Cyber security education is as essential as “The Three R’s”

Smartphones have diffused rapidly across South African society and constitute the most dominant information and communication technologies in everyday use. That being so, it is important to ensure that all South Africans know how to secure their smart devices. This requires a high level of security awareness and knowledge. As yet, there is no formal curriculum addressing cyber security in South African schools. Indeed, it seems to be left to Universities to teach cyber security principles, and they currently only do this when students take computing-related courses. The outcome of this approach is that only a very small percentage of South Africans, i.e. those who take computing courses at University, are made aware of cyber security risks and know how to take precautions. Moreover, because this group is overwhelmingly male, this educational strategy disproportionately leaves young female South Africans vulnerable to cyber attacks. We thus contend that cyber security ought to be taught as children learn the essential “3 Rs” – delivering requisite skills at University level does not adequately prepare young South Africans for a world where cyber security is an essential skill. Starting to provide awareness and knowledge at primary school, and embedding it across the curriculum would, in addition to ensuring that people have the skills when they need them, also remove the current gender imbalance in cyber security awareness

Comparative study of admissions criteria of a selection of South African universities

Summary: The new school-leaving certificate, the National Senior Certificate (NSC), was awarded for the first time in 2008. This necessitated a relook at the entrance requirements for university, as the school subjects offered, and the evaluation thereof, had changed considerably compared with those for the previous schoolleaving certificate (Senior Certificate). It became important for universities to adjust their admission requirements from the 2009 firstyear intake onwards. The admission requirements of nine universities (considered by FinWeek, 18 March 2010, to be similar in terms of effectiveness and classification) were compared. The universities are: the University of the Free State (UOFS), the University of the Western Cape (UWC/WestCapU), the University of KwaZuluNatal (UKZN), the University of Pretoria (UP/UPret), NorthWest University (NWU/NWestU), the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS/UWits), the University of Cape Town (UCT), Rhodes University (Rhodes/RhodesU) and the University of Stellenbosch (US/UStell). (The second abbreviation appearing in some cases is the abbreviation used in Figure 1, which was taken directly from Finweek.) Effectiveness is defined by FinWeek as a combination of the following: undergraduate success rate; graduates as percentage of total enrolment; research output units and contracted research, while classification of institutions is defined as a range from mainly undergraduate training institutions to mainly researchled institutions. This study considered how the nine selected South African universities utilise the NSC results to select students for their mathematical statistics and computer science degrees. Some of the universities use only the NSC results for placement, while others use a combination of the NSC results and some additional admission tests. At most universities the NSC results are combined into an admission point score (APS). This APS is calculated differently at the different universities. The following questions were investigated: How is the APS calculated by each of the nine universities considered in this study? What minimum APS is required for general entrance to undergraduate studies at these universities? What minimum APS do students need to enter a three-year programme in mathematical statistics or computer science at these nine universities? To compare the admission requirements of the universities considered, the entrance requirements documents of the various universities were studied and compared. Furthermore, secondary data of the University of the Western Cape were used to illustrate the differences in the APSs for these universities. A sample of 176 students who matriculated in 2008 with six or more designated NSC subjects and who were in their first year at UWC in 2009 was considered for this study. The UWC data were used to calculate the APSs according to the 2011 admission requirements of the nine universities. In general, students have to offer a minimum of four subjects from the designated subject list, with a level 4 (≥50 percent) or more, to qualify for university admission. For this study only students who had completed six or more designated subjects were considered. To further contain the study, only students that could possibly have qualified for a mathematical statistics or computer science degree were considered. These programmes require school mathematics and not mathematical literacy as a subject. Both these programmes are offered at all the universities considered in this study and could, therefore, be compared. The method for calculating the APS differs substantially between the universities, as does the minimum score required for university admission. To compare the minimum required APS for admission to the respective selected universities the research data of 176 UWC students were used. It was found that only 11 percent of the 176 students admitted to UWC would have qualified for admission at UCT. Although UWC and Rhodes use similar methods for calculating their APSs they have very different minimum APS requirements: Rhodes requires an APS of 40, whereas UWC requires an APS of only 27. Consequently Rhodes would have accepted only 18 percent of the students that were accepted by UWC. Due to the stricter mathematics requirement for the programmes considered, fewer students qualify for these programmes than would have qualified for general university admission. In order to see what APS would be necessary for a student studying at UWC to successfully complete a first year, the 2009 end-of-year university results of the 176 students of this pilot study were used. Of the 176 UWC students that started their studies in 2009, only 108 (61 percent) progressed to the next academic year in 2010. Their average UWC APS was 41,4 with a 95 percent confidence interval of (40,4; 42,3). If a simplified method is used for calculating the APS, namely summing the school scores (without life orientation (LO)), the 95 percent confidence interval for the mean APS of the students that progressed is (30,4; 32,1). It needs to be noted that both UWC and Rhodes use a more complex method of calculating the APS which inflates the APS by approximately 10 points. Currently universities differ considerably in their calculation of the APS as well as their minimum entrance requirements. A simplified and standardised method for the calculation of the APS would allow learners and other stakeholders to easily determine the APS required to be selected for a particular tertiary programme. For most programmes further school subject requirements are specified. For the mathematical statistics and computer science programmes at the universities studied, the difference in the school mathematics requirement is most pronounced. According to this pilot study the APS a student requires to successfully complete the first academic year at UWC, is approximately 30 when the simplified method to calculate the APS is used (summing the scores of six designated school subjects (without LO)). An APS of 30 is currently being used by UP, UKZN and UFS as the minimum requirement for selection. Their method of calculating the APS is very similar to the method proposed by this study. Additional studies would need to be carried out to confirm the results of this pilot study. Further studies are also needed to determine how the scores of the nondesignated subjects should be adjusted for possible inclusion in the calculation of the APS. The NSC is now standardised across South Africa. If the APS is also calculated in a standardised manner it should be sufficient to use this information to determine which students would be able to succeed at university. The minimum admission requirement could vary from university to university depending on the programme for which a student applies. The minimum APS for a programme should be carefully considered and adjusted so that selected students have a chance to succeed. If academically underprepared students are selected for tertiary studies the universities should be aware that these students will need extensive extracurricular assistance. Without additional interventions these underprepared students will have no chance of succeeding at university, which is ethically unjustifiable.Department of HE and Training approved listDepartment of HE and Training approved lis

