The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) held its 7th Annual International Conference on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Higher Education from 06-07 October 2022 at the Central University of Technology. The conference’s purpose is to share ideas, good practices, and research work to improve teaching and research techniques.

Prof. Ngowi, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal welcomed delegates from different universities and presenters who led discussions on various topics. In his address, he said that as a sector, it is prudent to engage in dialogues that will inform ways on how to move beyond the pandemic. “CILT is committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning through data-driven research, and this conference is a platform where academics can demonstrate pedagogical innovations. Opportunities will be created for academics to showcase strategies they have obtained through their practice and various professional development initiatives to drive innovative and research-driven practices in teaching and learning as well as improving student learning and success,” said Prof. Ngowi.

Dr Pool and Dr Heymans deliberated on the topic “Celebrating excellence in Scholarship Teaching and Learning Trends, Challenges and Recommendations.” They indicated that SoTL is a platform that allows them an opportunity to engage in such discussions and debates as a way of questioning how things are being done. They further explained that Higher Education is evolving at an astonishing rate and the emergence of COVID-19 has accelerated the rapid transformation in the sector. The duo also mentioned digital transformation and social justice as key trends to aid academics as university teachers in navigating the ever-changing higher education landscape. “Even though we are taken to those uncomfortable places outside our comfort zones, the aim is to develop excellence in curriculum and pedagogical practices within a diverse and prosperous disciplinary discipline”, they added.

Dr Matete presented on “forging partnerships for the creation and promotion of inclusive and equitable quality education”, which she said is important and further challenged the CUT SoTL team to think of the next steps of implementation. “COVID-19, as well as #FeesMustFall, are the two defining situations for higher education in South Africa, which made the invisible more visible and exposed the complexity of issues involved in promoting equitable quality education, said Dr Matete.

Prof. Nkonki’s presentation “A SoTL inquiry into the mangle in the practice of teaching and learning during COVID-19 and beyond’, touched on many empirical and theoretical papers written on teaching and learning during COVID-19, with reflections on what post-COVID-19 should look like. “The concept of the mangle of practice is employed to understand the emergence of new conceptual knowledge and the becoming of students’ and lecturers’ identities through the dynamic interplay of material. This mangle of practice framework provides an awareness of becoming, of open-endedness, and challenges us to look at what emerged.”

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Academics from various universities gathered at the SoTL conference at CUT to improve their teaching and learning techniques.