Nurturing research capacity among emerging academics through mentoring : reflections from a pilot at a historically disadvantaged South African university

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 59-83
Author(s):  
Clever Ndebele ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
Higher Education Industry ◽  
South African Higher Education

The need to develop the next generation of academics to replace the aging professorate in South Africa has been on the agenda of the departments of higher education and training for some time, gaining momentum in recent years. The Higher Education South Africa (HESA)'s Publication on the National Programme to Develop the Next Generation of Academics for South African Higher Education (2011) paints a dire situation for the higher education industry with regards to the attraction and retention of academic staff. Key challenges identified in the report include the aging profile of academics, poor remuneration of academics, the current postgraduate pipeline and expansion of the higher education sector. Using the Communities of Practice (CoPs) theoretical framework, this paper unpacks an initiative by a professor at a South African university to develop research capacity among emerging academics through a collaborative mentorship programme with five emerging academics. The major findings of the study include, among other things, development of the mentees identity as both academics and researchers, a boost in the mentees research profiles and the development of a community of practice. The study recommends that supervisors and promoters should be supported financially by historically disadvantaged institutions or the National Research Foundation to mentor and nurture emerging academics from historically disadvantaged backgrounds and that such mentorship initiatives be formalised and incentivised as a token of appreciation for both mentors and mentees.

Articulation of Industrial R&D with Higher Education in the Telecommunications Sector in South Africa

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Paterson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Telecommunications Industry ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
The South ◽  
Industry Research ◽  
Telecommunications Sector ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Higher Education Industry

This article shows how and why particular higher education-industry research and development networks articulate with the South African telecommunications sector. The range of competing and complementary data telecommunications technologies available in the South African market provide varying opportunities for enterprises to engage in R&D. Two case studies based in the South African telecommunications industry examine R&D interaction between industry and higher education institutions which have nascent rather than developed R&D capacity and which are dependent on industry initiatives. The analysis suggests that the origin of a particular industry-higher education R&D network is contingent on the growth trajectory of the industrial sector in which it is located and on the maturation of research capacity in the higher education sector with which it is linked.

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 Job embeddedness, organisational commitment and voluntary turnover of academic staff at a higher education institution in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-30
Author(s):  
Cebile Mensele ◽  
Melinde Coetzee
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Voluntary Turnover ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Job Embeddedness ◽  
Normative Commitment ◽  
Organisational Commitment ◽  
Intention To Stay

Academic staff recruitment and retention remain a challenge in South Africa and internationally. Most academics at South African universities are ageing, with fewer younger people entering academia. The objectives of the study were to determine empirically whether job embeddedness and organisational commitment significantly predict voluntary turnover and whether people from different gender, race and age groups differ significantly in terms of these three variables. The measuring instruments used were the Job Embeddedness Scale (JES), the Organisational Commitment Scale (OCS) and the Voluntary Turnover Scale (VTS). A cross-sectional quantitative survey design was used to collect data from a random sample of (N=102) full-time academic staff at a South African higher education institution in Gauteng. The findings showed that organisational fit, community links and normative commitment significantly and positively predicted the participants’ intention to stay at the institution. Female participants showed higher levels of organisational fit and sacrifice, hence a stronger intention to stay. White participants had stronger community links and fit, and the African participants had higher levels of normative commitment than the other race groups. The current study adds to the knowledge base on the turnover intentions of academic staff and makes recommendations for retention practices and possible future research.

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.

scholarly journals Factors relating to the attraction of talented early career academics in South African higher education institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorcas L. Lesenyeho ◽  
Nicolene E. Barkhuizen ◽  
Nico E. Schutte
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Intellectual Stimulation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Employer Branding ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

Orientation: South African higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing significant challenges in attracting talents to academic positions.Research purpose: The main objective of this research was to determine factors that will attract early career academics to South African HEIs.Motivation for the study: Currently there exists limited research on factors that attract early career academics to HEIs as preferred employers.Research approach, design and method: A qualitative approach was adopted for this study; semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain data. The study participants comprised of 23 academic staff members from various merged South African HEIs.Main findings: The findings show that nine themes are related to the attraction of early career academics to HEIs: career development and advancement, opportunities to make a contribution, employer branding and prestige, job security, flexible working hours (work–life balance), intellectual stimulation, innovation, opportunity to apply skills and autonomy.Practical/managerial implications: The results also challenge HEIs to develop a superior employer brand with a strong employee value proposition (EVP) that would attract, develop and reward early career academics for their work efforts.Contribution/value-add: The study provides important practical guidelines that could assist HEIs to attract talented early career academics and become an employer of choice.

Women in senior management positions at South African universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Ramohai
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present reasons for the mobility of women in senior management positions in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of women underrepresentation and retention challenges in institution of higher learning in this country, it is pertinent to share the experiences of senior women, with the aim of understanding institutional structures and cultures that make it difficult for women to survive in senior positions. Design/methodology/approach The paper used a qualitative approach. The focus of this paper was on the women who had held or were still holding senior management positions in higher education in South Africa. The requirement for this paper was that these women should have moved out or across institutions while at a senior management position. This paper drew from five women from different institutions and involved them in in-depth interviews. The women who fitted the category of senior management in this paper included deputy vice chancellor, deans and heads of departments. Findings The findings indicated that the decisions to opt out of senior management positions for the women ranged from personal to institutional. The personal reasons that emerged from this paper pointed mainly to issues of salaries. The women opted to move out of their positions for better salaries which they believed they would get in the private sectors or in other institutions. Professional development also led women to move to more promising spaces that could afford them an opportunity to grow. Apart from these personal reasons, hostile institutional cultures were cited by all women as the most serious contributory factor to their turnover. Of these, they cited patriarchal practices that led to oppression and dominance, which made it difficult for them to cope in the senior positions they held. Originality/value This paper aimed to respond to a gap in research on senior management women’s mobility in higher education, specifically in South Africa. According to Samuel and Chipunza (2013), there is a serious concern that pertains to retention of senior management within African higher education. However, most studies do not provide a focused attention on women but offer a general interpretation of senior management turnover. There seems to be lack of research that aims at understanding the contextual reasons that lead to turnover of women senior management in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of low representation of women in senior positions in specifically South African higher education and calls for equity, the study looked at the reasons why higher education institutions at times fail to retain this most sought after group (women) in these positions of power. Understanding issues around this matter has the potential to contribute towards improved practices while adding a voice to discourses around gender equity and equality.

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