ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment

ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment

Sioux McKenna, Rhodes University; Dan Dixon, University of Sydney; Daniel Oppenheimer, Carnegie Mellon University; Margaret Blackie, Rhodes University, and Sam Illingworth, Edinburgh Napier University The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to higher education systems everywhere. But while some changes, like moving lectures online, were relatively easy to make, assessment posed a much bigger challenge. Assessment can take many forms, from essays to exams to experiments and more. Many institutions and […]

February 1, 2024 41

Namibia

Ministry Prohibits Teachers from Charging Fees for Extra Classes

The Education, Arts, and Culture ministry's Director for Programmes and Quality Assurance, Ayeesha Wentworth, emphasized that teachers are strictly prohibited from charging fees when conducting additional classes for their own students. Wentworth clarified that such sessions are integral to the school improvement strategy and should not incur any extra costs for the students or their parents. This statement comes in response to complaints from some parents who allege that certain […]

February 1, 2024 28

Business / Economics

South Africa is failing people who aren’t poor, but aren’t middle class either

By Tinashe Mushayanyama, University of South Africa; Adrino Mazenda, University of Pretoria; Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, University of Pretoria, and Mary Mangai, University of Pretoria Many South African households are trapped. They are neither poor nor middle class. As a demographic they hover above the indigence threshold financially. But they are not yet securely in the middle class. This aspirant middle class – individuals whose income is above the indigent […]

January 30, 2024 18

Lifestyle

Responsible, human-centred approach – key to using GenAI in education

By Shakeel Jhazbhay, General Manager, Digital Business Solutions at DatacentrixIn the ever-evolving realm of educational technology, Generative AI (GenAI) is emerging as a transformative force poised to reshape the education sector. However, exploring the benefits and drawbacks of GenAI is crucial for a comprehensive grasp of its suitable applications and potential impact. In retrospect: the use of technology in education over time In order to gain context around the use […]

January 26, 2024 25

Lifestyle

Learning to read in another language is tough: how Namibian teachers can help kids

Wolfgang Kaehler/Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Marta Ndakalako Alumbungu, Stellenbosch University and Nhlanhla Mpofu, Stellenbosch University In a classroom in Namibia’s northern Oshikoto region, a teacher has written English vocabulary words on the chalkboard. She asks her learners to read them aloud. When they stumble with pronunciation, she corrects them. She also helps the youngsters to sound out words. At another school nearby, an English teacher is showing her […]

January 25, 2024 43

Africa

Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: 5 essential reads

Children’s education is frequently disrupted in conflict-fraught areas. Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images Natasha Joseph, The Conversation Nelson Mandela was a famous advocate for the value of education. In 1990, the man who would become South Africa’s first democratically president four years later told a high school in Boston: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The United Nations agrees. In 2018 […]

January 24, 2024 31

Namibia

Concerns Raised by //Kharas Ombudsman over Surge in Education Complaints: 108 Cases Recorded Since 2022

The head of the Office of the Ombudsman in the //Kharas region, Sylvester Sibungo, has expressed concern regarding students approaching their office to file complaints against education authorities in Keetmanshoop. Sibungo mentioned that since 2022, their office has received approximately 108 complaints against principals and teachers. These complaints encompass issues such as classroom bans, suspensions, corporal punishment, and the forceful cutting of hair.Sibungo addressed this matter during the annual meeting […]

January 24, 2024 9

Environment

Conservationists aim to save South America’s super tiny wild cat, the guina

Image courtesy of Jerry Laker/Fauna Australis. By Petro Kotzé via MongaBay For more than 200 million years, the ancient Valdivian Temperate Forest in southwestern Chile has been a refuge for plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. This global biodiversity hotspot is home to monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana), the endangered chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera), threatened southern pudu (Pudu puda) — the world’s smallest deer — and two critically endangered species: the […]

January 23, 2024 45

Namibia

Kunene remains optimistic despite disappointing exam results

Despite disappointing results in last year’s Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) and Advanced Subsidiary (AS) examinations, the Kunene education directorate remains optimistic. Petrus Shipalanga, the region’s interim education director, told Nampa recently there was a modest improvement, as 15.95 per cent of learners qualified for Advanced Subsidiary level compared to 11.3 per cent in 2022. Shipalanga however said more efforts should be made to improve the region’s […]

January 22, 2024 24