# Faculty Project Name & Description Amount Awarded 21 Science Deployment of the FCI as a predictive tool towards an efficient and comprehensive pedagogical approach in physics This project proposes the use of FCI test as a way to gauge students’ conceptual understanding of mechanics at the beginning of their university journey, in order to tailor the pedagogical approach towards the needs of the various student cohorts. The importance of having such a powerful predictive tool cannot be stressed enough, especially to be used in the first semester of the first year, during which students build their deeper grasp of the fundamentals of physics (that will be the foundation of their success in the years to come). Using the FCI as a predictive tool, rather than just an analytic tool, is what makes this project innovative with respect to the relevant literature and practice in physics education and will contribute towards building a well-thought-out pedagogy and making possible for students to achieve deeper learning. This will in turn improve both the quality and the relevance of what we teach to first yearstudents at departmental level and will contribute towards changing students’ perception of physics as an intimidating subject. Looking into the effect of mother tongue and mathematics education into students’ understanding of physics, proposing that an increased peer scaffolding and peer learning could be beneficial. with this project will continue doing the important research, that will deepen the understanding of dominant misconceptions and how these are related to student background and gender, to make all this relevant in the UJ and the broad South African context. R20 000,00 Project leaders for funded projects submitted progress reports submitted in September 2023. Most projects were we well underway in terms of implementing the activities outlined in the proposals, and clear plans had been outlined for the remainder of the academic year. The little contribution provided assisted in kickstarting the crucial activities while project leaders source additional funding to implement bigger parts of the projects. As evident from the reports below, most TIF-funded projects strive to implement student-centred innovative practices. These projects have demonstrated substantial value in transforming and improving teaching and learning to benefit students and strengthen community engagement projects that benefit both students and neighbouring communities in the long run. As the TIF continues to evolve, it has been observed that collaboration among departments and faculties has strengthened to a certain extent, and this has led to solid interdisciplinary partnerships that produce research output for the University. 2023 ANNUAL REPORT DIVISION FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE 52
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