Although its impacts on higher education functions are yet to be studied across regional, national, and institutional contexts, it is generally observed that COVID-19 disrupts teaching and learning, research and travels, and university community service worldwide. To improve our understanding of the strategies higher education institutions (HEI)…

We are four academics teaching mathematics at three different higher education institutions over two continents. Through fortnightly meetings to research how our practices changed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, we formed a community of practice. The process of articulating our experiences and ideas, and reflecting on the recorded meetings…

This interview and response explore Tom Bird's reflections on how digital processes functioned within an educational context in relation to Shakespeare's Globe's large scale, international work delivered between 2012 and 2016 - specifically in relation to the 2012 "Globe to Globe Festival" and the 2014-2016 "World Hamlet" tour.…

South African schools experience diverse access to educational technology. Further, South African educators have limited opportunities to attend educator professional development workshops focused on technology integration. These differences can have a tremendous impact on students' educational experiences and educators' levels of self-efficacy…

This formative paper reviews the recent expansion in online teacher education programmes for "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD) in southern Africa. The research informs the design of resource-based learning. An activity systems approach and a preliminary mapping of the design features for online learning for ESD enabled us to…

Apparently, the 'overwhelming' and abrupt changes and transformation that is on-going in teaching and learning at the higher education institutions (HEIs) due to COVID-19. Some learners are coping well, whilst the majority are grappling with the teaching and learning challenges as presented by COVID-19. Other learners (not would not) cannot cope…

Lesson study (LS) is a form of professional development, with a strong foundation in mathematics education, based on teachers collaborating to design lessons. This collaboration, however, can be challenging for isolated teachers. In 2017, a course was presented at the university to train 52 teachers from all over South Africa as well as Botswana…

This article reflects on the tensions I encountered as an insider researcher during a qualitative study exploring academics' integration of educational technology in a South African higher education institution. While critical qualitative approaches acknowledge research participants' vulnerability to the researcher's interpretation and…

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa, like other universities worldwide, is faced with the challenges associated with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge has changed our day-to-day lives, including the way we interact and conduct business. In the midst of this, WSU has had to change the way learning and teaching occurs.…

While all students are affected by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-year student population remains a special category of vulnerability for higher education. This is on account of the way the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted their transition into university and complicated the nature of their entry into and through the formal academic…

Technology teachers should have a sound understanding and knowledge of artefacts in order to assist learners in the designing, making and evaluating of artefacts. Unfortunately, technology teachers in South African schools seem to have a poor grasp of the complexity of this important part of knowledge that is specific to technology. As a result,…

The South African Higher Education sector has undergone major transformation since the end of Apartheid more than 25 years ago. Critical digital literacies and critical (digital) citizenship, aligns with the most important aspects of the transformation agenda, 'the production of socially conscious graduates that will become the thinkers and…

The history, development, products, and impact of image-making are well-represented in literature. The literature looks extensively at the technological developments and advancements in the field and how photography has contributed to our understanding of historical, political and social tensions. However, the training and preparation of…

This paper offers insights into the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair of Open Distance Learning (ODL) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The aim of the UNESCO Chair is to stimulate ODL research at UNISA. The paper briefly describes UNISA, which is the largest dedicated…

This article discusses common geopolitical issues, such as globalisation, decolonialisation, and economic pressure that affect the development of teacher education policy in England, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Russia, Israel, Jamaica, Portugal, Japan, Poland, and China. It goes on to describe these nations' responses to these pressures and…