​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The 30th SAAIR Conference will be hosted by 

Stellenbosch University

24 – 26 October 2023

​Theme:

Future-forward Higher Education : The next 30 years

Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West​​​, Western Cape

pre-conference workshop on 23 October 2023​​​​

Event Summary link

Conference Programme

Fees

Accommodation

Registration now Closed – Waiting list now open.

For any queries related to the conference, you can contact SAAIRCONF@sun.ac.za

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​Organised by the 2023 SAAIR Executive committee

From left to right: Ms Elizabeth Booi (University of the Western Cape), ​ Ms Takalani Muloiwa-Klenam (University of Johannesburg),  Dr Mxolisi Masango (University of Pretoria), Mr Benjamin Ntshabele (Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University), Ms Liile Lerato Lekena, President (Mangosuthu University of Technology), Mr Ashton Maherry (Saide), ​​Ms Renè Robbertze (University of Stellenbosch), Ms Carin Strydom (SAAIR Office), ​Ms Lisa Cloete (University of Cape Town)​​​

Conference chairs: René Robbertze and Prof Ian Cloete (Stellenbosch University)

Conference management committee: Prof Ian Cloete, René Robbertze and Albè van Niekerk (Stellenbosch University)​

Keynote speaker​​s​​​​

 

One of our keynote speakers at the conference is Prof. Karen Webber from University of Georgia and currently president of AIR (2022-2023). Karen has published research on a number of issues related to institutional effectiveness in higher education including faculty roles and work productivity, graduate education, gender equity in higher education, undergraduate research, and capacity building in institutional research. Her primary research interests remain centered on the assessment of academic, cognitive, and psychosocial growth of college students, with additional interests in gender studies, and higher education data management. – Source ​​​

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​Another keynote speaker at the conference is Prof. Ian Cloete from Stellenbosch University, former Senior Director: Information Governance (now retired, but still affiliated with Stellenbosch University). Ian published extensively in the areas of machine learning and neural networks, with applications to data and a​​nalytics. He led the development of novel analytic models for effectiveness and efficiency, which also include a score card for Stellenbosch University’s Strategic Framework 2019—2024. ​He has led the design of frameworks for the implementation of legislation (e.g. POPIA), policies and regulations relating to privacy, information management, information security, data classification, and more. He is a Senior Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He also led the accreditation, quality assurance and educational reforms of the Bologna process in Europe as president of a private university in Germany, where he served as Professor of Computational Intelligence. There he designed novel curricula and teaching methodologies, which he presented regularly as invited keynote speaker at the Future of Europe Summit series of conferences hosted by the government of Andorra.

1. Adapting to the Future: Higher Education Institutions in the Next 30 Years: This topic area focuses on exploring innovative approaches and solutions to the challenges facing higher education institutions in the coming decades, such as the use of emerging technologies, new interdisciplinary fields, and promoting lifelong learning. Submissions can also explore how the discipline of future studies can help higher education institutions anticipate and respond to the challenges and opportunities of the next three decades. Topics can include the future of work, education and preparing learners for the future job market.
2. Innovative Future Research to Advance Education: Or is it? : This topic is targeted at exploring how higher education institutions prepare for the next 30 years as they must grapple with a range of challenges, from meeting the needs of diverse and lifelong learners to navigating a rapidly evolving job market. In response, innovative approaches and solutions are needed, including the use of emerging technologies like AI software. For example, AI-powered language models like ChatGPT are already being used to generate educational content and facilitate natural language interactions between learners and educators. In addition, Google’s BARD (Building an Accessible Reality Enhancer) is a virtual reality platform that may help to transform how learners engage with complex concepts and simulations. While there are differing opinions on the extent of their impact, these and other emerging technologies are poised to shape the future of higher education institutions in significant ways, enhancing the delivery and accessibility of education for learners worldwide.
3. Institutional Research for Future-Oriented Decision-Making: This topic area delves into the role of institutional research in supporting evidence-based decision-making for effectiveness at all levels: at the department, faculty, division, university, and national level. Papers in this area may include discussions on data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods, as well as the use of analytics, learner analytics, and human-centered design in institutional research.
4. Sustainability, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Higher Education: This topic area can explore sustainability of higher education institutions in the future, as well as the role of higher education institutions in contributing to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Papers could focus on how institutions can integrate sustainability into their teaching, research, and operations, and how they can collaborate with industry and community partners to address local and global challenges.
5. Open topic: Should your submission be relevant to the goals of SAAIR which are presented below, please submit a paper under this open topic.

