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Insights, updates, and stories from the world of education and professional development.
Vocational Education as a Life Choice
By Dr. Indira Bhagaloo After the initial thrill of finishing secondary school wears off, most matriculants are hit with the harsh reality that they will not be able to pursue their immediate dreams of enrolling in formal tertiary education due to access, financial limitations, or the fact that they failed to meet the minimum requirements for their desired degree or diploma. We are indoctrinated into the synchronicity of life events, such as school, university, acquiring a career, marriage, having children, etc., which can sometimes limit our options. Being unable to obtain a university degree is a deal breaker for many people. For others, it is a chance to broaden their horizons and discover the delights of vocational education. The infamy of the vocational qualification relative to academia remains a problem. Academia is still perceived with more esteem and creates the impression of higher cognitive abilities relative to vocational. Many unifying initiatives seek to increase participation in and promote parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications. These approaches address the issue of academic drift, which is the rising propensity among young people to enroll in academic programs that give them a competitive edge even though they may not provide the […]
A GROUNDBREAKING COLLABORATION TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF CADDIES AND EVEN OUT THE FAIRWAY.
Caddies in South Africa do not get paid much in an environment where the extremely affluent come to play. Spurred by the knowledge that education goes hand-in-hand with the power to shape the future, UNISA, Cornerstone Performance Solutions and the “Finding The Fair Way” organisation entered into an agreement on 25 January 2023. The tripartite will endeavour to address the plight of marginalised people who would otherwise not have access to education. This initiative aims to partner in delivering education that can contribute to personal and community upliftment. Mr. Jeff Van Rooyen, one of SA’s first black CA’s, the founding president of ABASA, and author of the bestseller “Unshackled”, has proudly introduced the first project that the tripartite will undertake together. Jeff remarks that it’s the first time in 150 years of golf in South Africa that an initiative is being undertaken to provide educational opportunities for caddies (who remain marginalised in a jarring divide between classes). Mr. Matthew Sebetha, representing “Finding The Fair Way” (a caddy organisation), has enthusiastically confirmed that the proposed programme is most welcome and will make a tangible difference for caddies in South Africa. Deputy Director Frankie Mojapelo, representing the UNISA Foundation, is excited to […]
Using meta-skills to conquer the future
Life-long students know the value of “collecting” and embracing good skills. Some of these skills require a long-term time investment on the part of the student, they take time to learn and need to be regularly upgraded. Some skills however are so valuable that they have an immediate positive impact and a lifespan with no expiry date. Since many of our skills faced expiry challenges over COVID, meta-skills have become a hot topic. Being a specialist used to be the best strategy but there is growing consensus that the future belongs to people who can adapt fast and intelligently across a wide range of situations. What are meta-skills? Meta-skills are the building blocks upon which new, complex skills are based. Meta-skills are broad capabilities that help you to develop other skills and can be applied across a wide variety of domains. They are high-leverage skills. Saunders et al provide some clarification on what they are and give examples of meta-skills. These include comprehending and synthesising complex materials; effective communication; technological literacy; strong ethics; metacognition; critical problem solving; and motivated self-regulation. Muukkonen and Lakkala add that strategy generation and the confidence to deal with difficult novel situations are also meta-skills. Moore […]
Keeping learning fresh: Part 2
A well-structured and effective online learning journey is a multidimensional process. Learners, online facilitators, learning content, and the delivery platform all have a significant influence on the success of the learning endeavour. Adopting a cohort-based approach to online learning is a way of building even deeper success. It’s not new, but many self-directed journeys are not cohort-based and the students miss out on this valuable element of the experience. Most of all this creates a sense of energy and keeps the learning fresh because of the social learning possibilities that arise from defining and managing cohorts. What are cohorts? A cohort can be described as a group of people who are joined by shared goals or common experiences. In the realm of education, Holmes et al describe that a cohort consists of a group of learners who partake in the same academic program and build relationships with one another throughout the duration of their learning journey. Community and the opportunity to connect with other students and build learning-based relationships is the lifeblood of cohorts. Conrad explains that learners tend to perceive a sense of community based on both the support structures available to them and the contact with peers. This […]
Spotlight on communities of practice
Communities of practice are social phenomena that are getting a lot of attention lately because of the power they offer for knowledge exchange. These communities exist everywhere. Hobby groups, co-workers, and even the neighbourhood watch are all examples of communities of practice. The social aspect of communities of practice makes them highly useful in learning environments. If learning providers make intelligent use of the necessary technologies and processes, a community of practices promises sustained, meaningful interactions between learners, coaches, and the learning providers themselves. Communities of practice in online learning Asynchronous learning opportunities, flexible time management, guided learning journeys, and a relatively comfortable user experience all weigh in favour of online learning. What is potentially lost are the precious opportunities to have learners interact with one another in a social learning context. There is a silver lining - learning providers can create thriving, online communities of practice without having to invest in new tools. Using the technology already at their disposal, learning providers are in a prime position to begin implementing communities of practice within the online space. According to Wenger, a successful community of practice contains three component elements. These elements are the domain, the community, and the practice. […]
Keeping online learning “fresh” in ’22 - Part 1.
