RSE4801/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024

Research in Education
RSE4801

Year Module

Department of Educational Foundations

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, HED4804-24-Y, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS

Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Outcomes and assessment criteria ............................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 6
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 7
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 7
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 7
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 7
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 8
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 8
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 8
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves).................................................................................................. 8
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 9
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................ 9
7. STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 10
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE .......................................................................................................... 10
8.1 What does it mean to study fully online? ..................................................................................... 10
9. ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 10
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 10
9.2 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 10
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 11
9.4 Submission of assessments ........................................................................................................ 11
9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions ........................................................................................ 12
9.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 13
9.6 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 13
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 13
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 13
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 13
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ..................................................... 13
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 13

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12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 14

13. SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 14
14. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 14
15. ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 14

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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student

Welcome to Research in Education.

This module is presented fully online on myUnisa.
Go to the welcome page on the module site, where you will be directed to the rest of the
information regarding the module, such as:

• assignments

• due dates and submission processes

• resources

You are required to visit the module site frequently to remain fully informed. Use the table of
contents on the welcome page to navigate the module. The Announcements tool must be
consulted regularly to keep up to date with all the requirements. Please activate and monitor
your myLife e-mail account, since it is used to communicate important messages.

We wish you every success with your studies.

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.
The comprehensiveness of our curricula encapsulates a range of offerings, from strictly
vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its
distance eLearning character result in many students registering at Unisa who may not have
had an opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our CODeL character implies that our
programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students ranging
from the under-prepared but with potential to the sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery ranging from
blended learning to fully online. As a default position, all post graduate programmes are
offered fully online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate programmes are
offered in a blended mode of delivery where printed study materials are augmented with
online teaching and learning via the learner management system – myUnisa. In some
instances, undergraduate programmes are offered fully online as well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
University. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, Unisa's graduates have distinctive
graduate qualities which include:

• independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities

• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts

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• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews

• how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and creatively

to solve real-life problems

• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential

This is a fully online module (all information is available via the internet) where we use
myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used to administer, document
and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look out for
information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how to access
the virtual myUnisa module site. Information on the tools that will be available to engage with
the lecturer and fellow students to support your learning will also be communicated via
various platforms.

You are encouraged to log into the module site (RSE4801) on myUnisa regularly (that is, at
least twice per week).

We wish you every success with your studies!

2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose
This module initiates students into educational research by developing a critical understanding
of theories and practices of research within an African context. Students are enabled to
conceptualise a research project that would address current contextual issues in education.
They are sensitised to the context of research and introduced to research paradigms and
methods. It is emphasised that the generation of knowledge through research is an important
element in the decolonisation of education. Students are enabled to start their own journey as
researchers by conducting valuable, sound and ethical research. The module contributes to
students’ professionality as educators and to their role as researchers in education.

2.2 Outcomes and assessment criteria

Outcomes Assessment criteria

Understand the different elements of the Describe the contribution of paradigms,

research processes in education. theories, concepts, methodologies, research
types, methods, criteria and ethics in a
research project in education.

Engage critically and constructively with Explain the demands of decolonisation,

paradigms, theories and methodologies of Africanisation and indigenisation in educational
research in relation to a research topic. research.
Evaluate the value and contribution of relevant
paradigms and theories.

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3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a
result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented
by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.
This module fully utilises the CODEL teaching and learning model.
The CODEL model differs from the traditional distance learning model in the following ways:

• The exploration and utilisation of technologies that overcome physical distances and
that create new spaces for teaching and learning
• Opportunities for synchronous and asynchronous interactions
• Opportunities for online collaborative learning
• Regular interaction between lecturers and students
• A dynamic learning environment, which entails the shift from the use of static
documents (such as the tutorial letters) to live online links to updated information

The CODEL model demands the following from lecturers:

• The careful planning of the online teaching and learning space and processes
• Clear and regular communication
• Articulation of expectations and assessment criteria to promote self-directed learning
• Up-to-date information about due dates and assignment submission processes
• Ongoing support and feedback

It demands from students:

• Self-directedness: This entails demands such as the ability to take responsibility for you
own learning, to organise your learning schedule, to monitor your own progress, to set
learning outcomes and to evaluate yourself against the module outcomes and
assessment criteria.
• Regular interaction with the module site to keep up to date with new information.
• Continuous monitoring of the myLife e-mail account

Studying in this context may differ from studying at a residential university or even from some of
your other modules at Unisa. It has the following features:

• All your study material and learning activities are only available online.

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• All your assignments must only be submitted online. We do not accept assignments by
e-mail or by post.
• All communication between you and the university happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you via the Announcements and Forum tools and e-mail. You can
also use the forums to ask questions.
• We may also arrange synchronous (live) online discussion sessions.
• Communication of a more personal nature can be addressed to the lecturer by e-mail.

