The voices of university students are often absent from academic discourses on the learning of gr... more The voices of university students are often absent from academic discourses on the learning of graduate attributes (GAs). Such attributes are mostly constructed and conceptualised from the viewpoint of academics, institutions, education authorities and industry. However, as students within democratic contexts are increasingly challenged to assume greater responsibility for their own growth and development, it seems imperative that they participate in discussions related to the acquiring of graduate attributes. This article reports on how students at one South African university understand and relate to graduate attributes. Data were generated from a group of students at the University of the Western Cape through focus group interviews and photo elicitation. The results indicate that students who understand what graduate attributes are and how they can acquire these attributes might enhance such students' further growth and their employability.
CITATION: Bitzer, E. 2009. Journeying with Higher Education Studies and Research: A Personal Pers... more CITATION: Bitzer, E. 2009. Journeying with Higher Education Studies and Research: A Personal Perspective, in E. Bitzer (ed.). Higher Education in South Africa: A Scholarly Look behind the Scenes. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 305-328. doi:10.18820/9781920338183/14.
Doctoral education represents an important path for entry into the global research community. At ... more Doctoral education represents an important path for entry into the global research community. At the same time, doctoral degrees contribute to modern societies by aiming to produce competent researchers. Being a successful doctoral supervisor adhering to global requirements involves several qualities. For example, having research capabilities, being knowledgeable in and across disciplines, understanding diverse cultures, language sensitivity, cultivating interpersonal relationships, exercising mentoring/guidance skills and having appropriate knowledge of unique national and institutional doctoral regulatory systems.
Institutional Research in South African Higher Education - Intersecting Contexts and Practices, Nov 1, 2016
If it is accepted that IR is about exploring, understanding and explaining the institution for th... more If it is accepted that IR is about exploring, understanding and explaining the institution for the institution in a broad and comprehensive sense (Webber & Calderon 2015), it is equally important for IR practitioners to view doctoral studies as much more than the number of postgraduate enrolments, throughput figures and the amount of subsidy generated. Factors influencing doctoral provision and education Research on doctoral education has to attend to various interlinking factors that influence the nature, completion and quality of doctorates. As Figure 2 below suggests, at least three sets of factors impact on doctoral studies, namely contextual, administrative and academic factors.
This study surveyed a number of accounting lecturers at a research-intensive South African univer... more This study surveyed a number of accounting lecturers at a research-intensive South African university to determine their perceptions and preferences regarding their own professional identity. How university lecturers see and experience their own professional identity is important as such views influence the way they teach, participate in professional learning opportunities and attach value to what they do. The findings indicate that professional identity is not a stable construct, that it is related to personal choices and influenced by a number of contextual factors. The participant group of accounting lecturers indicated their professional identity as primarily being professional lecturers rather than professional chartered accountants, but background variables did not seem to play a significant role in their professional identity formation, nor was role conflict identified as being a major factor. The findings imply that if accounting lectures consider themselves as professional university lecturers rather than professional chartered accountants, excelling as academics and educators would contribute towards excellence in the teaching of accounting.
this article presents the results from research on community-engaged curricula using feedback fro... more this article presents the results from research on community-engaged curricula using feedback from international and South African academics who teach on postgraduate programmes with a community engagement component. It also includes the findings from a sample master's programme in Play Therapy at a South African university. The findings indicated that at least five important issues are related to community-engaged master's programmes in Play therapy, namely: programme relevance, integrated scholarship, community-297 Wilson, Bitzer and Newmark Community-engaged curricula in higher education based research, reciprocal learning, and close academic staff involvement. Based on these findings a curriculum framework is suggested which caters for an integrated scholarship approach in master's programmes in Play therapy that closely engage with community needs. Such a framework may relate to similar or other professional master's programme curricula.
Engaging Higher Education Curricula - A critical citizenship perspective, 2015
Also compare the South African Constitution in this respect. Section 3(2) in particular states th... more Also compare the South African Constitution in this respect. Section 3(2) in particular states that: "All citizens are-(a) equally entitled to rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship; and (b) equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship".
