Promoting social justice in teaching and learning in higher education through professional development

The article analyses a national professional learning programme through a social justice lens, drawing on Fraser's framework for social justice and Moje's distinction between socially just pedagogy and pedagogy for social justice. The South African Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) Fellowships Programme seeks to advance inter-institutional collaboration and social justice in teaching and learning by building a cadre of senior academics as scholars, leaders and change agents in various disciplinary fields, across all South African public universities. Fraser's framework allows evaluation of strategies used to support participation with parity; Moje's distinction is extended to show the interface between socially just staff development and staff development for social justice. The article analyses the substantial impact on participants through Fraser's cultural and political dimensions, and assesses the current and cumulative impact on social justice in teaching and learning through present and planned subsequent iterations of the programme.