LESSONS LEARNT FROM A PILOT PROGRAMME IN ARCHITECTURE

Thursday 5 May 2016 at 1 pm (SAST)

Thank you to all who took part in this short seminar either at the University of Cape Town or online via Adobe Connect. The recording of this session is available here

To enable working individuals and other non-traditional students with limited means and located in outlying areas, to advance their qualifications, traditional offerings should be interrogated. Alternative pathways to qualification must be sought, employing thoughtful learning design process and optimising available technology that is accessible, practical and sustainable.

In response to the need to transform the architectural profession, to promote broader access and address issues of affordability and proximity to the campus,

an existing curriculum was redesigned. The new blended BTech programme in Architectural Technology is offered through a University-Industry collaboration by means of on-campus block release, office-based mentoring and online engagement. The studio methodology, which is closely associated with architectural education, remains at the centre of the learning agenda, although through different modalities and implemented across time and space.

In this presentation, lessons learnt from a pilot programme that successfully produced its first graduates in April this year, is shared.

Jolanda Morkel is a senior lecturer in the Department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology where she is also busy with doctoral studies, focusing on the use of technology to mediate studio-based learning. She heads up a blended programme in architecture, optimising workplace and online learning, together with workshop format on-campus blocks, to promote access and transformation of the architectural profession.

Monday 25 April – Friday 29 April 2016 

Join us for the webinar today at 1 pm (SAST This is 12 Abuja / 2 pm Nairobi). Please go to the e/merge Africa Adobe Connect meeting room 1) Choose Log in 2) Provide your name and sign into room 

Tembinkosi Qondela had an idea, “to digitalise Khayelitsha”, a poor township in Cape Town, South Africa, where digital literacy levels are low and many find it difficult to make a simple photocopy or send a basic email.

In 2015 this idea took him on an adventure from Khayelitsha to Austin Texas, USA – 14,000 kilometres away – where he received the Dewey Winburne Community Service Award, an initiative of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival. Tembinkosi’s journey to Austin began at the Whizz ICT Resource Centre which he started in 2008 with no technological background and after leaving his job as a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town. The centre assists approximately 100 individuals’ everyday with,  amongst other things, photocopying, creating CV’s, job applications and general end user training, things many of us take for granted. Whizz ICT was one of ten nominees that year and the only one from the African continent.

Dewey Winburne one of the original co-founders of SXSW, an event which is a launching pad for new content and offers a unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies, is remembered as a humanitarian and true visionary of the New Media Revolution. Despite winning numerous awards Dewey remained committed to education through ICT, therefore, the award given in his name recognises recipients for their use of digital technology to help others. Each recipient receives a $1000 grant, complimentary registration to SXSW and an opportunity to showcase their work to the wider SXSW community.

When asked about the impact of the award on his organisation, Tembinkosi responded, “tremendous” and explained that the entire community celebrated for four weeks! The recognition brought greater exposure and standing to the organisation (and himself), both within Khayelitsha and abroad; important as Whizz ICT has no marketing budget and relies purely on word-of-mouth advertising. The award allowed Tembinkosi to take part in a roadshow informing the wider community about his service and the award and inviting them to celebrate with him; he fully believes that the award is not merely an honour for him but the entire community. Internally the award had a positive impact on staff who were now newly motivated.

Exposure to the SXSW community allowed him the opportunity to form useful connections and also introduced him to innovative ways in which ICT is being used to improve education in the USA and Europe, skills he hopes to bring home. Tembinkosi believes that international connections are extremely important to his business as technology is constantly changing and they bring in expertise and knowledge about new developments. A previous American volunteer at the Centre managed to organise a training session by Facebook at Whizz ICT and the web-development course currently offered by the Centre is being run by a company in Nicaragua; these examples demonstrate practically the value of relationships.

Fully aware of the challenges facing developing nations such as South Africa and much of the continent, Tembinkosi’s mission is to solve people’s needs through ICT; an idea he does not believe is being supported enough by ICT developers globally. Much development is “nice to have”, but he questions the impact it will have in solving the basic needs of individuals. He motivates with an example of a past student who went from working part time in the retail industry with no benefits to having a secure administration position within the South African Department of Labour. She credits the computer course she took at Whizz ICT with providing her with the opportunity to change her life.

