Archives

Higher Education Support Programme

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2024–
Project leader

This programme was launched in 2024 to address challenges highlighted in the 2023 National Language Resources Audit report:

Van Dyk, T., Wilken, I., Ravyse, N., Du Plessis, D., Khumalo, L. & Steyn, J. 2023. National Language Resources Audit. Potchefstroom: SADiLaR. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12185/667

Eight key areas for the implementation of the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions were identified by me and five co-authors:

  • Language planning and management
  • Policy monitoring and reporting
  • Multilingual pedagogy training
  • Academic language development
  • Terminology development
  • Collaboration and shared funding
  • English dominance in academia
  • Staff conversational language ability

As project leader, these are my present priorities. Multilingualism remains a key focus. Multilingualism in higher education is not just a matter of policy, but a critical enabler of social and academic inclusion.

Read more about the project on the SADiLaR website: SADiLaR launches Higher Education Support Programme to advance multilingualism in South Africa’s universities.

National Language Resources Audit

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2022–2023
Project leader

In 2021 SADiLaR was tasked with conducting a comprehensive national audit of language resources across South Africa’s public universities, aimed at supporting the successful implementation of the new language policy framework. With a background in applied linguistics, language for specific purposes, and language testing and assessment, I was seconded by NWU to lead the project, drawing on expertise well suited to the role. My experience in language planning and policy implementation supported efforts to understand existing resources, identify gaps, and suggest strategies for development. I also engaged with maturity models to inform the project’s comprehensive approach.

Between July 2022 and July 2023, the audit was successfully carried out at 24 of the country’s 26 public higher education institutions. The findings were compiled in the following report:

Van Dyk, T., Wilken, I., Ravyse, N., Du Plessis, D., Khumalo, L. & Steyn, J. 2023. National Language Resources Audit. Potchefstroom: SADiLaR. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12185/667

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Fair and diagnostic language testing

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2017–current
Project leader

This project, within the SADiLaR ICELDA node, is aimed at providing fair and diagnostic language tests for academic purposes in the South African context. It includes two PhD studies under my supervision and the redesign of current academic literacy tests used for placement purposes. Apart from successful completion of the aforementioned studies, the project will also contribute to test data being available on a national platform for future use by other researchers.  Tests for use at secondary and higher education levels are available in six of the South African official languages, i.e. also contributing towards the advancing multilingualism. 

Learner corpus of academic writing

2017–current
Project leader

This project, within the SADiLaR ICELDA node, is aimed at collecting samples of academic writing of undergraduate students from all fields of study in at least two of the official languages of South Africa. The data will be used to inform the refinement of an online writing tool that can be used to the benefit of students across South Africa, e.g. in writing support courses.  As part of this project a complete tag set of typical errors that students make has been developed.

Multilingual Academic Wordlist

2019-current
Project leader

In many cases students may find it difficult and take longer to understand information that is not written in their home language. The aim of this project within the SADiLaR ICELDA node, is to create and deliver academic wordlists that will serve as a resource to students to assist them to better understand words used within the information they gather to complete their assignments and as a result enhance their academic career. The word lists are based on the Open Educational Resource Term Bank (OERTB), but have been expanded extensively. 

Write it

Date: 2019–current
Role: Project leader

This project is aimed at affording students support with academic writing development in a multimodal fashion. Educational videos (in all official South African languages, as well as sign language), worksheets and exercises on different levels (i.e. scaffolded) are available on seventeen topics associated with academic writing. This product can be used as a so-called stand alone or as part of a blend.

WIRED

Writing, Information literacy, Reading (WIRED)

Date: 2016-current
Role: Project leader

This project is aimed at the development of a complete academic literacy course offered online for open and distance learning (ODL) students, or in a blended fashion for residential students. The project is currently in a pilot phase. The final implementation date is scheduled for February 2021. To learn more about this exciting project, watch the introductory video or download a poster presentation: WIRED poster.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4c9yKmmdVE

Digital Language Resources: SADiLAR

Node for language testing and writing development

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Date: 2016–current
Role: Node manager

The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), as a multi-partner initiative, is the only humanities programme of its kind in South Africa and is a national research infrastructure. SADiLaR consists of a network of linked nodes consisting of a number of South African universities and agencies such as Unisa, the University of Pretoria, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA) and North-West University’s CTexT® unit.

I am currently project leader for three joint SADiLaR | ICELDA projects:

  1. Fair and diagnostic language testing
  2. A multilingual academic wordlist
  3. A multilingual learner corpus of academic writing