Structures and Strategies
The Utilisation of National Student Financial Aid Scheme Learning Material Allowance for Higher Education Students: A Perspective of a South African University
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Victor H. Mlambo
This study considers how South African university students utilise their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) book allowance since the 2019 changes that allowed them to get it as cash allowance directly into their bank accounts instead of as a bookstore credit to purchase study books. The study applied the constrained choices theory as its theoretical framework. The study used a survey strategy to collect data from 358 randomly sampled university students, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using a questionnaire. The results showed that only 19.3% of the students used their book allowances for purchasing books. The results indicated pressures to misuse the allowances came from family commitments and living expenses. Students also bought ICT devices indicating both a substitution of traditional books for digital ones and pressure to keep up with new lifestyle needs. These pressures occurred with students from all genders, age groups and all faculties. However, expenditure patterns suggest that poorer students were more pressured into misusing the allocated funds. The study recommends weighted funding mechanisms that consider different poverty intensity levels among students, increasing support for affordable online academic content access, financial literacy support and enhancing accountability in funds utilisation.
Transforming the Field Education Landscape: A Partnership Approach to Training and Mentorship
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie L. Drolet
Practicum, also known as field education, is widely recognized as the signature pedagogy in social work education. Practicum is the site where students learn to integrate and apply the values, knowledge, complex practices and skills of the social work profession. Despite its importance, field education is in crisis. There is an urgent need for social work education programs to re-vision how the profession prepares the next generation of social workers. This paper discusses the Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL) partnership that aims to integrate research and practice in the preparation of the next generation of social workers by developing partnered research training initiatives that enhance trainee research practice knowledge and applied skill development. The partnership is structured in three streams: (1) Digital Storytelling, (2) Development of Sustainable Field Education Models and (3) Applied Practice Research. Since 2019, a partnership approach has been adopted to transform social work field education through multi-partner engagement, from a crisis model to sustainable models. The study shares the outcomes of the TFEL partnerships’s program, including research results from 104 interviews, 31 focus group discussions (n=99) and 9 roundtable sessions (n=218) on promising, wise, and innovative practices. The findings illustrate pathways to more sustainable models of field education that include 1) community-engaged placements, 2) field supervision, 3) partnerships and collaboration, 4) flexibility, 5) using technology, 6) macro-level placements, 7) Indigenous-centered practices, and 8) equity, diversity and inclusion. This partnership (2019-2026) is funded by a SSHRC partnership grant.
Beyond Human Centricity: A Post-Humanist Perspective and the Implications of Artificial Intelligence on Graduate Attributes View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sakinah A. Ismael
This research explores post-humanist perspectives on graduate attributes in the digital age, focusing on the implications of AI in higher education. Post-humanism challenges traditional human-centric views of education, prompting a re-evaluation of what constitutes a ‘successful’ graduate in an era increasingly shaped by technology. The rise of AI necessitates a shift towards more inclusive learning environments that recognize the potential contributions of both human and non-human actors, while also developing uniquely human capacities such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence. This paper examines how AI can enhance traditional graduate attributes, for example, by providing AI-powered language tools to refine writing and communication skills, while also facilitating the development of new attributes specific to the digital age, such as digital literacy and AI collaboration skills. However, it also addresses the potential risks of over-reliance on AI, including the potential wearing down of uniquely human skills such as empathy and complex problem-solving. By integrating post-humanist theories, this study aims to deconstruct established norms within higher education, advocate for critical engagement with technology, and explore how AI can be utilized to augment human intelligence, thus ultimately ensuring higher education remains relevant and impactful preparing graduates to navigate the ethical and societal challenges of rapid technological change while sustaining the magnificent human behaviors of questioning, caring, and creating.
