Dr Vuyokazi Mntuyedwa

Dr Vuyokazi Mntuyedwa is an Academic Literacy Lecturer in the Fundani Unit at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa. She is currently a visiting fellow collaborating with Dr Danica Sims at the Department of Education at the University of Oxford under the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship programme.

Dr Mntuyedwa’s research focuses on first-year students experiences, educational technologies, and multilingualism. Her PhD from the University of the Western Cape explored peer pressure and peer group dynamics among South African university students. She served as a visiting scholar at the University of Magdeburg in Germany and California State University, Fullerton, USA.She has led projects to support first-year students' transition, including a multilingual academic literacy booklet and scholarship programs for teaching development. Dr Mntuyedwa is a recipient of the British Academy Mentorship Programme and a postdoctoral grant for Black Advancement Academic Program.She also contributed to an article nominated for Best Article in the *International Journal for Academic Development* in 2023.

At Oxford, Dr. Mntuyedwa will publish articles based on the results of her postdoctoral project and will develop a “Digital Literacy Course for First-Year Students,” aiming to equip students from disadvantaged backgrounds with essential digital skills (AI) to enhance their academic success. This self-paced course will cover computer and media literacy, helping students transition smoothly into higher education. Her project seeks to reduce dropout rates, promote digital fluency, and prepare students for academic and professional success. She is eager to collaborate with international scholars to broaden the impact of her research.

• Mntuyedwa, V. (2020). First-year students’ experiences of peer groups and peer pressure in the residences of a South African university.

• Garraway, J., Cupido, X., Dippenaar, H., Mntuyedwa, V., Ndlovu, N., Pinto, A., & Purcell van Graan, J. (2021). The Change Laboratory as an approach to harnessing conversation for academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 1–16.

• Mntuyedwa, V., Letseka, M., & Cronje, J. (2023, October). Implementation of a multilingual booklet to accommodate first-year students with academic work. In 22nd European Conference on e-Learning: ECEL 2023. Academic Conferences and Publishing Limited.

• Kananaga, K. R., & Mntuyedwa, V. (2023). Concept of adjustment for first-year students at South African universities. In P. Aloka & K. Mukuna (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Coping Mechanisms for First-Year Students Transitioning to Higher Education (pp. 21–36). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6961-3.ch002

• Mntuyedwa, V. (2023). Exploring the benefits for first-year university students joining peer groups: A case study of a South African university. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 11(1).