Tembinkosi will be discussing the importance of social innovation and digital literacy in addressing the needs of the most disadvantaged in our country and abroad. He will comment on the impact of international recognition on an organisation and answer questions about branching out and making a real difference in society. Register below to listen to his inspirational journey online and to discuss during the rest of the week. If you are at or near the University of Cape Town we invite you to join us Monday 25 April at the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CILT), PD Hahn Building, Upper Campus

Name *

Surname *

Email Address *

Country *

Company/Institution *

If you are human, leave this field blank.

Δ

Tembinkosi Qondela co-founded the Whizz ICT Centre, Khayelitsha, South Africa which is an organisation that seeks to facilitate the use of information communication technology (ICT) tools, for development efforts of poor communities. Whizz ICT Centre has identified the use of lack of access to information as a significant contributor to marginalization of the youth which compose of the majority of South African society. Whizz has put up a youth centre which gives access to youth, computer training as well as other ICT related services.

This year we are particularly pleased to once again to be joined by Dr. Janet Salmons, Founder and Consultant at Vision2Lead. This year Janet will present two webinars highly relevant to all who are involved in qualitative research where some or all is internet-based.

When big data raises new questions…when you want to dig deeper and explore motivations, perspectives, and connections… you need qualitative approaches. Dr. Janet Salmons is conducting a virtual book tour to introduce the ideas and methods described in her new SAGE book, Doing Qualitative Research Online. e/merge Africa is hosting a stop on the tour, with two webinars and a week-long discussion.

All are welcome– whether you teach research-oriented courses, supervise student research, are a student yourself or a researcher who designs and conducts academic, business or social science research. You are welcome to join in whether or not you read the book. Chapter 2 is online for free download and you would like to purchase the book, you can receive a 25% discount with the attached code.

Webinar: Getting Started: Teaching Online Research Design Basics –  Monday 4 April 2016 – 3 pm (SAST)

As educators teaching classes about research methods, or as supervisors working with students who are preparing theses and dissertations, we have the opportunity to guide the next generation of scholars and innovative practitioners. When students want to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to collect data, how can we enable them to design coherent, ethical studies that will generate respected (and publishable) results?

Why principles of qualitative inquiry apply when it will be conducted online? What kinds of design and ethical issues do qualitative researchers need to consider when planning to collect data online? What exercises will develop needed skills? What criteria should be used when evaluating research proposals? These are some of the questions we will explore in this interactive webinar.

Related chapters in Doing Qualitative Research Online: Chapters 1, 2 and 5

Webinar: Enacted Approaches for Generating Data with Arts-Based & Participatory Methods – Tuesday 5 April 2016 – 3 pm (SAST)

The online environment offers many ways to communicate, as evidenced by the trend towards increased use of images and media. Children and youth, or participants who have differences or limitations with spoken language, may prefer alternatives to the typical verbal questioning and responses common to research interviews. Such alternatives may also be useful when dealing with complex or sensitive topics.

How can qualitative researchers use media, photographs or graphics to elicit participants’ responses and generate rich data? What methodological and ethical considerations are important? These are some of the questions we will explore in this interactive webinar.

Related chapters in Doing Qualitative Research Online: Chapters 2, 6 and 9

Discussion Forum

Dr. Salmons will continue to answer questions and discuss ways to teach and conduct qualitative online research. In the eMerge discussion forum we will share ideas, examples and resources.

Please sign up for one or both here!

Janet Salmons , PhD has been an online graduate faculty member at Capella University School of Business and Technology since 1999. She is an independent researcher, writer and consultant through Vision2Lead (www.vision2lead.com) . In addition to the new Qualitative Online Interviews, she edited Cases in Online Interview Research, also available from Sage Publications. In addition to online qualitative methods, she is interested in e-learning and online collaboration. She is a frequent presenter for online workshops and seminars, including participation in e/merge conferences. Dr. Salmons has a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Union Institute and lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA.