VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY
Abstract
In 2022, the Discipline of African Languages at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) initiated a ground-breaking project to develop a fully online isiZulu learning programme aligned with the South African National Language Policy and UKZN’s Language Policy. Designed according to the University’s compulsory credit-bearing isiZulu module, the project was realised through collaboration between isiZulu lecturers, sampled students, and digital arts lecturers; with financial support from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. Guided by a Constructivist framework and principles of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), the project employed a collaborative qualitative methodology, incorporating student participation, iterative reviews, and reflective feedback. The result is an interactive, culturally grounded online platform integrating key linguistic and cultural dimensions; including history, tone, music, and oral traditions; to enhance immersive learning. This project followed a four-phase interdisciplinary model: Phase 1 – content development; Phase 2 – digitalisation; Phase 3 – prototyping and piloting; and Phase 4 – systematic review and integration of pilot feedback. The resulting web-based tool allows learners to engage with isiZulu in authentic cultural and linguistic contexts and is currently in refinement. A key pilot finding revealed that the platform’s potential extends beyond foreign-language learners to isiZulu home-language speakers who struggle with literacy, a consequence of historical language policies. Once fully developed, the platform is expected to serve as a prototype for similar initiatives across South Africa’s other eight indigenous languages, contributing to linguistic transformation, inclusivity, and cultural sustainability in higher education and beyond.
Phindile Dlamini – A senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, specialising in second language teaching and translation studies. A published researcher with over twenty peer-reviewed articles in both English and isiZulu. Editor of the textbook, Asifunde isiZulu, designed for teaching isiZulu as a foreign language, and author of a scholarly book on translation studies for researchers and practitioners working with South Africa’s indigenous languages. Additionally, the author of more than 50 children’s books written in isiZulu, contributing significantly to literacy and cultural preservation.
Lynette Lulama Mbatha