Short Courses

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Community Engagement Short Courses

The Community Engagement division offers a number of short courses through its various programmes. More information about the short courses can be found under the relevant programme page on this website. All courses are accredited at an NQF-5 level through Rhodes University. Find out more about the short course accreditation process from the university's Insitutional Planning Unit, here.

Engaged Research and Teaching and Learning

Engaged Research

Community-Based Service Learning

Digital Storytelling for Academics

Community Engagement Orientation (first-year course)

Social Innovation

Digital Storytelling for Social Innovation

Digital Storytelling Train the Trainer

Engaged Citizenry

BuddingQ: Literacy and Social Justice

BuddingQ: Literacy Leadership and Advocacy

The Literacy Collective: Community Engagement Reading Club Orientation

High School Tutoring

Siyakana eMakana

Residence Community Engagement

Computer Skills Training: Trainers the trainer

Computer Skills Training for Beginners

Community Engagement Mentor Orientation

Engaged Research and Teaching and Learning

Engaged Research

The Engaged Research short course intends to provide valuable information to academics, researchers and students who wish to engage in research responsive to societal challenges. Engaged Research includes the various methods by which researchers can cooperate and collaborate with various stakeholders in the research process, to investigate a community identified need, challenge, or issue.

In this accredited short course, researchers are given the theoretical and practical tools to design an engaged research and community-based participatory research project, including the various methods and principles of engagement with partners for a successful engaged research project.

Live online discussion sessions
Interactive online platform

The course aims to:

Give participants a clear overview and understanding of engaged research and specifically community based participatory research
Introduce participants to the theoretical and conceptual roots; methodology and approaches to community based participatory research
Enable participants to design an engaged research project

Community-Based Service Learning

Incorporating a community-based service component in a given course can be daunting. Creating a space where both learning and service take place in mutually beneficial and transformative ways poses a unique set of challenges for teaching and learning.

In this accredited short course, lecturers are given the theoretical and practical tools to design, reimagine and refine a community-based service-learning course.

Live online discussion sessions
Interactive online platform

Digital Storytelling for Academics

Innovative participatory digital and visual methods can offer rich insight into the authentic experiences of research participants. The Digital Storytelling for Academics course trains participants to adapt the digital storytelling method to be used in teaching and learning, and in engaged research.

Community Engagement Orientation (first-year course)

The purpose of this short course is to orientate students to the concept and context of community engagement; to understand their agency as interdependent human beings and active, caring citizens and how Rhodes University Community Engagement contributes to the development of the Makhanda community. Students are introduced to the values and principles that guide the practice of community

Outcomes

The Community Engagement Orientation (CEO) course is a compulsory introductory course for first years on engaged citizenship & social responsibility at Rhodes University. RUCE Staff and Student leaders will facilitate 5 punchy and relevant sessions focussed on issues of social inequality & privilege, the role of students in change-making and community engagement in their education as well as delve into the specifics of the approach Rhodes University takes on community engagement.

At the completion of this course, students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the developmental purpose of higher education
Express a balanced understanding of inequality and privilege and demonstrate their civil responsibility
Show knowledge of Rhodes’ strategic approach, principles and values to community engagement.

Social Innovation

Digital Storytelling for Social Innovation

Digital Storytelling Train the Trainer

Engaged Citizenry

BuddingQ: Literacy and Social Justice

As a response to the literacy crisis in Makhanda the course convenor developed BuddingQ; a literacy development programme that is offered to Rhodes University students as a volunteer opportunity. The programme focusses on Grade R motor development with the aim of preparing children for formal literacy instruction later in their schooling. Currently over 300 student volunteers are involved in 11 (out of 19) schools in the city. Due to the inaccessibility of volunteer sites as a result of lockdown restrictions, this course was developed, drawing on elements of BuddingQ and literacy development and leadership theories. The course was designed to help students and community partners better place and understand the purpose of BuddingQ. Broadly the course seeks to establish literacy development as a right of all children and through looking at our national and city-wide crisis help participants understand that our children are being denied this right (i.e. it is a social justice matter). Using this premise as a springboard, the course concludes to look at leadership as a channel for social change, starting at grassroots levels (youth/students and teachers). The inclusion of teachers in the learning process has always been a critical element of the programme. During 2020 the course was piloted with student volunteers and community partners/teachers when in-person volunteering was halted due to the pandemic. It’s important to note that teachers offer insight and real experiences to our students and often challenge them in their volunteerism. This was particularly evident in the online course where students were giving feedback on teachers’ work and vice versa. This pilot was highly successful, and the practical component of the course will only serve to elevate the quality and learning of those involved.

On completion of this course students should be able to demonstrate:

an ability to understand the South African literacy landscape from a rights-based perspective.
an ability to understand and differentiate the stages of literacy acquisition of young children and their role helping a child develop.

an ability to understand and communicate the link between motor development and literacy acquisition within the context of their volunteer experience.
an ability to understand leadership as a solution for change in the South African literacy landscape and derive a purpose-driven commitment thereof.

BuddingQ: Literacy leadership and advocacy

This course follows on from the BuddingQ: Literacy and social justice course to deepen returning volunteers understanding and commitment to their role as social change agents.

On completion of this course students should be able to:

identify and critique literacy injustice in South Africa.
convey a sound understanding of how people become literate that is embedded in available, credible science.
demonstrate a holistic understanding of leadership and the qualities of a literacy leader.
to practically demonstrate their commitment to change-making and advocacy.

