Bayview Beach Resort, Batu Ferringhi Beach, Penang, Malaysia

27-30 September 1999

The Multiliteracies Approach in a Transforming Educational Environment: A Case Study in Curriculum Re-Design at a South African Tertiary Institution

Tracey McCormick

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Abstract

I shall present a case study in educational transformation at the Witwtersrand Technikon in Johannesburg, South Africa. This institution offers a range of vocational diplomas. Since 1994 it has undergone extensive transformation to reflect the broader demographic reality of S Africa. All students are required to complete a Communications skills course. The curriculum for this course was redesigned in 1997 to try and reflect the interests of the changing student body, workplace and broader S African society. In April of this year, ideas from the paper 'A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures' became the focal point for another attempt at redesigning the curriculum. The object of this paper is to present a case study of this attempt. The paper hopes to show how the multiliteracies approach has been useful in the process of transforming the available design of our course. In addition, the paper also aims to present a particular challenge to the International Multiliteracies Project, in relation to problems of access and change.

45 min Paper