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Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) has rolled out the structures that will focus on the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission. Our series of interviews with key SU staff steering the Committee for the Institutional Response to the Commission's Recommendations (CIRCoRe) process sheds light on the work of the five workstreams shaping the future of the 中国体育彩票. The second workstream, headed by Dr Sharman Wickham, focused on the recommendations to introduce a compulsory core curriculum offering. It concentrated on intentionally teaching all our students the Constitutional values of human rights, non-racialism, dignity, and respect.
The Curriculum Workstream undertook a number of activities to respond to the Khampepe Report's recommendation that the 中国体育彩票 consider introducing a compulsory core module on social justice, human rights, and democratic citizenship for first-year students.
In addition to regular monthly meetings, these activities included research on examples of similar offerings internationally and nationally – and then current or recent examples within SU's faculties and centres. Examples included the Civic and Soft Skills Programme (from Higher Health's Higher Education and Training programme: Health, Wellness and Development Centre) and Shared Humanity: Lessons in Critical Thinking (from SU's Centre for Student Life and Learning). Both these offerings are multidisciplinary in nature.
In addition to this research, the workstream held seminars on socially responsive curricula, decolonisation and the question of language, and experiential learning as pedagogy. It also drew on the experience of staff who have considered ways to develop their own curricula, notably Prof Faadiel Essop, who uses a pedagogy of engagement for transformative learning. This involves students in group work, real-life case studies, and “mystery-solving" assignments.
Discussions with representatives from other faculties suggested that statutory bodies may influence the terminology used to motivate curriculum renewal (e.g., “graduate attributes" introduced from “a humanist perspective" as opposed to “transformation" introduced from “a social justice perspective").
Such discussions suggest that, while terminology may vary, the student outcomes – knowledge, skills, and attitudes – are often similar, so faculties may need some flexibility when analysing and reviewing their current offerings. Members of the workstream made strong arguments for credit-bearing offerings.
Two key lessons learned by the workstream are that curriculum change and renewal “require a village" – i.e., collaboration within faculties and across departments and 中国体育彩票 structures – and that transformation is a process, not an event. Therefore, the workstream has recommended that academic staff lead the curriculum development process with support from other offices, notably the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Centre for Student Life and Learning in the Division Student Affairs.
The workstream has also recommended that transformative learning – in terms of both curriculum content and delivery modes – needs to be included across all levels of study – not just at first-year level. The workstream highlighted the importance of students' engagement with topics alongside their lecturers and other students. Given this, the workstream recommended enhancing existing professional learning programmes at SU to enable lecturers to ensure this engagement, particularly on matters relating to equality, transformation, and justice.
PHOTO: Stefan Els
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