Call for Article Proposals: Productive Disruption: Transformational Learning and Teaching for Sustainable Development in Higher Education
Dear Contributors,
We invite contributions for possible inclusion in a special issue of the African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies (AJIMS). As a distinguished, peer-reviewed journal accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), AJIMS is dedicated to fostering diverse scholarly discourse across various disciplines. This special issue is linked to the 2025 HELTASA (Un)Conference, which was hosted by Walter Sisulu University 13-16 October 2025. Aimed at purposeful dialogic engagement, sharing contextually relevant practices, and co-creating transformative strategies for sustainable futures, the theme for the (Un)Conference focused on: Productive Disruption: Transformational Learning and Teaching for Sustainable Development in Higher Education. This special issue invites proposals from the 2025 HELTASA (Un)Conference to inspire actionable insights for advancing equitable and sustainable higher education. Article engagements are intended to foster discussions around innovative curriculum, pedagogical approaches and sustainability initiatives. We seek scholarly contributions that are practice-oriented, reflective, and provocative, to cultivate a collaborative culture among higher education practitioners that align personal and institutional objectives with global and local sustainability efforts.
BACKGROUND
The higher education landscape is experiencing transformational changes due to limited resources, technological advancements, socio-political shifts and a need for sustainability. Traditional pedagogical methods, curricula design, and institutional structures inclusive of policies may be viewed as inadequate to foster inclusive, innovative, and impactful educational experiences (Baroudi & Elsayary, 2024). Therefore, higher education institutions must review their curriculum practices, pedagogies and institutional strategies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address challenges such as equity gaps, climate change, geopolitical issues and technological transformations (Priatna & Khan, 2024) through interdisciplinary approaches. Institutional flexibility and responsiveness (Karim et al., 2024) require holistic approaches to learning and teaching (Filho et al., 2019) and reimagining higher education to align with sustainable development imperatives (Makhanya, 2021). This special issue aims to inspire actionable insights for advancing equitable and sustainable higher education (Robson & Wihlborg, 2019) in Southern Africa.
The theme consists of several related sub-themes:
● Interdisciplinary approaches in learning and teaching in higher education
● Reimagining knowledge: Blending traditional and innovative approaches in higher education
● The digital revolution: Technology, AI, and data-driven learning
● Bridging gaps: Equity, access and inclusivity
● Higher education for a sustainable future
● Entrepreneurial mindsets: Innovation and sustainability for the future
IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission of proposal: 21 November 2025
Notification of acceptance to authors: 15 December 2025
Submission of draft article (6000 words): 17 April 2026
Peer review reports: May 2026
Revision deadline: 30 July 2026
Guest editor reports: 26 August 2026
Final version: 31 September 2026
Approximate publication date: 30 October 2026
PROPOSALS SHOULD INCLUDE:
● A succinct title (no more than 16 words).
● An extended abstract (up to 600 words) which includes at least the focus of the study, the importance of the study/contribution to theoretical or practical knowledge, the methodological approach adopted and key findings/ aspects to be covered.
● Theme alignment: Include a short description of how the article aligns to the theme and a particular sub-theme.
● A short outline (up to one page) of the proposed article (proposed headings / sections and a brief description of each).
● Author/s name/s.
● Author/s institutional affiliation.
● Contact details of the corresponding author
Proposals are to be submitted online via a Google form HERE by 21 November 2025.
QUERIES
Interested contributors are encouraged to submit any queries to the corresponding editors of this special issue: Dr Rosaline Govender (rosalineg@dut.ac.za) Prof Shakespear Chiphambo (schiphambo@wsu.ac.za), Ms Rieta Ganas (rieta.ganas@wits.ac.za).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Page fees and any other related fees are payable by the author/s.
Preference will be given to those authors who presented at the 2025 HELTASA (Un)Conference.
The African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies (AJIMS) is a peer reviewed, DHET accredited journal indexed in the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
