Teaching
Innovation
for the 21st
Century:
A collection
of UJ teaching
and learning
vignettes
7
WHO PREPARES
About the author: OUR FIRST-YEAR
Abejide STUDENTS FOR
Ade-Ibijola LEARNING?
Introducing ‘Chapter Zero’, a pre-module
Professor Abejide Ade-Ibijola
holds a PhD in Computer mental readiness lecture for students
Science (Artificial Intelligence)
from the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
He is currently an associate Summary
professor of Artificial
For the past four years I have been preparing my students’ minds before the learning
Intelligence and Applications
begins. In these years, I have been fortunate to teach first-year students, and realised that
in the Department of Applied
they are the only ones without any strong opinion of what the university is, or should be;
Information Systems at UJ.
not previous grades/marks, and hence, no failures recorded in their names – they come
Abejide is National Research
in with clean slates. This status quickly changes when they start their academic careers
Foundation rated and mainly
on the ‘wrong footing’ due to mindsets such as: ‘University is a place to be free’, ‘Being in
interested in problems
varsity is, in itself, success’, ‘I now answer to no one’, ‘Lecturers are my waiters, and I am the
and algorithms in Artificial
customer’, ‘I only need to study when exams are close’, ‘When I graduate, I will get a job,
Intelligence, and innovations
regardless’ and so forth. I have always considered these mindsets harmful to learning; hence
for driving the 4IR. He is a two-
my pre-module, 45-minute lecture on mental readiness. Aimed at my first-year students, it
time Winner of the UJ Vice-
hopes to address these issues and get them ready for the challenges ahead. I named this
Chancellor’s Distinguished
lecture ‘Chapter Zero’ and first delivered it in February 2017. Since then, I have improved it
Awards – for the Innovation of
significantly. Student testimonies have been greatly positive about ‘Chapter Zero’, with most
the Year in 2019 and Teacher
of them saying it helped them to stay focused on their studies from the start. The rest of this
Excellence 2020. More at:
document spells out the teaching philosophy that motivated this intervention, as well as its
[Link]
details and structure/content.
8 Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Edition 2021
Background and problem Towards ‘Chapter Zero’: Strategies for establishing my
addressed Introduction and teaching teaching philosophy
philosophy
1
The first-year experience at UJ (often Students’ mental readiness
referred to as FYE) is targeted to assist ‘Chapter Zero’, my first lecture, always
In this section, I present the teaching
freshers in getting started at the university prepares the mind of my students. It has
philosophy that gave birth to ‘Chapter Zero’.
(FYE 2020). This programme covers nothing to do with the content of the module,
My teaching philosophy can be summed up in
the introduction of freshers to venues and everything to do with getting the student
the following six statements.
and different departments on campus, mentally ready for what is ahead. Topics that I discuss in this
accompanied with a brief generic lecture on 1 chapter include:
Students’ mental readiness: Learning
safety, time management and punctuality
is not possible when the mind is not • Module awards and previously broken module records:
to lectures. This is run by the Academic
prepared or ready. This stimulates the interest of students towards achieving
Development Centre. While this lecture has
2 the same, and possibly breaking previous records. This My first lecture is always
been effective, the FYE activities does not Society’s role in education: If I
technique, in theory, is known as gamification. to prepare the mind of my
include contents that addresses the mindset understand a student’s background, I can
of freshers. Freshers are often found • How to succeed: A compilation of my career experiences students with what I have
understand the student’s drive or lack
believing that varsity is an achievement, and insights about topics such as: how good character designed, and I call: the
thereof.
and it is a time to celebrate, drink, make helps, prioritisation of tasks as a student, discipline,
3 Tabula rasa: No one is dumb or smart;
‘Chapter Zero’.
merry and be free. While a level of social hunger and desire, respect, and health and wellness –
indulgence is often nonproblematic, many everything from the first principle can be how to seek help when in poor mental or physical shape.
get carried away and only study when it is taught or learnt. When teaching first- I also bring along the top students with distinctions from
a week or a few days to assessments – at years, I believe in tabula rasa, a philosophy the previous year to the first lecture, so that the freshers
this time, it is too late. This article presents that holds that every newborn is a clean can chat with them about their experience, and how
an intervention that serves as a ‘wake-up’ slate. The experience and perception exciting computer programming is.
call for freshers that university is, in fact, thereafter defines the character and
2
Society’s role in education
the most important part of their lives. I action of a person.
In an attempt to understand where my
developed a lecture called ‘Chapter Zero’ 4 Beyond teaching: To reach some students students come from, I have studied South
that is based on my teaching philosophy with special needs, I have to be more than African society for about seven years, and
and is administered to the freshers in the a lecturer; I have to be their ‘family’. read research articles about its dynamics. The
first lecture, before module contents are 5 majority of the students that end up in my classes are from
delivered. ‘Chapter Zero’ gets the students Instilling confidence: I need to create
poor backgrounds with absent fathers, which means male
fired up. an environment where a student (mostly
role models are absent from their lives. The literature has
the local students from townships and
The next section builds up to ‘Chapter Zero’ listed ‘lack of discipline’ and ‘lack of direction’ as two of the
rural areas) can say: ‘I do not understand’,
from my teaching philosophy. major drawbacks of this society (Madhavan, Townsend &
without fear or feeling inferior.
