Tutorial Letter 101/3/2022: Being A Professional Teacher
Tutorial Letter 101/3/2022: Being A Professional Teacher
Tutorial Letter 101/3/2022: Being A Professional Teacher
Semester 1 and 2
Department of Curriculum and Instructional
Studies
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, BPT1501- 2022-S1/S2, as well as your group website.
Using myUnisa or e-mail on myUnisa is paid for. It does not cost you
anything.
Do not wait to receive printed study material by post.
Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Getting started .............................................................................................................................. 3
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 6
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 6
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 6
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 6
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 7
5.1 Joining myUnisa ........................................................................................................................... 7
5.2 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 7
5.3 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 7
5.4 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 8
5.5 Library services and resources ..................................................................................................... 8
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 9
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme @ Unisa ................................................................................... 9
7. HOW TO STUDY ONLINE .......................................................................................................... 10
7.1 What does it mean to study fully online? ..................................................................................... 10
7.2 myUnisa tools ............................................................................................................................. 11
8. ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 16
8.1 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 16
8.2 Due dates for submission of assignments: Semester 1 ............................................................... 17
9. PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................................. 19
10. CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 22
2
BPT1501/101/3/2022
1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Welcome to BPT1501. We hope that you will find it interesting and rewarding. We will do our
best to make your study of this module successful. You will be well on your way to success if
you start studying early in the year and resolve to do the assignments to the best of your ability.
Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete the
learning activities for this module. Visit the website for BPT1501 on myUnisa frequently. The
website for your module is BPT1501-2022-S1/S2.
BPT1501 Team
Owing to the nature of this module, you can read about the module and find your study material
online. Go to the website at https://my.unisa.ac.za and log in using your student number and
password. Click on "myModules" at the top of the web page and then on "Sites" in the top right
corner. In the new window, click on the grey Star icon next to the modules you want displayed
on your navigation bar. Close the window in the top right corner. Then select the option
"Reload to see your updated favourite sites". Now go to your navigation bar and click on the
module you want to open.
2.1 Purpose
Students who have completed this module successfully will be able to:
3
• to show you how to make a positive contribution in the lives of learners (as a
teacher).
2.2 Outcomes
Upon completion of this module, you will have achieved the following four specific learning
outcomes and the criteria on which you will be assessed are stated below:
OUTCOME 1
OUTCOME 2
4
BPT1501/101/3/2022
OUTCOME 3
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: The Outcome will be assessed on the basis of these criteria:
OUTCOME 4
Design basic technology- integrated solutions to promote innovative teaching and learning
practices
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: The Outcome will be assessed on the basis of these criteria:
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter based on five pillars and eight dimensions. In
response to this charter, we have placed curriculum transformation high on the teaching and
learning agenda. Curriculum transformation includes the following pillars: student-centred
scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of
teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and philosophies. These
pillars and their principles will be integrated at both programme and module levels as a phased-
in approach. You will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy
implemented by Unisa, together with how the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.
4.1 Lecturer(s)
4.2 Department
You can contact the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies as follows:
4.3 University
To contact the University, follow the instructions on the Contact us page on the Unisa website.
Remember to have your student number available whenever you contact the University.
Whenever you contact a lecturer via e-mail, please include your student number in the subject
line to enable the lecturer to help you more effectively.
6
BPT1501/101/3/2022
5 RESOURCES
The myUnisa learning management system is the University's online campus which will help
you communicate with your lecturers, other students, and the administrative departments within
Unisa. To claim your myUnisa account, please follow the steps below:
BPT 1501 is an online signature module. There is no PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK. You will only
receive Tutorial Letter 101 for BPT1501 2022. The reading material is available online.
7
5.4 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)
The Library has created numerous Library guides to assist you: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za
Recommended guides:
8
BPT1501/101/3/2022
This website has all the tips and information you need to succeed at Unisa.
For many students, the transition from school education to tertiary education is beset with
anxiety. This is also true for first-time students to Unisa. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and
e-learning institution. Unlike face-to-face/contact institutions, Unisa is somewhat different. It is a
mega university and all our programmes are offered through a blended learning mode or fully
online learning mode. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support so that you can seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and
learning journey with little difficulty and few barriers. In this regard we offer a specialised student
support programme to students entering Unisa for the first time. We refer to this programme as
Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme. The FYE is designed to provide you with
prompt and helpful information about services that the institution offers and how you can access
information. The following FYE programmes are currently offered:
• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need to navigate through your first year at
Unisa can be accessed using the following link: www.unisa.ac.za/FYE
• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and motivated.
9
• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various topics
related to your first-year studies (eg videos on how to submit assignments online)
• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study, send an e-
mail to fye@unisa.ac.za
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are the support system allocated to you. As a registered student for
the module BPT1501 you will be divided into smaller groups of no more than 50 and linked to a
TA. The role of your TA is to provide guidance throughout the module, including the
assignments. The TA will encourage you to participate in the discussion assignments arranged
for this online module. Your TA will also facilitate and assist you to master the content of the
module, mark your assignments and furnish you with constructive feedback to help improve on
your performance. In a nutshell, your TA is more like a “class teacher”.
