The Scholar’s Way Blog – Dr Lynette Pretorius

Tags: Academic identity, Academic writing, Cooperative learning, Doctoral education, Feedback, Sense of belonging, Student experience, Teaching practice

The AI literacy framework for higher education

Posted: 4 June, 202411 June, 2024

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In an era where generative artificial intelligence (AI) permeates every aspect of our lives, AI literacy in higher education has never been more crucial. In our recent paper, we delve into our own journeys of developing AI literacy, showcasing how educators can seamlessly integrate AI into their teaching practices. Our goal is to cultivate a …

Tags: AI literacy, Artificial intelligence, Autoethnography, ChatGPT, Conceptual Framework, DALL-E, Digital literacy, Educational technology, Ethical research practice, Ethics, Framework, Research methods, Research skills, Sociology of education, Stories, Teaching practice, Theoretical Framework

Developing AI literacy in your writing and research

Posted: 10 May, 202411 June, 2024

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I have recently developed and delivered a masterclass about how you can develop your AI literacy in your writing and research practice. This included a series of examples from my own experiences. I thought I’d provide a summary of this masterclass in a blog post so that everyone can benefit from my experiences. Artificial intelligence …

Tags: AI literacy, Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, DALL-E, Digital literacy, Educational technology, Ethical research practice, Ethics, Research methods, Research skills, Sociology of education, Teaching practice

Moving beyond binaries in research: weaving the tapestry of participants’ experiences

Posted: 10 March, 20245 June, 2024

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In today’s data-driven world, there is a lot of talk about making decisions based on so-called objective data. For example, schools and universities use information about the mix of students and staff to shape how they teach and run things. Information such as age, where people live, how much schooling they have had, or their …

Tags: Diversity, Education for social justice, Epistemic justice, Ethical research practice, Ethics, Inclusion, Intersectionality, Research methods, Research skills, Sense of belonging, Sociology of education, Stories, Subjectivity

Theoretical and conceptual frameworks in research

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Posted: 20 February, 202420 February, 2024

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Frameworks in research play a crucial role in shaping the direction of a research project. They serve as the foundation upon which studies are built and analysed, offering a lens through which researchers can interpret their findings. However, they are also a source of confusion for researchers so, in this blog post, I explain the …

Tags: Axiology, Conceptual Framework, Epistemology, Framework, Ontology, Research methods, Research skills, Theoretical Framework

Demystifying research paradigms

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Posted: 10 February, 202410 May, 2024

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Let’s talk about one of the most complex parts of research – understanding the philosophical underpinnings of your worldview and how this shapes the way your research is done. This is called a research paradigm and is one of the areas I get the most frequent questions about from graduate research students. The popularity of …

Tags: Axiology, Constructivism, Critical realism, Epistemology, Interpretivism, Objectivity, Ontology, Positivism, Pragmatism, Research methods, Research paradigm, Research skills, Subjectivity

Accurately assessing students’ use of generative AI acknowledgements in assignments

Posted: 20 December, 202311 June, 2024

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Lecturers play a pivotal role in shaping the learning of their students. In a metric-focused university environment, this learning necessitates the assessment of students’ learning throughout their educational journey. Assessing assignments not only gauges the understanding of the subject matter but also evaluates the development of critical academic skills. These skills, such as research, analysis, …

Tags: Academic integrity, AI literacy, Artificial intelligence, Assessing learning, Assessment, ChatGPT, Digital literacy, Educational technology, Ethics, Feedback, Teaching practice

Autoethnography: What is it and how do you do it?

Posted: 9 December, 202310 May, 2024

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Autoethnography has become an increasingly popular research methodology, particularly within the humanities and social sciences. I use it regularly because of its emphasis on personal experiences, reflexivity, and storytelling which allows for a deeper exploration of complex experiences and societies. So what is autoethnography? The name autoethnography comes from three core aspects: self, culture, and …

Tags: Autoethnography, Reflection, Research methods, Research skills, Stories, Subjectivity

Fostering AI literacy as students, teachers, and researchers

Posted: 26 October, 202329 May, 2024

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Credit: This blog post is an adapted form of a recent paper I wrote. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been present in society for several years – think, for example, of computer grammar-checking software, autocorrect on your phone, or GPS apps. Recently, however, there has been a significant advancement in AI research with the development of generative …

Tags: Academic integrity, AI literacy, Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Digital literacy, Educational technology, Ethical research practice, Ethics, Evaluation skills, Research skills, Student experience, Teaching practice

Improving students’ understanding by building a culture of academic integrity

Posted: 20 October, 202329 May, 2024

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Credit: This blog post is an adapted form of a case study I wrote for Advance HE. Universities have been cracking down on cheating and all sorts of dishonest academic behaviour recently. They’ve rolled out a bunch of strict rules related to academic integrity and use fancy software to keep an eye out for academic …