The chameleon-like characteristics and aspects of learning in higher education

Published ArticleSouth African higher education institutions required a coherent teaching and learning model, but the effectiveness of such a model is jeopardised by the rapidly changing higher education world and culture. The hope for the future within this chameleon-like higher education context for educators is not to change the student, but to effectively and efficiently change the context experienced by the students. This article attempts to highlight not only that a paradigm shift is required from the new learning facilitator in this proposed holistic learning-based approach, but also adaptation in terms of various innovations and demands in the higher education practice

Whose story is it anyway? The ethics of narration and the narration of ethics in Summertime and Die Sneeuslaper

Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation analyses and compares the narrative strategies in J.M. Coetzee’s Summertime and Marlene van Niekerk’s Die sneeuslaper and considers the implications of these strategies for the authors’ exploration of the ethics of writing. Much has been written about the literary oeuvres of both Coetzee and Van Niekerk, including studies of the translations of Van Niekerk’s Afrikaans novels into English. There are few “interlingual” comparative studies of contemporary works in Afrikaans and English, however, and certainly none to my knowledge which compares the work of Coetzee and Van Niekerk. My contribution to the conversation about Coetzee’s and Van Niekerk’s work, but also to an increasingly multilingual and interconnected South African literary criticism, will be a comparison of one recent work by each of these two authors, written in English and Afrikaans respectively. I draw on the theories of Bakhtin, Barthes and Levinas to consider the ethical dimension of texts in which “double-voicedness”, a questioning not only of existence, but of the self is fore grounded in the content and narrative structure; where there is a shift in focus from the author to the reader (“the birth of the reader”) and “utterances” are made with the response of “the other” in mind

Design of an autonomous underwater vehicle : vehicle tracking and position control.

Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.This project proposes the development of an autonomous underwater vehicle that can be used to perform underwater research missions..The vehicle can be pre-programmed to complete a specified mission. Missions may include underwater pipe inspection, a survey of the sea floor or just the transport of given sensors to a certain depth or position and take measurements of underwater conditions. The Mechatronics and Micro Manufacturing group at the CSIR is engaged in developing a portfolio of autonomous vehicles as well as fur- ther research into the development and implementation of such vehicles. Underwater vehicles will form part of the portfolio of autonomous vehicle research. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are mostly used for research purposes in oceanographic studies as well as climate studies. These scientists use AUVs to carry a payload of sensors to specified depths and take measurements of underwater conditions, such as water temperature, water salinity or carbon levels as carbon is being released by plankton or other ocean organisms. Very little information is available about what is happening below the surface of the oceans and AUVs are being used to investigate this relatively unknown environment. The area covered by the world's ocean is 361 million km2 with an average depth of 3790 m. The deepest surveyed depth point in the ocean is at a depth of about 11 000 m at the southern end of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. This just shows the need for research into this mostly unexplored world. Research and exploration in the oceans can be achieved through the use of autonomous underwater vehicles. A big problem to overcome is the fact that GPS is not available for navigation in an underwater environment. Other sensors need to be found to be used for navigational purposes. The particular vehicle developed for this study will be used to facili- tate further research into underwater vehicle navigation and underwater robotics

A mathematical investigation of the effects of sexual orientation and HIV status on HPV transmission and vaccination

The effect of the inclusion of sexual behaviour, particularly three sexual orientation classes, on the transmission dynamics of HPV and cervical cancer incidence was investigated. A comprehensive literature review of mathematical models of HPV transmission and the natural history of cervical cancer was concluded. A mathematical model using ordinary differential equations was developed, which incorporated the three sexual orientation classes, and a sexual mixing algorithm for modelling the transmission dynamics. Reproduction numbers, determined through a simplified version of the developed model, indicated that the bisexual population could form a bridge between the heterosexual and homosexual population. The level of interaction is determined by the selection preferences of a bisexual individual to form a partnership with an individual of the same or opposite sex. The model was simulated, with parameters based on a South African population and HPV type 16/18, to investigate the effects of HIV status, sexual orientation and various vaccination strategies on HPV transmission and cervical cancer incidence. The results indicated that HIV status is a significant factor when determining cervical cancer incidence. The results regarding vaccination strategies agreed with results from the literature review with a two sex before sexual debut and catch up program the most effective, noting that with increased vaccination coverage of females the marginal impact on cervical cancer incidence of this approach diminished

The epidemiology of injuries in professional rugby union in South Africa

The first aim of this study was therefore to review the available literature on the epidem iology of injuries in professional rugby. The second aim was to collect data on medical profiles, previous injuries, use of protective gear, medication and nutritional supplements in South African professional rugby players. Thirdly, the incidence, nature and circumstances surrounding injuries in a cohort of professional South African rugby players were documented. The data collected was compared with available literature