Pushing Boundaries in Postgraduate Supervision, 2014
ConCeptualising risk in doCtoral eduCation navigating boundary tensions liezel Frick, ruth albert... more ConCeptualising risk in doCtoral eduCation navigating boundary tensions liezel Frick, ruth albertyn and eli bitzer IntroducIng rIsk If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.-Jim Rohn Risk-taking is an important form of human behaviour, but can be conceptualised in different ways (Byrnes, Miller & Schafer 1999). Some researchers in higher education point to the association between academic risk and its negative consequences
Voorgraadse residensiële studente in Suid-Afrika se studie- en leerbehoeftes verskil beduidend va... more Voorgraadse residensiële studente in Suid-Afrika se studie- en leerbehoeftes verskil beduidend van dié van vorige geslagte. Dit blyk duidelik uit die onlangse studente-onrus oor aangeleenthede soos studie-bekostigbaarheid, studente-toegang tot hoër onderwys en die leermodusse in hoër onderwys. Nuwe leerbehoeftes hou ook verband met aspekte soos tegnologiese geletterdheid, onmiddellike behoeftebevrediging, die beskikbaarheid van kennisbronne, studente se sosiale aspirasies en -verbintenisse, hul self-gesentreerdheid asook die mate van studentebetrokkenheid by onderrig- en leersituasies. Hierdie navorsingsprojek se eerste doel was om te bepaal wat die leerbehoeftes van 'n groep studente aan 'n gekose privaat hoëronderwysinstelling is; tweedens is gepoog om vas te stel hoe betrokke hierdie groep studente, volgens hul eie waarneming en dié van hul dosente, by leersituasies is en derdens, wat gedoen kan word om leerbetrokkenheid te bevorder en derhalwe studente se potensiaal tot ...
International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 2013
The academic performance and retention of first-year students are under scrutiny worldwide. In vi... more The academic performance and retention of first-year students are under scrutiny worldwide. In view of the emphasis on first-year success, a support group was established in a first-year module - Financial Accounting 178 - at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The article reports on students perceptions of their participation and their pass rates within the support group. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained from interviews, questionnaires, and an analysis of support group pass rates. The overall conclusion from this study is that students in financial accounting perceived their participation as positive and an increase in pass rates, compared to previous results, was observed. Small-group participation, tutorial classes, and peer student assistance all appear to contribute positively to improved performance of support groups. A number of areas for possible future research were identified from the results.
This article indicates how the application of a simplified version of the analytical abstraction ... more This article indicates how the application of a simplified version of the analytical abstraction method (AAM) was used in curriculum development for consumer learning at one higher education institution in South Africa. We used a case study design and qualitative research methodology to generate data through semistructured interviews with eight learning facilitators at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This data set forms the basis of the reported research. Application of basic-and higher-level analysis resulted in the identification of patterns that confirmed the need for consumer learning and informed the situation analysis with regard to a 'readiness climate' at the institution. We also gained insight into aspects that need to be considered during curriculum development for consumer learning as the AAM has proved to be a useful guiding tool in developing a structured explanatory framework for curriculum development. The article concludes with the view that the promotion of consumer learning in university curricula has been under-researched and that, despite current efforts, university curricula are slow to adopt consumer learning as a critical learning outcome. We suggest several possibilities that might assist in overcoming this inertia.
