Levels of interest among prospective and enrolled undergraduate students in learning through online and blended modes

In many developing countries, at least in Africa, many colleges and universities continue to deliver undergraduate level education in the in-person, face-to-face, mode. Many of these institutions are slow in adopting and embracing the online learning mode. This study investigated levels of interest among prospective and enrolled undergraduates for the full-online or blended learning mode. The study also assessed the factors that stimulated the interest of these groups for the preferred delivery mode. Based on a sample of 414 prospective and enrolled undergraduates from private and public colleges and universities in the context of Botswana, and using a survey design that involved questionnaires, and regression analysis, the study found that majority (56%, n=414) of the sample was interested in and preferred some form of online or blended learning, compared to the face-to-face learning mode. The proportion of individuals with keen interest in the blended learning mode, at undergraduate level, is surprisingly high. The motivational drivers for the student choice are linked to greater flexibility and convenience, and perceived better opportunity for interactions with professors and classmates (OR=10.9; 95% CI: 5.4 – 22.1). The COVID-19 outbreak and the requirements for social distancing may have also accounted for the level of interest reported. The findings have major significance for curriculum design and development, instructional design in higher education, education technology infrastructure development, and long-term enrolment planning

A multivariate analytical approach to granulometry of kaolinitic sediments from Botswana

Investigations on granulometric characteristics of kaolinitic sediments from Makoro and Kanye in Botswana were carried out in order to apply multivariate analyses in understanding grain size distribution trends. Kaolin samples from both study sites consisted mainly of the silt (2-49 µm) fraction: (2 µm) x =18.11%; (2-49 µm) x =79.55% and (50 µm) x = 2.35% for the Makoro samples, and 23.33%, 75.03% and 1.30% respectively for the Kanye samples Clay fractions ranged from 5.0% to 42.7% with a median of 20.35% among the 30 Makoro samples, and from 4.8% to 33.3% with a median of 24.85% among the 26 Kanye samples. Particle densities for samples from both Makoro and Kanye ranged from 2.64 to 2.66gcm-3. Makoro samples contained significantly higher proportions of clay and sand, and lower percentages of silt than Kanye samples. The Kanye samples were quite distinguishable from the Makoro samples using modal size and surface area of particles. The results depicted values for particle density, mean, mode, and surface area of clayey grains to be consistent with those obtained from other kaolin deposits and occurrences from around the world.Keywords: granulometric characteristics, kaolinitic sediments, multivariate analyses, grain size distribution Botswana Journal of Technology Vol 14(1) 2005: 36-4

The use of mixture distributions to model particle size data from the Mega-Kalahari

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:7769.0860(SU-DPS-RR--313/88) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Desire to Work in an Organization Forever Among University Employees in Botswana

The importance of commitment of employees to their organizations is evident in the volume of research that continues to be conducted on the subject and in the research findings that have linked high levels of commitment to favourable organizational outcomes. Factors that lead to differential levels of commitment appear to differ from one context to another. For this reason, each organization should periodically determine the extent to which its employees remain committed, as well as factors that distinguish highly committed employees from those who are less committed to the organization. This study uses one aspect of the construct of affective commitment, namely, the “desire to work for the organization for ever” to study the extent to which a representative sample of 360 employees at a university were committed to the organization. Chi-squared tests of association were used to determine univariate correlates of commitment, while multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine a parsimonious predictive model for commitment. A total of 15 of the numerous factors initially investigated were found to be statistically associated with “desire to work for the organization for ever”. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that only six of the factors associated with “desire to work for the organization for ever” were adequate to predict the type of commitment investigated. These factors were educational attainment, use of food supplements, frequency of symptoms of fatigue, support from supervisors and responsiveness of the management

Desire to Work in an Organization Forever Among University Employees in Botswana

The importance of commitment of employees to their organizations is evident in the volume of research that continues to be conducted on the subject and in the research findings that have linked high levels of commitment to favourable organizational outcomes. Factors that lead to differential levels of commitment appear to differ from one context to another. For this reason, each organization should periodically determine the extent to which its employees remain committed, as well as factors that distinguish highly committed employees from those who are less committed to the organization. This study uses one aspect of the construct of affective commitment, namely, the “desire to work for the organization for ever” to study the extent to which a representative sample of 360 employees at a university were committed to the organization. Chi-squared tests of association were used to determine univariate correlates of commitment, while multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine a parsimonious predictive model for commitment. A total of 15 of the numerous factors initially investigated were found to be statistically associated with “desire to work for the organization for ever”. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that only six of the factors associated with “desire to work for the organization for ever” were adequate to predict the type of commitment investigated. These factors were educational attainment, use of food supplements, frequency of symptoms of fatigue, support from supervisors and responsiveness of the management

