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Professionalising Socialisation for Pragmatic e-Curriculum to the Rescue of South African Universities

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Multimodal Learning Environments in Southern Africa

Part of the book series: Digital Education and Learning ((DEAL))

Abstract

The COVID-19 and lockdown of 2020 promoted interest in the pragmatism in education in the universities in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), and in professionalising socialisation for the university electronic curriculum (e-curriculum). Achieving pragmatism in e-curriculum is an essential process. It interrogates professional systems and socialisation processes on which the South African university e-curriculum is based. However, the move has sparked contestations between universities’ professionalisation and socialisation of the e-curriculum over the digital divide. The digital divide is the division in the use of digital technologies for e-curriculum between the digitally well-resourced and the under-resourced universities. Therefore, this chapter explores how and why professionalising socialisation for a pragmatic e-curriculum resulted in the university digital divide occurring in the RSA. Further, it introduces rethinking of ways apropos of the university's pragmatic e-curriculum in overcoming COVID-19, lockdown, and other related challenges. The sample for the study was five research-intensive universities in RSA. Methodologically, the chapter uses extensive desk literature (secondary data) published in various sources such as HEI websites, HEI bulletins, articles, books, etc., and critical discourse analysis (CDA), before analysing such. Findings indicate that HEIs in RSA, as in most developed countries, have combined socialisation technologies (SMSs) with HEI-prescribed professional technologies (LMSs) to suit their situations and contexts, thus addressing their unique needs pragmatically. This study recommends that academics should create an opportunity for students to reflect on their experiences before/during/after learning in order to understand their identities. Such may help them to access a pragmatic e-curriculum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Education & Curriculum Studies, School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

    Makhosazana Edith Shoba

  2. Discipline of Curriculum Studies & Educational Technology, School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

    Simon Bheki Khoza

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  1. Makhosazana Edith Shoba
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  2. Simon Bheki Khoza
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Correspondence to Makhosazana Edith Shoba .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit Self-Directed Learning, Faculty of Education, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa

    Jako Olivier

  2. Centre for Open and Distance Learning, Mauritius Institute of Education, Réduit, Mauritius

    Avinash Oojorah

  3. Centre for Open and Distance Learning, Mauritius Institute of Education, Réduit, Mauritius

    Waaiza Udhin

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Shoba, M.E., Khoza, S.B. (2022). Professionalising Socialisation for Pragmatic e-Curriculum to the Rescue of South African Universities. In: Olivier, J., Oojorah, A., Udhin, W. (eds) Multimodal Learning Environments in Southern Africa. Digital Education and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97656-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97656-9_7

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