THE DESIGN AND STRUCTURE OF A RESOURCE-BASED LEARNING ACADEMIC STAFF DEVELOPMENT MODEL

ThesisSleutelwoorde: akademikus, brongebaseerde leer, fasiliteerder, hoer onderwys, personeelontwikkeling, personeelontwikkelingsmodel, transformasie. ereldwyd, asook in Suid-Afrika, word die reputasie van hoer onderwys bepaal Wdeur die vermoe om gehaltepersoneel te werf en te behou. Hoer onderwys benodig dus mense met vakkundigheid en toegewydheid om die werkverrigting van instellings binne 'n kompeterende omgewing te handhaaf en te verbeter. Kwaliteit menslike hulpbronbestuur sal die sleutel tot sukses wees. Doeltreffende kennisoordrag en -produksie is die sentrale doel van die SuidAfrikaanse hoer onderwys. Die leerkonteks het as gevolg van transformasie-eise verander. Een so verandering is die paradigmaskuif van keenisoordrag na leer. Die sleutel in beter en verskillende benaderings tot leer en leiding Ie, bv. nie slegs nuwe vorme van leer nie, maar ook transformasie van rolle en nuwe aanbiedingsmetodes - waarvan brongebaseerde leer een is. Hierdie studie het dus gepoog om die hoeronderwyspraktyk te verbeter - waar brongebaseerde leer beskou word as een van die mees bruikbare, suksesvolle en aanvaarbare benaderings tot kurrikulumaanbieding. Dit is ook maklik aanpasbaar vir verskeie style van instruksie en metodes van leer. Die doel van hierdie studie was om bogenoemde komplekse uitdagings aan te spreek, 'n brongebaseerde akademiese personeelontwikkelingsmodel te ontwerp, asook die struktuur te bepaal. Hierdie voorgstelde model ondersoek drie areas van personeelontwikkeling, naamlik brongebaseerde bekwaamhede/bevoegdhede (bv. kennis, vaardighede, houdings en toepassing), rolle en verbeteringstrategiee. Die resultate van hierdie studie is gebaseer op vraelysresponse van 46 brongebaseerde akademici, fokusgroepe, asook kommentaar van brongebaseerde deskundiges. Die belangrikste resultate is 5005 volg: oDie meeste van die deelnemers het hul gebrek aan brongebaseerde bekwaamheid bevestig, wat die behoefte aan die voorgstelde model en ge'identifiseerde verbeteringstrategiee beklemtoon. oDie meeste brongebaseerde akademici het probleme ondervind met die balansering van hoeronderwysdruk en druk van die regering. o Hoe werkladings en beperkte tyd verhoog die druk, wat die moontlikheid van stres verhoog. o Houdingsfaktore be'invloed ook brongebaseerde bekwaamheid. Diegene wat sterk gemotiveerd is, vertoon inisiatiewe ten opsigte van innovering en vordering. Die voorgestelde model het nie net die brongebaseerde akademikus ingesluit nie, maar ook die institusionele profiel wat op 'n strategiese en sistematiese wyse deur middel van 'n sikliese proses uitnemendheid op die gebied va n , brongebaseerde onderwys bereik

Networking : a professional development strategy

Published ArticleNetworking plays a crucial role in an academic's professional development. The reason for this is locked up in the process of taking advantage of contacts with other people for career and professional purposes. In the past the biggest misconception about networking was that it was unfair to take advantage of your personal and/or professional network to further your career. Although this has been denied by various authors, the perception remains present. The important qualities/traits needed for successful networking are confidence, initiative and comfortable interaction with other people

Research-readiness in postgraduate students : how do we recognise it and overcome possible deficiencies?

Published ArticleDue to ever-increasing strains, quality improvement of research degree programmes is imperative for the South African postgraduate landscape. This research explored the recognition and overcoming of research-readiness deficiencies in university of technology postgraduate students within the ambit of South African higher education transformation. This formative-evaluative case study generated data through a questionnaire survey, focus groups and interviews. The results identified motivation and commitment, managerial and academic-writing research-readiness deficiencies. These results also suggested that recognising and overcoming these research-readiness deficiencies could lead to conceptualised, critical and creative work in university of technology postgraduate studies

Age and growth of two populations of West Coast steenbras Lithognathus aureti in Namibian waters, based on otolith readings and mark-recapture data

Age and growth of West Coast steenbras Lithognathus aureti, sampled from two separate populations (northern and southern) along Namibia's coast, was determined using sectioned otoliths, and the results were validated using mark-recapture data. For both populations, the special three-parameter Von Bertalanffy growth model described growth adequately. Growth of the southern population was described by the equation Lt = 73.556 (1– e-0.065(t+3.92)) cm and for the northern population by Lt = 84.601(1– e-0.088(t+2.756) cm. Environmental conditions, such as difference in sea surface temperature, density-dependent competition for food, or biochemical genetic variations between the two populations, are possible reasons for the geographic differences found in the growth rates and length-at-age. Slow growth and longevity are characteristics of West Coast steenbras that make it extremely susceptible to overfishing; careful management of the resource is therefore essential. Keywords: age, growth, mark-recapture, otoliths, West Coast steenbrasAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2001, 23: 169–17

Undergraduate research preparation is crucial for postgraduate studies

Published ArticleWorldwide, including in South Africa, involvement in research is making increasing quality demands on higher education institutions in terms of sustaining high-level research capability and involvement on an efficient and effective basis. These are complex issues, particularly when concerns such as the quality of postgraduate training, lengthy postgraduate completion rates and the high percentage of suspension of postgraduate studies are present. These are just some of the issues leading to this improvement-oriented study investigating new-generation postgraduate students at a case-study university of technology. The research methodology applied in this study was primarily a qualitative research method, supported by a quantitative research element