e-Governance: Supporting pragmatic direct deliberative action through online communities of interest

Authors often report on the limited success of e-Government initiatives in developing nations. Top down, national strategies are developed to target improved government services, but maintain hierarchical, citizen-state conceptions of governance through representative democracy. An alternative conception, direct deliberative democracy, frames the potential role of the internet in governance differently. Web based platforms might support locally animated deliberations, which target pragmatic outcomes, while the resulting social networks afford collective learning through connections across traditional boundaries. This paper presents an investigation of direct deliberative governance as it occurs in online 'communities of interest', and is based on research with such a community in southern Africa. We investigate contributions to the online governance process and develop an action typology distinguishing between degrees of 'agency freedom'. Network analytic techniques are then used to understand how acts of varying degree are expressed in terms of the structure of a social network. The aim, more broadly, is to understand how the environment shapes acts of direct deliberative governance, and, in turn, how the acts shape the evolution and effectiveness of the community. The preliminary results suggest design considerations for online governance communities, and highlight their role to not only provide deliberative space, but to mediate social network connections

Are Higher Education Institutions Positioned To Reap The Dividends Of Open Education Resources? The Case Of Durban University Of Technology

The potential benefits of open education resources (OERs) are well documented in the literature. These include cheaper education, improved equity in respect of educational prospects, greater access to higher education opportunities for non-traditional learners, encouraging new modes of collaborative learning and leveraging public funds by sharing knowledge. So compelling are these advantages that leading universities globally are currently experimenting with new business models calibrated to extract value from educational offerings that, increasingly, will be expected to include free content. In spite of the obvious merits of OERs, the open education movement faces challenges which are rooted significantly in educators' perceptions of these resources. This descriptive case study sought to examine the attitudes Durban University of Technology (DUT) faculty have towards OERs with the aim of gauging their capacity to be actively involved as developers and users of these materials. The study found that in spite of respondents' recognition of the advantages of OERs and even a degree of superficial employment of these instructional aids, there appears to be no real open education ethos at the institution. Evidence of this includes the relatively low level of sharing of content amongst faculty and the consensus of respondents that there is no institutional support for OER initiatives. The study concludes that for the university to retain its relevance in an evolving educational landscape, it should create a framework that will not only create space for OER projects but should also address the very human need for recognition and acknowledgement that developers of free and open content have

Kruger\u27s lost voice : nation and race in pre-World War 1 Afrikaans music records

On a theoretical level, popular music records serve as artefacts of the social and cultural networks in which their particular performers are embedded. Seen from this perspective, the appearance of the earliest Afrikaans gramophone records coincided with a crucial juncture in the formation of Afrikaner identity, as well as the development of the language itself. This article is a forensic investigation into the socio-political contexts in which the first Afrikaans gramophone records were produced. Its sources include updated discographic catalogues that have led to the discovery of listings of a number of recordings that pre-date the previously earliest known Africana and Afrikaans records. Most of the first Africana recordings were of the national anthems of the two Boer republics during and shortly after the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) and sung by Dutch singers. The first Afrikaans recordings by people beginning to define themselves as Afrikaners, date back to 1906, while local advertisements for Afrikaans records began to appear in 1910. This article will seek to explore the link between these recordings and claims for nationhood based on the linguistic identity of a key group of white Afrikaans speakers.     Op \u27n teoretiese vlak funksioneer populêre musiek albums as artefakte van die sosiale en kulturele netwerke waaraan die kunstenaars gekoppel is. Gesien van uit hierdie perspektief, val die eerste Afrikaanse grammofoonplate saam met \u27n belangrike stadium in die ontwikkeling van Afrikaner identiteite, asook die ontwikkeling van Afrikaans as taal. Hierdie artikel is \u27n forensiese ondersoek wat fokus op die sosio-politieke kontekste waarin die eerste Afrikaanse grammofoonplate gemaak is. Bronne sluit in opgedateerde diskografiese katalogusse wat gelei het tot die ontdekking van lyste van opnames wat ouer is as die vroegste bekendste Africana en Afrikaanse plate. Die meeste van die eerste Africana opnames was van die nasionale volksliedere van die twee Boere republieke tydens, en kort na, die Anglo-Boereoorlog (1899-1902) en is gesing deur Hollandse sangers. Die eerste Afrikaanse opnames deur mense wat begin het omhulself te definieer as Afrikaners dateer uit 1906, terwyl plaaslike advertensies vir Afrikaanse plate begin verskyn in 1910. Hierdie artikel beoog om die verhouding tussen hierdie opnames en eise tot nasieskap, gebaseer op die linguistiese identiteit van \u27n sleutelgroep Afrikaners, te verken

