{"title":"The importance of software engineering code of ethics in a university of technology teaching environment","authors":"R. T. Hans, S. Marebane, J. Coosner","doi":"10.20853/37-4-5282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/37-4-5282","url":null,"abstract":"Computing educators contribute immensely to the development of software engineering graduates, not only in terms of teaching technical skills, but also in ethical development. Positive consideration of software engineering codes of ethics by teachers promotes inclusion in teaching of software development courses. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceived importance of codes of ethics by lecturers who teach software development courses in a university of technology in South Africa. The data was collected using an online survey from 103 educators from two computing departments in a South African UoT; and 44 responses were received. Data was analysed using a t-test to evaluate the difference in responses; and the Pearson Chi-square test was applied to assess the level of association between variables of interest for more conclusive results in addressing the objective of the study. The results of this study indicated that the majority of participants were males; female participants amounted only to 18.2%. Results also reported the majority (95%) of the participants agreeing that lecturers should teach their students the importance of ethical behaviour. SEs have the ability to do good or cause harm with the software products they produce; and SEs have an obligation to reflect on the ethical impact of their software products (p-value<0,05). In addition, an association was presented between the importance of a software engineering code of ethics to a lecturer, and the obligation for SEs to consider ethical implications of their systems. Another statistically significant association between gender and the importance of a software engineering code of ethics to lecturers was shown by the results of the study. This study recommended that the institution consider finding permanent ways of inculcating a culture of ethical conduct into its staff members, encouraging educators to take up professional memberships with professional bodies. These measures will ensure that software development educators are trained to maintain high standards within their profession, embracing the use and adherence to code of ethics in software development.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135440538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teachers' perceptions of how attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may influence learners' career choices","authors":"J. G. Maree, K. Warnock","doi":"10.20853/37-4-5732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/37-4-5732","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports on teachers’ perceptions of how ADHD may influence learners’ career choices. Purposive selection was used to identify six high school teachers who cater specifically for learners with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An exploratory case study design and a qualitative approach were adopted. Data was gathered using an audio-recorded semi-structured focus group interview, and analysed and interpreted using inductive thematic analysis. Findings suggest teachers believe that ADHD affects parents, schooling, and the school environment from an early age, that taking medication for ADHD from an early age may positively and negatively influence affect learners’ career choices, and that intervention to address the longer-term impact of ADHD on learners’ career choices is essential. Moreover, teachers believe that parents play a powerful role in the career choice of learners with ADHD. Future research should include early childhood carers, teachers and other health professionals, and include larger and more diverse groups of participants.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"57 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135441264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. M. Moroaswi, M.H Segabutla, F.M Olifant, M.P Cekiso, Dr Dieperink
{"title":"Investigating students’ self-perceived affective learning during classroom interaction involvement at a South African University","authors":"O. M. Moroaswi, M.H Segabutla, F.M Olifant, M.P Cekiso, Dr Dieperink","doi":"10.20853/37-4-5061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/37-4-5061","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the importance of affective learning as a gateway to learning, it has been neglected in university curricula in many parts of the world. Subsequently, in formal classroom teaching, the bulk of the teachers’ efforts typically go into the cognitive aspects of the teaching and learning and most of the classroom time is earmarked for cognitive outcomes. However, research has shown that the affective domain develops well-rounded students with broad abilities and consequently many scholars advocate for the incorporation of the affective domain in university curricula. Therefore, the aim of this article was to establish and understand the self-perceived affective learning of the university students in order to match their emotions to the process of teaching and learning. The study was quantitative in nature and a survey design was followed. The Attribution theory was used to anchor the study. A randomly selected sample of 127 first-year students registered for Linguistics was used to collect data. A questionnaire was used to collect data and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. With regards to students’ self-perceived perceptiveness during classroom interaction involvement, the findings revealed that the majority of students were very perceptive to the meaning of others’ behaviour in relation to themselves and the situation. Concerning the students’ self-perceived attentiveness during classroom interaction involvement, the majority of students reported that they were very observant of others’ reactions while speaking during classroom conversation. Finally, regarding students’ self-perceived responsiveness during classroom interaction involvement, the students indicated that they felt confident during their conversation in class, and were sure of what to say and do.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135445760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amita Patnaik, Erika Hamilton, Yan Xing, Drew W Rasco, Lon Smith, Ya-Li Lee, Steven Fang, Jiao Wei, Ai-Min Hui