In academia, the definition of literacy has evolved from a focus on reading and writing to encomp... more In academia, the definition of literacy has evolved from a focus on reading and writing to encompass more inclusive and expansive perspectives. Such perspectives have come from researchers involved in exploring literacy among diverse populations and across traditional divides such as cultural, political and socioeconomic boundaries. Changing definitions of literacy include usage in expressions such as 'computer literacy', 'civic literacy', 'health literacy', 'cultural literacy' and others. Recently, new directions in literacy research were foregrounded by critical questions that seek to discover how literacy functions in doctoral studies and within research communities. For instance, what does it mean to be 'literate' as a doctoral member of a research culture, within a field of research, within the academic profession and so on? In addition, doctoral candidates often grapple with what may be termed 'threshold concepts'. Such concepts include the meaning of the doctorate as a qualification, its aims, its narrative and the level of literacy required to succeed with a doctorate. Against this background the article explores firstly how the concept of being literate has been broadened to include literacy for doctoral learning; secondly, it explains why doctorateness remains a threshold concept for many doctoral candidates and supervisors, and thirdly it provides some evidence from at least five years of working with doctoral education and doctoral supervisor development workshops to support an argument for doctoral literacy. Finally, the article provides some implications which emerged from a better understanding of the language and requirements of doctorateness as an essential literacy requirement for doctoral candidates and their supervisors.
ABSTRACT Abstract Being a successful doctoral supervisor and adhering to international requiremen... more ABSTRACT Abstract Being a successful doctoral supervisor and adhering to international requirements and contexts involves important qualities, for example: being knowledgeable in disciplines and understanding different methodologies; being sensitive to cultural diversity; and cultivating interpersonal relationships. As doctoral candidates and their supervisors carry major responsibilities, doctoral quality and success are associated with several challenges. This article explores some of these challenges and suggests that candidates and supervisors might contribute more substantially to new knowledge if international quality measures for theses and ‘doctorateness’ (or ‘doctoralness’) are considered. This explorative study reports on descriptive and analytical findings from a project whereby three senior academics from three countries collaborated and acted as facilitators of research and developmental efforts concerning doctoral education and the professional development of doctoral supervisors. Such efforts involved both supervisors and doctoral candidates – the latter whose views are seen as important to shape supervisors’ views of their own supervisory practices and standards for the doctorate. The article outlines the processes and feedback from a series of developmental opportunities that were created and provides guidelines as to how trans-national efforts – particularly, but not exclusively, in the context of a developing country – can be used to promote doctoral education and the professional development of doctoral supervisors. Keywords: doctoral education, ‘doctorateness’, doctoral supervision, professional development, trans-national cooperation, supervisor development
The voices of university students are often absent from academic discourses on the learning of gr... more The voices of university students are often absent from academic discourses on the learning of graduate attributes (GAs). Such attributes are mostly constructed and conceptualised from the viewpoint of academics, institutions, education authorities and industry. However, as students within democratic contexts are increasingly challenged to assume greater responsibility for their own growth and development, it seems imperative that they participate in discussions related to the acquiring of graduate attributes. This article reports on how students at one South African university understand and relate to graduate attributes. Data were generated from a group of students at the University of the Western Cape through focus group interviews and photo elicitation. The results indicate that students who understand what graduate attributes are and how they can acquire these attributes might enhance such students' further growth and their employability.
CITATION: Bitzer, E. 2009. Journeying with Higher Education Studies and Research: A Personal Pers... more CITATION: Bitzer, E. 2009. Journeying with Higher Education Studies and Research: A Personal Perspective, in E. Bitzer (ed.). Higher Education in South Africa: A Scholarly Look behind the Scenes. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 305-328. doi:10.18820/9781920338183/14.
Doctoral education represents an important path for entry into the global research community. At ... more Doctoral education represents an important path for entry into the global research community. At the same time, doctoral degrees contribute to modern societies by aiming to produce competent researchers. Being a successful doctoral supervisor adhering to global requirements involves several qualities. For example, having research capabilities, being knowledgeable in and across disciplines, understanding diverse cultures, language sensitivity, cultivating interpersonal relationships, exercising mentoring/guidance skills and having appropriate knowledge of unique national and institutional doctoral regulatory systems.
Institutional Research in South African Higher Education - Intersecting Contexts and Practices, Nov 1, 2016
If it is accepted that IR is about exploring, understanding and explaining the institution for th... more If it is accepted that IR is about exploring, understanding and explaining the institution for the institution in a broad and comprehensive sense (Webber & Calderon 2015), it is equally important for IR practitioners to view doctoral studies as much more than the number of postgraduate enrolments, throughput figures and the amount of subsidy generated. Factors influencing doctoral provision and education Research on doctoral education has to attend to various interlinking factors that influence the nature, completion and quality of doctorates. As Figure 2 below suggests, at least three sets of factors impact on doctoral studies, namely contextual, administrative and academic factors.