The TA allocated to you will introduce her/himself to begin a long lasting and respectful
relationship in the discussion platform. They will also post their e-mail addresses to enable you
to communicate with them as they are part of your studies. Please use this additional support to
your benefit.
Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at
Unisa.
• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to
be delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assignments must be submitted online. This means that you will do all your
activities and submit all your assignments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT
post your assignments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All communication between you and the University happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you via e-mail and SMS, and use the Announcements, the
Discussion Forums and the Questions and Answers tools. You can also use all of
these platforms to ask questions and contact your lecturers.
10
BPT1501/101/3/2022
The main tool that we will use is the Lessons tool. This tool will provide the content of and the
assessments for your module. The orientation tool found on the main site of this module show
you how to interact with myUnisa tools. At times you will be directed to join discussions with
fellow students and complete activities and assessments before you can continue with the
module.
It is very important that you log in to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least
once a week to do the following:
• Check for new announcements. You can also set your myLife e-mail account so that
you receive the announcement e-mails on your cellphone.
• Do the Discussion Forum activities. When you do the activities for each learning unit,
we want you to share your answers with the other students in your group. You can read
the instructions and even prepare your answers offline, but you will need to go online to
post your messages.
• Do other online activities. For some of the learning unit activities you might need to
post something on the Blog tool, take a quiz or complete a survey under the Self-
Assessment tool. Do not skip these activities because they will help you complete the
assignments and the activities for the module.
We hope that by giving you extra ways to study the material and practise all the activities, this
will help you succeed in the online module. To get the most out of the online module, you MUST
go online regularly to complete the activities and assignments on time.
11
• The module Study Guide;
• Announcements;
• Assignments; and
• Communication from your TA.
You can only access the study material immediately you are grouped. Kindly go through the
tutorial letter (TL) 101 in order to have an idea of what is expected of you in BPT1501.
As soon as your registration for this module has been finalized, you should have access to the
website BPT1501-22-S1/S2 on myUnisa. This website (BPT1501-22-S1/S2) is known as the
Main site and is dedicated to supporting your learning.
You need to go to https//my.unisa.ac.za and log in with your student number and password.
Then you will see BPT1501-22-S1/S2 in your row of modules, in the orange bar across the top of
the webpage.
The MAIN WEBSITE will enable you to take full advantage of the following tools and features
listed below. Click at the top left-hand panel to access the following:
• Additional Resources: You will find the PDF file of tutorial letter 101 and other
documents provided for the module will be available
Orientation: Click on this tool to find orientation of the module. You will be guided
through studying this module.
• Schedule: You will find a calendar that provides closing dates for assignment
12
BPT1501/101/3/2022
This main website only contains the first batch of module materials and information regarding
the module. It does NOT contain the tool for the Assignments, Discussion and Blogs, as these
are only available on your group site (BPT1501-22-S1/S2-XXXT).
The reason why the Main site does not contain the tool for the Schedule, Assignments and
Discussions is that most assignments and your portfolio can only be completed and/or
submitted on your group site (BPT1501-22-S1/S2-XXXT), as these need to be marked by the
Teaching Assistant (TAs) allocated to a particular group of students.
The GROUP WEBSITE should enable you to take full advantage of the following tool and
features:
Assignment: You will have to click here to submit your written assignments and
Portfolio using the Assignments tool
Announcements: Your Teaching Assistant uses Announcements tool to inform you about the
important module-related issues. You need to visit this area at least twice or thrice a week
because important information is posted here. When your TA post an Announcement, you may
also receive an email reminding you to check the website.
13
Additional Resources: You will find the PDF file of tutorial letter 101 and other documents
provided for the module will be available. You are also required to use the resources referred to
on the main and the group site.
Discussion: You will find a Forum for discussion for each Learning Unit, as well as a Topic for
applicable discussion assignments within each of these. You will interact with your fellow
students regarding the topic under discussion in this platform. You will also communicate with
your Teaching Assistant here
14
BPT1501/101/3/2022
Blogs: Click here to post your ideas and what other students have posted about the module or
any other educational related issues.
Study Guide: Click here to read all about the module. Start with the Module Overview and work
through the different Lessons to become familiar with the content of the Module.
Statistics: You do not have to worry about this portal Site Info: You do not have to worry about
this portal Gradebook: This portal is used by TAs and Lecturers View All: You do not have to
worry about this portal You will find other tools on this group site
We recommend that you use the Internet in addition to some backup readings. The myUNISA
main and group website for this module are of fundamental value.
You need to have access to both the main site ‘BPT1501-20-S1/S2, as well the group site
‘BPT1501-22-S1/S2-XXXT’ regularly.
You need to set up your myLife email account so that you receive the Announcements as
emails on your cell phone.
15
discussion. Read your response before you publish. Then scroll down below and click on
PUBLISH to submit your contribution.
Online activities: In each Lesson, several activities are provided to guide you through the
learning material for the module. Please do not skip these activities, as they are meant to help
you to complete your assignments with ease.