We hope that by giving you extra ways to study the material and practise all the activities, you
will succeed in the online module.

4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

The primary lecturer for this module is:

Prof DJvR Postma

Department:Educational Foundations
Telephone: 012-4294065
E-mail: [email protected]

4.2 Department

This module is managed within the Department of Educational Foundations, College of

Education.
Address: PO Box 392, UNISA, 0003
Secretary
Mrs D Tjikana
[email protected]
RS Radipere Building 6-82
012 429 6009

Chair of Department
Prof N Madikizela-Madiya
[email protected]
RS Radipere Building 6-80
4.3 University

Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

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Please include the student number in all correspondence

5 RESOURCES
All the resources are online and available on the module site.
The required library links are on the module site.

5.1 Prescribed book(s)

There is no prescribed book.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

See the module site under additional resources.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

See the module site.

E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage
Find e-reserves. More information is available at: http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has created
numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za
Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature
Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support.
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training
• Lending Services https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-special-
needs
• Library Technology Support -https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools -http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases – https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php
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Important contact information:

• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-
[email protected]
• General library-related queries: [email protected]
• Queries related to library fines and payments: [email protected]
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: [email protected]
• Literature Search Service: [email protected]
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessment
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: [email protected]

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is also true in
the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-
learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega university,
and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully online learning. It is for this
reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional/extended support to help them
seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty and few barriers. We
therefore offer a specialised student support programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time –

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this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful
information about services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following
FYE services are currently offered:

FYE Website Email Support

www.unisa.ac.za/FYE [email protected]

FYE1500
Post
myUnisa; Study
Registration
Referrals to Skills; Academic &
Orientation Digital Literacies;
other support
services i.e. etc
Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication
from the SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.

7. STUDY PLAN
See the module site.

8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE

8.1 What does it mean to study fully online?

See section 3 above.

9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

See the module site.

9.2 Assessment plan

See the module site.

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9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place
online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2024 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are
registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others written assessments, some
forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed on the assessment
shells available on the respective module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.
When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access the
quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been created.

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 • It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone find
it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle
to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cell
phones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all
possible, please do not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double
check that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be
allocated for incorrectly submitted assessments.

9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions

All assignments are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory, or elective.

• Elective assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
- The best of the required submissions will count.
• Mandatory assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
• Compulsory assignments
- If not submitted, the result on the student’s academic record will be absent.
• Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional
assignment so that it may benefit your learning.

I. Elective assignments
a. the student is given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to
submit, only the best result(-s), the number of which is specified in advance, will
contribute towards the year mark.
b. elective assignments must also be grouped into an elective group.
c. for the student to select which assignment to submit, the elective assignments must
be grouped together. For such an elective group, relevant information must be
provided to the student, such as how many of the assignments must be submitted
and how many of the assignment marks should be combined into the year mark.
d. The selection criteria define how marks received for assignments in an elective group
are to be combined into the year mark. Three different criteria may be used for
calculating the year mark:
• The best mark should be used, or
• If the student submits fewer than the required number of assignments per group or
no assignment in a group, a mark of 0% will be used.
• 0% is awarded to all non-submitted or unmarked assessments. A best mark is
then calculated from all items.

II. Mandatory assignments

a. contribute to the year mark.

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b. If a student fails to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded and the year
mark is calculated accordingly. The student will therefore forfeit the marks attached to
this assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.
III. Compulsory Assessment
a. when not submitted, the student will fail a Continuous Assessment module but will be
shown as absent from the examination in the case of other modules.

IV. Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional assignment so

that it may benefit your learning.

9.5 The assessments

All the assessment tasks are available on the module site.

9.6 The examination

There is no examination in this module.

10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.

10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).

10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.

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If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact (name and e-mail address of the lecturer must be
inserted) to discuss the assistance that you need.

12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

See the module site.

13. SOURCES CONSULTED

See the module site.

14. IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.
We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material, and trust that
you will complete the module successfully.
Enjoy the journey!
Module lecturers

15. ADDENDUM
Glossaries are available on the module site.

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The following declaration must accompany written assignments. Your assignment will be cancelled
and returned unmarked if you do not include a fully completed and signed declaration form.

I (full names):
Student number: _____________________________

Declare that…
1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s policy in this regard.
2. I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I used someone else’s work,
whether a printed source, the internet or any other source, I give the proper acknowledgement,
and include a complete reference list.
3. I did not use another current or previous student’s work, submitting it as my own.
4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of submitting it
as his or her own work.

Signature _________________________________

©
Unisa 2024

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