Taking teaching and learning to the
The DHET’s SOTL grants are awarded to academics to undertake research into the teaching of their discipline with the aim of developing their teaching and research capacity and improving student learning. The funds form part of the University’s Teaching Development Grant. The purpose of this grant is to promote institutional research to improve teaching and student learning and success.
The University of Pretoria’s commitment to ensuring that its teaching and learning initiatives enable students to excel and graduate in the minimum time set out for a degree, and to continue to pursue postgraduate studies, is entrenched in a culture of excellence. With the assistance of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in the form of the Scholarship of
In 2019, the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology was fortunate to receive ten such grants across its three schools, which enabled the related research to be conducted in 2020.
Teaching and Learning (SOTL) grant, its academics have the opportunity to develop projects that will enhance their teaching and learning outcomes.
Dr Ida Breed Department of Architecture
BIOPHILIC ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING IN THE DESIGN STUDIO This study is based on the hypothesis that interacting with real-life settings in design assignments as part of learners’ formation could benefit from a biophilic affinity for the living world to foster both experiential and transformative learning. It verifies the degree to which the exposure to real-life social and environmental living complexities in design projects stimulates learners’ learning processes and improves the final design outcomes.
Prof Alta van der Merwe Dean’s Office
ENGINEERING DIAGNOSTIC TEST An engineering diagnostic test, which was written by all first-year Engineering students, was evaluated to determine its internal and external validity as a predictor of student success. This evaluation determined that the test was not measuring clear constructs, while the readiness test was found to be a weak predictor of engineering success. Considering other data, there were also no clear indicators of student success. In response to this, research is being conducted to target the issues of spatial visualisation and psycho-social skills more narrowly, as well as to conduct focus group interviews to interrogate students’ perceptions.
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