Community Engagement Reading Club Orientation

There is a strong need to develop a reading culture amongst the youth of the country. The overall benefits of reading are undisputed whether it be in terms of teaching and learning or in general life skills and orientation or general well-being. Increasingly, student volunteers at Rhodes University are becoming involved in reading club community engagement programmes without possessing the necessary skills and training for such participation.

This short course is designed and aimed at training student volunteers to be effective participants in a reading club by introducing them to some general scholarship about reading clubs in and to context-specific anecdotal knowledge about reading clubs in primary and secondary schools in the Makana District. The knowledge and skills gained are applicable to any context/location.

The course will also equip student volunteers with relevant pedagogical and administrative skills.

The course is built on two sets of assumptions, the first pertaining to the student volunteers.

Student Volunteers:

Usually have little or no experience of reading clubs

Lack basic knowledge of how primary and secondary school learners relate to a text

Do not know what pedagogical strategies work best to inculcate a love for/appreciation of reading

Are uncertain how to relate to the different stakeholders including school teachers (community partners)

Are not prepared for the logistical, practical challenges involved in participating in a reading club

The second set of assumptions concerns the target school learners.

Learners:

Are in need of improving their reading skills in order to enhance their learning experience at school

Require the confidence which accompanies fluent reading in any language, but specifically in English

Benefit greatly in terms of life skills from being part of such a group activity

Gain emotional/pastoral support (mentors/inspiration) from the student volunteers

Become more effective communicators as a result of being a reading club member

Based on these assumptions, the course has the following outcomes and assessment standards:

Candidates will demonstrate:

A working knowledge of general theories and scholarship about reading and reading clubs, in particular the appreciation of the value of reading for the general processes of cognition.

The ability to translate this theoretical knowledge into practice by:

creating and maintaining a reading club ‘team’ (communication with stakeholders)

by selecting appropriate reading material (needs to appropriate to level of learners and to the task planned)

by managing group dynamics (the psycho-social dynamics of the group)

by sustaining interest and commitment

by being organized and planning long-term, formative reading activities

by designing effective reading activities

by being able to evaluate and reflect on specific activities and the function of the club in general

In particular, session plans need to show an understanding of:

goals and outcomes in a specific reading activity

structuring a reading activity around the text selected, the time available, and the capacity of the learners

participatory learning activities

The key importance of feedback

The ability to gauge learner’s reading capacity and to plan a series of reading activities which will increase capacity

The ability to develop meaningful secondary activities such as dramtisation, role-play, writing exercises and comprehension exercises

The confidence to lead a reading club session evidenced in physical, emotional and psychological engagement of learners’ attention

Reading club management skills evidenced in the ability to negotiate space, activities, people and logistics

Evaluative and reflective skills

Community Engagement Mentor Orientation

GADRA Education has run mentoring programmes in Grahamstown secondary schools for some time. These have worked with five schools, focusing on the top Grade 12 learners in each. Mentoring has focused on personal planning, study skills and the use of English in learners’ homes. This necessitated the involvement of parents. The programme has achieved considerable success, particularly at Mary Waters and Ntsika.

Rhodes University’s ‘Public Schooling Revitalisation Initiative’, driven by the Vice Chancellor, prioritises the concept of “Schools of Excellence” and “Communities of Practice”. ‘9/10s’ is a structured large-scale mentoring intervention that has been planned in these contexts. The 9/10 project is built on the conviction that 9/10ths of success is the result of encouragement and the building of self-esteem through contact with others. The intention is that the top performing Grade 12 learners at Ntsika, Mary Waters, Khutliso Daniels and Nombulelo will be mentored by a Rhodes University student volunteer. These four schools are earmarked by Rhodes University as emergent schools. The detail of the mentoring methodology has been derived from the proven GADRA approach.

The course is built on two sets of assumptions, the first pertaining to the volunteer students (henceforth mentors):

Mentors:

Are unlikely to be familiar with the rational and history of the 9/10 Project and indeed of education/schooling generally. This would be essential if their buy-in and ownership is to be secured.

They usually have little or no mentoring experience. (They do however have generic volunteering experience; this is the basis of their selection into the programme.)

Hence they lack basic knowledge and experience of:

How to motivate young learners;

How to scaffold the development of a personal plan; and

How to inculcate sound study skills

Whilst it is likely that most mentors will be capable of writing reasonably good summaries, it cannot be assumed that they use summarizing as a study technique.

The second set of assumptions concerns the target school learners (henceforth the ‘learners’).

Learners:

Are likely to be in need of a various kinds of support, including:

How to assess personal and academic support systems

How to design and develop a realistic personal plan

How to monitor personal development and growth towards planned targets

How to study – and what to study, in terms of prioritizing

How to write and use effective summaries of large chunks of content to aid learning

Building on these assumptions, the course has the following outcomes and assessment standards:

Candidates demonstrate the skill and ability:

To explain the need and rationale for the 9/10 Programme

To explain the design and contents of the 9/10 mentoring programme

To develop learners’ analysis of their academic strengths and weaknesses

To assist learners to assess their physical and social environments in terms of support for their studies

To assist learners in designing a realistic personal plan

To keep trach of their academic performance

To empathize with their mentees and understand how their respective situations affect their ability to study

To teach learners study skills and strategies

To teach and assess learners’ summarizing skills and their ability to use this as a study aid

To guide learners in their applications to tertiary institutions and career projection