Submission of Portfolio: You will be required to submit portfolio online, BUT make sure that
you submit only one file or document at once and NOT in bits and pieces. Submit your
portfolio in a PDF format for marking. BPT1501 is an online module, all assignments are
submitted online. UNISA does not accept assignments submitted through post office or ground
mail. Please do not submit your Portfolio by post. It will be returned back to you with no marks.
PLEASE NOTE:
• You will only have access to your group site once your initial payment has been
finalised.
• Memorise the Group number as you will have to provide it when you make
queries or follow ups.
• Once this process is completed, you will be able to access the following:
✓ Announcements
✓ Discussion
✓ Assignments
✓ Additional Resources and more
8. ASSESSMENT
8.1 Assessment plan
There are seven (7) Assessments for this Module. Assignment 1 is done under Discussions.
All other six Assessments a r e called written assignments. Because this is an online module,
the assignments are not provided in this tutorial letter. Instead, the assignments are provided
online as they become due. You will see them when you go online.
16
BPT1501/101/3/2022
You are required to type the Assignments in a Word document, convert the document PDF
(please ensure that your file is in a readable format) and submit online in the same way as
you will submit all other assignments.
The assignments will be routed to your TA who will mark and process the Assessment.
The composition of your mark for the module is summarized in the above table
The year mark for your module will be calculated using your marks for all of the online
discussion forums and assignments and will constitute 80% of your final mark. Your final
examination will be a portfolio which will constitute 20% of your final mark. Please note that
the sub-minimum for the portfolio is 40%. Therefore, you need to attain a mark of 40% or more
for the portfolio to pass the module.
There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter. Assignment due dates will be
made available to you online in (January 31, 2022).
Please log on to your myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assignments.
17
8.3 Due dates for submission of assignments: Semester 2
There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter. Assignment due dates will be
made available to you online in (July 28, 2022).
Please log on to your myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assignments.
PLEASE NOTE:
You will notice that all your assignments contribute to the year mark. Please make sure that
your assignments reach the university in good time. Although students may work together when
preparing assignments, each student must write and submit his or her own individual
assignment. In other words, you must submit your own ideas in your own words, interspersed
with short quotations that are properly referenced. It is unacceptable for students to submit
identical assignments on the pretext of having worked together. That is called copying (a form of
plagiarism) and none of these assignments will be marked. Furthermore, you may be penalised
or subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the University. See 9 below.
Assignments will be provided on the myUnisa module site. All assignments are “submitted”
ONLINE through myUnisa in the form of posts on discussion forums. Written assignments
should be submitted online via the ASSIGNMENT PLATFORM in the menu on the left-hand
side of the screen.
All your assignments have to be submitted on time. It is advisable not to wait for the last minute
in order to avoid the network traffic or any other glitch that may occur on the submission date.
18
BPT1501/101/3/2022
9. PLAGIARISM
Although you may work together when preparing assignments, you must write and submit your
own individual assignment. In other words, you must submit your own ideas in your own words.
It is unacceptable to submit identical assignments even though you worked together. That is
plagiarism (copying) and none of such assignments will be marked.
Plagiarism is a way of taking ideas, words and concepts of others without acknowledging the
source of information. The words or ideas can be sourced from books, websites, articles or even
songs and not crediting the author. It is therefore regarded as cheating and/ stealing.
Plagiarism at UNISA is therefore not acceptable. This means if you use information that is
not of your own creation you should acknowledge or cite it.
We are fully aware that most of you have access to internet and you are encouraged to use all
information retrieved from INTERNET. This shows you are developing and improving your
RESEARCH SKILLS. However, this does not mean you have to use the retrieved information
raw as it is. You need to read and comprehend the retrieved information, analyse it and write in
your own words to answer the question in order to show your understanding. This means the
CUTTING AND PASTING of information without acknowledging the source of information is as
good as stealing (plagiarising) information. All submitted assignments should be accompanied
by signed declaration form below:
19
DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL STUDIES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
You need to include a completed and signed copy of this form when you submit your
Assignments for this module. Assignments without the form will be cancelled and
returned unmarked
Although your lecturers can provide you with information about reference techniques and
guidelines to avoid plagiarism, you also have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you
at any time feel unsure about the requirements, you must consult your lecturers before you
submit any assignment.
You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a book, article, web page or
fellow student without acknowledging the source and submit it as your own work. In truth, you
are stealing someone else’s property. You may not use another student’s work. You may not
allow anyone to copy or use your work with the intention to submit it as his/her own.
Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credit for the work concerned. Plagiarism is a
serious violation of the University’s regulations and may lead to expulsion.
The under-mentioned declaration must accompany written assignments. Your assignment will
be cancelled and returned unmarked if you do not include a fully completed and signed
declaration form.
20
BPT1501/101/3/2022
I (full names):
Student number:___________________________ BPT1501
Declare that…
1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s policy in this
regard.
2. I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I used someone else’s
work, whether a printed source, the internet or any other source, I give the proper
acknowledgement and include a complete reference list.
3. I did not use another current or previous student’s work, submitting it as my own.
4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of submitting
it as his or her own work.
21
10. CONCLUSION
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module. However, your TA is the most relevant
person to contact and will be available to provide you with any form of assistance at all times.
We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material, and trust that
you will complete the module successfully.
22