Staff developers' perceptions on building a culture of teaching and learning

Abstract

The rapid education transformation in South African education over the past decade (1994 --current), forced Institutions of Higher Learning to critically examine their own practices. The transformation of the post apartheid South African education system is largely driven and determined by a social and economic agenda. At institutions of higher learning, the absence of an enabling culture of teaching and learning has been identified as the focal point for immediate engagement. In an attempt to address this gap, Teaching and Learning Centres have been established at all institutions of higher learning in South Africa. These centers developed out of the academic development movement established in the 1980's at predominantly white institutions to assist ‘under-prepared' black students. This article provides an overview of the activities of Teaching Development units within these centers at the four universities in the Eastern Cape.

J South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (7) 2008: pp. 907-918