This paper discusses aspects of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in South African higher education (HE) and locates it within what it calls Southern theories. Three examples of such theories that the paper advances are Southern decolonial theory, decoloniality, and transversality, which it frames from the Global South standpoint. Concerning the first theory, the paper argues that SoTL, both as a notion and as a practice, needs to be problematized, critiqued, and contextualized according to the Global South HE settings in which it is applied. One of its key points in this regard is that SoTL has to question and critique the dominant epistemic practices and scholarly practices underpinning the curricula of Global South higher education institutions (HEIs), and through which students are framed in these HEIs. With reference to both decoloniality and transversality, the paper foregrounds components of SoTL that are aligned to these two approaches in a way that dismantles their hierarchical relations. Most importantly, it contends that transversality is capable of decentering Western truth claims in favor of polycentric epistemologies, frameworks, and methodologies that resonate with and that have applicability to the Global South.

With the increase in student enrolments in higher education, which has resulted in changes to student profiles, academic development has become important in terms of students' success. This article is a report on a qualitative study that used in-depth interviews to investigate the perceptions of Engineering students and staff to academic development classes at a university of technology (UoT) in South Africa. The students' feelings concerning the need for academic development to continue beyond their first year of study was of particular interest. Participants included five lecturers from the Engineering faculty and four academic development practitioners, who were all purposefully selected. The sample consisted of men and women who were interviewed individually. Interviews were also conducted with ten first-year Engineering students and ten second-year students, who were randomly selected on the grounds of having been involved in the academic development programme during their first year.The responses of the lecturers were compared with those of the academic development practitioners and the first-and second-year students' responses were compared. It emerged that academic development was considered questionable as it did not seem to be structured and that the academic development curriculum, itself, was problematic.

In South Africa and elsewhere, the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 and the lockdown regulations forced both academics and students to adapt to a new reality of fully online modules and assessments. This catapulted relations in higher education into the spotlight. The concern of this paper is how e-tutors in an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) university in South Africa have enacted care in online interaction with the students during this period. Available research focuses on online interaction; however, there is a paucity when it comes to care cultivated by e-tutors on students to increase online interactions during the covid-19 pandemic. Through the lens of Relational Care, this paper seeks to reconceptualise care during e-tutor-student interaction in one of the English modules at a mega South African ODeL university. Data were collected through a survey completed by e-tutors (n = 8) and lecturers (n = 4) of one of the English modules at this university. Through content analysis, patterns and categories emanating from the data were extracted. Findings indicated that e-tutors and lecturers had minimal understanding of how to enact care in this environment during the covid-19 pandemic. Future research should focus on how to manage student online interaction in an OdeL environment during crises.

E-tutors are viewed as major role players in supporting virtual collaborative learning. This is the view espoused by Kopp et al. (2012). Consequently, they are expected to bridge the gap between academics and students in an Open Distance Learning (ODL) environment. However, it has become apparent that the interaction between e-tutors and lecturers is somewhat problematic. This paper discusses the perceptions and expectations that e-tutors and lecturers of a module in the Department of English Studies, Academic Language and Literacy in English (ENG1503) at the University of South Africa (Unisa), an ODL institution, have about their interaction with one another. Data was obtained through responses to a survey completed by e-tutors and lecturers. Content analysis was conducted to find themes and patterns emerging from the e-tutors' and lecturers' comments. Preliminary findings indicate that the interaction between e-tutors and lecturers is concerning. Further research should explore ways of foregrounding the interaction between e-tutors and lecturers for the same module.

This study reports on the possible role of the English Word Power (EWP) program in motivating ICT Foundation students to learn English at a University of Technology in South Africa. Current research indicates that computer-assisted language programs increase motivation and increase enjoyment of learning activities, but no study in South Africa has been conducted on whether this is the case with the EWP program. A qualitative approach was adopted. The sample comprised 44 purposefully selected student observations (n = 44); and five students completed journals. The findings from student observations indicate that they were enthusiastic about the program and that they enjoyed it. The findings from the journals show that students were unsure about certain instructions used in the program and they were too preoccupied with getting the correct answers. It is concluded that ICT Foundation students are positively motivated by the EWP program because, for most of them, learning by means of computers is a new experience in terms of their previous schooling backgrounds. This paves the way for further investigations in developing CALL programs that will have an impact on student learning. Future research should focus on whether similar computer-based programs like EWP do increase student learning.