Introduction: This study provides comprehensive insights of how the education system in South Africa evolved. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a brief analytic insight into the legacy of the apartheid education system. Secondly, the study scrutinizes and explores the systemic failures of the democratic administration in redressing…

Academic development is a mammoth undertaking that requires collective effort from all stakeholders, extending beyond academic developers alone. As early career academics, we explore our experiences of academic development within our community of practice. Through a collaborative self-study, we reveal how our community of practice has bolstered…

The question of whether academic development and higher education research can be considered fields is one of ongoing significance, centred on debates about knowledge-building. This study analyses the published outputs of a highly influential South African scholar, Suellen Shay, to identify the characteristic modes of knowledge generation that she…

In this paper we attempt to locate collaboration and partnerships between higher education institutions and their stakeholders. These include the state, students, teaching and administrative staff, the community and corporate entities. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contribution of stakeholders to the developmental trajectory and…

This book aims to highlight science education in countries along the Belt and Road. It consists of 30 chapters divided into three main parts, namely Arab and African countries, Asian countries and European countries. We invited science education experts from 29 "Belt and Road" countries to introduce the current status of science…

For over two decades now, the application of Citizen Science to Education has been evolving, and fundamental topics, such as the drivers of motivation to participate in Citizen Science projects, are still under discussion. Some recent developments, though, like the use of Artificial Intelligence to support data collection and validation, seem to…

This paper analyses Sol Plaatje University's (SPU) progress on increased research activities. The paper employs bibliometric analysis review method to demonstrate the university's transition from being a predominantly teaching-focused to a more research-oriented institution. A novel, data-driven methodology is also adopted in this paper, to…

This article presents and discusses the findings from five principals about their experiences of using systems thinking approach to school development. This was an ethnographic multiple case study that was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Literature demonstrates the efficacies of using systems thinking as an approach in dealing with…

This paper responds to a question posed by [Shay, Suellen. 2012. "Educational Development as a Field: Are We There Yet?" "Higher Education Research and Development" 31 (3): 311-323. doii:10.1080/07294360.2011.631520] about the status of knowledge building in the field of Educational Development. In her paper, Shay critiques…

This inaugural installment of "Mapping Community Colleges Around the World: Comparative Perspectives and Collaborative Pathways" features "global snapshots" of community colleges and counterpart institutions, programs, and initiatives in an array of country and regional contexts. Briefs in this issue include: (1) The Global…

This book presents the current state of Open Educational Resources (OER) within the countries covered by the China's Belt and Road Initiative. The authors describe eight aspects of OER development in their countries: infrastructure, policy, resources, open license, curriculum and teaching methodology, outcome, stakeholders and impact. This book…

Since the 1960s and before the dramatic announcement of the release of Nelson Mandela on 2 February 1990 (signalling the end of apartheid and the crossing of the proverbial Rubicon (Stone, 2014, p. 3)), the international community assisted the African National Congress (ANC) in its struggle against apartheid and put crucial pressure on the state…

South Africa's higher education system is falling far short of producing the mix of competent graduates required to meet the country's need for social and economic development. The problem of poor patterns of student success is longstanding, and is persisting despite the policy changes and many educationally sound interventions that have taken…

In at least 55 countries worldwide, from, India to Canada, Russia to New Zealand, and Egypt to South Africa, Community, Schools are being developed. The International Centre of Excellence for Community Schools (ICECS) is a new non-government organization (NGO) established with funding from C. S. Mott Foundation, which is developing actual and…

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has been the subject of discussion, and in most cases, it has been seen as a threat to jobs and conventional methods of performing certain activities. As a result, concerns over the preparation of the South African educational systems for the 4IR have been raised. Many industries still lack an advanced…