Fast tracking students from disadvantaged backgrounds into main stream Computer Science

A computer-based training (CBT) system was used to teach Computer Literacy to full-time students at the University of the Western Cape. This approach was successful in creating computer literate students as well as creating an opportunity for students from educationally disadvantaged schools to enter the Computer Science course. The students experienced this new approach to learning positively. This has laid the foundation to export the computer-based education model to communities outside the university. Lifelong learning opportunities will thus be created.Department of HE and Training approved lis

The impact of an electricity generation tax on the South African economy

In the 2008 budget of the Minister of Finance, the South African Government proposed to impose a 2 cents/kilowatt-hour (c/kWh) tax on the sale of electricity generated from non-renewable sources; this tax is to be collected at source by the producers/generators of electricity. The intention of this measure is to serve a dual purpose of protecting the environment and helping to manage the current electricity supply shortages by reducing demand. The objective here is to evaluate the impact of such an electricity generation tax on the South African, SACU and SADC economies. The paper firstly considers the theoretical foundations of an electricity generation tax supported by international experiences in this regard. This section also contrasts the suitability of a permit with a tax system to achieve CO2 emission reduction. We subsequently apply the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model to evaluate the impact of an electricity generation tax on the South African, SACU and SADC economies. We simulate the proposed tax as a 10 percent increase in the output price of electricity. We assume a closure rule that allows unskilled labour to migrate and a limited skilled workforce. As expected, the electricity generation tax will reduce demand. Due to the decrease in domestic demand, export volume increases and import volume decreases, this is despite a weaker terms of trade. We also found that unemployment for unskilled labour increases and wages of skilled workers are expected to decrease. A unilateral electricity generation tax will benefit other SACU and SADC countries through an improvement in relative competitiveness, as shown by the improvement of the terms of trade for these regions. If, however, the benefits of pollution abatement are internalised, then electricity generation tax is expected to yield a positive effect on the South African economy.

A bridge over the computer science graduate skill gap

Paper presented at X World Conference on Computers in Education, 2-5 July 2013; Toruń, PolandUniversities are increasingly required to respond to the ever evolving needs of an ever more sophisticated and globalised workplace, which requires well-rounded workers with more than mere technical knowledge. Employers expect their prospective employees to already have acquired a range of professional and personal skills. Universities face a challenge in helping students to develop these skills and it is debatable whether this can be achieved within the university environment. What is needed is a way for students to interact with the outside world as part of their undergraduate programme in a situated learning environment. This paper reports on a computer science assignment specifically designed to develop professional and personal as well as discipline-specific skills. The results suggest that situated learning assignments are indeed able to enhance the development of precisely those soft skills which are so valued by employers

Tailoring IT Education for Effective IT Professionals in a Third World Setting

Small group learning combined with innovative teaching methods were introduced at tertiary level to teach computer-related subjects. Teams were constituted according to Belbin’s theory of effective team building. A study conducted over two years showed that certain qualities needed in the IT field were lacking in these students

