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Communities in WIReDSpace

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 19

Recent Submissions

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Online learning instructional design facilitating participation, engagement, and interaction at a Higher Educational Institution in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-07) Monyau, Thabiso Rantoana Ivan; Ndlovu, Nokulunga Sithabile
Online learning is now a practical alternative to traditional methods of instruction for access to education. This mode of instructional delivery comes with adaptations in both teaching and learning, and it demands stable access to digital resources and technological skills. Universities in developing countries like South Africa are still striving to adopt and adapt to new ways of providing education due to lack of capacity and shortage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. This study aimed to investigate what informs the online learning instructional design of two online courses offered in a South African university to facilitate students’ and facilitators’ Participation, engagement, and Interaction (PEI). The inductive approach was used to collect and analyse data for this study that adopted case-study research strategy. Facilitator interviews, document analyses, and questionnaires issued to students were used as research instruments. The findings suggested that, the way in which the instruction is designed for online learning determines students’ and facilitators’ PEI, and students’ and facilitators’ PEI impact directly on the learning outcomes. Students’ and facilitators’ PEI also redirect learning to social activity of knowledge construction. On this basis, learning communities, collaboration and discussion play a pivotal role in facilitating students’ and facilitators’ PEI for online courses. Feedback and reflection were found as excellent ways to facilitate students’ and facilitators’ PEI that encourage the sharing of knowledge.” However, learner isolation remains a challenge, especially with large online classes and students that lack technological background.
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Investigating the ways in which educational credentials influence employers’ hiring decisions
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Sekokope, Abram Sello; Shalem, Yael; Allais, Stephanie Matseleng
There is a strong link between formal education and results on the labor market, like employment and earning potential, according to a wealth of research. Academic credentials are frequently seen as a doorway into mainstream economic engagement on a global scale, which justifies corporate and public investment in higher education. What is not always evident are the interpretations that companies give to educational credentials in particular settings, such as hiring decisions, and what these meanings reveal about the recruiting criteria of employers for potential employees. The purpose of this study was to comprehend the significance that employers place on qualifications and how this significance affects the hiring processes. In order to do this, the study looked at the hiring of engineers at two different occupational levels at four South African State-Owned Companies. To ascertain the meanings that employers attach to qualifications when screening CVs for engineering positions, a descriptive phenomenological technique was taken into consideration and enhanced with the use of hypothetical CVs. Three theoretical viewpoints were used as the foundation for this study in order to comprehend employer opinions of what qualifications actually mean. They were the credentialism theory, the screening and signalling theories, and the human capital theory. According to the study, ownership of a qualification gave an individual a competitive edge in the labor market and was viewed as a main selection criterion from all three theoretical viewpoints. Main findings: The selection criteria for the two engineering positions at the two distinct levels were compared in this study. First, the results imply that the recruiting standards for a Junior Manager Mechanical Engineering post and an Electrical Engineering Technician, a lesser entry-level role, differ significantly. I discovered that the primary distinction between the two was the importance of qualifications in the hiring process for lower entry-level positions. The findings indicate that at this level, employers view qualifications as the main criterion for choosing the best applicant for the position because they believe they provide a sufficient indication of the knowledge and skills needed to perform the work. According to the statistics, individuals with the most relevant credentials and those who earned high marks in their degrees and certifications were seen as having a greater understanding of the subject matter of their credentials and were therefore given preference during the hiring process. This result appears to support the human capital theory's assertion that qualifications represent knowledge and abilities because it substantially aligns with its underlying premises. Secondly, I found that, when it came to the management role, candidates' qualifications were not taken into account in isolation but rather coupled with additional credentials, such as prior work experience. In reality, I discovered that in this area, job experience was valued equally to or even more than qualifications when hiring at management levels. For instance, it seemed that companies would prefer to go with someone with work experience in some situations, such as when the minimal qualification criteria was not entirely completed. Although the focus of my study was on qualifications, some of the companies made a strong case for the value of prior job experience, sometimes at the price of qualifications. While this does not go against the principle of human capital, it does imply that job experience may be viewed as a more valuable indicator of applicable human capital than qualifications for management roles. Finally, I discovered that job experience was essential for the development of soft skills like problem solving, teamwork, communication, and leadership, among others. According to the statistics, these talents can be developed over time with the proper