Success is not what it used to be, and the days are gone when student achievement was dependent on assessment and evaluation only.
With this in mind, a new research book – A Scholarly Approach to Student Success in Higher Education – recently saw the light under the editorship of Dr Jessica Pool and Dr Manuela Fernandes-Martins. Both editors are senior academic developers in the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the North-West University (NWU).
The book, based on original research in the field of higher education, is aimed at specialists in the field of teaching, learning and scholarship and emphasises the enhancement of transformative quality teaching and learning, as envisioned by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa. According to Dr Pool, the publication fosters a space for academics to share developed learning and teaching practices and research towards student success.
The publication furthermore showcases innovative elements such as research on student engagement, assessment for student success, curriculum transformation, academics as higher-education teachers, the integration of indigenous knowledge in curricula, and technology-enhanced teaching and learning.
Prof Robert Balfour, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching-Learning, says in response to the publication: “A powerful shift of focus has occurred in education – in scholarly and in practitioner terms. In addition to this shift in focus a nuance has emerged that has altered the way in which the education profession considers the student/learner and teacher/facilitator as being the locus of a complex interaction and relationship.” He goes on to say that the publication invites the reader to consider contemporary early 21st-century discourses concerning factors leading to student success, and also the preparation and planning needed by educational institutions to support student success, whether in schools or in higher education in South Africa.
* Publication: Pool, J. and Fernandes-Martins, M. 2019. A Scholarly Approach to Student Success in Higher Education. ISBN 978-1-990924-01-9
Dr Jessica Pool and Dr Manuela Fernandes-Martins.