This study surveyed a number of accounting lecturers at a research-intensive South African univer... more This study surveyed a number of accounting lecturers at a research-intensive South African university to determine their perceptions and preferences regarding their own professional identity. How university lecturers see and experience their own professional identity is important as such views influence the way they teach, participate in professional learning opportunities and attach value to what they do. The findings indicate that professional identity is not a stable construct, that it is related to personal choices and influenced by a number of contextual factors. The participant group of accounting lecturers indicated their professional identity as primarily being professional lecturers rather than professional chartered accountants, but background variables did not seem to play a significant role in their professional identity formation, nor was role conflict identified as being a major factor. The findings imply that if accounting lectures consider themselves as professional university lecturers rather than professional chartered accountants, excelling as academics and educators would contribute towards excellence in the teaching of accounting.
this article presents the results from research on community-engaged curricula using feedback fro... more this article presents the results from research on community-engaged curricula using feedback from international and South African academics who teach on postgraduate programmes with a community engagement component. It also includes the findings from a sample master's programme in Play Therapy at a South African university. The findings indicated that at least five important issues are related to community-engaged master's programmes in Play therapy, namely: programme relevance, integrated scholarship, community-297 Wilson, Bitzer and Newmark Community-engaged curricula in higher education based research, reciprocal learning, and close academic staff involvement. Based on these findings a curriculum framework is suggested which caters for an integrated scholarship approach in master's programmes in Play therapy that closely engage with community needs. Such a framework may relate to similar or other professional master's programme curricula.
Engaging Higher Education Curricula - A critical citizenship perspective, 2015
Also compare the South African Constitution in this respect. Section 3(2) in particular states th... more Also compare the South African Constitution in this respect. Section 3(2) in particular states that: "All citizens are-(a) equally entitled to rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship; and (b) equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship".
Pushing Boundaries in Postgraduate Supervision, 2014
ConCeptualising risk in doCtoral eduCation navigating boundary tensions liezel Frick, ruth albert... more ConCeptualising risk in doCtoral eduCation navigating boundary tensions liezel Frick, ruth albertyn and eli bitzer IntroducIng rIsk If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.-Jim Rohn Risk-taking is an important form of human behaviour, but can be conceptualised in different ways (Byrnes, Miller & Schafer 1999). Some researchers in higher education point to the association between academic risk and its negative consequences
Voorgraadse residensiële studente in Suid-Afrika se studie- en leerbehoeftes verskil beduidend va... more Voorgraadse residensiële studente in Suid-Afrika se studie- en leerbehoeftes verskil beduidend van dié van vorige geslagte. Dit blyk duidelik uit die onlangse studente-onrus oor aangeleenthede soos studie-bekostigbaarheid, studente-toegang tot hoër onderwys en die leermodusse in hoër onderwys. Nuwe leerbehoeftes hou ook verband met aspekte soos tegnologiese geletterdheid, onmiddellike behoeftebevrediging, die beskikbaarheid van kennisbronne, studente se sosiale aspirasies en -verbintenisse, hul self-gesentreerdheid asook die mate van studentebetrokkenheid by onderrig- en leersituasies. Hierdie navorsingsprojek se eerste doel was om te bepaal wat die leerbehoeftes van 'n groep studente aan 'n gekose privaat hoëronderwysinstelling is; tweedens is gepoog om vas te stel hoe betrokke hierdie groep studente, volgens hul eie waarneming en dié van hul dosente, by leersituasies is en derdens, wat gedoen kan word om leerbetrokkenheid te bevorder en derhalwe studente se potensiaal tot ...
