All of the articles in this proceedings volume have been presented at the 11th Focus Conference during 14-16 August, 2024 in in Durban, South Africa. These articles have been peer reviewed by the members of the Technical and Scientific Committee and approved by the Editor-in-Chief, who affirms that this...

In this article, I use decolonial theory, literature, and data from my PhD research to analyze the complexities of blackness and the formation of black academic identities in the landscape of South African higher education. I argue that in addition to numerous other forms of identification that black...

Addressing academic exclusion in South African higher education institutions requires a multifaceted approach, given the complex interplay of race, gender, socio-economic status, and ability. This study underscores the importance of intersectional research in fully understanding these nuanced challenges....

The ongoing dialogue for academic freedom and university autonomy remains important for the development and sustainability of higher learning institutions. The concept of academic freedom, although explicates different meanings in context and nature, its understanding from the lens of most developing...

Graduate unemployment is a pressing issue that significantly impacts both individuals and the broader economy. While various initiatives attempt to address this problem, particularly from Universities of Technology, many of these efforts, such as entrepreneurial and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs,...

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education has evolved significantly, presenting notable opportunities for mathematics education. This systematic literature review aims to answer the question: What are the current trends, benefits, challenges, and future directions in the application...

The high cost of higher education globally has become a major challenge to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG 4), which aims to ensure an inclusive and equitable quality education. Overcoming this barrier requires introducing a sustainable student financing model that...

This reflective study aims to explore the use of care pedagogy as a teaching philosophy to address the challenges encountered by students in higher education. Care pedagogy has recently emerged as a powerful lens through which to examine the complexities of teaching and learning in higher education....

Higher education in South Africa has rapidly changed in the past eight years. The #Feesmustfall movement in 2016 has highlighted structural issues within the system, and some changes are already seen within higher education institutions (HEIs). HEIs such as universities and colleges have had to rapidly...

This conceptual paper examines governance challenges in South African higher education, with a specific focus on universities placed under administration. Drawing from five South African universities as case studies, the paper investigates issues arising from financial mismanagement, leadership crises,...

The notion of decolonising the curriculum started in 2015/2016 when the #FeesMustfall movement started and has been at the center of higher education discourse in South Africa. Research papers interrogate conceptions of decolonisation, inclusive curriculum and the decolonisation of the curriculum. Numerous...

Despite the burgeoning scholarship on the decolonisation over the last few years, this project remains contested by diverse ontologies, epistemologies and ideologies of Western, non-Western, South American origins. Thus, while higher education institutions all claim to be advancing decolonisation in...

As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools become more accessible, students may utilise them for assistance in completing assignments and assessments, raising ethical concerns regarding fairness and academic integrity. Moreover, there has been an increasing reliance on GenAI tools in higher...

The rise of South African women in higher education is a story of perseverance and transformational change. South African women, particularly black women, were historically marginalized and excluded due to colonial and apartheid-era policies, posing significant barriers to higher education. The early...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies continue to transform education, training and the world of work. Its implications for the education, training and work ecosystem, the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs), and regulatory authorities such as the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA),...

If reading is an agent for change and development, the sustainable growth of Africa pivots upon the awakening of a reading custom in the individual where this is sustained through reading communities over time. The research addressed reading in a concurrent manner, where it is accepted as an isolated...

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) demands a paradigm shift in engineering education, necessitating the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA). This research highlights the imperative need for Higher Education (HE) institutions to adapt...

While there is always an ongoing debate on the use of summative assessments over formative assessment especially when student development is prioritized, summative assessments continue to prevail in many higher education institutions, especially in developing countries. Different reasons have been associated...

The global outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) significantly impacted the higher education sector, leading to both adverse and beneficial consequences. In South Africa, higher education institutions were particularly affected, as existing inequalities and disparities became more pronounced. The enforcement...

The call for decolonial education in the global south is a necessary and immediate task for education scholars in Post-colonial countries. One such example is the #FeesMustFall movement in South African Universities, where students expressed that only the complete overhaul of the curriculum, based on...

This conceptual piece explores the notion of Reasoning Competency (RC) within the context of higher education (HE), particularly in the era of AI-enhanced learning environments. It examines how AI technologies can reshape the way reasoning is taught, learned, and applied, emphasizing the importance of...

A university’s first year of engineering education is pivotal, significantly impacting student retention and success. First-year engineering students face a formidable transition, grapple with the steep learning curve of advanced technical subjects, the necessity for enhanced self-directed study habits,...

South Africa’s higher education system faces significant challenges, including low academic performance and unsatisfactory throughput rates. These issues cannot be fully understood without considering the impact of the apartheid era, which left a legacy of pronounced educational inequality and fragmentation....

This reflection piece critiques the contemporary politics of knowledge systems, exploring the contestations of power dynamics between hegemonic and marginalised knowledge systems and the decolonisation of the curriculum. Societies or economies are anchored by production, distribution, and consumption...

Black students’ academic progress and completion rates at South African higher education institutions are affected by the complex problem of student activism. Since many students are unable to pay the ever-increasing tuition fees, they have agitated for Free Higher Education (FHE) through the broad-based...

Blackboard has emerged as a widely adopted learning management system (LMS) that enables blended learning approaches in higher education. It has become an integral part of curriculum development that allows lecturers to enhance their teaching and students to engage with course materials in new ways....

In the rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly impacting teaching, learning, and assessment (TLA) in higher education. This study reviews how higher education institutions (HEIs) are responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. The study...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is rapidly evolving, extending transformative potential in increasing learning experiences. ChatGPT has gained significant attention for its educational relevance. While previous studies have primarily focused on the perspectives of educators,...

As the landscape of Higher Education evolves, the role of Writing Centres (WC) has become increasingly critical in supporting students’ academic development. In particular, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the writing process has the potential to revolutionise the way Writing Centre...

The use of technology in the classroom has become a vital element in meeting the demands of the 21st industrial revolution. This study presents second-year students teachers’ experiences of utilising ChatGPT in the teaching and learning of Economic and Management Sciences. The study falls within an interpretive...

This narrative review explores the social benefits of informal sports for first-year students, emphasizing the critical role these activities play in enhancing social integration, mental health, and overall well-being. Transitioning to university life poses numerous challenges for first-year students,...