Veronica Barnes, Daniela Gachago & Eunice Ivala
Engaging the non-Engaging the non-traditional student traditional student
through digital through digital narrativesnarrativesCape Peninsula University of
Technology
Non – traditional student (NTS)
“…students who ‘are currently under-represented [in HE] and that this underrepresentation is a product of social class and/or ethnicity“
(Select Committee on Education and Employment, 2001)
Student workers
Gender
Non – traditional student (NTS)
Age – usually over 24 yrs
Socio-economic background
Socio-economic background
Ethnicity/ raceEthnicity/ race
First generation in HE
Academic under preparedness
juggling work, academic & family roles
juggling work, academic & family roles
Learning difficulties
“Cinderella students”“Cinderella students”
English 2nd languageEnglish 2nd language
Pedagogies that engage NTSs
the challenges that students’ faced in their studies? the challenges that students’ faced in their studies?
the challenges that students’ faced in their studies? the challenges that students’ faced in their studies?
Alternative curriculum and course structures are needed at first year level to provide a “non-remedial” approach to NTS.
recognize the capabilities that NTSs bring with them into HE, and to build on these skills – not bound by the traditional assumptions
(CHE, 2007: 44,45)
Institutions and educators must provide flexibility and choice in order to cater for the diverse student group.
(Laing & Robinson, 2011:184)
Context of study
• legacy as former professional vocational education.
This study: at a large University of Technology in South Africa.
•attracts a large number of so-called ‘non-traditional’ students
• affordability in terms of study fees
Methodology – research questions
the challenges that students’ faced in their studies? the challenges that students’ faced in their studies? What are the challenges that students’ faced in their studies?
What made the students interviewed ‘non traditional’?
How did the digital storytelling practice help the students deal with these challenges?
Project
Project:- innovative practice of digital storytelling- development of digital story on timber- in groups- very open brief- reliance on resourcefulness of students - qualitative: interviews with students & lecturer. - Data analysis was done inductively- guided by the literature
Context of study - demographics
Continuing underdevelop-ment of design and technology courses in under-funded public schools.
Apartheid legacy: vast majority of pupils in these schools are still non-white, lack of access to expensive schools
Findings – are our students NTSs?
Findings – affinity for technology
Angela: it was something that I had been dying to do - had been dying to do for so long ...stop motion is just the coolest, so that I found very cool. Ja, I think just the fact that it’s something we weren’t familiar with - it worked well.
Findings - collaboration
Michael: No there was just a plan, and we followed through with it.Michael: No there was just a plan, and we followed through with it.
Interviewer: And you stuck to the deadline?
Michael: Yes, ja. We were always checking on each other. So we would kind of monitor each other and keep each other on track all the time as well as ourselves.
Findings - flexibility
Michael: This was a very nice project, when we got the brief we sat down and we chatted and then everybody just did what they had to do. So it wasn’t just sitting down and drawing or sitting down and building something. It was: we have to go get costumes, we have to go shoot the movie. We have to go do the editing. It was very nice.
Michael: Yes, ja.
Interviewer: So you liked the idea of not being in the classroom but being out and about?
Findings – creative identity
Angela: I think maybe that was the biggest change over because we are all creative people we just kind of might want to…give information, communicate information in a better way or in a more kind of interactive way. When someone’s watching something they’re enjoying it and you can create something fun out of it with information that particularly isn’t very interesting at all, which I think is quite nice…
Findings – challenging task
George: It wasn’t the fact that it was getting harder and harder, it was the fact that we’d never done it before. So we didn’t really know how it was going to be done and any of that. But then we did more research and like through the research I got more excited for it and then when we did it it was just - it was just so much fun ….
Angela: we don’t really deal with film throughout the year. It was a new medium for us and I think that’s also intriguing learning something that you’re not comfortable with which I found very interesting.
Angela: we don’t really deal with film throughout the year. It was a new medium for us and I think that’s also intriguing learning something that you’re not comfortable with which I found very interesting.
Findings
How DST affordances responded to elements of NTS
UDL is one approach that would benefit all
students.
UDL is one approach that would benefit all
students.
Create learning experiences that talk to their NTS strengths, NOT mediate their
challenges.
Create learning experiences that talk to their NTS strengths, NOT mediate their
challenges.
UDL aims to develop curricula & projects that give all students equal opportunities to learn
UDL aims to develop curricula & projects that give all students equal opportunities to learn
NTS profile is complex, nuanced and may be changing.
NTS profile is complex, nuanced and may be changing.
(Steven 2005)
Our students are non-traditional in their context - learning activities should be designed to engage all students, not just TS or NTSs.
Discussion & conclusions
(Roberts, 2011) Universal Design for LearningUniversal Design for Learning
Conclusions
• End to labeling NTSs
Further research:
• experimentation and creativity in the learning design process.
• disrupt current teaching and learning practices and design learning activities that are inclusive and provide flexibility and choice for NTSs and TS needs
Why did some of the participants of this
study pass and some fail?
Why did some of the participants of this
study pass and some fail?
How to transfer some of these principles that seem to engage NTSs
How to transfer some of these principles that seem to engage NTSs
Any questions?• www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech
• http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech/digital-storytelling-
resources/
• YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CPUTstories
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