Yolanda Mpu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Yolanda Mpu
Research in Social Sciences and Technology
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, higher education institutions were forced to embar... more Due to the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, higher education institutions were forced to embark on online teaching and learning. This came at a point where the entire teacher fraternity was not prepared for this shift from traditional face-to-face interaction to virtual learning. This qualitative, exploratory study was undertaken as a comparative analysis of the teaching, learning and facilitation experiences of three Teacher Educators. The focus was on teacher educators who engaged in a formal online teacher training program with first year pre-service teachers enrolled on the Bachelor of Education qualification. Data was collected from the Teacher Educators in the form of interviews and reflective reports prepared at the conclusion of the 2021 academic year. The data was thematically analysed to distil common lessons, challenges and points for the 3 Teacher Educators with the intention of learning from and improving on practice. The paper addressed three research questions ...
Perspectives in Education, 2021
Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are ac... more Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are accepted and fully included, educationally and socially. The process of inclusion proves to have challenges in developing countries such as South Africa which adopted it a bit later than the developed countries. Research has mentioned that amongst other challenges is the lack of resources and overcrowding. Hence, this paper debates and discusses the challenges in the implementation of inclusive education in South African schools. The study was designed as a multiple case study research in which a qualitative research approach was employed. Three schools in the Buffalo City Metro and three participants per school participated in the study. Qualitative data analysis was grounded on an interpretive philosophy. The findings revealed that overcrowding, insufficient training, lack of knowledge and skills of educators were the overarching themes that resulted in educators feeling a sense of inadequacy to teach in an inclusive education classroom. The study will cover the challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education. Therefore, the study recommends that inclusive education should cater to all learners irrespective of the type of disability.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions are a hub for most students who did ... more Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions are a hub for most students who did not meet the University entry requirements nowadays. There is a need to remove the stereotype that they are for learners who do not cope with the formal education offered in institutions. It must be taken into account that TVET colleges offer full curriculum but their focus is on skills development. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, their formation needs a revamp so as to suit the new and changing system of Education. This can be done by changing the traditional methods of teaching by implementing blended learning and using flip classroom model. Blended learning is a term increasingly used to describe the way e-learning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, hybrid teaching methodology. It represents a much greater change in basic technique than simply adding computers to classrooms but it represents a fundamental change i...
While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for... more While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for education, the acceptance of inclusive education practices has not translated into reality in most mainstream classrooms. Even though education policies in South Africa stipulate that all learners should be provided with the opportunities to participate as far as possible in all classroom activities, the implementation of inclusive education is still hampered by a combination of a lack of resources and the attitudes and actions of the educators in the classroom. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of educators' personal understanding of the barriers to learning and how their understanding relates to their consequent actions to implement inclusive education in mainstream classrooms. A qualitative research approach was used to establish their perspectives and to frame questions regarding their perceptions and understanding. The findings, in this paper, ...
Modern information technologies and the advent of machines powered by artificial intelligence (AI... more Modern information technologies and the advent of machines powered by artificial intelligence (AI) have already strongly influenced the world of work in the 21st century. Computers, algorithms and software simplify everyday tasks, and it is impossible to imagine how most of our life could be managed without them. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has its own advantages and disadvantages. With the recent boom in big data and the continuous need for innovation, Artificial Intelligence is carving out a bigger place in our society. Through its computer-based capabilities, it brings new possibilities to tackle many issues within organizations. It also raises new challenges about its use and limits. Over the past few years, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have captured the imagination of tens of millions of people around the world. Both the sophistication and the societal impact of intelligent technologies are set to increase substantially in the coming y...
Management Studies, 2020
There has been a recent explosion of interest from academics across a wide range of disciplines i... more There has been a recent explosion of interest from academics across a wide range of disciplines in the use of MultiUser Virtual Environments for education, driven by the success of platforms such as Internet Communication Technology learning skills in higher education. While digital virtual worlds are used in the 21st century learning, advances in the capabilities and the spread of technology have fed a recent boom in interest in massively multiuser 3D virtual worlds for entertainment, and this in turn has led to a surge of interest in their educational applications. As these platforms are used more often as environments for teaching and learning, there is increased need to integrate them with other institutional systems, Web-based Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) in particular. In this paper, we briefly review the use of virtual worlds for education, from informal learning to formal instruction, and consider what is required to turn a virtual world from a MultiUser Virtual Environment into a fully fledged 3D Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). In this we focus on the development of Moodle-a system which integrates the popular 3D virtual world of Second Life with the open-source Virtual Learning Environment.
