CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DURING COVID-19: CONTEXT, PRACTICE AND CHANGE EDITORS ROSALINE GOVENDER AND ANTHEA H M JACOBS Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change Critical Reflections on professional learning during COVID-19: Context, practice and change Published by HELTASA All rights reserved © 2022 HELTASA. Copyright of individual contributions is maintained by their authors. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. When quoting from any of the chapters, authors are requested to acknowledge the relevant author and supply a hyperlink to the original chapter or indicate where the original chapter (https://dx.doi.org/10.51415/DUT.48) may be found. Chapters as a whole, may not be re-published in another publication. This publication was subjected to an independent double -blind peer review by the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-6397-1513-1 Copies of this book are available for free download at: https://dx.doi.org/10.51415/ DUT.48 This book is a project of HELTASA’s Professional Learning Project (PLP). Special thanks to the Durban University of Technology Library for their assistance. Cover design by INK GIRAFFE Disclaimer: The information, views and opinions contained in the contributions reflect those of the authors. While e�orts were made to verify the content, the accuracy of all material furnished remains the responsibility of the contributors. https://dx.doi.org/10.51415/DUT.48 https://dx.doi.org/10.51415/DUT.48 CONTENTS Dedication................................................................................................................................ vii The Editors.............................................................................................................................. viii About the Authors................................................................................................................... ix Foreword............................................................................................................................... xxiii Introduction........................................................................................................................... xxv Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning....................................... 1 Chapter 1..................................................................................................................................... 2 Moving beyond the classroom to embrace teaching and learning in a virtual space Logamurthie Athiemoolam Chapter 2................................................................................................................................... 23 Transformative pedagogies in teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) during the Covid-19 crisis Anthea H M Jacobs Chapter 3.................................................................................................................................. 38 The journey into e-learning is one of me-learning – reflection and changing pedagogical practices in an online world Vanessa Singh and Vasanthie Padayachee Chapter 4................................................................................................................................... 61 Online engagement with students during a pandemic: lessons learned in first- year mega psychology classes Mianda Erasmus, Christiaan Immanuel Bekker and Hershel Meyerowitz Chapter 5................................................................................................................................... 78 Reflections from implementing a faculty strategy for academic professional learning during a global pandemic Greig Krull, Danie de Klerk and Fiona MacAlister Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change Theme 2: Creating Spaces for Connection.................................................................... 93 Chapter 6.................................................................................................................................. 94 Building online communities: Exploring the conditions for interpersonal and cognitive connections Kershree Padayachee and Marike Kluyts Chapter 7................................................................................................................................. 109 Catalytic power of a pandemic: On enacting agency in professional higher education spaces through communities of practice Danie de Klerk Chapter 8................................................................................................................................ 129 I am still here: Lessons learned from incorporating social presence in remote teaching Marike Kluyts, Annalene Nell, Zonnike Coetzer, Charlene du Plooy and Gawain Norval Chapter 9................................................................................................................................ 148 Narrowing the geographical divide: A critical reflection of an a�ordance of the Covid-19 pandemic for collaborative professional learning and development Danny Fontaine-Rainen, Danie de Klerk, Nelia Frade and Arthi Ramrung Chapter 10............................................................................................................................... 165 Exploring the interplay of confidence, authenticity and risk through professional learning Natashia Muna Chapter 11............................................................................................................................... 185 Reflecting on the online teaching space as a ‘boundary object’ in pandemic times: Making the invisible visible in an academic literacy course Moeain Arend, Gideon Nomdo and Aditi Hunma Theme 3: Transforming online pedagogies................................................................ 207 Chapter 12.............................................................................................................................. 208 Reflecting on Pivoting to Emergency Remote Online Teaching and Learning during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown: Feedback from three English Second Language (ESL) teachers Shannon Bishop-Swart Chapter 13.............................................................................................................................. 226 Higher Education versus Covid-19 Impact: Toward an Inclusive Higher Education Reflections on UCT’s Emergency Remote Learning and Teaching from a student perspective Athenkosi Nzala Chapter 14............................................................................................................................... 257 Getting the balance right: Reflecting on the ‘study pack’ as a pedagogic tool for self-directed learning in an Extended Curriculum Programme during the Covid-19 pandemic Megan Alexander Chapter 15............................................................................................................................... 275 Using a transformative learning pedagogy remotely: Reflections of early career academics in the context of Covid-19 Benita Bobo and Zandile Masango-Muzindutsi Contents Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change Theme 4: Reimagining alternative ways of teaching in higher education.......... 289 Chapter 16.............................................................................................................................. 290 Developing learning partnerships in the Postgraduate classroom Rosaline Govender and Nereshnee Govender Chapter 17.............................................................................................................................. 308 Guiding information-finding missiles: A reflection on adapting assessments to maximise student learning in the online environment Marianne McKay Chapter 18.............................................................................................................................. 320 Reflections on a compulsory ‘dance-at-home’ course for pre-service student teachers during lockdown Marelize van Heerden Chapter 19............................................................................................................................... 341 Writing centre tutors’ experiences and perceptions of online academic support: Reflecting on the digital transformation during the Covid-19 pandemic Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo, Krishna D. Naidoo, Nthabeleng Tamako and Hlanganani S. Shange CHAPTER 20............................................................................................................................ 357 Rethinking (English) academic literacy practices during a pandemic: Mobility and multimodality Taryn Bernard vii DEDICATION This book is dedicated to all higher education sta� and students for their resilience and indomitable spirit during the Covid-19 pandemic. You have inspired and continue to inspire in ways unmeasured. viii Rosaline Govender Durban University of Technology Rosaline Govender has a Doctorate in Education from UKZN. She has been working within the field of academic development since 2011 and her experience spans across student, sta� and curriculum development. At institutional level, she has served as a member of several task teams including General Education and Siyaphumelela. At national level she serves as the Project Manager of the HELTASA’s Professional Learning Project. She is the Co-convenor of the International Teaching and Learning Collaboration between DUT and Dr. SNS Rajalakshmi College of Arts and Science (India). Her research interests include student success, professional learning, academic development, teaching and learning and gender issues. Anthea H M Jacobs Stellenbosch University Anthea Jacobs is an Education Policy Studies Masters and PhD graduate with experience working as an educationist in the basic and higher education sectors. She sees herself as a teaching and learning ‘jack of all trades’, happiest when working with academics who are keen to explore the field of education. An important focus for her is the strengthening of the scholarship of higher education teaching and learning and she believes that collaborative engagement is key to building the next generation of educationists. She currently works as Advisor to Higher Education Teaching and Learning, responsible for the professional development of academics. THE EDITORS ix ABOUT THE AUTHORS Megan Alexander Cape Peninsula University of Technology Megan Alexander is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). She currently teaches English and Methodology of English. Previously, she taught Language Development and Communication on the Further Education and Training (FET) programme and on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at CPUT. From 2015−2021 she was employed as a Communication lecturer on the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) at CPUT. Megan completed a Master’s degree in Linguistics: Second Language Studies at the University of Stellenbosch. Her research interests include teacher training, pedagogy in the (ECP) classroom, curriculum responsiveness and critical reflection of teaching and learning. Moeain Arend University of Cape Town Moeain Arend is an Educationist with a specialisation in Applied Language and Literacy studies, and a teacher at heart. He teaches on academic literacy, research literacy as well as postgraduate education courses. He has also been involved in the design and delivery of a Coursera MOOC entitled Writing Your World. His research interests lie in the field of New Literacy Studies, looking at how texts acquire meanings as they travel trans-contextually. One of his joint publications is, 'Messiness in meaning-making: Examining the A�ordances of the Digital Space as a Mentoring and Tutoring Space for the Acquisition of Academic Literacy'. Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change x Logamurthie Athiemoolam Nelson Mandela University Logamurthie Athiemoolam is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa, where he prepares pre-service teachers to teach English at home and first additional language levels and presents modules focusing on issues in education and language across the curriculum. His fields of research are language teaching and learning, education, drama-in- education and diversity pedagogy. He has presented over 30 papers in the field of education and language teaching both nationally and internationally, delivered many workshops in drama-in-education and has published numerous articles and book chapters in his research areas. Christiaan Bekker North-West University Christiaan Bekker is a lecturer, and serves as Subject Group Leader, for the Psychology Department at the North-West University (NWU), Vanderbijlpark Campus, South Africa. He has been lecturing large undergraduate classes since 2013 and has presented at the NWU Teaching and Learning Conferences as well as the HELTASA (Un)conference in 2021. He completed his PhD in 2022, with the focus on investigating the factors influencing academic emotions, specifically boredom, as well as engagement, burnout, and subjective well-being in public secondary school learners. Other research interests include teaching and learning practices at tertiary level as well as well-being in the LGBTI+ community. xi Taryn Bernard, Stellenbosch University Taryn Bernard is a senior lecturer in the Arts and Social Sciences Faculty at Stellenbosch University. She has a PhD in (critical) applied linguistics and her research endeavors have always been focused on critiquing dominant institutional discourses and discursive representations. She currently holds a Stellenbosch University Teaching Fellowship for a longitudinal, ethnographic study that explores the identities, language ideologies as well as the language and literacy practices (“the linguistic repertoires”) of a group of multilingual students as they navigate their way through the South African higher education system. Shannon Bishop-Swart, Stellenbosch University Shannon Bishop-Swart lectures English Language and Literature at Stellenbosch University’s Education Curriculum Studies department. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Pretoria, an Associate Diploma in Drama from Trinity College London, a Masters in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Education Policy. She has 21 years local and international teaching experience, and has held the positions of Head of English, Deputy Head of Academics and Lead Teacher Trainer. Her research interests include the e�ect of education disruptions on teachers, teaching with technology and teacher training. At the time of writing this chapter she was the Intensive English Programme Coordinator at Stellenbosch University’s Language Centre. Benita Bobo, Durban University of Technology Benita Bobo is a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology, in the Centre for General Education. Here, she teaches General Education modules using a transformative learning pedagogy. Her previous experience in higher education includes briefly working as an academic developer at Stellenbosch University, and also working for a number of years as a Lecturer and Coordinator at Rhodes University. Benita holds About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xii a PhD in Psychology, and her research interests broadly include community engagement in higher education, community psychology, transformative learning, and social justice. Zonnike Coetzer, University of the Free State Zonnike Coetzer was a teacher before her appointment as an Academic Facilitator at the University of the Free State. This created a passion for student centred learning, and a deep awareness of what learners can achieve if one aspires to leave no learner behind. She relies mostly on this passion, as well as her qualifications in Psychology and Education to manoeuvre through an everchanging pedagogical environment to assist students in accomplishing their academic goals. Danie de Klerk , University of the Witwatersrand Danie de Klerk is the Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management (CLM) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and Head of the CLM Teaching and Learning Centre. His research revolves around higher education viewed through a Social/ Critical Realist lens. Areas of focus in higher education include academic advising and advising practices for South African contexts, matters of learning and teaching, student success and support, academic development, academic literacies, and the use of data analytics to inform and enhance student success. He is part of the team who won the Wits Vice Chancellor's Team-Teaching Award in 2021. He has been working in the South African higher education sector since 2007. Mianda Erasmus, North-West University Mianda Erasmus has been a Psychology lecturer at the Mafikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) since 2012 and holds the position of NWU programme leader for psychology undergraduate and honours degrees. She has completed several degrees in music, French and psychology (with a special interest in social and community xiii psychology) and her time abroad provided diverse experiences and enrichment in her academic career. She is passionate about teaching and learning, especially in supporting first-year students in large classes in various ways. Mianda has presented at local and international conferences, published articles and book chapters and also supervises Honour’s and Master’s research. Danielle Fontaine-Rainen, University of cape Town Danielle (Danny) Fontaine-Rainen is currently the Director of the First Year Experience (FYE) at UCT. She has an undergraduate, honours, and master’s degree from UCT (in Environmental and Geographical Science). She has a PhD in Urban Geography from Clark University (Worcester, MA, USA). She has particular disciplinary research interests in urban development (particularly how we build cities to facilitate and/or constrain children’s access to daily physical activity) and FYE research interests in first-generation students and their success at university, academic advising, indicators of students’ success and pedagogical interests in course design – including assessment design and universal design for learning (UDL). Nelia Frade, University of Johannesburg Nelia Frade a Senior Coordinator at the Centre for Academic Sta� Development at the University of Johannesburg. Her role is to provide strategic leadership to ensure that tutorials remain integral to teaching and learning. She works with tutors and sta� to ensure the e�ective implementation of tutorial programmes. Her research interests include the role of tutors in promoting student success, integrating tutorials into the curriculum and blended learning environments. She is part of the HELTASA Student Learning Project Team, which aims to provide a national space where academics and AD practitioners can debate and collaborate around issues pertaining to student support. About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xiv Nereshnee Govender, Durban University of Technology Nereshnee Govender is a Writing Centre Practitioner at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). She is a PhD graduate and has qualifications in the Social Sciences and Humanities sector as well as Higher Education Studies from DUT and Rhodes University. She is currently the assistant editor of the African Journal of Inter- Multidisciplinary Studies (AJIMS) which is indexed on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) database. Her academic research interests include academic literacies in higher education, higher education teaching and learning, social responsibility in higher education, writing centre pedagogy and social sciences and humanities research. Aditi Hunma, University of Cape Town Aditi Hunma has a background in literature, and a specialisation in Education in the Applied Language and Literacy Studies Stream. She teaches on academic literacy, research literacy and postgraduate education courses. She enjoys teaching and designing relevant approaches for the millennial generation. Her involvement in the design and delivery of Coursera MOOC entitled Writing Your World, highlighted the fact that academic English is a foreign language for all, and yet at the centre of how knowledge gets constructed and reconstructed at university. Her research interests lie in how digital spaces to nurture academic writers, can also be harnessed to play a transformative role in higher education. Nonhlanhla Khumalo, Durban University of Technology Nonhlanhla Khumalo is a Writing Centre Practitioner at the Durban University of Technology. She holds a PhD in Higher Education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has more than 20 years’ experience in education. She was awarded an NRF Scarce Skills Development Doctoral Scholarship in 2016. Her research interests include academic literacies, first-year students’ experience and student support initiatives. She has presented papers at conferences and published on academic writing xv and writing centre pedagogy. Dr Khumalo is dedicated to inspiring students’ academic success and believes that all students should get the support they need through the development of inclusive student engagement practices. Marike Kluyts, University of the Witwatersrand Marike Kluyts holds an M.A. in Language Studies, as well as certificates in Academic Advising (AA) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). She is currently the Academic Skills Development Coordinator in the Science Teaching and Learning Unit (STLU) at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her focus in this position is to (i) help students acquire Academic Literacies (AL), Research Literacies and grapple with aspects of Academic Integrity, (ii) support Writing Intensive lecturers with embedding AL in their courses, and (iii) to develop initiatives in student support. The focus of these initiatives is to provide support in developing academic reading and writing practices from first year level to Ph.D. level within the Faculty of Science. Greig Krull, University of the Witwatersrand Greig Krull is a Senior Lecturer and Academic Director for Digital Learning in the Commerce, Law and Management (CLM) Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he provides support to academics around blended and online learning and teaching. He holds a PhD in Technology-Enhanced Learning. His research interests lie in open and flexible learning in higher education, particularly in the areas of mobile learning and professional learning. He has experience teaching in both higher education and corporate training. Fiona MacAlister, University of the Witwatersrand Fiona MacAlister is the Online Learning Project Manager in the Teaching and Learning Centre in the Commerce, Law and Management (CLM) Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has fi�teen years of experience in learning management system administration, online About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xvi course design, and training/facilitation. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education at Wits. She has experience in both the private and public higher education sectors having worked as a Moodle Administrator and eLearning Developer, and an Educational Developer/OER Specialist. Zandile Masango-Muzindutsi, Durban University of Technology Zandile Masango-Muzindutsi is a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology, in the Centre for General Education. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) in Psychology and a Master of Development Studies, both from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is passionate about co-creating knowledge with students and seeing them develop into critical and reflective thinkers. Her research interests broadly include community psychology, participatory research, positive psychology, public mental health interventions, social justice, and social integration. Marianne Mckay, Stellenbosch University Marianne Mckay is a Senior Lecturer in Oenology at Stellenbosch University (SU) with a passion for teaching and the mysterious art and science of wine. She has worked as an analytical chemist, a clinical trials manager, and as a lecturer in both the UK and South Africa. Her research ranges from smoke taint and sensory evaluation in wine to decolonial learning methodologies in science. She won the SA Council for Higher Education Excellence in Teaching Award in 2015 and was recognised as a Distinguished Teacher and Teaching Fellow by SU in 2017. She is currently a South African Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) programme Fellow. Hershel Meyerowitz , North-West University Hershel Meyerowitz is a lecturer at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, mainly lecturing first and third year xvii undergraduate modules. He studied and completed his qualifications at the University of the Free State where he completed his degree in BSc. His qualifications include Behavioural genetics in 2014, BA honours in Psychology, with distinction, in 2015 and master’s in clinical psychology in 2019. He has an interest in student engagement and promoting academic growth and critical thinking skills in students. Natashia Muna, University of Cape Town Natashia Muna has a background in science, with specialisations in zoology, biodiversity, and molecular and cell biology. During her PhD, Natashia worked as a student consultant at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Writing Centre, and it was there that she discovered her passion for working with the languages of science.  In 2015 she took up a lectureship position as coordinator of the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Writing Lab; a writing centre that provides academic literacies support, teaching, and capacity development for sta� and students in the faculty. Natashia is currently researching and supervising in the areas of multimodal social semiotics, and authorial identity development. Denver Naidoo, Durban University of Technology Denver Naidoo is an educator with more than a decade of experience working in higher education. He specialises in small-scale farmer development, food security, student capacity development, and mentoring, and is responsible for training students using innovative approaches to advance in the research, academic, and writing centre spaces. He is a formidable force in the writing centre, where he inspires people to work diligently and achieve success with their good attitude and boundless energy. He is inspired daily by the challenges that students face navigating through their academic endeavours. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cycling and cooking. About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xviii Annalene Nell, University of the Free State Annalene Nell is an academic facilitator at the University of the Free State, where she has been employed since 2013. She has a BA (Hons) degree in English. Currently, she works at the writing centre, focusing on workshops, individual student consultations and consultant mentoring. She also teaches academic literacy classes. Annalene enjoys helping students find their writing voice and making the writing centre a welcoming space for all. Gideon Nomdo, University of Cape Town Gideon Nomdo is an academic development lecturer in the Centre for Higher Education Development at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He views his roles from the perspective of promoting access and ‘educating for positive and transformative change’. Gideon is part of the Language Development Group and teaches academic literacy. He is the UCT Academic Coordinator for the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Programme, which o�ers academic mentoring support to black students who wish to pursue PhDs and take up positions in the academy. His research interests are in the areas of academic literacy, student development and identity transformations in higher education. Gawain Norval, University of the Free State Gawain Norval is currently employed at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), at the University of the Free State, where he works as a Literacy Assistant in the Unit for Academic Language and Literacy Development (ALLD). He has a passion for teaching academic literacy; he teaches students in a practical way about academic writing, and provides them with the necessary skills that they need to successfully navigate their academic careers. He serves as an academic consultant at the CTL, where he assists and consults students on aspects of academic writing. xix Athenkosi Nzala, University of Cape Town Athenkosi Nzala is a Senior Trainer at Synergy at the University of Cape Town and an instructional designer and learning and development specialist. His PhD focuses on the development of a model to help teachers gain skills to teach online. He has graduated with a BSc Civil Engineering and Masters in Educational Technology from UCT. He provides a wide range of skills and services drawing upon his six years of leadership, development experience and formal training via organisations such as the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, UCT, Investec, McKinsey and Company, Black Bark Productions, Young African Leaders Initiative, Activate and Pearson South Africa. Kershree Padayachee, University of the Witwatersrand Kershree Padayachee (PhD, Wits; PG Dip (HE), Rhodes) is a senior lecturer and teaching and learning advisor in the Science Teaching and Learning Unit (STLU), in the Faculty of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Having transitioned from teaching and researching in the field of plant germplasm conservation and cryobiology, she is currently focussed on the professional development of academics as university teachers. She is also actively engaged research and postgraduate supervision in the field of higher education, with a special focus on assessment for learning. Vasanthie Padayachee, University of KwaZulu-Natal Vasanthie Padayachee teaches academic literacy within the faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), where she was awarded a PhD in researching literacies in science. She has undergraduate qualifications in Education. Her postgraduate qualifications are in English Studies; English Literature and TESOL. She has been teaching English for Specific/Academic Purposes to undergraduate university students for several years. She has experience in the design and development of English language teaching and assessment practices for ESL students as well as About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xx curriculum design in scientific communication literacies. Her research interests are academic literacy. When free, she enjoys gardening. Charlene du Plooy, University of the Free State Charlene du Plooy has been an academic facilitator at the University of the Free State for the past ten years. Her areas of focus are academic literacy and writing. She studied Education, specialising in the FET phase (Further Education and Training). She also completed her honours in English Literature. Using content-based instruction, she helps undergrad students develop their academic reading and writing skills. In addition, as a writing consultant, she assists under- and postgraduate students with their written tasks and assignments. She has a passion for teaching, and loves seeing young minds expand to reach their full potential. Arthi Ramrung, Mangosuthu University of Technology Arthi Ramrung is a lecturer in the Teaching and Learning Development Centre at Mangosuthu University of Technology and is actively involved in both student support and professional development. She holds a Masters in Chemistry and a Post graduate Diploma in Higher Education and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education. Other qualifications include Project Management; Academic Advising and Mentoring and Coaching. At MUT she leads the First-Year Experience programme and has initiated a student peer mentorship programme. The focus of her research is on student development and holistic student support with the view of improving student success. Nthabeleng Tamako, Durban University of Technology Nthabeleng Tamako is a researcher at the African centre for food security and Food security programme at the University of KwaZulu- Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, and a part-time Writing Centre Tutor at the Durban University of Technology. Her research interest focuses on smallholder farmers’ social capital, climate change adaptation, food xxi security, knowledge systems, opinion leaders, urban farmers, markets, organic farming, land access and ownership, writing centre space, tutoring pedagogies, and online tutoring and learning. Hlanganani Shange, Durban University of Technology Hlanganani Shange has been providing tutoring to several DUT Departments including Ecotourism Department, CELT and the Writing Centre from 2016 to 2021 and recently, a Lecturer to the Business Administration Department. He is currently pursuing his PhD in the Business Administration Department, with a research interest in Analysing the e�ects of support systems during catastrophic events on the resilience of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises.  