https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/18656 2026-05-05T15:28:57Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31288 Covid-19’s Emotional Toll on Students: Experiences during Online Assessments in an Open and Distance Learning Programme du Plessis, Elize; Van der Westhuizen, Gert The Covid-19 pandemic had an immense effect on teaching and learning during 2020. The fast shift to online examinations in reaction to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown underlines the significance of motivationally enriched and emotionally supportive instruction through this stressful time. It cannot be assumed that all students had the same access to online assets or internet-equipped devices such as laptops or tablets. Not all students coped well, as an analysis of student remarks in a qualitative study indicates. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to analyse student reports on emotions experienced during the first fully online assessments in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in order to develop an understanding of the motivating and supportive learning environments in online teaching. A total of 20 students from an open and distance learning university were purposefully selected to answer 15 questions related to their learning needs and, in particular, emotional challenges during lockdown. The study drew on a theoretical framing of five motivational design principles, which link emotions to academic performance. The 17 participants all had access to mobile phones and 12 to laptops for participation in online academic activities. The emotions experienced most by the students varied from anxiousness to restlessness, associated with technology access, and the trend was that emotions were shared mostly with family and friends. The findings are discussed in terms of the need to support student emotions in a fully online university course during these stressful times. 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31287 Student Perceptions of Project-Based Learning in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Hospitality Education: A Case of a TVET College in Gauteng du Plessis, Elize Project-based learning (PjBL) is an experiential-learning (EL) pedagogy believed to enable students to acquire content knowledge and skills and to build personal agency needed for the challenges of life and work. Although work-integrated learning (WIL) through internships and workplace learning is established in hospitality curricula within the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) environment, the application of PjBL remains unexplored. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate what other teaching and learning pedagogies can be used within the TVET hospitality curriculum to encourage students to acquire the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies needed to be successful in the hospitality industry. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, this study employed an experiential learning survey (ELS) with 144 respondents (n=144) and a semi-structured interview involving 18 participants within two hospitality TVET programmes at a TVET college in Gauteng, South Africa. The findings indicate that PjBL is effective in TVET hospitality education in that it helps students acquire work-related knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies. It provides an engaging and meaningful avenue for collaborative learning and enables students to apply classroom concepts to real- world challenges. PjBL not only encourages critical thinking and problem-solving, but also fosters creativity and collaboration. Moreover, it helps students to develop important 21st-century skills for their future work. 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31146 Sustainable horizons : navigating the educational landscape for environmental stewardship Msezane, Sikhulile Bonginkosi 2024-02-13T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/30669 Schools Effectiveness and Schools Improvement in South Africa: A Guide for School Leaders Makoelle, TM; Mestry, R; Du Plessis, P; Du Plessis, EC (Elize) This book provides a comprehensive account how school leaders conceptualize the notion of school improvement and school effectiveness in a South African school context. The various authors have critically examined crucial themes, accentuating school improvement and school effectiveness and encapsulating the pertinent perspectives of curriculum leadership, resource management, professional development, school administration, school development planning, inclusion and equity, student management and the role of school management teams. This book is targeted at aspiring and practicing school leaders, school administrators, policymakers and scholars of school leadership and management across different levels who intend positively changing the education landscape of not only South Africa, but also other developing and underdeveloped countries. Only bibliographic information of the title 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z