Lancet Infect Dis

Background To address the unmet medical need for an effective prophylactic vaccine against Ebola virus we assessed the safety and immunogenicity of three different two-dose heterologous vaccination regimens with a replication-deficient adenovirus type 26 vector-based vaccine (Ad26.ZEBOV), expressing Zaire Ebola virus glycoprotein, and a non-replicating, recombinant, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector-based vaccine, encoding glycoproteins from Zaire Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus, and nucleoprotein from the Tai Forest virus. Methods This randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial was done at seven hospitals in France and two research centres in the UK. Healthy adults (aged 18–65 years) with no history of Ebola vaccination were enrolled into four cohorts. Participants in cohorts I–III were randomly assigned (1:1:1) using computer-generated randomisation codes into three parallel groups (randomisation for cohorts II and III was stratified by country and age), in which participants were to receive an intramuscular injection of Ad26.ZEBOV on day 1, followed by intramuscular injection of MVA-BN-Filo at either 28 days (28-day interval group), 56 days (56-day interval group), or 84 days (84-day interval group) after the first vaccine. Within these three groups, participants in cohort II (14:1) and cohort III (10:3) were further randomly assigned to receive either Ad26.ZEBOV or placebo on day 1, followed by either MVA-BN-Filo or placebo on days 28, 56, or 84. Participants in cohort IV were randomly assigned (5:1) to receive one dose of either Ad26.ZEBOV or placebo on day 1 for vector shedding assessments. For cohorts II and III, study site personnel, sponsor personnel, and participants were masked to vaccine allocation until all participants in these cohorts had completed the post-MVA-BN-Filo vaccination visit at 6 months or had discontinued the trial, whereas cohort I was open-label. For cohort IV, study site personnel and participants were masked to vaccine allocation until all participants in this cohort had completed the post-vaccination visit at 28 days or had discontinued the trial. The primary outcome, analysed in all participants who had received at least one dose of vaccine or placebo (full analysis set), was the safety and tolerability of the three vaccination regimens, as assessed by participant-reported solicited local and systemic adverse events within 7 days of receiving both vaccines, unsolicited adverse events within 42 days of receiving the MVA-BN-Filo vaccine, and serious adverse events over 365 days of follow-up. The secondary outcome was humoral immunogenicity, as measured by the concentration of Ebola virus glycoprotein-binding antibodies at 21 days after receiving the MVA-BN-Filo vaccine. The secondary outcome was assessed in the per-protocol analysis set. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02416453, and EudraCT, 2015-000596-27. Findings Between June 23, 2015, and April 27, 2016, 423 participants were enrolled: 408 in cohorts I–III were randomly assigned to the 28-day interval group (123 to receive Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo, and 13 to receive placebo), the 56-day interval group (124 to receive Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo, and 13 to receive placebo), and the 84-day interval group (117 to receive Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo, and 18 to receive placebo), and 15 participants in cohort IV were assigned to receive Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo (n=13) or to receive placebo (n=2). 421 (99·5%) participants received at least one dose of vaccine or placebo. The trial was temporarily suspended after two serious neurological adverse events were reported, one of which was considered as possibly related to vaccination, and per-protocol vaccination was disrupted for some participants. Vaccinations were generally well tolerated. Mild or moderate local adverse events (mostly pain) were reported after 206 (62%) of 332 Ad26.ZEBOV vaccinations, 136 (58%) of 236 MVA-BN-Filo vaccinations, and 11 (15%) of 72 placebo injections. Systemic adverse events were reported after 255 (77%) Ad26.ZEBOV vaccinations, 116 (49%) MVA-BN-Filo vaccinations, and 33 (46%) placebo injections, and included mostly mild or moderate fatigue, headache, or myalgia. Unsolicited adverse events occurred after 115 (35%) of 332 Ad26.ZEBOV vaccinations, 81 (34%) of 236 MVA-BN-Filo vaccinations, and 24 (33%) of 72 placebo injections. At 21 days after receiving the MVA-BN-Filo vaccine, geometric mean concentrations of Ebola virus glycoprotein-binding antibodies were 4627 ELISA units (EU)/mL (95% CI 3649–5867) in the 28-day interval group, 10 131 EU/mL (8554–11 999) in the 56-day interval group, and 11 312 mL (9072–14106) in the 84-day interval group, with antibody concentrations persisting at 1149–1205 EU/mL up to day 365. Interpretation The two-dose heterologous regimen with Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo was safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic, with humoral and cellular immune responses persisting for 1 year after vaccination. Taken together, these data support the intended prophylactic indication for the vaccine regimen. Funding Innovative Medicines Initiative and Janssen Vaccines & Prevention BV