Vanessa Singh, University of KwaZulu-Natal Vanessa Singh is an academic at the Centre for Academic Success in Science and Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She served as the Deputy-Head for the Centre for four years. She is a member of the prestigious Golden Key International Honour Society. She has an MSc, UPGCE (magna cum laude), an MBA and a PhD in Higher Education. She has worked nationally and internationally. She is part of the DBA and PhD (Higher Education) cohorts. She has collaborated on higher education quality enhancement projects for the Council on Higher Education. Her research interests include curriculum development, professional pedagogical practices and academic writing in Higher Education. She is extremely passionate about dogs. Marelize van Heerden, Nelson Mandela University Marelize van Heerden lectures Dance education, Music education and Philosophy of Education at the Faculty of Education, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She holds a Master’s Degree in Music and a Doctorate in Education. Her doctorate regarded the potential of dance education to promote social cohesion in South Africa. She also studied Cultural Sociology at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. Her About the Authors Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxii research interests include dance education, training teachers for the multicultural classroom, decolonisation, aesthetics, ideas of Self in relation to the Other, recognition of dignity, nation building and peace education. She had her own modern dance studio (AIDT) and was the o�cial choreographer of the internationally acclaimed Nelson Mandela University choir (2005-2017). xxiii FOREWORD Real, authentic, messy at times, yet emancipatory and uniquely transformative South African higher education (HE) stories during the Covid-19 pandemic are o�ered under the title: Critical Reflections on Professional Learning; Context, choice and change during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collective e�orts of our colleagues show up as the journeys of transitioning professionals within the global South higher education context. As part of its continuous contribution to learning and teaching, HELTASA (Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa) is required to respond and engage timeously to unfolding events and happenings, whether they pose threats or opportunities. The reflections of these authors in response to a changing HE landscape during the Covid-19 pandemic, amplifies the spirit of not only a transitioning HE practitioner but that of our Southern African HE institutions, sector and particularly that of HELTASA. The unique 'voices’ across this book is indicative of a restructured HE organisation o�ering collaborative platforms for academic developers, academics, professional sta� and students towards more integrated tertiary learning, teaching and research practices. The unfolding reflective and reflexive stories in this book is infused with HELTASA’s values of Relevance; Responsiveness and Resilience (3 Rs) underpinned by the principles of Capacity, Capability and Commitment. The vulnerable and relatable moments through each story enables the reader, HE practitioner and organisation to embark on their own deep dive and explore our pains, gains and transitions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pages herea�ter showcase individual and collective HE agency that can be harnessed and contextually adapted to negotiate and navigate potential challenges and opportunities even in moments of crisis. Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxiv Special tribute and commendation is paid to the HELTASA’s Professional Learning Project Team for their leadership in responding to the call for increasing our scholarship and courageously taking on this book project; to all the authors who have contributed to knowledge generation within the global South by sharing their stories of personal and contextual relevance, responsiveness and resilience in their vulnerable pandemic moments; to all our membership for your commitment and ongoing support and responsiveness; to a transitioning HELTASA who courageously took to the stern to weather the storm of change as transforming and transformative change and finally to all the readers of this book as you turn over the pages of inspiration to fuel your HE aspirations, I urge you to join us the HELTASA community and be part of our celebratory story “We did it our Way!” Rieta Ganas President and Chair: HELTASA xxv INTRODUCTION Rosaline Govender and Anthea H M Jacobs In March 2020, following the global announcement of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the president of South Africa declared a state of national disaster. All tertiary institutions in South Africa began to implement emergency measures, to meet the social isolation mandate, while continuing with their core business of teaching, learning and assessment. An urgent review of all activities to support and enable the academic project was conducted to make provision for the national lockdown measures. Academics were compelled to prepare for and institute Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) to replace conventional face-to-face student interaction with fully online learning. The purpose was not to replace the existing educational system, but to establish emergency online initiatives to ensure the continuation of the academic project. Consequently, ERT required the rethinking and adaptation of existing teaching, learning and assessment. As reflective and reflexive practitioners, it is imperative that we interrogate and reflect on our professional learning during the Covid-19 pandemic which can “reveal new insights and understandings about who we are and what we do” (Ghaye 2011: 20). Gibbs (1988: 9) reminds us that “it is not su�cient to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting on this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost.” This book is a collection of written reflections on academics’ professional learning during ERT and how they managed the rethinking and adaptation of teaching, learning and assessment. It provides a snapshot of what transpired behind the scenes as the higher education sector prepared for and executed their ERT plans. The reflections also o�er glimpses into how sta� in higher education displayed resilience as they moved from feelings of angst, desperation, fear, trepidation and excitement to a sense of innovation, accomplishment and fulfilment. What is evident about the reflections are academics’ honest insights into the scholarly and practical Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxvi measures engaged during ERT, as well as the support for each other through various communities of practice (CoPs). The reflections highlight some of the challenges and tensions that emerged, but it also presents an opportunity to celebrate the lessons learnt and to build on the possibilities for change in practice through professional learning. The reflections in this book span the South African higher education landscape and remind us of the quotation by David Barr¹, “We are not all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm”. Theme 1: Reflections of journeys in professional learning Reflecting on our journeys is vital to our professional learning and resonates with Schon (1987) who advocates for the “the expert who is awake to, and aware of, their practice, not just immersed in it”  (1987: 26). Schon (1987) further expounds that we must reflect – ‘in-action’ and also  ‘on-action’. It is through these periods of reflection that we are able to transform our practice as higher education practitioners. In Moving beyond the classroom to embrace teaching and learning in a virtual space the author reflects on his own trajectory of professional learning. He recounts his personal experiences of how the Covid-19 pandemic propelled him to learn new ways of engaging with students in humanising ways. Transformative pedagogies in teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) during the Covid-19 crisis draws our attention to the importance of linking the principle of transformation for a socially just world with ERT initiatives. This chapter highlights the magnitude of reflecting on our professional learning which has the ability to transform our thinking and practice. The journey into e-learning is one of me-learning – reflection and changing pedagogical practices in an online world provides a critical reflection of how professional learning transpired as the authors share their self-learning experiences during Covid-19. The authors assert that ongoing reflexive practice and creativity combined with researching, sharing and collaboration are key components in improving teaching and learning. In Online engagement ____________ ¹ https://www.damianbarr.com/latest/https/we-are-not-all-in-the-same-boat xxvii with students during a pandemic: Lessons learned in first year mega psychology classes the authors discuss how reflective practices underpinned their personal and professional development. They focus on the potential of collaborative professional learning and the incumbent deep connections as they endeavoured to improve their practice by acquiring novel ways of navigating the new-fangled learning and teaching terrain. Reflections from implementing a faculty strategy for academic professional learning during a global pandemic provides a reflective account of their encounters in designing and facilitating professional learning support during the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors purport that professional development should be holistic and responsive to the needs of academics and should be informed by an ethic of care. Theme 2: Creating spaces for connection Chism (2006) contends that space can have a powerful impact on learning; we cannot overlook space in our attempts to accomplish our teaching, learning and assessment goals. This has become especially important during ERT. With the shi�t from in-person to online interactions via ERT, lecturers and academic developers were required to create online spaces to hold the academic project. In Building online communities: Exploring the conditions for interpersonal and cognitive connections the question of how to re-create spaces for connection and community in the online environment was addressed. The authors o�er suggestions for ways in which various online communities might be maintained and strengthened to enhance teaching and learning beyond Covid-19. The chapter entitled Catalytic power of a pandemic: On enacting agency in professional higher education spaces through communities of practice builds on this notion of the value of the pandemic for establishing CoPs, by critically reflecting on how CoPs contributed to the author’s agential metamorphosis. The author makes recommendations on how