Garey 2008; Padi, Nduna, Khunou & Kholopane 2014). The
6 Military mindset: Getting a good need for this father figure or mentor has been emphasised
education is a ‘grind’, and a student has to (Clowes, Ratele & Shefer 2013). This is a role that I have
want the knowledge and be ready to work chosen to play as a lecturer. It also involves instilling
very hard. My job is to show them why discipline in first-year students – this happens as part of
they should want it, and their role in ‘Chapter Zero’ Discipline in this sense involves telling them
creating innovative technological when they are doing the wrong things. This sometimes
solutions for the world after my come across as being strict – but it works for me. They
module – as this is the subject are well drilled in my lectures and prepared to learn.
of the contents of my modules
at UJ.
9 Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Edition 2021
3
their communities with a combination of
Tabula rasa
computer programming skills, a regimental
Conclusion
As part of ‘Chapter Zero’, I always mention that you
have a clean slate at the entry level – meaning you mindset and good character. This makes me This article has presented an intervention that
have not failed any modules yet. I also encourage proud. informs first-year students of the severity of
my students that this can be the case till they issues around getting a qualification at the
Some notable proprietary quotes from
graduate, depending on the effort they put in on daily basis. university – and the implications of not getting
‘Chapter Zero’:
I show them some of my previous students from very poor it right. In the last four years, students who
backgrounds, who never operated computers before coming to attended the ‘Chapter Zero’ lecture seem more
• To do everything in the world, there is organised, coordinated and purposeful than their
UJ but became the best in the module in previous years. This
no time, but to do the most important counterparts, who took longer to settle into the
also neutralises their thoughts about not being good enough to
things in the world, there is too much module.
succeed.
time!
4
Beyond teaching
To reach some students with special needs (for
• Yes, you are young, but you don’t
References
have to be stupid. These are different
As part of the Chapter
example, potentially depressed students), I have to things! Stupidity is ageless! Clowes, L., Ratele, K., and Shefer, T. 2013. ‘Who Needs a
Zero, I always mention be more than a lecturer; I have to be their ‘family’. • ‘Bleeding’ is everything. No pain, no Father? South African Men Reflect On Being Fathered,
to my students that they I have taken up this responsibility by encouraging gain. Journal of Gender Studies 22 (3): 255–267.
have a clean slate at the them to talk to me if they are going through tough situations. • Hard work is the only thing that is real. FYE. 2020. UJ First Year Experience Booklet for the
• If you are smart, or dumb, how can College of Business and Economics. Online: https://
entry level – meaning
5
Instilling confidence [Link]/faculties/Documents/FYS/8%20
you know if you don’t even try?
they have not failed any In my weekly laboratory sessions, I reach out to UJ_FYS2020_CBE(APB_BCom_Inf ormationSystems)_
• Nothing is given, it has to be earned.
modules yet. every student on their machines and give them Programme_ONLINE.pdf
that one-to-one experience. When I look at their Madhavan, S., Townsend, N.W. and Garey, A.I. 2008.
A sketch of the contents of ‘Chapter Zero’ is
screen and see that there is a problem with ‘Absent Breadwinners: Father-child Connections and
presented next.
understanding, I engage with them to give them confidence. Paternal Support in Rural South Africa’. Journal of
Mostly, they confess that they are struggling in such moments,
and ask for help. I then encourage them to speak up in such ‘Chapter Zero’: A sketch Southern African Studies 34 (3): 647–663.
Padi, T., Nduna, M., Khunou, G. and Kholopane, P. 2014.
situations. I also alert my tutors to look out for such students – Here I present a content and structural ‘Defining Absent, Unknown and Undisclosed Fathers
the ones who keep quiet, even when they are struggling. sketch of ‘Chapter Zero’. This lecture contains in South Africa’. South African Review of Sociology
sections on: character (politeness, decency, 45 (2): 44–59.
6
Military mindset
I often use the analogy of the military for my benefits from being decent and so forth);
first-year students. They all agree with me that Tabula rasa (reminding students that their
soldiers succeed (or have the chance of succeeding) slates are clean and they have not failed the
because of drills, like being at the right place module – yet); race analogy (life is a marathon,
at the right time. As easy as this sounds, I believe (from my but university is a three- or four-year race) and
personal experience) that it is a necessary condition for success, the time traveller analogy; the priority game;
although not sufficient at times. When students leave classwork discipline, respect, hunger and desire, mental
and studying to until just before the test or examination dates health, wellness, exercising/fitness, music,
(especially in modules such as mine – computer programming asking for help, incorrect societal constructs,
– that require many hours of practice), the result is always owning nothing except time, and Intelligence
disastrous. So, I tell them to pretend that they are in the military: re-defined.
they should wake up at a set time each day, study daily like
military training, and stay in mental/knowledge shape. I have
‘woven’ this into the fabric of their routines with drills like weekly
laboratories that are graded throughout the semester. It is safe
to say my students are ‘soldiers’ – mentally and routine wise. I
believe each one of my students will graduate and go back to