Call for abstracts

The conference will bring together experts from universities, higher education, industry, civil society, and international organizations to discuss the future of higher education.

You are invited to submit an abstract reflecting on your practice at both individual and institutional levels under any of the four topics listed above.

Abstracts should be submitted by 30 June 2023, and the acceptance notification will be sent by 31 July 2023.Presenters/authors are requested to submit an abstract (at most 150 words) and outline (at least 600 words) of their proposed contribution at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=30thsaair

Before sending proposals, you must have an account with EasyChair. If you do not have one, you can register for free at https://easychair.org/account/signup

Final paper submission deadline: 29 September 2023

All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. Papers may draw from a research report, a case study, or the use and application of a particular research methodology, or may address particular theoretical and conceptual issues relevant to the theme of the conference. The proposed paper can be based on original data collection or secondary data analysis and can be based on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodology.

Contributed papers will be presented as oral presentations and will be scheduled in 30-minute slots of which at least 10 minutes should be dedicated to discussion.

All questions about submissions should be emailed to SAAIR2023 [SAAIRCONF@sun.ac.za].

The Evaluation Process

The evaluation of proposals is an important activity to ensure the quality of submissions. The SAAIR Executive Committee is committed to coordinating the evaluation process in a fair, objective, and rigorous manner whilst also considering issues such as the representation of all types of higher education institutions across Southern Africa.

In facilitating this, the following should be noted:·

• A panel of experts will be constituted to assess proposals against a predetermined list of quality criteria (see below).
• All evaluations are undertaken through a double-blind review process.
• Where proposals are rated at roughly the same level of quality, the evaluation committee will consider the number of proposals by an individual researcher, and the type of institution to which the individual researcher(s) are affiliated in order to ensure reasonable diversity without neglecting the quality requirements as evaluated by the peer review panel.
• Contributions that seek to make a scholarly contribution to addressing the theme of the conference will be given first priority of acceptance. However, submissions that do not directly address the theme of the conference will also be considered, provided that they have a clear focus on one or more of the objectives of the SAAIR, namely “to benefit, assist and advance institutional research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of higher education”.

General criteria applicable to all proposals

• Whether the proposal links to one or more of the SAAIR’s, objectives namely “to benefit, assist and advance institutional research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of higher education”.
• The degree to which the proposal links to the Conference theme (Submissions that do not directly address the theme or sub-themes of the conference will also be considered, provided that they have a clear focus on one or more of the objectives of SAAIR).
• The overall clarity of the proposal (e.g., quality of writing, organisation of ideas, clarity of assumptions, the logic of arguments).
• The importance, significance, and relevance of the topic and major issue(s) addressed for institutional research.
• The potential significance of the contribution.Specific criteria applicable to contributed papers· Appropriateness of theoretical or conceptual framework.· Soundness of research design.
• Appropriateness of data sources or evidence used.
• Clarity of exposition of ideas, analyses, arguments, and conclusions.
• Evidence that the research is near completion and that the paper will be completed by the time of the conference (e.g., preliminary results).

Specific criteria applicable to pre-conference workshops

• Overall focus of the workshop and major issues addressed.
• Soundness of design.
• Appropriateness of data sources or evidence used.
• Clarity of exposition of ideas, analyses, arguments, and conclusions to be shared with participants.

Publication

Full length papers may potentially also be submitted to a special issue of a South African accredited journal for review and publication, which will qualify for subsidy in South Africa.