higher education stakeholders can use CoPs to elicit and enact agency in professional learning spaces. In I am still Introduction Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxviii here: Lessons learned from incorporating social presence in remote teaching and Exploring the interplay of confidence, authenticity and risk through professional learning the authors remind us of how ERT stripped away the sense of connection between lecturers and students as well as with their own identity. In the former chapter, three important aspects to try and restore this disconnection is o�ered: (1) Familiarity (creating spaces where students feel seen and heard); (2) Being present (‘showing up’ in both the asynchronous as well as the synchronous spaces); and (3) Online identity (teachers incorporating their unique personalities into the online sessions). In the latter chapter, the notion of leading by example is emphasised. These strategies present di�erent ways of interacting with students, colleagues and self, a notion which is carried through to the chapter, Narrowing the geographical divide: A critical reflection of an a�ordance of the Covid-19 pandemic for collaborative professional learning and development. In this chapter the authors o�er an account of how the pandemic changed their interactions with each other. They elaborate on the a�ordances experienced as academics from di�erent universities working together online, and how it opened future possibilities for collaboration. An interesting perspective on the online learning space through a university online management system is provided in the chapter Reflecting on the online teaching space as a ‘boundary object’ in pandemic times: Making the invisible visible in an academic literacy course. It suggests how a university learning management system can act as a ‘boundary object’, integrating context and content, allowing students, sta� and the university to connect during ERT. This enabled academics to revisit past teaching, learning and assessment practices and create new pedagogical approaches. The chapters in Theme 2 confirm the observation by Gravett et al. (2022) that the move to ERT is blurring the boundaries of higher education spaces and places, reorienting what it means to teach and to learn in a digital higher education landscape. xxix Theme 3: Transforming online pedagogies The Covid-19 pandemic compelled higher education institutions to make a rapid transition from familiar ways of teaching. Whilst some practitioners were primed for ERT and made a smooth transition, others had to quickly learn how to navigate the online terrain. In this section of the book the authors critically reflect on how they transformed their online pedagogies for ERT and document the learnings that ensued. Reflecting on pivoting to emergency remote online teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown: Feedback from three English Second Language (ESL) teachers proposes practical suggestions on how ESL teachers may be supported in their professional development to navigate digital learning. The author a�rms that reflection is an e�ectual means to manage and develop ESL teachers holistically. In Higher Education versus Covid-19 Impact: Toward an Inclusive Higher Education the author discusses the findings from a survey conducted with a reasonably large sample of students as respondents, providing a synopsis of students’ experiences with ERT. The author advises that universities should invest in digital infrastructure in order to decrease the digital divide that exists amongst students and also inculcate practices that support the well- being of students. Getting the balance right: Reflecting on the ‘study pack’ as a pedagogic tool for self-directed learning in an Extended Curriculum Programme during the Covid-19 pandemic uses Mezirow’s (1978) ten phases of transformative practice to critically reflect on providing su�cient meaningful pedagogic tools for student success and fostering student self-directedness. The author concludes that the process of critical reflection is emancipatory and transformative which is fundamental to professional learning. Using a transformative learning pedagogy remotely: Reflections of early career academics in the context of Covid-19 provides a reflective perspective on the significance of supporting early career academics to adapt pedagogy Introduction Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxx and assessment tools for online provision in order to ensure that the intended learning outcomes of modules are achieved. Theme 4: Reimagining alternative ways of teaching in HE The move to ERT was a catalyst for change of the teaching, learning and assessment project for some academics, allowing for pedagogies that are more focused on developing students' enquiring minds as lifelong learners. Unfortunately, experience has taught us that this is not true for everyone. We therefore continuously need to interrogate and improve our teaching, learning and assessment practices to ensure that we address the need for a transformative student experience. The chapters grouped together under this theme speak of innovative ways in which this could be achieved. The wide variety of contexts represented in Theme 4 makes for truly interesting reading. Moving from the context of wine science of the “information-finding missiles” chapter to the context of dance education, the lessons from ERT are insightful. In Developing learning partnerships in the postgraduate classroom, the authors employed the Theory of Connectivism, Healey, Flint and Harrington’s model (2014) of engaging students as partners in higher education; and Prensky’s “pedagogy of partnering” (Prensky, 2010) to engage students as partners in the design and delivery of the curriculum. As facilitators of learning, they demonstrate the pedagogical shi�ts required to design learning activities that encourage sustained and active student participation. Guiding information-finding missiles: A reflection on adapting assessments to maximise student learning in the online environment reveals how the author had to find alternative ways to assess during ERT, so that students could demonstrate creativity, originality, and critical thinking, rather than just recalling/finding information. The author emphasises that adapting assessments for the online environment can be a valuable opportunity to reimagine ways of doing things that incorporate students’ lived experience, thus creating new knowledge. In Reflections on a xxxi compulsory ‘dance-at-home’ course for pre-service student teachers during lockdown, the author reflects on new dance teaching praxis which emerged during ERT. Students had to provide evidence of participation in dance activities by means of video recordings, photos or writing a short reflection. Pedagogically, this new method of teaching dance education is unique as it develops students’ autonomy. In Writing centre tutors’ experiences and perceptions of online academic support: Reflecting on the digital transformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, the context moves to tutors at a writing centre during ERT. The authors argue that tutoring in a multimodal environment contributes to transformation as it enables more students to participate successfully in diverse communication processes. Whilst on the topic of multimodality, in Rethinking (English) academic literacy practices during a pandemic: Mobility and multimodality, the author critically reflects on how the pandemic has demonstrated to what extent mobility and (in)stability are ‘unrecognised norms of academic literacy’. The author suggests that teaching practices would be transformed if these norms were recognised, with possible implications for decolonising English teaching, learning and assessment at postcolonial universities. The chapters in Theme 4 demonstrate academics’ courage and reflexivity, which according to Babalwa (2020) are requirements for a truly transformative student experience. The Covid-19 pandemic and resultant migration to ERT have shown that academics are able to adapt and reimagine teaching, learning and assessment, which bodes well for navigating an uncertain higher education landscape. Conclusion “Learning to become a professional involves not only what we know and can do, but also who we are (becoming). It involves integration of knowing, acting, and being in the form of professional ways of being that unfold over time” (Dall’Alba 2009: 34). The onslaught of the Covid- 19 pandemic provided a “portal, a gateway” (Roy 2020: 3) for higher Introduction Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change xxxii education practitioners to pause and reflect on what we are doing as professionals and who are we are becoming. The pandemic also opened up spaces for re-imagining and forging new learning pathways for professional learning. Seen through the lens of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on professional practice, the book opens up perspectives on a wide variety of teaching, learning and experiences, demonstrating how it can be used to re-imagine the higher education landscape. References Babalwa, G. 2020. A truly transformative student experience requires personal courage and reflexivity from university sta�. SU DSAf Transformation Forum. Available: https://www.sun.ac.za/english/ learning-teaching/student-a�airs/Documents/ DSAf%20Transformation%20Forum/ Student%20Transformation%20Indaba.pdf Chism, N. V. N. 2006. Challenging Traditional Assumptions and Rethinking Learning Spaces. Chapter 2. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Indiana University: Educause. Dall’Alba, G. 2009. Learning Professional Ways of Being: Ambiguities of becoming. Educational Philosophy Theory, 41(1): 34-45. Ghaye, T. 2011. Teaching and Learning through Reflective Practice. A practical guide for positive action. 2nd edition. New York: Taylor and Francis. Gibbs, G. 1988. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. London, UK: Further Education Unit. Gravett, K., Baughan, P., Rao, N. & Kinchin, I. 2022. Spaces and Places for Connection in the Postdigital University. Postdigital Science and Education. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-022-00317-0 xxxiii Healey, M., Flint, A. and Harrington, K. 2014. Engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning. Available: https:// www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/ engagement_through_partnership.pdf Mezirow, J. 1978. Perspective Transformation, Adult Education Quarterly, 28(2): 100-110. Available: Prensky, M. 2010. Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for real learning. Corwin: California Roy, A. 2020. The pandemic is a portal. Disarming-Times, 45(2): 1-3. Siemens, G. 2004. Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Available: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm Schön, D. A. 1987. Educating the reflective practitioner: Towards a new design for teaching and learning in the profession. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Introduction 1 Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 2 CHAPTER 1 Moving beyond the classroom to embrace teaching and learning in a virtual space Logamurthie Athiemoolam Nelson Mandela University Logamurthie.Athiemoolam@mandela.ac.za Abstract The closure of higher education institutions in early March 2020 necessitated engagement with new ways of teaching and learning, notably virtual teaching and learning. In this chapter I provide a personal account of my experiences as a lecturer who had to move out of my comfort zone to embrace my new role as a lecturer in a virtual space, outside the confines of the physical classroom. During my lecturing career that spans a period of 25 years, I always preferred face- to-face contact with my students above digital approaches and even when some of our colleagues in the faculty tried to convince us of the advantages of supplementing our face-to-face classes with digital teaching and learning in 2010, I was very resistant to their suggestions. At the time I did not foresee us moving into digital teaching spaces for a very long time. However, the onset of Covid-19 and the closure of our university signalled a new chapter in the story of my lecturing career, as I was thrown into the virtual space. I realised that if I wanted to survive I could either sink or swim. Eventually a�ter finding my way through the maze of digital platforms, I learnt how to occupy the virtual space confidently and to engage my students productively in teaching and learning. As I continue to gain new skills in teaching and learning in a virtual space, I have come to realise the advantages of remote teaching Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 3 and learning and how I can tap into my own creativity to facilitate meaningful learning experiences for my students. Keywords: remote teaching and learning, virtual teaching, reflective practice, Covid-19, digital platforms Introduction The rapid spread of the coronavirus globally in 2020, necessitated the implementation of various measures by countries to curb its proliferation, both from within the borders of the respective countries and internationally. The onset of this virus prompted the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, to declare a national lockdown with e�ect from midnight on the 26th of March 2020 (DHET 2020). This unexpected announcement led to the closure of all higher education institutions, which placed the onus on South African universities to decide on the measures that they would implement to conclude the 2020 academic year successfully. In deliberating on the various options, however, they realised that the only way in which universities could continue to function, was to transition from face-to-face to remote teaching and learning (Ngubane et al. 2020). This, however, posed many challenges, since neither lecturers nor students were adequately prepared for remote teaching and learning, and furthermore many students did not have access to digital devices or data to access learning material for the realisation of e�ective remote teaching and learning (Tamrat and Teferra 2020). In my role as a lecturer at a higher education institution, I was confronted with similar challenges, since I did not have the requisite skills for remote teaching and learning, neither did I embrace such an approach to pedagogy. However, since there was no other alternative, I Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 4 came to the realisation that I could either adapt to the changed circumstances or continue to hope that face-to-face classes would resume. Unfortunately, the latter did not materialise, and online classes were implemented. This chapter provides an overview of my personal journey from initially being negative towards remote teaching and learning to embracing it, and learning how to navigate across the various digital platforms to engage students meaningfully in connected learning through the adoption of a humanising pedagogy (Freire 1970). Although it was upli�ting for me to gain new skills, I also became aware of the many challenges that students experienced as they struggled to adapt to remote teaching and learning given the connectivity, data and emotional challenges (Van Deursen and Van Dijk 2019). In this reflection, I provide insights on how I felt initially and what happened, therea�ter I will explain and analyse what happened by aligning my reflection to Rolfe, Jasper and Freshwater’s (2010) reflective model which provides the research framework for my self-study. The self-reflection process The advantages of self-reflection for one’s practice are manifold, but one of the most significant advantages is that it enables one to become more aware of one’s strengths and limitations and to reflect on how one’s practice could be developed for enhanced learning. While White (2004) regards reflection as one of the most important characteristics of successful teachers, Robins et al. (2003) contend that besides being empowering, it enables a teacher to make informed judgements and professional decisions. According to Dewey (1933) reflective practice can be described as a cognitive process which focuses on active, conscious, and deliberate Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 5 thinking for the purposes of problem-solving. This was expanded on by Schon (1991) who proposed two levels of reflection namely reflection- in- action and reflection-on-action. Whilst the former allows for continual interpretation, investigation, and reflective conversations with oneself about the problem, the latter focuses on reflection a�ter the event or experience of teaching and learning (Sellars 2017). In my self-reflection, based on my transition to remote teaching and learning, the focus will be on reflection-on-action. There are various models of self-reflective practice including those designed by Gibbs (1988), Mcni� and Whitehead (2005), Rolfe, Jasper and Freshwater (2010) and Kolb (2014), among others. The model that will undergird my experiences in transitioning to remote teaching and learning is Rolfe, Jasper and Freshwater’s (2010) model of self-reflective practice. The three stages of this model require that one consider what happened, the implications of the occurrence and the consequences for future conduct. These stages are explained with reference to a focus on three guiding questions namely What? So What? and Now What? which represent the three phases of the learning experience (Rolfe, Jasper and Freshwater 2010). My reason for selecting the latter model for reflecting on my experiences during remote teaching and learning is that the guiding overarching questions and the supplementary questions enabled me to reflect more insightfully on my experiences than the other models would have enabled. While the What? question enabled me to frame the problem more succinctly in terms of what happened, the So What? question enabled me to reflect comprehensively on the implications of the problem for my own remote teaching and learning practices and the Now What? question enabled me to reflect on what I needed to do in the future to improve my own remote teaching and learning. Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 6 I will first respond to the what question by providing a description of what happened when I was required to change my pedagogy to remote teaching and learning. Therea�ter, I will explain what the experience and situation meant with reference to literature to support my views in response to the ‘so what?’ question. Finally, I will provide an overview of how this experience has enabled me to develop my practice and motivated me to learn from my initial concerns by responding to the ‘now what?’ question. The elucidation of the self-reflective process, based on my transition to remote teaching and learning, will be structured according to the three questions as per Rolfe, Jasper and Freshwater’s (2010) model. My story What? When our university closed in March a�ter the president announced the country wide lockdown, I was at a loss as to how I would proceed with my classes in my role as a lecturer at a higher education institution, given that I was inadequately prepared to present lessons remotely. The students included both pre-service students registered for a module specialising in the teaching of English at Home language level, which was a component of the PGCE programme; and a module on second language teaching and learning that was a component of the Bachelor of Education (Honours) language specialisation programme. A�ter the imposition of the lockdown, many students contacted me electronically expressing their concerns relating to how they would be able to complete their studies successfully that year, given the sudden termination of classes. Eventually, when classes were presented virtually, many students struggled to cope as they felt disconnected from the learning process and yearned for a resumption of face-to-face Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 7 classes. I also struggled initially to adapt to online classes, given that my philosophy of teaching is based on the tenets of a humanising pedagogy (Freire 1970) which I believed was only possible via face-to- face contact and not remotely via digital platforms, as I could not imagine how lecturers and students could be connected in this way for e�ective problem-based learning (Liu and Long 2014). However, when face-to-face contact was no longer possible, I had to reconsider my attitude towards online teaching and learning and to critically reflect on my transition to remote teaching and learning. I realised that this required a major paradigm shi�t which entailed coming to terms with my negative attitude towards digital teaching and learning, and reflecting on how I could move from where I was with my limited knowledge of remote learning, to where I needed to be (Park 2010). So what? While we were awaiting directives from our university on the way forward, I spent time reading Who moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson (1998) on the importance of adapting during periods of change. Reading this book was therapeutic as it enabled me to reflect more critically on the road that I would need to travel to embrace the change to online teaching and learning. It was especially a�ter reading Johnson’s book (1998) that my insights to the change process and adapting to change were enhanced. The story revolves around how di�erent groups experience change. While the mice Sni� and Scurry went in search of new cheese when the cheese was moved, since they were always on the move; the Little People Hem and Haw kept on returning to the same place, hoping for the cheese to miraculously re- appear. Later however, Haw realised that he would need to change his Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 8 strategy and search for new cheese if he hoped to change the situation, but Hem remained depressed and in denial. I realised that I could either behave like Haw and be proactive by adapting to change and embracing it or be complacent like Hem, and wait