USING GOOGLE SITES AS AN INNOVATIVE LEARNING TOOL AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Using engaging and entertaining learning tools and techniques inside and outside the classroom has become imperative in order to ensure, amongst others, subject-matter retention for the scholars of today. These technologies are not restricted to enriching course content alone and can also stimulate and encourage students to participate in collaborative learning processes. In this paper, the use of Google Sites© is described to encourage collaborative learning.. The research findings are supported with outcomes from student questionnaires. The research found that integrating Google Sites© into undergraduate education will be beneficial for improving Information Systems knowledge and competence

Supply elasticity within the South African ICT labour market

Creating a sufficient, sustained supply of tertiary level ICT skills at graduate level to stimulate growth in the developing South African economy is an important concern for all stakeholders involved in the South African ICT labour market. This article furthers the discourse on the much discussed ICT graduate shortage in South Africa by presenting a neo-classical labour market analysis of the demand and the supply of scarce skills ICT graduates in South Africa, validating the existence of a shortage through labour market theory, and then exploring the validity of variables influencing the supply side of this ICT labour market. Reports describing South African ICT skills supply and demand are readily available1, but the consistency and accuracy of these figures have been questioned (Lotriet & Matthee, 2010). Presenting the available data using labour market supply and demand curves provides another angle of approach to this data and an opportunity to validate the existence of a skills shortage (if it exists), as well as reasons for such a shortage. This neo-classical labour market view of the South African ICT skills deficiency is enriched with a discussion about the elasticity of supply within the South African ICT labour market. Findings from this section of the study includes the tendency of an increase in scarce labour supply to trigger further increases in demand for such skills through an increase in capital investments within the scarce skills sectors, causing a yearly supply shortage to remain until capital investments reaches profit-maximizing equilibrium. In the latter part of this article we investigate variables that influence the elasticity of supply within the ICT labour market using a large scale survey of tertiary students. Ways of (i) increasing the elasticity of ICT graduate supply and (ii) increasing the overall ICT graduate supply level through the manipulation of these variables are discussed. Findings include, amongst others, the importance of long term relationships (with well-informed parents and teachers) as primary motivator for tertiary ICT study and the importance of industry informed (demand driven) ICT related subjects at secondary school level as motivation for tertiary ICT study. The match between ICT skills being supplied and demanded also receives mention as part of this conceptual ICT labour market analysis

Combining the Techniques of Joint Application Design and Cooperative Learning in the Information Systems Classroom

It is imperative for Information Systems professionals to be able to work well with other people. Information Systems development is a social process that requires this. It is difficult for tertiary institutions to teach these skills to students while also teaching them the technical skills that they need. This paper proposes a method whereby the techniques of Joint Application Design (JAD) used in industry can be combined with the techniques of cooperative learning in the classroom. It is proposed that this method, will not only promote the learning of the modeling techniques that are used, but will also promote the learning of some of the interpersonal and group skills that are needed by Information System\u27s graduates. A discussion of some of the data from a case study done is presented to support these claims

International ABET Accreditation: From The Perspective Of A South African Information Systems Department

The undergraduate Information Systems program of the Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria recently obtained ABET accreditation. Having an accredited program and keeping it accredited, has quite a few implications on the processes and structure of the department. However, the paper will mainly focus on the difficulties surrounding getting a non-US IS program accredited by a US based accreditation body. It is the hope that the insights that we gained from this experience will assist other hosts of non-US programs in their preparations for ABET accreditation

The Role of the Facilitator Using Group Work in a Systems Analysis Course

Group work encourages creative thinking and provides more efficient problem-solving approaches. The main problem identified in this paper is that students involved in systems analysis courses on tertiary level, struggle to apply theory to real-time situations and find it difficult to generate appropriate modelling solutions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether group work is an effective means to use in the teaching of a systems analysis course, and whether it will improve the effectiveness of how students acquire knowledge of the course content. The perceptions of both facilitators and second year Informatics students were recorded by means of interviews and questionnaires used respectively. It was found that group work positively contributes and adds immense value to the learning experience of students taking a systems analysis course

Shaping solutions with a community: the research design using design science research (DSR) and case study research with an ICT4D project

This paper describes the research design of a mixed method information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) study using design science research (DSR) and case study research in the pragmatic tradition. The study participants are a group of women working as domestic workers in Johannesburg, South Africa and a selected group of organisations. The organisations are included to gain an understanding of their approach to information inclusivity and to evaluate the resulting artefact. The novelty of this study is the combination of DSR with ICT4D, the use of journals as a self-documentation technique to collect data, followed by a design thinking workshop and interviews. The problem that the study addresses is how should the information needs that are meaningful to women working as domestic workers, be effectively translated through the use of ICT in order to enhance their experience of the good life as defined by Sen’s capability approach (1999) and to contribute to the success and social value of ICT4D projects

South African ICT Skills Deficiency

Information Communication Technology (ICT) is part of everyday life and the skills needed are quickly becoming a prerequisite for daily life. There is a dire shortage of ICT skills in South Africa and any attempt to circumvent this problem creates an even greater urgency. Several reports and much research have been conducted to establish the extent of the problem and many proposals and initiatives have been established to address it, but the problem seems to prevail. The aim of this study is to investigate the problems contributing to ICT skills shortages in South Africa, the initiatives in place to address it and to determine a possible need for skills by looking at other research and reports

The Application of Computer Literacy Skills after Completion of the Course in the First Year

This paper investigates whether there is a difference or in fact a way in which one can ensure that the skills being taught through a computer literacy course during a student’s first year of studies are indeed retained and reused throughout their studies to ensure that the university deliver a high quality graduate who can enter the work environment without any technological disadvantages and thus breaching the gap of technologically disadvantaged and computer literate graduates. The research done for this paper does indicate that to some extent, students are retaining some of the skills they were taught during their computer literacy subjects

The Socio-Economic Benefit of the Livestock Traceability System on Communal Beef Farmers in Swaziland

In this article, Swaziland is placed in the forefront as a small African country that implemented a livestock traceability system to benefit both communal and commercial farmers. The communal farmers are also able to export beef to European countries, markers that were previously unavailable to them, due to the successful implementation of the Swaziland Livestock Information and Traceability System (SLITS).  Livestock traceability is briefly explained to align it with the importance of safe food production for human consumption and a few aspects are highlighted. The traceability systems is further explained in terms of its benefit to the rural economy, its role in growing the GDP and the realization of its aims as was initially expected by the Swazi Government. The data collection methods used were a document review, a case study and five interviews. It is concluded that livestock traceability systems should be adopted wider by other developing countries as it has a direct effect on the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor. Its development and implementation remains very expensive, but Swaziland can be used as an example of a country that is able to reap the rewards from a commodity that is ample in their country, but scarce globally, leading to wider food sustainability

A framework to define the impact of sustainable ICT for agriculture projects : the Namibian livestock traceability system

Namibia expanded its livestock traceability system to include data of the Northern communal farmers, with ear-tagging starting in 2010, and full functionality added in 2014. The new technology enables them to export safe meat products to previously-excluded overseas markets. In this article, the complexities of a livestock traceability system are explained to provide one with a sense of the lengths countries like Namibia went through to successfully implement such a system. Next, a new framework is proposed to apply to agricultural development projects, called the Impact-for-sustainable agriculture framework, with all the facets of the framework explained. Finally, the framework is applied to the Namibian Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NamLITS), with the focus on the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs). NamLITS is an example of a successful agricultural development project, and it is hoped that this new framework can be applied to other agricultural initiatives.http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdcam2017Informatic