19 September: Sharing Experiences and Perspectives from the 2024 EDEN DLE conference: AI futures in Teaching and Learning

Featured

To join this session please sign up via Zoom here

Led by:

  • Dr Anita Campbell, Senior Lecturer (Mathematics / Academic Development)  Academic Support Programme for Engineering in Cape Town (ASPECT), University of Cape Town 
  • Sukaina Walji, Director of Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at University of Cape Town

Session Description: 

EDEN 2024 Annual Conference was held at University of Graz, Austria, 16-18 June 2024 with a theme of “Learning in the Age of AI: Towards Imaginative Futures”. In this session two UCT staff members share their experiences of attending, presenting and contributing to the conversation on the emerging impact of AI technologies in teaching, learning and assessment.  

Presenters’ Bios:  

Dr Anita Campbell is a Senior Lecturer (Mathematics / Academic Development) Academic Support Programme for Engineering in Cape Town (ASPECT), University of Cape Town 

Dr Anita Campbell is an enthusiastic engineering mathematics senior lecturer in the Academic Support Programme for Engineering at the University of Cape Town with 24 years of lecturing experience. She holds degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (BSc (Hons) in Applied Mathematics, MSc, HDE), and a PhD from the University of Cape Town on promoting growth mindsets in engineering mathematics students.

Over the past 5 years, her research has concentrated on understanding the factors influencing the development of growth mindsets, exploring effective strategies to foster positive attitudes towards learning, and integrating principles of positive psychology into mathematics and engineering education. She also researches the intersection of positive psychology and education, investigating the application of positive psychology principles to enhance student engagement, motivation, and well-being. She has also explored the use of online platforms for collaborative learning in mathematics and engineering education, emphasizing the creation of a sense of community and critical thinking skills.

Latest publications:

Exploring growth mindset experiences in university students

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Conceptual Learning of Mathematics-Intensive Concepts in Engineering

ORCID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0003-4782-7323 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=iQ6C60YAAAAJ&hl=en 

Sukaina Walji, Director of Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching

 (CILT) at UCT.  She oversees operational functions for the department including supporting the growth and development of CILT’s capacity to design and develop blended and online courses. She provides strategic advice for university senior leadership for digitally enabled education, participates in university level committees and initiatives, and is Chair of the Online Education sub-committee and leads the University’s AI in Education working group. She is also a member of UCT’s Assessment Framework Working Group and leads the UCDG projects ‘Transforming Undergraduate Assessment’ and “Enhancing Assessment Literacy and practices in the Age of AI”.

Facilitating Online Course in 2024 – extended registration

Featured

This year we will offer Facilitating Online twice depending on demand for places in the course. We are reaching the end of our funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York so we need to charge fees that that will make the course sustainable to continue.

30 September – 22 November 2024 (Apply by 16 September 2024)

Please apply here

About the course

Facilitating Online provides a solid foundation for facilitating online events and courses. It is registered as a short course at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Facilitating Online was developed by the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at UCT. It is convened by Tony Carr and co-facilitated by facilitators from across Africa. The course is run online over 8 weeks.

We consider applications in the order in which they arrive so earlier applications stand a higher chance of being accepted

Recommendations by participants

“I learned many facilitation skills that I am now able to apply with my own students. I would recommend the course highly to anyone embarking on the online teaching and learning journey.”
Dr Judith McKenzie, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Cape Town.

“This course doesn’t just teach you ABOUT online Facilitation, it actually gets you to facilitate … It’s a real opportunity to learn and develop. And what’s more? It has an African taste…”
Daniel Adeboye, Online Maths Tutor, Tutor for the Future

Who should apply and why?
Educators and trainers are increasingly using online resources and interaction to support learning across blended and online courses. The shift online emphasises the importance of  sound online facilitation skills to facilitate engaged participants in debate, group work and shared knowledge construction across a range of online conversational spaces. 

Trained online facilitators are also able to make good choices about the use of online communication when designing learning activities. Facilitating Online provides opportunities for educational technologists, educators and trainers to develop the necessary orientation to become an effective online facilitator. Several past participants have reported that Facilitating Online unlocked new employment opportunities for them.

This course is aimed at change agent educational technologists and educators as well as trainers involved in leading online courses. Course participation is entirely online and will require up to 8 hours of participation per week. A certificate of completion is awarded for successful completion of 75% of the assessed activities of the course including some mandatory activities.

Selection criteria and process
Selection criteria include:

* reliable Internet access
* an opportunity to teach or facilitate in a blended or online course or training programme
* previous experience of online teaching or learning
* at least two years’ experience as a university educator, educational technologist or trainer

All applicants will require a letter of support from their line manager or Head of Department.

Applicants will be notified via email about whether they have been selected to participate in the course. You can address any other queries to [email protected]

Promotional Course Fees

South Africans: R9000

Rest of Africa: R7500

Rest of the World: R9000

Discounts will be available for groups of more than 5 participants

For interest:

8 August 2024: AI in Higher Education Series:AI in Medical Education – Transforming Medical Education: AI-Powered Personalized Learning in Immunology

Thank you to all who joined this event – If you missed we have a recording available here

Date and Time: Thursday 8 August 2024, 15:00 – 17:00 SAST

Led by: Dr Jaisubash Jayakumar, Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa

To attend this seminar, please sign up via Zoom here!

Session Description:  

This presentation will offer an insightful exploration into the transformative impact of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) within medical education. Drawing from practical experiences, I will showcase how AI tools dynamically adapt to individual learning needs, offering personalised feedback and fostering collaborative problem-solving in disciplines like immunology. Globally, medical students face the challenge of learning complex subjects, including immunology. Incorporating AI into immunology teaching enhances the learning experience by simplifying concepts and providing critique on accuracy. Through examples like the second-year MBChB immunology tutorial, I will illustrate how AI promotes technological literacy and critical thinking, optimising learning outcomes and engagement. By integrating AI, educators streamline the teaching process, fostering a dynamic learning environment where students explore, experiment, and comprehend immunological principles more effectively, thus improving academic performance overall. Join me as I discuss the implications and opportunities of AI integration in shaping the future of medical education.

Facilitator’s Bio:  

Dr Jaisubash Jayakumar is a senior lecturer in medical education at the Department of Pathology. He earned his PhD in Clinical Sciences and Immunology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Technology from the University of Cape Town. In addition to his academic roles, he serves as the co-chairperson of the Faculty of Health Sciences Transformation and Equity Committee, where he spearheads various transformation initiatives within the faculty. Dr Jayakumar’s teaching philosophy focuses on inclusive, student-centred teaching and learning, enriched with pastoral care. His research interests and expertise span undergraduate medical education, student-centred pedagogies like Problem-Based Learning, and the transformation and decolonisation of higher education through humanising pedagogies and technology-enhanced teaching and learning. Dedicated to teaching and mentoring, Dr Jayakumar is committed to helping students develop their academic skills and achieve their academic goals. In his free time, he enjoys singing, meditating, and reading.