for the situation to return to how it originally was. A�ter reflection and introspection, I realised that if I adopted a more positive attitude and made a concerted e�ort to adapt to the changed scenario, there was the potential that this could contribute to my own personal and professional development (Van den Heuvel 2020). Johnson’s (1998) focus on a process of meaning-making to adapt to change also enabled me to integrate the challenging situation into a framework of personal meaning, using value-based reflection. According to Park (2010) meaning-making focuses on the ability to constructively reflect and process challenging events, which results in a sense of meaningfulness. The process of meaning-making includes being able to link the change to personal goals and values; it goes beyond understanding the content of change (Van den Heuvel 2020). My engagement in the process of meaning-making contributed to my ability to accept change and to reflect on the skills that I would need to develop in order to adapt to remote teaching and learning. This openness to change, arising from the meaning-making process, enabled me to focus on the new demands placed on me during the change process and to gradually disengage from my old view of teaching and learning within the context of a classroom experience, and to learn to adapt to the changed scenario (Van Dam 2013). A�ter realising that change was inevitable, and that I had to empower myself with skills if I hoped to present lectures virtually, I attended workshops o�ered by my university on how to use Moodle, watched Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 9 videos on various approaches to e-learning and read widely on research conducted in the field of remote teaching and learning (Goh et al. 2017). This initial engagement with the field, provided me with limited insights into the various options that I could explore for enhanced remote teaching and learning and what the process entailed. I realised, however, that this was the beginning of a journey of discovery that could stretch over a long period of time (Van den Heuvel 2020). Another challenge that I was confronted with, however, was how to present my lectures in a humanising way given that my philosophy of teaching is based on a humanising pedagogy as espoused by Freire (1970). The components of Freirean (1970) thinking include dialogical engagement, problem-based learning and relationship building. I perceived technology to be a barrier to learning since human contact is absent, as the students participate in lessons in their own individual spaces disconnected from other students, which inhibits their personal and social development. Initially when we were given a directive from the university management to commence lectures remotely, I felt constrained since I had not acquired the requisite skills in using digital platforms such as Microso�t Teams and Zoom for remote teaching and learning. Consequently, I decided to write up my lectures in a conversational style by incorporating reflective questions and e-mailing them to students. In reflecting on the initial strategy adopted, however, I felt that besides being time consuming to prepare, these lectures tended to disengage the students from learning as they did not appear to read the lectures, and neither did they take the time to respond to the reflective questions. Furthermore, some students felt that these written Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 10 lectures were disempowering as they were overwhelmed with extensive reading material with virtually no opportunities for connecting via digital platforms such as Microso�t Teams and Zoom. It was clear that this initial approach to engaging students in some form of learning was disempowering and was furthermore not aligned to my philosophy of teaching as there were virtually no opportunities for dialogical engagement (Freire 1984). According to Bartolomé (1994) the achievement of humanising teaching experiences for students is dependent on the establishment of a synergy between a teacher’s philosophical orientation and his/her instructional methods. Based on my practice there was a mismatch between my philosophy of teaching and the instructional methods adopted. In reflecting on my practice, I resolved to approach a colleague, who guided me through the practices and procedures of the Microso�t Teams digital platform, under whose guidance I was able to acquire the requisite skills to navigate the platform and engage with it for optimal learning. This process of reflecting on my action for improved learning is what Freire describes as “reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it” (1970: 145). According to Freire (1984) it is in the intersection of reflection and action where people become more fully human, power is shared by students and educators and the continuous process of re-humanisation occurs (Bartolomé 1994; Huerta 2011). Bartolomé (1994) further asserts that teachers should abandon uncritical approaches to teaching and learning in favour of reflection and action. This allows educators to “recreate and reinvent teaching methods and materials by always taking into consideration the sociocultural realities that can either limit or expand the possibilities to humanize education” (Bartolome 1994: 177). Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 11 As my skills in the application of the Microso�t Teams digital platform were enhanced, I engaged students more interactively and at times was able to discuss issues that a�ected them individually, since many of them felt constrained during the experience. This led to the process of dialogical engagement which was missing from my initial engagement with them, and which, according to Freire (1984) contributes to the enhancement of individual and collective critical consciousness. Dialogue for the development of critical consciousness focuses on one’s lived experiences, the social and political conditions that lead to inequity and oppression, and stimulates action aimed at interrupting and disrupting oppression (Souto-Manning 2006). I discovered that dialogical engagement was possible via the Microso�t Teams platform, since students could respond directly to my questions and it a�orded them the opportunity to pose their own questions, albeit virtually (Goh et al. 2017). During my face-to-face contact lessons with students prior to the lockdown, I used problem-based learning extensively to enable students to engage critically with issues of concern through interactive meaning-making. Although I was initially sceptical about the extent to which this could be implemented virtually, my engagement with digital platforms such as Microso�t Teams, Zoom, Moodle and E-mail correspondence motivated me to explore how connectivism could promote problem-based learning. According to Siemens and Downes (2009), in the process of learning, connections are created by crossing boundaries between human and non-human nodes through the establishment of an interconnected network. Since the connectivist learning process views students as active participants and not passive recipients, they are able to access, share, critically engage with, and use information for learning (Siemens 2005). I thus discovered that through Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 12 my engagement with connectivism, problem-based learning could be interactively implemented by providing students with skills that could enable them to search across the various nodes for information to substantiate viewpoints. This aligns to Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy which posits that teachers need to create ample opportunities for learners to be active participants in the learning process and not passive recipients of learning. Since the content is only one of the nodes in the learning process, Siemens (2006) points out that it is imperative that teachers create online teaching and learning opportunities for learners that focus on the development of critical thinking skills so that the learners are not side-lined by the content at the expense of critical engagement with the content. According to Siemens (2006) since learners are autonomous nodes in the system, they have di�erent aims and consequently respond di�erently in terms of their engagement with the content. Hence, the focus should be on the diversity of their interpretation, rather than on similarities. The implementation of problem-posing education in this way, encouraged students to connect their everyday lives to global issues, think critically about actions that they could take to e�ect change, and identify connections between self and society (Bigelow and Peterson 2002; Schugurensky 2011). I discovered that the process of connectivism across teaching and learning nodes stimulated critical inquiry and creative transformation as students were actively involved in interrogating issues of concern from multiple perspectives (Bahruth 2000; Schugurensky 2011). To ensure that learners engaged critically with the various nodes, I focused on providing them with unstable, controversial, unsolved, and real-life problems to involve them actively in the learning process (Al Dahdouh et al. 2015). Consequently, at times, learners felt uncertain Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 13 about what needed to be done and how they needed to engage with the tasks, which as highlighted by Al Dahdouh et al. (2015: 16) forced “them to search for answers, to ask help, to seek for patterns and, in other words, to form connections, in an attempt to solve the problem ahead”. Hence, in my role as the lecturer connected to a good network in the field such as other researchers, books, journals, websites, databases, and mobile applications, I was able to support students to plant themselves in the network, to be connected to its nodes and to be a part of it (Al Dahdouh et al. 2015: 16). According to Downes (2010) connectivist learning involves dialogical engagement for the social construction of knowledge which implies that learning is not only about knowledge consumption but knowledge construction. During the dialogical engagement process, connectivists provide students with skills to connect with other people in other contexts by using search engines, social media and other means (Anderson 2016). Hence, in consideration of the tenets of connectivism, it was logical that my assessment focused on students’ engagement with the connections between subject fields, ideas and concepts (Siemens and Downes 2009) and not on disconnected learning. The outcome of this approach to assessment was that students found the assessment tasks engaging, meaningful and enjoyable and not disempowering (Black and William 2009). An important lesson, however, that I learnt from my engagement with connectivism, is that its success is dependent on lecturers’ awareness of the possibilities of internet access and other technological resources for e�ective learning so that each individual student may gather and share information irrespective of challenges