlamini

Faculty CLTD Representatives

Faculty Representatives

Appendix A: Course Evaluation Form

In order to assess the effectiveness of our courses/workshops, and to gauge future needs, it would be appreciated if you would complete this course evaluation form.

Course name:

Date:

Facilitator details:

1. What did you expect to gain to from the course?

2. How did the course match your expectations?

What new applied competence have you acquired as a result of your participation in this course?

How will you apply what you have learned in your future facilitation practice?

How would you rate the facilitator & course with regards to:

Suggest constructive ways in which CLTD can improve this course to make it more valuable?

Comment on any challenges or tensions regarding timing (timeslot/day) and modality (Online, blended and/or hyflex) that you may have experienced.

General comments