International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 2013
The academic performance and retention of first-year students are under scrutiny worldwide. In vi... more The academic performance and retention of first-year students are under scrutiny worldwide. In view of the emphasis on first-year success, a support group was established in a first-year module - Financial Accounting 178 - at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The article reports on students perceptions of their participation and their pass rates within the support group. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained from interviews, questionnaires, and an analysis of support group pass rates. The overall conclusion from this study is that students in financial accounting perceived their participation as positive and an increase in pass rates, compared to previous results, was observed. Small-group participation, tutorial classes, and peer student assistance all appear to contribute positively to improved performance of support groups. A number of areas for possible future research were identified from the results.
This article indicates how the application of a simplified version of the analytical abstraction ... more This article indicates how the application of a simplified version of the analytical abstraction method (AAM) was used in curriculum development for consumer learning at one higher education institution in South Africa. We used a case study design and qualitative research methodology to generate data through semistructured interviews with eight learning facilitators at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This data set forms the basis of the reported research. Application of basic-and higher-level analysis resulted in the identification of patterns that confirmed the need for consumer learning and informed the situation analysis with regard to a 'readiness climate' at the institution. We also gained insight into aspects that need to be considered during curriculum development for consumer learning as the AAM has proved to be a useful guiding tool in developing a structured explanatory framework for curriculum development. The article concludes with the view that the promotion of consumer learning in university curricula has been under-researched and that, despite current efforts, university curricula are slow to adopt consumer learning as a critical learning outcome. We suggest several possibilities that might assist in overcoming this inertia.
In academia, the definition of literacy has evolved from a focus on reading and writing to encomp... more In academia, the definition of literacy has evolved from a focus on reading and writing to encompass more inclusive and expansive perspectives. Such perspectives have come from researchers involved in exploring literacy among diverse populations and across traditional divides such as cultural, political and socioeconomic boundaries. Changing definitions of literacy include usage in expressions such as 'computer literacy', 'civic literacy', 'health literacy', 'cultural literacy' and others. Recently, new directions in literacy research were foregrounded by critical questions that seek to discover how literacy functions in doctoral studies and within research communities. For instance, what does it mean to be 'literate' as a doctoral member of a research culture, within a field of research, within the academic profession and so on? In addition, doctoral candidates often grapple with what may be termed 'threshold concepts'. Such concepts include the meaning of the doctorate as a qualification, its aims, its narrative and the level of literacy required to succeed with a doctorate. Against this background the article explores firstly how the concept of being literate has been broadened to include literacy for doctoral learning; secondly, it explains why doctorateness remains a threshold concept for many doctoral candidates and supervisors, and thirdly it provides some evidence from at least five years of working with doctoral education and doctoral supervisor development workshops to support an argument for doctoral literacy. Finally, the article provides some implications which emerged from a better understanding of the language and requirements of doctorateness as an essential literacy requirement for doctoral candidates and their supervisors.
ABSTRACT Abstract Being a successful doctoral supervisor and adhering to international requiremen... more ABSTRACT Abstract Being a successful doctoral supervisor and adhering to international requirements and contexts involves important qualities, for example: being knowledgeable in disciplines and understanding different methodologies; being sensitive to cultural diversity; and cultivating interpersonal relationships. As doctoral candidates and their supervisors carry major responsibilities, doctoral quality and success are associated with several challenges. This article explores some of these challenges and suggests that candidates and supervisors might contribute more substantially to new knowledge if international quality measures for theses and ‘doctorateness’ (or ‘doctoralness’) are considered. This explorative study reports on descriptive and analytical findings from a project whereby three senior academics from three countries collaborated and acted as facilitators of research and developmental efforts concerning doctoral education and the professional development of doctoral supervisors. Such efforts involved both supervisors and doctoral candidates – the latter whose views are seen as important to shape supervisors’ views of their own supervisory practices and standards for the doctorate. The article outlines the processes and feedback from a series of developmental opportunities that were created and provides guidelines as to how trans-national efforts – particularly, but not exclusively, in the context of a developing country – can be used to promote doctoral education and the professional development of doctoral supervisors. Keywords: doctoral education, ‘doctorateness’, doctoral supervision, professional development, trans-national cooperation, supervisor development
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Papers by Eli Bitzer