faced (Bell 2011). During my face-to-face contact lectures with students prior to the lockdown, I always made an attempt to inquire about their well-being Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 14 and espoused an open-door policy, encouraging students to discuss issues of an academic or personal level with me. These meetings with students ensured that they were motivated, remained positive and felt appreciated. In this way, as highlighted by Huerta (2011) and Salazar (2013) my approach to a humanising pedagogy focused on building trusting and caring relationships with students, since I was prepared to listen to their interests, needs, and concerns; model kindness, patience, and respect; tend to their general well-being, including their emotional, social, and academic needs; and create a support network for them (Fránquiz and Salazar 2004; Rodriguez 2008). During lockdown, however, I wondered how I could ensure that our rich interpersonal relationships were maintained, as this did not appear possible via e-learning platforms. I tried to overcome this challenge by e-mailing students regularly to inquire about their well-being and invited them to share their challenges and concerns with me. This seemed to work well as highlighted by the following e-mails from students in which they explain what the emotional support that I provided meant to them: Student 1 expressed her appreciation as follows: You have been such a stable source of strength and support to us during this di�cult time! You also shared such kind words with me before I faced my surgery, and I would like to thank you for going above and beyond as a lecturer. It does not go unnoticed and it does not go unappreciated. [own emphasis] This was further articulated by Student 2 as follows: I would like to express my gratitude to you for being so understanding and supportive towards me during this trying time. I Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 15 have dawned upon the realisation that lecturers like you are extremely rare. You demonstrate all the great qualities of an excellent  lecturer who is such an inspiration to not just me but all your students. Your e�orts most definitely do not go unnoticed by those who are fortunate enough to have you as their guide and friend. [own emphasis] The students’ views of the support that they received during a di�cult period in their lives demonstrates that my humanising approach to teaching could still be realised via e-mail correspondence. Through my personal connectedness with students, I was able to embed my understanding of the humanising pedagogy in building relationships, which according to Huerta and Brittain (2010: 385-386), “respects the human, inter-personal side of teaching, and emphasizes the richness of the teacher-student relationships”. Furthermore, it aligns with caring literature in education and is inclusive of respect, trust, mutual understanding, active listening, mentoring, compassion, and interest in students’ overall well-being (Gay 2010; Bartolomé 1994; Cammarota and Romero 2006). Now what? Now that I have gained new skills in remote teaching and learning, I have come to realise that e-mail correspondence could be used in humanising ways to support students’ emotionally and psychologically and that typed out lecture notes are too overwhelming for students. I have also resolved to enhance my knowledge of digital platforms and to explore other ways of ensuring that my classes are more learner centred (Goh et al. 2017). This is an area that I still need to work on as the online classes, unlike face-to-face classes, tend to be more teacher centred with a degree of questioning. I am still growing in my Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 16 understanding of how to ensure that students’ voices become more prominent in my virtual classes. The paradigm shi�t to remote teaching and learning has contributed significantly to my personal, academic and professional learning, since I am now more open to embracing change and exploring how the principles of the humanising pedagogy, as espoused by Freire and others, could be realised within the context of remote teaching and learning (Park 2010). I have learnt that innovative learning platforms such as Microso�t Teams, Zoom and Moodle, as highlighted by Chinyamurindi (2020), create opportunities for interaction and communication, albeit in a virtual space, and that e�ective teaching and learning can take place across the various nodes of learning. Some of the features that align to Freire’s humanising pedagogy relate to the sharing of ideas and dialogical engagement via oral communication, typing messages onscreen, the sharing of power point presentations and trying to solve problems by searching the internet for information (Chinyamurindi 2020; Darby 2020). Hence, as pointed out by Ngubane et al. (2020) e-learning tools create multiple opportunities for enhanced learning. Perhaps the fact that I was thrown into the deep end and that I had to learn to swim, contributed to my transformative approach to teaching and learning via digital platforms. I realised that embracing a pedagogy of discomfort that was very demotivating at the onset, enabled me to move out of my limited vision of teaching and learning to embrace new ways of pedagogy in times when the pedagogies that I am so married to, cannot be practiced (Van Dam 2013). The lockdown forced me to move out of my comfort zone and to think more deeply about how I embrace change during periods of uncertainty and how to move from where I am to where I want to be. This is part of Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 17 the learning process that contributed significantly to how I view the world and how I currently perceive teaching and learning in a digital space (Van Den Heuvel 2020). Conclusion Adapting to remote teaching and learning in a spirit of openness enabled me to reflect on my own remote teaching and learning, and to explore new ways of engaging with students in humanising ways, albeit in a digital space. Although I have learnt how to adapt to the changed scenario, I believe that higher education institutions need to engage more optimally with the implementation of professional learning opportunities for lecturers so that they can be empowered to implement remote teaching and learning in their classes. 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A. 2019. The first-level digital divide shi�ts from inequalities in physical access to inequalities in material access. New Media and Society, 21(2): 354-375. White, D. 2004. Reflective practice: wishful thinking or a practical leadership tool? Practising Administrator, 26(3): 41-4. 23 CHAPTER 2 Transformative pedagogies in teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) during the Covid-19 crisis Anthea H M Jacobs Stellenbosch University jacobsa@sun.ac.za Abstract According to its vision for 2040, Stellenbosch University (SU), my institution of employment, aspires to be a globally recognised, research-intensive university, with a core value of transformative equity that redresses the inequalities of the past. This aspiration translates to an important principle, namely transformation for a more socially just world, which constitutes one of the pillars of SU and should be reflected in all its teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) activities. This chapter argues that the use of this principle in TLA activities needs not be entirely suspended as a result of the crisis of Covid-19 and the resultant focus on Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). The pandemic, or any other potential emergency, does not unavoidably lead to limiting or eliminating the link between TLA and transformation (Czerniewicz et al. 2020). This link may be preserved if TLA-related transformation — for a more socially just world — is reimagined and adjusted to the changing circumstances of the pandemic. To demonstrate this possibility, I reflect on a critical incident in my position as academic developer. The critical incident is an exploration of the key TLA pedagogies as indicated in abstracts that were submitted for reflective-type presentations in a scholarly space (conference) during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, and the subsequent emergence of ERT. In response, the following Theme 1: Reflections on Journeys in Professional Learning 24 question emerged: has ERT allowed for the maintenance and/or expansion of TLA pedagogies, related to transformation for a more socially just world, or was the focus solely on teaching and learning in the online space? I reflect on this question in the context of the Transformational Learning Theory of Mezirow (1978). The reflective insights gained could inform my professional learning practice and direct professional learning initiatives for improvement. My findings led me to the viewpoint that the principle of transformation is unalienable from TLA, even in times of crisis and an increased focus on online TLA. Teaching, learning and assessment experiences during Covid-19 provide impetus for changed thinking and practice, which is essential for professional growth and learning, and ultimately transformation. Keywords: transformative pedagogy; teaching, learning and assessment; reflection; pandemic; ERT; Covid-19 Introduction Research suggests that that the most defining skill for the 21st century is not related to technology or teaching in the online space, but rather to the ability to solve problems, and adapt to change (Rahman 2019). The communities in which we live, work and play have become multicultural microcosms of the world; therefore, we need more critically minded, creative thinkers with an understanding of the impact of this expansion on our everyday lives. In higher education, it is critical to develop students who can rightfully take their place in an ever- changing world, and who are prepared to deal with the challenges of social justice. Social justice relates to the principle that “every e�ort should be made to ensure that individuals and groups all enjoy fair access to rewards” (Furlong and Cartmel 2009: 3). It is therefore critical to teach towards transformation for a more socially just world. Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 25 According to Khedkar and Nair (2016), TLA for transformation can be achieved through a transformative pedagogy, which signifies a movement away from the traditional role of lecturers to deliver content in their area of specialisation, and towards teaching for critical thinking. The authors state that pedagogical capacity used to be of secondary importance in the earlier years of higher education. However, it has become imperative for lecturers to teach in a way that allows students to critically examine their beliefs, values, and knowledge with the goal of developing a reflective knowledge base, an appreciation for multiple perspectives, and a sense of critical consciousness and agency (ibid.) for graduates to take up their place in the world of work. A transformative pedagogy hold