Cyber security education is as essential as “the three R's”

Smartphones have diffused rapidly across South African society and constitute the most dominant information and communication technologies in everyday use. That being so, it is important to ensure that all South Africans know how to secure their smart devices. Doing so requires a high level of security awareness and knowledge. As yet, there is no formal curriculum addressing cyber security in South African schools. Indeed, it seems to be left to universities to teach cyber security principles, and they currently only do this when students take computingrelated courses. The outcome of this approach is that only a very small percentage of South Africans, i.e. those who take computing courses at university, are made aware of cyber security risks and know how to take precautions. In this paper we found that, because this group is overwhelmingly male, this educational strategy disproportionately leaves young South African women vulnerable to cyber-attacks. We thus contend that cyber security ought to be taught as children learn the essential “3 Rs”—delivering requisite skills at University level does not adequately prepare young South Africans for a world where cyber security is an essential skill. Starting to provide awareness and knowledge at primary school, and embedding it across the curriculum would, in addition to ensuring that people have the skills when they need them, also remove the current gender imbalance in cyber security awareness

Smartphone security awareness, perceptions and practices:a Welsh higher education case study

Higher Education students are purported to be heavy users of technology; specifically smartphones, which represent the “Internet of Things” (IoT). These have revolutionized every sector of public and personal lives, and also revolutionised teaching and learning within Higher Education, providing students a 21st century learning experience. The way students engage with each other, with institutions of higher learning, and with their own learning, has changed dramatically. The smartphone is used to assist with all areas of their lives; however, a plethora of security issues accompanies its use. Cybersecurity perceptions are said to inform security practices and precautionary-related behaviours. If perceptions are skewed, the necessary security behaviours might be inadequate. The main objective of this quantitative study was to investigate the level of smartphone security awareness of Higher Education students undertaking a Business degree at a Welsh University during the 2016-17 and 2018-19 academic years. Understanding whether students have acquired prior cybersecurity knowledge through formal means was key to understanding whether there was a link between security education, security awareness, smartphone security behaviours, perceptions and practices.This research therefore aimed to investigate:1) The level of smartphone security awareness depicted in the attitudes, behaviours, knowledge and competences of these university students;2) Any gender differences in terms of attitudes, behaviours, knowledge and competences regarding smartphone security awareness;3) The importance of cybersecurity awareness training.Participants in this study were largely male, with half of the participants having undertaken a prior information communication technology related type courses. Almost all participants recognised that there were security related issues with social networking and location based applications. The majority of participants did not deploy measures to prevent viruses, this being the case for significantly more females. More than half of the participants used some mechanisms to protect their data. However, significantly more of the 2018-19 participant group compared to the 2016-17 participant group indicated that they did not do this. Moreover, a large proportion of the participants were unaware of the liability linked to the use of social media and the related rules applicable. This study suggests that students who received some formal information communication technology training prior to university entry were more aware of the security risks and their behaviours reflect this. Despite this, the level of smartphone security awareness is not as high as it should be which is in keeping with other research findings. This study suggests that as technology and digital literacy gain further importance, smartphone security literacy training should not be left to chance. . It is clear that education and training should occur early in the education life cycle, and should be a lifelong learning activity

Higher Education Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning during COVID-19—A Comparative Study

The pandemic and subsequent ‘lockdown’ has dramatically changed the educational landscape of higher education institutions. Pre-covid-19, traditional universities had choices in pedagogical practice, which included a variety of teaching delivery modes. Overnight, a single mode of delivery became the only option for traditional higher education institutions. All services had to be migrated to digital platforms, leading to a period of “emergency eLearning”. The full impact of this sudden shift to digital platforms on all cohorts of students is still uncertain. A measure of disruption to the normal student learning experience, especially for those attending traditional universities, was inevitable. Moreover, this disruption was varied depending on the University’s country and the country’s lockdown rules. This international, comparative, quantitative research project aimed to investigate and understand the higher education students’ perceptions of emergency eLearning during the first wave of COVID-19. Experiences of students at universities in three countries were evaluated in terms of four dimensions: 1) home learning environment, 2) engagement, 3) participation preference, and 4) impact on learning skills. The research revealed significant differences between the participating universities. The most important differences were in the ‘home learning environment’, followed by ‘engagement’ and the perception of ‘impact on learning skills’. The differences in the ‘home learning environment’ can be attributed to the differing economic and digital development of the surveyed countries: South Africa, Wales, and Hungary. Finally, different cultural backgrounds suggest a noticeable difference in student engagement, participation, and learning skills