One of the major challenges currently facing learning providers is how best to assess learning when information is everywhere and students can just Google test answers. This obviously challenges reporting on the return of investment for the purchaser and compromises a valuable evaluation of the learning experience. Encarnacion et al. found that appropriate assessments are crucial ingredients for an effective online learning environment. No big surprise then, that the focus should not be on preventing students from going to Google for answers but allowing for the integration of what they find. The question is how? Problem based learning Seibert proposes the technique of problem based learning (‘PBL’) as a means to encourage both critical thinking and engagement in students. Application of prior knowledge and opportunities for collaboration with fellow students in a cohort can form the basis of a successful PBL experience. Seibert conceptualises PBL as the inclusion of “structured scenarios” which, when presented to the student, catalyses “exploration of resources and self-directed information seeking”. PBL is not a new concept, and has been used extensively in traditional learning environments for years. Suparman et al found PBL to be very successful in terms of giving students valuable skills. In terms […]
Raising the bar when supporting students online
The success of any online learning initiative hinges on how the students are engaged. We know that. All the research agrees on one thing: Engagement is the key to any effective learning endeavour. Online learning does, however, require some unique considerations in order to maximise the students’ experience. Recently its emerged that engagement in online learning can be supported by developing a student “presence” within the learning experience. Social presence: an ingredient for supporting engagement Buelow, Barry and Rich note in their work on online learning engagement that any learning experience would benefit from invoking a sense of ‘social presence’ in the student. While technology may streamline the process of research and content communication, it can also stifle the important social aspect of learning. They emphasise that a social and emotional connection to the learning content is critical. The authors also highlight that social presence differs from cognitive presence, meaning that a student may be engaged with the academic rigours of the learning but might not feel any deeper attachment to the learning experience. The inherent issue of creating a social presence online is impacted by the fact that technological errors or glitches often interrupt learning sessions, which may lead […]
Online learning has asked students to change.
For its success, online learning relies on the students’ ability to make sense of a digital experience, that often takes place in isolation. Many students found themselves learning alone online for the first time, following the onset of the COVID pandemic. They have had to take charge of their learning, engage in lots of communication, often on many platforms and befriend digital learning artefacts and resources. The students own ability to stay self-motivated, regulate their study schedules, engage in reflective thinking and develop a positive attitude to learning and being a student, are more important than ever and pose a significant challenge to the success of online learning. What can be done to optimise the factors that make online learning successful from the student’s perspective? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about engaging content, it is much more multifaceted and complex than just the design of the online material. Even the best instructional design may not be clicked open, the most well-presented and up-beat microlearning glossed over and the snappy “test to learn” experiences ignored. While it would be convenient to deal only with a single factor influencing student behaviour, i.e. instructional content, it is necessary to view online […]
What the research says about online learning
Experts predict that by the end of 2022 we will fully enter a post-pandemic world. The mass availability of vaccines will hopefully allow for the resumption of more workplace group face-to-face interactions. Despite meeting in large numbers once again, it is highly likely that the post-pandemic world will continue to enjoy the value of blended learning and the efficiency of online learning platforms. Online learning, like any learning methodology, has unique pros and cons. Researchers agree on one firm point: to be effective, online learning requires more effort and initiative from the student. Problems therefore begin to arise when students lack the necessary mindset and skills to self-regulate by motivating, monitoring and disciplining themselves to make the most of their learning experiences. When they are not set-up to succeed and when this support for success is not refreshed and reinforced, they struggle. A lack of social interaction can prevent learners from feeling ‘connected’ to their learning, which in turn negatively impacts their performance. A 2016 study by Heppen et al. explored whether an online course could help students recover credits after failing an algebra course by randomly assigning 1000 students to online learning and face-to-face conditions. Unfortunately, students in the […]
Who cares about L&D?
“My team needs training! . My people have a skills gap. What have you got to solve it?” These are normal questions for L&D and HR. Norms are being revised however, learners now decide for themselves, people bypass L&D channels as they make their own decisions. Are certain teams more motivated to learn? Does anyone have time to learn? What are optimal ways to learn? How does one make learning experiences accessible, have a high impact and ensure they translate into great results? Research shows that only one out of every five people are promoters for their organization’s L&D, while nearly half are detractors. See that study here. This same study also indicates that there is a move away from traditional L&D models. Interestingly, the study found that when learners are looking for guidance on appropriate learning they behave as follows: 69 percent of people ask their manager or mentor. 55 percent ask their peers. 47 percent search the internet for options. Only 21 percent ask their L&D or HR department! The obvious question…how does L&D stay relevant? We know about being a credible business partner, having a seat at the table and making a contribution at a strategic level. The big question […]
What does it really take to be business savvy?
