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COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613917697540096 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Van den Bergh, Camryn |
| author2 | Davies, Megan |
| author_browse | Davies, Megan Van den Bergh, Camryn |
| author_facet | Davies, Megan Van den Bergh, Camryn |
| author_sort | Van den Bergh, Camryn |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128463 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:46.104Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128463 COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development Van den Bergh, Camryn Davies, Megan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transition. Sustainable development -- Education (Higher) COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Education (Higher) Environmental education -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH SUMMARY: The world finds itself amid a profound and complex socio-ecological polycrisis. The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions that impacted education systems and practices. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have the potential to play a significant role in cultivating sustainability leaders who, in turn, are poised to contribute towards solving complex sustainability challenges. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is one framing of Higher Education (HE) that explicitly focuses on the links between education and sustainability and signifies the potential that HEIs might have in contributing to transformations to just, equitable, and sustainable futures. ESD, in many ways, attempts to challenge and decolonise conventional education paradigms and propel education by reimagining teaching, learning, and assessment appropriate for the challenges of the time. The pandemic’s impacts on HEIs in general, and ESD contexts in particular, are the focus of the research in this thesis, and the extent to which the ruptures triggered by the COVID-19 crisis might be leveraged to enhance ESD. This research study investigated the unique window of opportunity created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on HE and explored the extent to which this rupture might potentially accelerate and deepen the necessary shifts in approaches to education that are urgently required for advancing ESD. Many of these nascent trends existed before the onset of the global pandemic; however, their capacity as seeds of potential for ESD was never fully realised. The qualitative inquiry was informed by a paradigm of complexity and explored COVID-19 disruption and its impact on learning experiences within the specific context of the Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Sustainable Development at Stellenbosch University (SU). The inquiry surfaced various themes that might shape the approach to ESD within this programme at HEIs in South Africa going forward. More specifically, the research revealed that learning in place, technology in learning, emotions in learning, and building a learning community support the mission of ESD. The thesis unpacks how these nascent education trends existed before and are catalytic for transcending normative, established, and conventional education paradigms. The author argues that these nascent trends were accelerated and further realised for their propensity to shape transformative education because of a window of opportunity that COVID-19 presented. The analysis traced the shifted learning experiences of students and institutional representatives involved in the PGD from March 2020, the year of the COVID-19 lockdown, to March 2021. After exploring nascent education trends and investigating them symbiotically with empirical insights and tensions, four key prospects were identified that are particularly relevant and important for shaping transformative ESD in the PGD going forward. These prospects are translated into possible and practical recommendations for the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) to implement in the wider context at SU. As the need for sustainability education grows, the author argues for increased recognition of the possibilities these nascent education trends may offer for reimagined education in a post-pandemic world. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wereld is in ’n diepgaande en komplekse sosio-ekologiese polikrisis gedompel. Die COVID-19-pandemie het ongekende ontwrigting veroorsaak wat ’n invloed op onderwysstelsels en -praktyke gehad het. Hoeronderwysinstellings (HOIs) kan potensieel ’n beduidende rol speel in die kultivering van volhoubaarheidsleiers wat op hul beurt gereed is om tot die oplossing van komplekse volhoubaarheidsuitdagings by te dra. Onderwys vir Volhoubare Ontwikkeling (OVO) is een raamwerk van Hoer Onderwys (HO) wat uitdruklik op die skakelings tussen onderwys en volhoubaarheid fokus en die potensiaal aandui wat HOIs moontlik het om tot transformasies na regverdige, billike en volhoubare toekomste by te dra. OVO poog op vele maniere om konvensionele onderwysparadigmas uit te daag en te dekoloniseer, en om onderwys vorentoe te dryf deur die herverbeelding van onderrig, leer en assessering wat vir die uitdagings van die tyd geskik is. Die impak van die pandemie op HOIs in die algemeen, en OVO-kontekste in die besonder, is die fokus van hierdie tesis se navorsing, asook tot watter mate die skeurings wat deur die COVID-19-krisis veroorsaak is, aangewend kan word om OVO te verbeter Hierdie navorsingstudie het die unieke geleentheidsvenster wat deur die COVID-19-pandemie geskep is en die impak daarvan op HO ondersoek, asook tot watter mate hierdie skeuring moontlik die nodige verskuiwings in benaderings tot onderwys wat dringend nodig is om OVO te bevorder, kan versnel en verdiep. Baie van hierdie ontluikende tendense het voor die aanvang van die wereldwye pandemie bestaan; hul kapasiteit om as kiem van potensiaal vir OVO te dien, is egter nooit ten volle verwesenlik nie. Die kwalitatiewe ondersoek is ingelig deur ’n kompleksiteit-paradigma en het COVID-19- ontwrigting en die impak daarvan op leer-ervarings binne die spesifieke konteks van die Nagraadse Diploma (NGD) in Volhoubare Ontwikkeling aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch ondersoek. Met die ondersoek het verskeie temas na vore gekom wat die benadering tot OVO binne hierdie program by HOIs in Suid-Afrika in die toekoms kan vorm. Meer spesifiek het die navorsing aan die lig gebring dat plek-gebaseerde leer, tegnologie in leer, emosies in leer, en die bou van ’n leergemeenskap die missie van OVO ondersteun. Die tesis ontsluit hoe hierdie ontluikende onderwysneigings voorheen bestaan het en dat hulle as katalisators dien om normatiewe, gevestigde en konvensionele onderwysparadigmas te oorbrug. Die skrywer voer aan dat hierdie ontluikende neigings versnel en verder gerealiseer is vir hul geneigdheid tot die vorming van transformerende onderwys as gevolg van ’n geleentheidsvenster wat COVID-19 gebied het. Die ontleding het die verskuifde leerervarings van studente en institusionele verteenwoordigers wat by die NGD betrokke was vanaf Maart 2020, die jaar van die COVID-19-inperking, tot Maart 2021 nagespoor. Nadat ontluikende onderwystendense ondersoek is en hulle simbioties met empiriese insigte en spannings ondersoek is, is vier sleutelvooruitsigte geidentifiseer wat veral toepaslik en belangrik is vir die vorming van transformerende OVO in die NGD se toekoms. Hierdie vooruitsigte word vir die Centre for Sustainability Transitions vertolk in moontlike en praktiese aanbevelings om in die breer konteks by die Universiteit Stellenbosch te implementeer. Namate die behoefte aan volhoubaarheidsopvoeding toeneem, voer die skrywer groter erkenning aan vir die moontlikhede wat hierdie ontluikende onderwysneigings vir herverbeelde onderwys in ’n postpandemiese wereld kan bied. Masters 2023-02-08T12:59:19Z 2023-08-30T13:05:56Z 2023-03 2023-02-08T12:59:19Z 2023-08-31T09:18:47Z 2023-02-08T12:59:19Z 2023-08-31T09:18:47Z 2023-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128463 en_ZA Stellenbosch University application/pdf xii, 147 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Sustainable development -- Education (Higher) COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Education (Higher) Environmental education -- South Africa UCTD Van den Bergh, Camryn COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title | COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title_full | COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title_short | COVID-19 : insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in Stellenbosch University’s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| title_sort | covid 19 insights and prospects from shifting learning experiences in stellenbosch university s postgraduate diploma in sustainable development |
| topic | Sustainable development -- Education (Higher) COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Education (Higher) Environmental education -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128463 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vandenberghcamryn covid19insightsandprospectsfromshiftinglearningexperiencesinstellenboschuniversityspostgraduatediplomainsustainabledevelopment |