amount of work experience, mentoring, and coaching. Fourth, I discovered that the relationship between work experience and qualifications was complex and complementary, and that worker productivity was not a function of qualifications alone. According to study findings, companies would enrol recent graduates in WIL programs largely to supplement their education with relevant work experience, which would help them grow and maximize their productivity. Finally, I discovered that employers believed all schools were regulated and followed the same national standards of teaching and learning, thus they did not consider institutional reputation when choosing qualified applicants. This also resonates more with the human capital idea rather than the credentialism theory, which provides a social closure perspective, and assumes that the more prestigious universities are associated with better quality graduates. My interpretation of the aforementioned five key findings leads me to believe that employers primarily view qualifications as stand-ins for the actual knowledge and abilities needed to do the job. However, even when they were not just relying on qualifications, they still looked for qualities like job experience and soft skills, which are all referred to in literature as examples of human capital. These results strongly imply that the human capital theory is more important in explaining and influencing hiring decisions for engineering candidates. Human capital theory appears to have replaced qualifications as the predominate mechanism for explaining employment choices in the engineering sector, despite a few modest hints that qualifications served as a sort of screening function. In a discipline like engineering, where the body of knowledge is very closely correlated to the job that needs to be done, this makes sense.
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University of Mpumalanga Students' Use of Moodle in Promoting Mathematics Self-Directed Learning
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Makhubele, Yeyisani Evans; Makonye, Judah Paul
Research indicates that most students admitted at universities are underprepared in terms of self-directed learning. There is evidence that suggests that students who are not self-directed learners face a greater risk of failure when placed in the rich but complex environment of online learning. This mixed-method study investigates the students’ experiences on Moodle in promoting mathematics self-directed learning (SDL). This study utilises an explanatory sequential mixed method design and a pragmatic paradigm for data collection. The study used four data sources, namely, the pre-evaluation questionnaires (150 participants), the post evaluation questionnaires (150 participants), the action logs and semi-structured interviews with six (N = 6) participants who were randomly selected. Two students were selected from one standard deviation of the mean, two from one standard deviation above the mean, and two from one standard deviation below the mean. This selection provided a varied reflection of the students’ experiences than concentrating solely on the high or low end. The study sought to answer the following research question: What relationship exists between Moodle Learning Management system and students’ self-directed learning? And how do students use Moodle Learning Management system for self-directed learning? These research questions were underpinned by a specific set of research objectives. These research objectives were aimed at identifying the relationship that exists between Moodle Learning management system and students’ self-directed learning, and also evaluating the readiness level of self-directed learning among first year students. This study utilises the Planned E-learning Interactions Framework. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The pre-evaluation questionnaire was used to measure the higher or lower readiness for students’ SDL. 150 students completed this pre-evaluation questionnaire. The overall data analysis of the pre-evaluation questionnaire shows that the total mean for all the questions is 2.87, and the standard deviation is 0.88. The relative standard deviation (RSD) is therefore 2.9 ± 30.7%. This shows that the data is tightly clustered around the mean which is 2.9. The data is spread around the undecided score which is three. The main findings from the pre-evaluation questionnaire indicate that the majority of first year students lacked the technological skills needed to manoeuvre the Moodle platform. Their self-directed learning skills were low, and they display a low positive attitude towards Moodle learning. A post-evaluation questionnaire was then administered to measure the higher or lower readiness for students’ SDL after Moodle learning intervention strategies were implemented. 150 students completed this post-evaluation questionnaire. used. In terms of the post evaluation questionnaire, the overall data analysis shows that the total mean for all the questions is 4.43, and the standard deviation is 0.68. The relative standard deviation (RSD) is 4.3 ± 15.3%. This shows that the data is tightly clustered around the mean which is 4.3. The 15.3% shows more data is spread around four relative standard deviation which confirms that the participants’ choices are closer to the mean, which is itself closer to the undecided score. The data shows that students have high self-management skills, high desire for mathematics learning and display high self-concept skills in their learning. Students therefore display high positive attitude towards Moodle teaching and learning. The qualitative findings indicate that students have the capacity to take ownership of their learning in ways exemplified by self-directed learners. This study recommends that universities should invest a significant amount of energy and resources in orientation programs designed to assist first-year students in developing a sense of self as students and a sense of affiliation with their institution and course. With increasing use of information and communication technologies in education, students entering university need a basic level of computer proficiency to be able to access course material and complete assignments. Computer basic skills assist and encourage students to be self-directed, autonomous learners.
