scholarly journals Academic Perceptions of the Ideal Computer Science Student

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Thinyane
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Science Department ◽  
Computer Science Department ◽  
Ideal Student ◽  
South African Higher Education

This paper presents the results of a case study aimed at identifying the skills that lecturers in a computer science department value in an undergraduate student, and to determine if there is a departmental construction of an ‘ideal’ student. To answer this question, a case study was undertaken in the Computer Science Department at a small university in South Africa. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire and to take part in an interview to solicit feedback on their notion of an ‘ideal’ student. This study found that participants valued the following skills within undergraduate student: creativity; computer playfulness; planning, analytical or abstract thinking, and problem solving; introverted personality; engagement in class; working independently; self efficacy; and responsibility. It also found a strong correlation between participant’s own performance as a student and their understanding of an ‘ideal’ student. These results are then discussed within the context of South African Higher Education, where student populations are becoming more diverse. The paper calls for academics to reflect on their own teaching, and the relevance of their practices to the present conditions of transformation in Higher Education in South Africa.

scholarly journals Challenges and Curriculum Transformation in the Higher Education Sector in South Africa: A Case Study in WASH to Improve the Training of Pharmacists

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-32
Author(s):  
Roman Tandlich ◽  
Nosiphiwe P. Ngqwala ◽  
Aileen Boshoff ◽  
Phindile Madikizela ◽  
C. Sunitha Srinivas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Postgraduate Research ◽  
South African Higher Education

AbstractIntroduction: South Africa is a member state of the “BRICS” bloc (BRICS2017.org, 2017) and the G20 group of the 20 nations/economic blocs, which between them account for the majority of the world’s trade and economic activity. It faces many developmental challenges which are mirrored in its higher education sector. In this article, the authors seek to provide an overview of the challenges that South African higher education faces in the achievement of the developmental goals of the country. The focus of this paper is a case study in WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) to improve context-specific responses that trains pharmacists on knowledge and skills.Methods: The study was performed as a combination of calculations and a literature review to obtain the background or current status of the higher education sector and developmental planning in South Africa. For this, data were extracted from the Statistics South Africa reports, relevant professional articles on South African higher education sector and results of postgraduate research. Workshop results which were obtained as a collaboration between a public and a private higher education institution and results of postgraduate research were used as the paradigm for transformation and decolonisation of the curriculum for a professional degree in South Africa.Results and discussion: Challenges exist in the South African tertiary education sector and the graduation rate currently stands at 65.1% of the target set by the National Development Plan. Around 58.1% of all students do not complete their university/post-secondary education, which could provide a partial explanation for the skills shortage in South Africa. Decolonisation and transformation of the tertiary education curriculum are major topics in the discourse on higher education in South Africa. The authors propose that one way to achieve this would be inclusion of research results and group activities in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene as a topic for possible and partial transformation of the Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum.Conclusions: The current article summarises some of topics and challenges that drive the current discourse, developmental and curriculum debate in higher education in South Africa. Student access and through put at tertiary institutions need to be improved and the curriculum needs to be transformed.

Gender Inequality and Intersectional Disadvantage among Students in South African Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-172
Author(s):  
Oliver Tafadzwa Gore ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Higher Education Policies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
South African Higher Education

Although policies to widen participation have been implemented in South African higher education since 1994, inequality of achievements persists in universities. The failure of the higher education policy to clearly define ‘disadvantage’ in various interventions seems to have contributed to the continuing inequalities. This study theorises disadvantage using the capabilities approach pioneered by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and argues for a more nuanced definition of disadvantage by exploring the opportunities, agency and achievements available to students in universities. The theorisation is based on findings from a qualitative case study of 26 semi-structured interviews conducted with students from one South African university. Using empirical findings, the theorisation in this study shows how the conversion factors intersect, resulting in some students achieving fewer functionings, which put them at a disadvantage. While gender equality seemingly has been achieved through enrolment figures that show parity levels, some female students are still disadvantaged through subtle forms of discrimination and sexual harassment in universities. This study therefore recommends that higher education policies should consider an expansive definition of disadvantage that encompasses the various dimensions of student wellbeing for all students to have flourishing lives.

The Development and Establishment of Technology in South Africa

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
N.P. du Preez ◽  
P. van Eldik ◽  
M. Möhr ◽  
H.H. van der Watt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Importance Rating ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Diffusion Of Technology ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
High Level ◽  
South African Higher Education

In a two-part analysis (Part 2 follows on pp 27–31), the authors discuss the key results of a South African project conducted during 1996 which focused on the factors relating to the development and establishment of technology in a country. The study investigated through a detailed questionnaire survey and a literature survey the various factors that promote the development and establishment of technology by comparing their perceived importance with the actual role they currently play in South Africa. This paper, Part 1, concentrates on the role of higher education. The importance of academic institutions in supplying high-level human resources was rated very highly (90.47%) but the role it is currently playing in reality was rated at 52.8%. Closely connected with this, the availability of high-level skilled technological people was given an importance of 89% while the current reality was rated at only 43%. This clearly shows that the South African higher education system is performing poorly in addressing these vital needs. The availability of entrepreneurs with innovative and creative skills to participate in the development and diffusion of technology was given an importance rating of 84.3% against a current situation of 42.2%, again indicating South Africa's weak performance. The results of the survey and the consequent recommendations are important to all developing countries with newly industrial economies.