{"title":"A Phase I Dose-Escalation and Dose-Expansion Study of FCN-437c, a Novel CDK4/6 Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors.","authors":"Amita Patnaik, Erika Hamilton, Yan Xing, Drew W Rasco, Lon Smith, Ya-Li Lee, Steven Fang, Jiao Wei, Ai-Min Hui","doi":"10.3390/cancers14204996","DOIUrl":"10.3390/cancers14204996","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A phase I study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and maximum-tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of FCN-437c, a novel, orally available cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDK4/6i), in participants with advanced/metastatic solid tumors (aSTs). FCN-437c was escalated from 50 mg (once daily [QD] on days 1-21 of 28-day cycles) to the MTD/RP2D. In the dose-expansion phase, patients with CDK4/6i-treated breast cancer, or <i>KRAS</i>-mutant (<i>KRAS</i><i><sup>mut</sup></i>) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received the MTD. Twenty-two patients were enrolled. The most common tumors in the dose-escalation phase (<i>n</i> = 15) were breast, colorectal, and lung (each <i>n</i> = 4 [27.3%]). The dose-expansion phase included five (71.4%) patients with breast cancer and two (28.6%) with <i>KRAS</i><sup>mut</sup> NSCLC. Twenty (90.9%) participants experienced FCN-437c-related adverse events. Dose-limiting toxicities occurred in two (33.3%) participants (200-mg dose, dose-escalation phase): grade 3 neutropenia and grade 4 neutrophil count decreased. Due to toxicities reported at 150 mg QD, the MTD was de-escalated to 100 mg QD. One (4.5%) participant <i>(KRAS</i><i><sup>mut</sup></i> NSCLC, 100-mg dose) achieved a partial response lasting 724+ days, and five (22.7%) had stable disease lasting 56+ days. In conclusion, FCN-437c was well tolerated with encouraging signs of antitumor activity and disease control. Further exploration of FCN-437c in aSTs is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9599640/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69560908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Fresh meat”: First year female students negotiating sexual violence on campus residences","authors":"B. Anderson, C. Naidu","doi":"10.20853/36-4-4800","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-4-4800","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article focuses on first-year black female students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal who were exposed to and experienced sexual violence. The aim of the study was, broadly, to determine how female students experience and negotiate gender, sexuality and violence in campus residences. Semi-structured individual interviews were utilised to generate data. The findings show that violence was shaped by gender and power dynamics. These students were first years, and predominantly from poor backgrounds, and therefore particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and unequal relationships. Alcohol, substance abuse and dangerous masculinised spaces further exacerbated their vulnerability. Poverty, scarce resources and gender intersect to produce vulnerability and constrained forms of their agency that translate into transactional relationships. The findings also suggest that being first year female students have implications for how these young women negotiated their newfound freedom away from the parental gaze. The study highlights the ways in which these first-year students are aware that sexual violence is prevalent on campus particularly in certain spaces such as Dark City and residence rooms. Members of the SRC and DSRA are cited as likely perpetrators of sexually predatory behaviours. We therefore propose that the Gender Based Violence Policy at UKZN should be introduced to first year students by way of induction courses, and that these courses should also include gender and sexuality education to help ensure that awareness around gender violence permeates the lives of all students.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46068276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Hardman, R. Watermeyer, K. Shankar, V. Ratnadeep Suri, T. Crick, K. Knight, F. McGaughey, R. Chung
{"title":"\"Does anyone even notice us?\" COVID-19’s impact on academics’ well-being in a developing country","authors":"J. Hardman, R. Watermeyer, K. Shankar, V. Ratnadeep Suri, T. Crick, K. Knight, F. McGaughey, R. Chung","doi":"10.20853/36-1-4844","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-1-4844","url":null,"abstract":"In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdown in the wake of an increase in COVID-19 infections. Academics had, in some instances, only one day to prepare for “emergency remote teaching”. Few academics had taught online before, as South Africa’s internet connectivity is not guaranteed in underprivileged areas, where 80 per cent of the population reside. The online move thus necessitated an entirely novel pedagogy for most academics, with high potential for an escalation of work-related stress and related illness, outcomes we have related in the wider sphere of workplace readjustment during COVID-19, to a state of “pandemia”. In this article, we report on an institutional case study where we surveyed n=136 academics from a university in the Western Cape, South Africa to learn more about impacts of COVID-19 on their work. The data analysis adopts Ryff’s (1995) theory of well-being. Findings indicate that the enforced lockdown due to COVID-19 and the subsequent move to online teaching has had a negative impact on academics’ sense of well-being. However, the emergence of positive, caring relationships between colleagues is reported as a significant outcome of the COVID-19 enforced move to online teaching.