Massification in higher education has made the satisfaction of students’ needs unattainable among university lecturers. In contrast, the use of innovative strategies for collaborative learning enhances student engagement in the heterogeneous student context. Moreover, this paper aims to explore strategies for fostering student engagement through collaborative learning among first-year students at the University of Venda. To answer the research question of whether innovative learning designs in teaching and learning can foster students’ engagement and collaborative learning, subsequently, this paper employed a mixed-methods approach to gauge the effectiveness of different teaching strategies on student outcomes. Significantly, the purposive sampling approach was used to sample a group of 200 students in the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP). The researchers used participant observation and narrative inquiry as data collection instruments in this paper. Furthermore, the students in their respective groups were assigned topics from the English and Biology modules to use their talents to demonstrate their understanding of certain complex concepts in these modules. The non-surprising findings of this paper elucidated that collaborative learning expedites students’ mastery of key concepts and subject content through the integration of talents. The module lecturers introduced students to these innovative designs to ensure collaborative learning and effective student engagement. The key findings articulated that these aspects, namely role-playing exercises, group projects, peer-to-peer learning, use of talents, peer feedback, and so forth, have the potential to improve student performance and academic success. The implication of this study is that students learn to work together, delegate responsibilities, improve participation, and communicate effectively to attain a common goal. Using these strategies, lecturers promote collaboration among students and foster a more engaging and interactive learning experience. This paper further recommends the integration of students’ talents as an effective strategy to foster student engagement and collaborative learning to track and monitor at-risk students at an early stage.

Blended learning has become immensely integrated in contemporary times owing to the emergence of COVID-19. Consequently, it was seen as an effective approach to meet the accelerated demands of the diverse student population in universities and colleges. The rapid progress of the online world has made it essential to switch from face-to-face to online space. However, first-year Science Foundation students appear to encounter challenges using various learning platforms. While the demands of the online spectrum have changed due to the advent of COVID-19, this paper aimed to assess student participation and experience while teaching online on numerous platforms including Microsoft Teams, Google Teams, Moodle, and WhatsApp. The qualitative approach was employed to obtain descriptive data which was later quantified. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to conduct interviews with a total of 120 Science Foundation students at the University of Venda in the academic year 2021 to obtain the students’ online learning experiences. The findings of this study showed that due to the variety of online platforms used in the various modules, the students are unable to interact with the lecturers since the online learning platforms were quite new and tricky to navigate through. In addition, the researchers tried to fill the gap and implement strategies for effectively engaging pedagogy on online platforms. Students’ experiences were related to poor network connectivity, computer illiteracy, difficulty adapting to the Moodle platform, intermittent home learning environment, lack of interaction, and heavy workload. There is a need for a holistic understanding of how technology has transformed the teaching and training landscape to enable academics and students to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

Massification in higher education has made the satisfaction of students’ needs a difficult conundrum among university lecturers. In contrast, the use of innovative design for collaborative learning enhances student engagement in the populous student’s context. Moreover, this paper aims to extensively explore innovative designs for fostering student engagement and collaborative learning among first-year students at the University of Venda. The study employed a qualitative research method with the purposive sampling technique. Subsequently, a group of 200 students was the population of this study. Participant Observation and narrative inquiry were used as data collection instruments. The students in their respective groups were assigned topics from the module content to use their talents to demonstrate their understanding of certain content in the module. The non-surprising findings of this paper elucidated that collaborative learning expedites students’ mastery of key concepts and subject content. The module lecturers introduced students to these innovative designs to ensure collaborative learning and effective student engagement. The key findings elucidated these aspects namely, role-playing exercises, group projects, peer-to-peer learning, use of talents, and peer feedback. The implication of this study is that students learn to work together, delegate responsibilities and communicate effectively to attain a common goal. Using these strategies, the lecturers promote collaboration among students and foster a more engaging and interactive learning experience. This paper further recommends efficient and effective techniques and strategies to foster student engagement and collaboration to track and monitor at-risk students timeously.

The educational institutions in South Africa face challenges in integrating crucial 21st-century skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation into their academic programs. Project-based learning (PBL) has emerged as a valuable approach to enhancing entrepreneurial education by developing these essential competencies through real-world applications. PBL effectively bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and practical problem-solving in real-life situations by involving students in practical, hands-on learning. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in fostering entrepreneurial skills among first-year science students at a rural university. Using a mixed-methods approach, participants created and presented organic soaps, simulating authentic business processes. The study used purposive sampling, and student performance was evaluated by a panel based on specific criteria. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and One-Way ANOVA, with data visualisation using Python's Matplotlib. The paper investigated whether the implementation of PBL significantly enhances students' entrepreneurial skills compared to traditional teaching methods. The study revealed that 210 students, mainly from schools with limited resources, faced challenges in practical chemistry despite prior instruction in Physical Sciences. The implementation of project-based learning proved to be an effective method for nurturing entrepreneurial skills, highlighting the importance of experiential learning. It is essential for higher education institutions to integrate entrepreneurship into their curricula, collaborate with industry, improve group dynamics, and prioritise quality control. These strategies have the potential to foster innovation and better prepare students for self-employment opportunities.

Increasing access to quality education in South Africa has led to a rise in enrollment by students from diverse backgrounds at higher education institutions. However, first-entering students transition from secondary school to higher education, and it is hypothesized that this will affect students psychologically, socially, and financially. Financially, many higher education students in South Africa rely on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). This study investigates the relationship between students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and academic success at a South African university. A mixed-methods approach surveyed 74 first-year students in the Extended Curriculum Programme at the University of Venda, South Africa. Findings from regression and correlation analyses indicate that poor and low socio-economic backgrounds among Extended Curriculum Programme students significantly affect their academic performance and success. These findings challenge the notion that disadvantaged backgrounds necessarily hinder student achievement and emphasize the importance of creating an environment that supports students from all socio-economic backgrounds. Eight policy recommendations and strategies are provided to enhance student success and support for diverse socio-economic backgrounds in higher education institutions.