The role of business intelligence in sustainability reporting for South African higher education institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1185-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Calitz ◽  
Samual Bosire ◽  
Margaret Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Intelligence ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Satisfaction ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose This paper aims to show that business intelligence (BI) is a key component of a sustainability-reporting framework for higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach Four questionnaires were administered to Registrars and managers at 21 South African HEIs and at selected international HEIs. The data analysis entailed both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings The study confirmed that factors such as management buy-in, the availability of BI reports and the provision of reporting guidelines were positively related to effective strategic planning. The study shows that the use of BI by South African HEIs is still at a low maturity level. Research limitations/implications The case study used is the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The implications are relevant for all 26 HEIs in South Africa. Practical implications HEIs must invest in technological tools, including BI to provide information in understandable and usable formats for management and other relevant stakeholders. Social implications BI reporting can assist all stakeholders to obtain the relevant and required information relating to HEI operations and strategic management initiatives and activities. Originality/value The study concludes that HEIs ought to invest in BI technologies that can assist the sustainability reporting process to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and regulatory compliance.

scholarly journals The benefits and dangers for churches and ministry institutions to work in a regulated environment, with reference to professionalising religious practice via South African Qualifications Authority and the National Qualifications Framework Act

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham A. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Qualifications Framework ◽  
Fit For Purpose

Since 1994 and the coming of democracy to South Africa there has been a concerted attempt to develop a coherent, unified educational system that will redress the inequities of the apartheid systems. Significant to this ongoing process is the field of higher education, where relevant legislation has been enacted in order to bring coherence and consistency to the education system in the public and private sectors. Significant issues have arisen with regard to the provision made by private religious educational institutions, especially those who have experienced difficulties in being accredited by statutory bodies. This paper seeks to explore these issues and suggest ways forward that are appropriate within an emerging unitary system of education that is fit for purpose in Africa and particularly South Africa, taking as a case study the formation of the Association of Christian Religious Practitioners.

scholarly journals Subordination vs. agency/resistance in South Africa: Virgins bargaining their way through higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-445
Author(s):  
Sunelle Stander
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Black Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Alternative Route ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Student Protests ◽  
African Context

Oppression manifests itself in various ways, such that intersections between different forms of oppression can be identified. This is also true for women living in South Africa, a country that has for years been plagued by many forms of oppression (racism, sexism, classism, etc.). Women are, amidst various forms of oppression, often left with few alternative options but to bargain with various forms of gender relations as a means to obtain basic human rights (like education). Recent student protests have highlighted the discriminating ways in which black students are kept from obtaining higher education. The so called “maidens bursary”, awarded to underprivileged girls who vow to stay virgins throughout their studies, will be used as a case study that examines an alternative route to which underprivileged women may resort in order to obtain a quality education. The notion of patriarchal bargaining will then be used to illumine the often unrecognized, complex and interwoven relationship between subordination and agency/resistance that operates within the South African context.

scholarly journals Mergers And Change Management At The Micro Level: A Case Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy R. Kilfoil ◽  
Thomas Groenewald
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Change Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Top Down ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Level Process ◽  
Specific Contribution

The transformation of the South African higher education landscape resulted in, among other things, the merger of three distance education institutions: Unisa, VUDEC and TSA. The macro level of the merger will no doubt be studied in detail. This article explores a micro level process for two departments merged by a top-down decision that did not take cognisance of their dissimilar functions and structures. The result was both a merger and a demerging process. The two departments first had to confront the realities of their different functions and structures before a reconfiguration could occur, including the emergence of a strategic plan focusing on aspects such as specific contribution, drivers, objectives and structure. The change management principles adopted to ensure the success of the process are outlined, analysed and reflected upon.

An investigation into Dental Technology lecturers' discourses of academic identity formation within the emergence of Universities of Technology in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thobani Linton Gumbi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Identity ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Dental Technology

Post-apartheid restructuring of the South African Higher Education system has brought about significant changes. Institutions of Higher Learning have implemented minor and major changes in their objectives, delivery of knowledge, functions, accreditations and overall outcomes (Du Pre 2006, Reddy 2006, Department of Education 1997). One of the more significant transitions within South Africa’s Higher Education landscape has been the conversion of technikons into universities of technology (UoTs) (Powell & McKenna 2006). This thesis investigates the discourses of academics within a university of technology, exploring their responses to and constructions of institutional shifts. The study has an ontological focus in that it is interested in the ‘being’ of Dental Technology academics. It is interested in the discursive constructions not only of themselves as academics, but also of their work in this changed institutional context. By conducting interviews with the Dental Technology academics lecturing in universities of technology in South Africa, it was the intention to explore these academics’ discourses on institutional shifts. Adopting discourse analysis as the primary method of data analysis enabled the exploration of how academics constructed the notion of academic identity, how they discursively constructed students and knowledge, as well as other core issues related to their work.

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