When organisations have switched from owning their client base to being driven by their clients, from looking for customers for their products to finding products for their customers, one must wonder if what we called “business acumen” has also changed? In our new leadership and economic paradigm -with new norms and values- what does it really take to be business savvy? The digital revolution has affected markets, work, and our social connections and what tech didn’t change, COVID threw upside down, so where does that leave business acumen? It seems to mean that it is no longer what it was, and that even those who thought they possessed business acumen have to re-skill. Even the basic notions of supply and demand are in shock. Political and competitive pressure and changing views on globalisation and economic nationalism are all on the agenda. The map has changed, the landscape is different. It’s a bit like global warming - more and less of all kinds of weather, all at the same time. More individual freedom, more financial management, more data, more governance, more innovation, more transformation, more technology. Less hierarchy, less control, fewer people, less time to market, less investment locally, less focus […]
Why business acumen matters more than ever.
Business acumen is variously defined as business and financial literacy. A simple integrated definition could be: “I understand how businesses make money, how my company makes money, how my customers make money and importantly, what they want from my business.” Industrial age thinking dictated that only those at the top of the pile needed to know how a business functioned, what the strategy was and how to innovate and improve competitive advantage. These days we know better and so we build leadership capability throughout organisations, and we encourage all employees to understand the value creation model of the business. We want everyone to know what the financial drivers of the business are, what the key business risks are and how the business navigates complexity and uncertainty. Everyone in the business needs this to be agile because in agile teams no one person is seen as holding all the knowledge and all the decision-making power. Business acumen is therefore a foundation for agile engagement and collaboration. Agile engagement and collaboration are fundamental building blocks for digital transformation. The 5-second test: Can your team follow industry, company and your own division's reports? Does your team love your company’s numbers? Does your team […]
An invitation to a digital mindset
If you’re still reaching for your diary to pen a reminder about that meeting next Tuesday, you should ask yourself why you’re resisting adopting a digital mindset. Going digital is about optimising the synergy between technology and people. This is essential if you want to thrive in the ever-changing world of work. Digitisation isn’t all about technology. It is more about a shift in behaviour. When you have innovation reflected in performance metrics, when change comes naturally, and you are alert to opportunities and are continuously learning with a strong customer focus – you can pat yourself on the back for having a digital mindset. If you use data and follow trends to drive decision making – you are on track. So why the problem with pen and paper – after all studies have shown that our brains love to write things down and tick them off? The problem is that your paper-pen diary minimises collaboration. Teams need synced calendars, fast and direct communication, and a decentralised information democracy in order to keep track of each other’s progress amidst disruption. Although COVID-19 has mandated isolation, it also accelerated digitisation because successful work demands collaboration. If you can accept that change […]
In a digitally transformed world learning content is dead
Online students at all levels are becoming more discerning and critical than ever. Why? Because as they spend more time online for meetings and work, they have become more visually literate, more tech-savvy and more digitally fluent. People don’t have time to be bogged down in something they could google or learn about on YouTube. These are all symptoms of the great transition to digital. As a result, the old world where learners could be dished up content and have it called learning is dying. Technology and social media have ensured that information is the most abundant resource currently available to us. These days content is used to generate better search engine listings and traffic. Blog posts have to be short and interesting to get attention. But content in the context of learning will never be the same. It is simply not enough to present reams of textbook-like content as learning and charge for it. In an age where countless experts upload hours of mastery (for free) on YouTube, why pay to read text behind glass and then write an assessment? It is faster and more effective to grab your learning from a variety of sources like fast foods and […]
Are your potential delegates avoiding learning?