Journal of Human Ecology, 2020
Research in Social Sciences and Technology
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, higher education institutions were forced to embar... more Due to the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, higher education institutions were forced to embark on online teaching and learning. This came at a point where the entire teacher fraternity was not prepared for this shift from traditional face-to-face interaction to virtual learning. This qualitative, exploratory study was undertaken as a comparative analysis of the teaching, learning and facilitation experiences of three Teacher Educators. The focus was on teacher educators who engaged in a formal online teacher training program with first year pre-service teachers enrolled on the Bachelor of Education qualification. Data was collected from the Teacher Educators in the form of interviews and reflective reports prepared at the conclusion of the 2021 academic year. The data was thematically analysed to distil common lessons, challenges and points for the 3 Teacher Educators with the intention of learning from and improving on practice. The paper addressed three research questions ...
Perspectives in Education, 2021
Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are ac... more Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are accepted and fully included, educationally and socially. The process of inclusion proves to have challenges in developing countries such as South Africa which adopted it a bit later than the developed countries. Research has mentioned that amongst other challenges is the lack of resources and overcrowding. Hence, this paper debates and discusses the challenges in the implementation of inclusive education in South African schools. The study was designed as a multiple case study research in which a qualitative research approach was employed. Three schools in the Buffalo City Metro and three participants per school participated in the study. Qualitative data analysis was grounded on an interpretive philosophy. The findings revealed that overcrowding, insufficient training, lack of knowledge and skills of educators were the overarching themes that resulted in educators feeling a sense of inadequacy to teach in an inclusive education classroom. The study will cover the challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education. Therefore, the study recommends that inclusive education should cater to all learners irrespective of the type of disability.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions are a hub for most students who did ... more Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions are a hub for most students who did not meet the University entry requirements nowadays. There is a need to remove the stereotype that they are for learners who do not cope with the formal education offered in institutions. It must be taken into account that TVET colleges offer full curriculum but their focus is on skills development. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, their formation needs a revamp so as to suit the new and changing system of Education. This can be done by changing the traditional methods of teaching by implementing blended learning and using flip classroom model. Blended learning is a term increasingly used to describe the way e-learning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, hybrid teaching methodology. It represents a much greater change in basic technique than simply adding computers to classrooms but it represents a fundamental change i...
While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for... more While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for education, the acceptance of inclusive education practices has not translated into reality in most mainstream classrooms. Even though education policies in South Africa stipulate that all learners should be provided with the opportunities to participate as far as possible in all classroom activities, the implementation of inclusive education is still hampered by a combination of a lack of resources and the attitudes and actions of the educators in the classroom. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of educators' personal understanding of the barriers to learning and how their understanding relates to their consequent actions to implement inclusive education in mainstream classrooms. A qualitative research approach was used to establish their perspectives and to frame questions regarding their perceptions and understanding. The findings, in this paper, ...
Modern information technologies and the advent of machines powered by artificial intelligence (AI... more Modern information technologies and the advent of machines powered by artificial intelligence (AI) have already strongly influenced the world of work in the 21st century. Computers, algorithms and software simplify everyday tasks, and it is impossible to imagine how most of our life could be managed without them. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has its own advantages and disadvantages. With the recent boom in big data and the continuous need for innovation, Artificial Intelligence is carving out a bigger place in our society. Through its computer-based capabilities, it brings new possibilities to tackle many issues within organizations. It also raises new challenges about its use and limits. Over the past few years, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have captured the imagination of tens of millions of people around the world. Both the sophistication and the societal impact of intelligent technologies are set to increase substantially in the coming y...
Management Studies, 2020
There has been a recent explosion of interest from academics across a wide range of disciplines i... more There has been a recent explosion of interest from academics across a wide range of disciplines in the use of MultiUser Virtual Environments for education, driven by the success of platforms such as Internet Communication Technology learning skills in higher education. While digital virtual worlds are used in the 21st century learning, advances in the capabilities and the spread of technology have fed a recent boom in interest in massively multiuser 3D virtual worlds for entertainment, and this in turn has led to a surge of interest in their educational applications. As these platforms are used more often as environments for teaching and learning, there is increased need to integrate them with other institutional systems, Web-based Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) in particular. In this paper, we briefly review the use of virtual worlds for education, from informal learning to formal instruction, and consider what is required to turn a virtual world from a MultiUser Virtual Environment into a fully fledged 3D Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). In this we focus on the development of Moodle-a system which integrates the popular 3D virtual world of Second Life with the open-source Virtual Learning Environment.
Journal of Human Ecology, 2020