Dr Xolani Khohliso, Director: Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT).

The Central University of Technology (CUT) has been deliberate in incorporating student voices into the mainstream curriculum. This commitment is evident in the university’s initiatives to meaningfully involve students in curriculum development processes and to promote research that explores the role of student agency in shaping academic programmes.

CUT esteemed academics Dr Xolani Khohliso and Mr Mochina Mphuthi from the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), recently participated in a significant international conference aimed at strengthening global academic partnerships and advancing community-engaged scholarship.

Held at the Mauritius Institute of Education, the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (IAACS) conference brought together scholars, practitioners, and thought leaders from around the world to exchange ideas, research, and best practices in fostering inclusive and sustainable development through higher education.

The duo, representing diverse faculties within the university, shared their two peer-reviewed research papers titled ‘Echoes of Student Voices as a Curriculum Practice: Enhancing Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and a second paper titled ‘Perceptions of Pre-service Economic and Management Sciences Teachers on Their Challenges Integrating Artificial Intelligence as a Curriculum Practice Tool, contributing to current debates in curriculum theory, practice, and AI.

Their deliberation emphasised how integrating student perspectives can drive transformative curriculum development within higher education, offering insights grounded in the CUT context and its curriculum practices.

The first paper, titled "Echoes of Student Voices as a Curriculum Practice: Enhancing Learning and Teaching in Higher Education," explored how incorporating student perspectives can inform transformative curriculum development in university settings while the other paper investigated both the opportunities and challenges faced by teacher trainees in incorporating AI into curriculum design and delivery.

“Participating in this global platform allowed us not only to share our work, but to also learn from others who are equally committed to the course. Our engagement affirms CUT’s mission to be a transformative institution that makes a meaningful impact beyond the classroom,” said Dr Khohliso.

Mr Mochina Mphuthi, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT).

Mr Mochina Mphuthi added that the conference also opened opportunities for collaborative research initiatives. “These partnerships and collaborations will contribute significantly to our Vision 2030 goals of becoming a leading African university of technology, shaping the future through innovation,” said Mphuthi.  “By amplifying the voices of the communities we serve, we want to ensure that our research is not only academically sound but socially relevant and empowering,” he added.

Their participation in this international conference not only fostered academic collaboration but also affirmed the significance of locally grounded research in shaping global curriculum discourses and amplifying the voices of the communities it serves.

Uploaded: 03 July 2025