Are your potential delegates feeling less motivated than usual? Do they seem more exhausted and irritable when you discuss learning opportunities with them? They may have learning burnout, which is a very real condition that online students worldwide are complaining about. Some ways you can identify if your delegates have learning burnout are: Managers just don’t respond to your requests to nominate delegates. There is little motivation to attend learning events. Their first question is “how long is it?” They want to learn about weighty and important topics that have huge impact but insist that it must be done within two hours. Postponing learning events. Not arriving. Keeping their cameras off and on mute. What to do? Make sure the learning offered is radically relevant and offers high impact solutions to real work problems. Make sure the solution is so attractive that they feel motivated to get enrolled. People really have to understand what’s in it for them to be willing to allocate valuable time going online (again). Distil learning experiences to high-value experiences that matter and integrate social learning and community of practice events with learning, to keep it social and engaging. Give learners access to experts and organisational […]
Learning fatigue is real
Online learning took centre stage during lockdowns around the world, but clients now complain that their teams have learning “fatigue” and that the COVID marathon has left people too tired to learn. We know that many people are overloaded by increased workloads, and they report that they have no bandwidth for learning. L&D managers now ask for learning to help teams deal with overload and fatigue. As an organisation that specialises in applying learning science to #ChangeTomorrow, we know when to learn and how to learn and what learning requires as a place where knowledge is created and personally integrated. While L&D diligently turn to providers and specialists to provide the correct programmes to suit their needs, these are often out of synch with the lived experience of the users. Perhaps thinking of learners as “users” helps clarify the space. They will use the programme and use the learning offered as their own or not. Content journeys do take up bandwidth. If there is no connection between the paradigm and mindset required to integrate the new learning into expanded behaviour and results, it will certainly feel onerous to wade through an online programme because you have to. If the user […]
Where does learning happen? Phenyo, a final year law student knows.
Phenyo is a final year law student and is one step away from entering the world of legal practice. She has won numerous academic awards and has been widely rewarded with praise from peers and professor alike. As her mother, I remember her first day of university. She was eager and ready to learn but she certainly lacked the intellectual ability required to be a Dean’s Merit List candidate. Phenyo needed to improve her logical reasoning and advance her critical thinking greatly before she could reach such heights. Phenyo attended multiple years of lectures, did assignments, and completed research but only in her penultimate year did she land on the podium of success. Phenyo revealed to me one night that classes and academics alone were not what propelled her to legal excellence. The classroom experience had played a small role in what she had achieved. Phenyo had joined a mock litigators (moot) society in her first year. The society allowed students to participate in simulated trails to gain practical experience. Students would be appointed as representatives “for” and “against” a position in each case and argue their positions before judges – “Like suits” she explained. Phenyo had slowly been developing […]
Learning design has to account for students emotions and not only provide a journey through learning content. Do you agree?
Emotions impact learning: Implications for design. The demands and pressures of “covid times” have resulted in a variety of emotions among online students. In this context, a study conducted in 2016 on how emotions impact studying is relevant. Perhaps we can extrapolate the findings, given the covid context? The study, published in the journal of higher education [1] focused on three emotion clusters. These were identified, as being pertinent to three types of students, namely those who: (1) are quickly progressing, successful and are students experiencing positive emotions, (2) quickly progressing successful students experiencing negative emotions and (3) slowly progressing students experiencing negative emotions. The results of the study indicate that it is not enough to focus on supporting successful learning, but that attention should also be paid to promoting students’ positive emotions and well-being at the same time. Despite the central role that emotions play in different transitions, the focus of research in higher education has tended to be on the cognitive and motivational aspects of learning. The emotional component needs to be given special attention given the current rise in mental health issues and this has implications for learning design and for how we provide learning journeys for […]
The power of virtual facilitation.
It seems adults learn most effectively in places not officially designated for learning. We do not find our greatest lessons in online classrooms or facilitated sessions. Instead, we learn best socially, from each other, in conversations and just about any place that presents us with an experience at a time in our lives when we are ready to receive it. What does this imply is required, when adults sign up to learn, for example in a virtually facilitated online session? Surely, it means the learning has to be more than “interactive”, it has to be alive? Learning designers have all kinds of techniques for doing this but as we spend more time online across all interactions, our literacy and skills on these platforms have escalated. The usual techniques for pushing up learner engagement and interactivity seem underwhelming in this new context. CPS has devised a methodology for designing virtual facilitation that truly creates stimulating conditions for learning. It’s called disruptive process facilitation. If you Google it you will find nothing at all, Google is ignorant, because its proprietary IP that’s woven into CPS facilitation design. Through a carefully designed approach to virtual facilitation, developed over many years, CPS creates conditions […]
“Dead scripts” need to be enlivened
John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist whose long YouTube video series, “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis”, shows us the relevance of cognitive science to our everyday lives and even to how we learn. A lack of meaning in life often occurs when a person is stuck in a rut. Translated into Vervaeke’s cognitive scientific language, this means they are unable to grow and challenge themselves, because their perspective has been narrowed by “parasitic mental processing.” They have been frozen by an inability to filter in relevance and filter out what’s not relevant in their eco-systems. To think of this in Vervaeke’s terms, we need to avoid the above, the playing out ‘dead scripts’ - that is, a simple input-to-output function, something that, in all honesty, a machine could probably do. The ‘scripts’ we fulfil, our professional purpose, must be part of a living, growing system of “fresh” interaction and application. We must also update our concepts and strategies for learning, to address making dead scripts come alive in the learning domain. Individuals who find themselves acting out a dead script feel undervalued and insecure regarding their role in organisations, expressing dissatisfaction with having accumulated the years of information needed for […]