Curriculum design as an enabler of student involvement and success in higher education

H.M. van Zyl; Y. Burger; L. Carstens; M. Geyser

doi:10.20853/34-5-4267

H.M. van Zyl The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7159-2766
Y. Burger The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5121-9497
L. Carstens The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9994-7912
M. Geyser The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3247-4895

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20853/34-5-4267

Abstract

Quality assurance, promotion, and the success of students are core drivers in Higher Education. Students shifted from being receivers in the knowledge transfer process of Higher Education to active co-producers in the learning process, which makes students more involved in the quality assurance process today than they were in the past. This shift requires curriculum developers of programmes to not only understand the nature of the change in the students’ role in Higher Education but also to anticipate future changes in their role. The Mode 1, Mode 2 and Mode 3 models of knowledge production are useful systems to help curriculum designers understand this daunting task. This research conducts a theoretical exploration into students’ shift in knowledge production as they engage with the curriculum in higher education, which explores the different modes of knowledge production. The exploratory research includes practical curriculum examples that highlight the changes in the structures of control, characteristics, and practicalities of the different modes, changes in assessment strategies, changes in teacher-student relationships, and the inclusion of other role-players such as industry and society. The first mode of knowledge production is a disciplinary and homogeneity model, with the second mode shifting to a transdisciplinary, heterogeneous, transient, and more systemic model which includes industry stakeholders, with a permeable boundary. The third mode of knowledge production is situated in the fourth industrial revolution space and looks at the combined future of science, knowledge, and technology.

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Author Biographies

H.M. van Zyl, The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa

Ria van Zyl started her career in 1985 as a communication designer, product developer and owner of a communication design consultancy. Ria joined the University of Pretoria in 1999 as senior design lecturer and researcher. She completed her master's degree at the University of Pretoria with a dissertation on the development of a service quality framework for the communication design industry. She published several articles and conference papers and wrote a book on brand identity in 2007 aimed at entrepreneurs. In 2014, she joined the Independent Institute of Education VEGA (IIEVEGA) where she is now academic programme manager in the design section and national post-graduate research co-ordinator (honours). In 2018 she completed her PhD at the Da Vinci Institute and served on the Design Educators Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) committee (2018 – 2019).

Y. Burger, The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa

Yolandi Burger is the programme manager of the Graphic Design programme at the Independent Institute of Education VEGA (IIEVEGA). She holds a PhD in Higher Education Studies from the University of the Free State. She has taught in art and design education for more than 10 years and is currently the honours research co-ordinator for the Design programmes at the Pretoria campus. She published several articles and a scholarly book chapter. Yolandi’s professional interests include the ever-changing role of creatives in the world and the resulting impact this phenomenon has on the curriculum, research opportunities, educational technologies and the ecology.

L. Carstens, The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa

Lizette Carstens started her career in 1994 as an in-house designer for a prominent South African NGO who was tasked with designing voter education material for South Africa's first democratic election. After a short stint as a freelancer doing work for high-profile mining clients, she joined QData as a multimedia designer responsible for designing interactive training material and the company website. In 2002, she founded her own multimedia design agency. Lizette completed her MA degree in Information Design in 2013 which included a mini-dissertation on using participatory design approaches to support SMME's with strategic design solutions. She joined The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School as a part-time design lecturer and post-graduate supervisor, and became the full-time Programme Manager for Creative Brand Communication in 2016. Her responsibilities include curriculum integration, design, and management of the programmes in Graphic Design, Digital Design Creative Brand Communication, and Game Design and Development. Research interests are co-design, design decolonisation and design entrepreneurship.

M. Geyser, The Independent Institute of Education, Vega School, Pretoria, South Africa

Maretha Geyser holds an honours degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Pretoria. She started her career in 2006 as a junior Interior Design lecturer at the Design School Southern Africa. In 2008, she pursued a career as an Interior Architect working on a variety of high-end residential design projects, both as designer and project manager. In 2013, she was appointed as the Programme Manager for the Interior Design degree at IIEVEGA. In addition to this role, she also lectures into the Interior Design degree across various campuses. Maretha completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at the Independent Institute of Education during 2019 and is currently serving on the Design Educators Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) committee (2020 – 2021).

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Curriculum design as an enabler of student involvement and success in higher education

Abstract

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