Technology in Advancing Teaching and Learning
Many research projects in the Dirisana+ project focus on incorporating electronic devices, applications, simulators, surface scanners and 3D printing technology into teaching and learning. The Dirisana+ team envisions the creation of a collaborative environment to share expertise and facilities, and to create sustainability in the use of 3D technology in health sciences education
Formative and Summative Assessment in Clinical and Basic Health Sciences Education
Members of the Dirisana+ consortium want to address various formative and summative assessments as a means to improve the quality of education in constrained environments in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of this, large test question data banks will be created, expanded and shared within and between institutions of the consortium, student perceptions on electronic assessment for self-regulated learning will be gauged, the feasibility of tele-education in rural settings reviewed, and current learning tool functionalities assessed.
Academic and Research Literacy
Good writing and effective communication are the cornerstone of academia. In southern Africa, many students often study in their second, third or fourth language – requiring additional writing support. The Dirisana+ project aims to provide support through writing centres, as well as aiding in the creation of an online journal platform for undergraduate researchers in health sciences.
Perceptions and Attitudes of Inter-Professional Education
One of the goals for the Dirisana+ project is to promote collaboration through inter-professional education and collaborative practice (IPECP), as well as to determine the perspectives and attitudes of final year healthcare students towards inter-professional teamwork.
Recommendations for Curriculum Development
With staff development and research into teaching practices, knowledge, and application in HEI’s in southern Africa, we aim to provide recommendations for constructive alignment of the curriculum and curriculum reform. Through integration of findings and experiences, a better understanding of student learning and what is feasible in the southern African setting can be achieved so that sustainable suggestions can be made.
Inclusivity and Socio-Cultural Diversity
An overlying theme throughout the grant is the develop of inclusive and socio-cultural diversity within the clinical and basic health profession sciences in sub-Saharan Africa. Research topics in this theme are focused on the integration of Fidel-Castro and Nelson-Mandela medical students from Cuba (returning to South Africa) and medial students trained in China (returning to Namibia) to work back into the medical curriculum in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as investigating how to improve relationships among students across cultural divides, how to teach learners to care for themselves and their environment, and the student’s perceptions when dealing with death, dying, cadavers and human skeletal material.
Dirisana+ 