4.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.2.7. Theme 7: Teaching environment
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On the other hand, only P2 responded on how she encourages her students to assess each other’s work. This suggests that lecturers hardly used verbal strategies to decolonise the curriculum.
The English Major 420 course outline (2018) indicated that the module uses formative and summative assessment, but it was silent on the use of peer assessment.
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where lecturers can teach. In addition, studies indicated that the teaching and learning environment can be face-to-face interaction, e-learning or blended learning. Furthermore, face- to-face interaction was referred to as the traditional way of teaching and learning, where lecturers and students meet physically to exchange knowledge from one another (Maharajh et al., 2013; Priestley et al., 2012). Face-to-face interaction requires lecturers to use written strategies to decolonise the curriculum because this institution stipulated in its policies that it is mandatory for students to attend lectures in specified lecture halls (Maharajh et al., 2013;
UKZN, 2017b).
On the other hand, online teaching is teaching and learning that takes place on the internet for distant teaching and learning. For instance, this can be English lecturers’ use of Moodle platform, emails and WhatsApp to communicate knowledge to students. Online teaching causes English lecturers to use habitual strategies because choosing to teach online may be an individual lecturer’s choice because of the distance caused by personal or professional issues, or with the aim to reach as many students as possible through the internet (Adebisi & Oyeleke, 2018; Ison, 2014; Vikash, 2014a).
Blended learning was referred to as the combination of e-learning with traditional teaching (face-to-face interaction). Blended learning causes English lecturers to use verbal strategies to decolonise the curriculum because since it’s a combination of physical interaction and e- learning, it can favour students from anywhere (Aşıkcan et al., 2018; Tsutsui & Takada, 2018;
Yuen, 2010). However, studies affirmed that face-to-face interaction is still the most popular environment in which to teach (Almasi & Zhu, 2018; Maharajh et al., 2013; Priestley et al., 2012), especially in South African universities, even though blended learning is being adopted for change and improvement.
All the participants (P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5) agreed that they still use and rely on face-to-face interaction very much at the moment. Consequently they indicated that in their institution face- to-face interaction is mostly used; further to this some lecturers also indicated that they only teach in the face-to-face interaction environment. On the other hand, two participants (P3 and P5) reported that they believe they are kind of exposed to blended learning since they use Moodle to post some information to be accessed by students. Therefore, by using Moodle in combination with face-to-face interaction, they believed that they were using blended learning.
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Contrary to this, no participant responded on the use of e-learning. P1 outlined that he does not even know what that is, because he strongly believes in the traditional teaching method (face- to-face interaction). Therefore the findings indicate that participants believe in and mostly depend on face-to-face interaction with the students to facilitate their teaching, which is very much supported by the university they are working for, as it is stipulated in the university policy that students are required to attend lectures and have physical contact with their lecturers (UKZN, 2017b). However, the university has produced a policy on using Moodle which requires all lecturers to use this learning site, since the institution is no longer issuing course packs. This suggests that the university expects English lecturers to adopt online learning for a change, since the institution has gone paperless by not offering module course packs. However, it seems that English lecturers are still trying to adapt to change regarding online teaching and learning.
The above discussion suggests that English lecturers used written strategies to decolonise the curriculum, because while they are present in lecture venues with the students, this is what is actually indicated by the institution. For instance, an English lecturer may use body language and facial expression to emphasise what happens in a novel for students to relate more easily to the themes of the novel. Furthermore, findings also indicated that lecturers used blended learning, since they have recently been introduced to Moodle which allows them to scan and upload pictures, texts, and slides and so on to the platform. This suggests that they use verbal strategies because this type of teaching is open to all kinds of students; those who are technologically advanced (Moodle) and those who believe in face-to-face instruction (physical lectures). On the other hand, findings indicated that English lecturers were not clear what online learning is and what it entails, which led them to give responses that are not specific. For instance, all lecturers use emails to communicate information to students, and since the institution has gone paperless they are compelled to upload information onto the Moodle platform, and some lecturers create WhatsApp groups with their students to pass on important information. This therefore indicates that English lecturers used habitual strategies, for example the individual lecturer who decides how to easily communicate information to students through WhatsApp or other means.
The English Major 420 course outline (2018) revealed that students are mandated to attend at least 75% of lectures to get permission to write the end of semester examination; however, the document was silent regarding blended learning and e-learning.
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