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Platinum-bearing chromite layers are caused by pressure reduction during magma ascent
(Nature Research, 2018) Latypov, Rais; Costin, Gelu; Chistyakova, Sofya; Hunt, Emma J.; Mukherjee, Ria; Naldrett, Tony
Platinum-bearing chromitites in mafic-ultramafic intrusions such as the Bushveld Complex are key repositories of strategically important metals for human society. Basaltic melts saturated in chromite alone are crucial to their generation, but the origin of such melts is controversial. One concept holds that they are produced by processes operating within the magma chamber, whereas another argues that melts entering the chamber were already saturated in chromite. Here we address the problem by examining the pressure-related changes in the topology of a Mg2SiO4–CaAl2Si2O8–SiO2–MgCr2O4 quaternary system and by thermodynamic modelling of crystallisation sequences of basaltic melts at 1–10 kbar pressures. We show that basaltic melts located adjacent to a so-called chromite topological trough in deep-seated reservoirs become saturated in chromite alone upon their ascent towards the Earth’s surface and subsequent cooling in shallow-level chambers. Large volumes of these chromite-only-saturated melts replenishing these chambers are responsible for monomineralic layers of massive chromitites with associated platinum-group elements.
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Dental occupations in transition: Boundary contestation and curricula for Oral hygienists in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Vergotine, Glynnis; Allais, Stephanie; Shalem, Yael
This study sought to understand how changes to the scope and autonomy of the oral hygiene occupation in South Africa have influenced relations among dental occupations. Over the past two decades, legislative advances in South Africa have sanctioned new possibilities for mid-level dental occupations such as oral hygienists, allowing them greater independence and additional procedures. The division of labour within the dental profession is that oral hygienists and dental therapists supplement the work that dentists do by offering some of the basic dental services. The changes to oral hygienists’ scope and independence have initiated boundary contestations around the work and training of dental professionals. The qualitative study involved analysing relevant regulatory documents and included semi-structured interviews with representatives of professional bodies and regulatory bodies as well as practitioners and lecturers representing the three dental occupations, and curriculum analyses. A key empirical finding is that the regulatory changes have not been implemented and this is so not only because of contestations by dentists. The study highlights boundary contestations between dentists and oral hygienists. These contestations are about specific procedures in the expanded scope of practice and the opportunity for hygienists to practice independently. The study found that boundaries have been established from outside of the oral hygiene occupation by dentists, to control their work and training. Dentists’ power is exhibited in the labour market and the education and training arena and provides justifications for why the official legislative changes in scope are not being implemented. Despite this, hygienists also place boundaries on themselves, so within the occupation, there are various ways in which hygienists limit their advancement. The hygienists are hesitant to perform certain procedures and have not opened independent practices. This suggests that pressure to narrow the scope and autonomy may not only come from outside of occupations but also from the inside of an occupation. The thesis shows a web of power relations between occupations and provides insights into a dominant occupation controlling the jurisdiction of subordinate occupations; but more unusually, it reveals the dynamics within the mid-level occupation that stifle its advancement.