Projects & Grants

Research Projects
  1. Research Assistant: National Research Foundation (NRF) Project - Title: Translation of the Septuagint LXX. Project Coordinator: Professor D Buchner - University of Durban-Westville, Faculty of Humanities, School of Religion and Culture (2000- 2001).
  2. Research Assistant: National Research Foundation (NRF) Project - Title: Religion & Culture CD Encyclopedia Project. Project Coordinator: Prof. JA Smit - University of Durban-Westville, Faculty of Humanities, School of Religion and Culture (2002).
  3. Research Assistant: National Research Foundation (NRF) Project - Title: Southern African Source Texts. Publication of Setiloane’s Book. Project Coordinator: Professor JA Smit - University of Durban-Westville, Faculty of Humanities, School of Religion and Culture (2003).
  4. Co-Researcher/ Co-Author: Save the Children International (SCI). Project. Greeff, E, and Chetty, D 2018. On the Move Alone (OMA): A Practical Tool for Case Management of Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Southern Africa. Save the Children, South Africa. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/14320/pdf/com_case_management_practitioners_guide.pdf
Grants

Unisa Open Learning - MOOC Project

  1. Project Leader: Unisa Open Learning Project (2015-current)
  2. Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor/ Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL).
  3. Project Description: Lead the institutional development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Education Resources (OERs). Secure and manage the open learning portal to host such developments. Develop institutional quality and assurance processes to evaluate and monitor the implementation of Unisa Open Learning courses. Develop the Unisa Open Learning portal as a space for hosting of open courses in Africa (a consortium of higher education institutions) to challenge the Western hegemony on MOOC/OER development. Lead the institutional development of an OER Strategy linked to the institutional Annual Performance Plan (APP) and compact with Council. Lead the institutional standardization of a common OER license. Develop OER strategies in developing student support resources. Assist academic colleges with the development and deployment of OERs on the Unisa Open Learning portal.
  4. Project Goal: To develop a platform for open education, contributing to Unisa’s social mandate for open and accessible learning, and the realization of Unisa’s Strategic Focus Area 1 – to accelerate the realization of Unisa as Africa’s leading ODeL university.    
  5. Unisa Open Learning Portal: https://mooc.unisa.ac.za

Academic Development Virtual Hub (Department of Higher Education and Training COVID-19 Responsiveness Grant)

  1. Project Leader (2020-2022)
  2. Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL)/ Directorate for Instructional Support and Services (DISS).
  3. Project Description: Develop an open virtual hub that focuses on both student's and staff's academic development to transition to a fully online delivery mode to respond to the COVID-19 impact on higher education institutions in South Africa.
  4. Project Goal: To develop lecturers and students' capacity with skills to teach and learn online and create an open learning platform to host all such related training.

Enhancing Student Support and 4IR Readiness in an Open Distance E-Learning Environment (Department of Higher Education and Training University Capacity Development Grant)

  1. Project Leader (2021-2023)
  2. Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL)
  3. Project Description: To enhance student skills and develop their 4IR competencies to function effectively in a technology-mediated higher education ODeL environment. 
  4. Project Goal: To develop the 4IR skills in students, thereby increasing online participation resulting in greater student throughput and student retention.  

Microsoft Business Investment Fund Award - UNISA African Digital Learner Programme

  1. Project Leader (2023)
  2. University of South Africa
  3. Project Description: Develop the basic skills of Microsoft 365 in UNISA students. 

Digital Humanities (DH) Open Educational Resources Champion Initiative

  1. Development of a Digital Humanities Open Education Resource (OER): Digital Storytelling in an African Digital Humanities (2022-2023)

Student Digital Resilience Project (Department of Higher Education and Training University Capacity Development Grant)

  1. Project Leader (2024-2026)
  2. Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL)
  3. Project Description: To develop digitally resilient students with the potential to navigate both the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR). 
  4. Project Goal: To develop students' 4IR and 5IR skills, thereby increasing online participation and resulting in greater student throughput and retention.  

Advancing African Digital Humanities: Empowering Scholars for the Future (Department of Higher Education and Training University Capacity Development Grant)

  1. Project Leader (2024-2026)
  2. College of Human Sciences (CHS)
  3. Project Description: To develop core competencies in staff and students to advance African Digital Humanities (research, teaching and learning, and knowledge production). 
  4. Project Goal: To catalyze the growth and development of Digital Humanities in Africa by providing comprehensive training, resources, and mentorship to scholars and students, enabling them to leverage digital tools and methodologies in their academic pursuits.

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