Apprasing the use of Ubuntu philosophy for the enhancement of disruptive pedagogy adoption

Qumbisa, Nolwazi and Awuzie, Bankole; (2022) Apprasing the use of Ubuntu philosophy for the enhancement of disruptive pedagogy adoption. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium for Engineering Education. University of Strathclyde, GBR. ISBN 9781914241208 (https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00082018)

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Abstract

Traditional educational practices are changing to increase student engagement with course content, improve learning outcomes and engender the achievement of relevant competencies. The picture of students passively receiving information from a lecturer behind a pedestal is no longer representative of the contemporary scope and dimension of higher education. Ubuntu ideals and principles of solidarity, love, collaboration, respect, and compassion are at the heart of the Ubuntu philosophy. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the conventional teaching environments and methods thus forcing higher education institutions to adapt to e-learning practices for teaching and learning embedded in disruptive pedagogies. This paper evaluated how a Built Environment Department at a South African University of Technology adapted to the new norm of online teaching and learning, and whether these results can be associated with using disruptive pedagogy into its teaching practices. Furthermore, this study aims to suggest how the Ubuntu philosophy can be seen as means to improve disruptive pedagogy within the case study through the deployment of peer-to-peer learning among the lecturers. The research methodology that was used to collect data was qualitative research in the form of structured interviews and the data was analysed thematically. Results indicated that the lecturers were fairly prepared for online teaching and learning however, improvements can be made through peer-to-peer (collaborative) learning as a means for deepening the application of disruptive pedagogies by lecturers for maximal benefit (i.e., optimal levels of student engagement and active learning) can be achieved through the inclusion of Ubuntu principles. The study makes suggestions on how lecturers in the case study can further enhance their disruptive pedagogy approaches by creating communities of practice where peer-to-peer learning amongst lecturers can be used to demystify disruptive pedagogical approaches.

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