A fresh, holistic, new and desperate need to understand climate change and tourism in southern Africa

No abstract

The Durban University Of Technology's Experiences Of Open Educational Resources

There seems to be growing confidence that the open education movement is set to reshape the higher education landscape. Perhaps the single most formidable challenge retarding the uptake of open education resources (OERs) is instructors' lack of knowledge and experience of these materials. This descriptive case study examines the experiences Durban University of Technology (DUT) faculty have of OERs. As such, it lays the groundwork for subsequent studies of the attitudes of faculty to OERs and to the philosophy of open education. It also interrogates the national and institutional policy environment to establish to what extent these foster a culture of sharing and openness in local higher education.  The findings reported here may thus provide a context for understanding the attitudes of DUT faculty to OERs (examined in a separate study) and may serve as useful indicators of how the university is positioned; that is, how deep its foundations are, with respect to its prospects of participating successfully in the higher education OER movement

Are students being coerced into HIV testing? Ethical considerations related to offering incentives for HIV counselling and testing at tertiary institutions in South Africa

A social marketing strategy, including substantial prizes, was used to promote HIV testing at 17 institutions of higher learning in South Africa. Over 20 000 students with a mean age of 19 years were counselled and tested for HIV. The majority were being tested for the first time. Afterwards they signed a public pledge: ‘We, the class of 2010, pledge to know our status, to stop HIV/AIDS stigma and to contribute to the struggle against HIV/AIDS.’ The students’ opinion of the campaign was surveyed and they were found to be overwhelmingly in favour of it. The issue of whether the prizes unduly influenced the students’ participation is investigated and an approach to resolving ethical dilemmas is presented. The potential of incentives to undermine ‘moral sentiments’ is reviewed

Totius as teoloog

Die modeme teenstelling en probleem van sogenaamde ontwikkelde, dikwels oorontwikkclde, lande en volke teenoor ander wat onder- of onontwikkeld is, geld vandag tot ’n baie groot mate ook in die teologie. Basies moet ons dankbaar wees dat in die geleerde teologie vandag soveel aandag gegec word aan die Bybel as Woord van God, op welke wyse dan ook al, en dat tegelykertyd Bybelverkope orals in die wêreld toeneem en glo onlangs ’n hoogtepunt in Suidelike Afrika bereik het

The impact of organisational culture on service delivery in a major private security company

Published ArticleIn today's highly competitive business environment service delivery has become a key issue. Providing quality service could enhance an organisation's competitive advantage with beneficial financial implications. Service delivery requires the full cooperation and commitment of all the employees in the organisation, including management. The culture of the organisation supports this by eliciting a unified response from employees that supports the quality of service rendered to customers. In this regard the paper provides a statistical analysis of the impact of organisational culture on service delivery in a major South African private security company. Due to its applicability the Competing Values Framework (CVF) was instrumental in measuring the culture of the organisation and the award winning Baldrige Award Criteria in ascertaining its levels of service delivery

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detect Turfgrass Drought

Kansas State University is evaluating the ability of using small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to detect drought stress in turfgrass. Their research indicates high resolution remote sensing with small UAS can detect drought stress before it is visible to the human eye. Preliminary measurements of a golf course revealed interesting differences in fairways, tees, and greens between summer and fall seasons. Additional research will be conducted in 2016