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41481596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decolonizing the law curricula at Universities of Technology: The student’s perspective on content","authors":"E. Anwana","doi":"10.20853/36-1-4067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-1-4067","url":null,"abstract":"Universities of technologies (UoT’s) unlike most traditional universities in South Africa do not have law faculties and therefore only certain law modules such as commercial law, corporate law and other business law courses are offered to students. This article seeks to examine the extent to which Africanist epistemologies and perspectives should be included in the content of the business law curricula in UoT’s. The article applies the mixed methods research approach. Questionnaires with both closed and open-ended questions are administered to second year business law students of the Durban University of Technology (DUT). A semi-structured interview is conducted with third year business law students to ascertain their perceptions of the first year business law curricula and the content they would like to see included in the curricula. The results indicates that African students desire the inclusion of their lived experiences and epistemologies in the business law curricula. Students desire the inclusion of the indigenous jurisprudence of Ubuntu, traditional dispute settlement mechanisms, and other indigenous traditional contractual practices in the business law curricula. The findings will assist higher education managers and university curricula developers in developing an inclusive curricula that will meet the demands of African students.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42092030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The pedagogy of hyperlinkages: Knowledge curatorialism and the archive of kindness","authors":"J. Auerbach","doi":"10.20853/36-5-4602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-5-4602","url":null,"abstract":"This article uses a student assessment developed in the “emergency” conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa as a tool for refracting and reflecting (Strassler 2011) the changing realities of higher education around the world. It examines the Archive of Kindness as an example of the possibilities enabled by digitally mediated learning, as well as the challenges of teaching and learning in environments where students enter university with varying degrees of digital literacy and skill. It poses questions pertaining to the futures of higher education in a world in which biopolitics are increasingly determined by and through screens, and suggests that uncritical engagements with digital platforms and the corporate entities behind them pose dangers to emerging forms of citizenship. The article details the processes of knowledge curatorialism which are increasingly likely to determine the shape of learning in tertiary education, particularly within the university sector. Here, it argues that the Humanities and Social Sciences will need to play a leading role in providing the language and tools for thinking through the pedagogy of hyperlinkages, where the boundaries between online and offline spaces are increasingly difficult to parse.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48893187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic life of higher education students: A rural South African perspective from a global study","authors":"J. Alex","doi":"10.20853/36-1-4303","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-1-4303","url":null,"abstract":"Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a greatest challenge in all sectors of life in the 21st Century. Due to worldwide lockdown and social distancing regulations, higher education institutions who offer face-to face classes had to go online to provide educational services to their students, which had major impacts on student lives. To study the immediate effects of it, a global study on the life of higher education students, initiated by University of Ljubljana (with international partners) was conducted as a voluntary and anonymous online survey across the world started on 5 May 2020. The survey targeted higher education students ‒ on what student life looks like during the COVID-19 pandemic, in different parts of the world. This article reports on part of that global study, reporting on the teaching and learning aspect of a sample of 274 undergraduate students from a South African rural higher education institution (HEI) who participated in the study. Thus, this article highlights the immediate impacts of the pandemic during 5 May – 15 June 2020 of the rural HEI. The study is important as the student perspective can have an impact on post- COVID academic policies of HEIs with similar contexts.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48339639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Opening the doors of learning: Increasing access to music degrees","authors":"A. D. de Villiers","doi":"10.20853/36-2-4528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20853/36-2-4528","url":null,"abstract":"This article is contextualized for Music and is a response to the CHE (2013) Report that proposes a flexible curriculum structure for undergraduate degrees in South Africa, to address student under preparedness. Research states that music graduates need well developed identities in music, as well as generic, transferable skills to ensure lifelong employment and that a bachelor of music degree is best suited for this. However, in the South African context, the bachelor of music degree qualification is not accessible to the majority of prospective students as they are under prepared to study music at tertiary level. Only a minority of learners receive quality music education at school, while the majority of learners, including those from low socio-economic communities, do not receive formal music education. Under preparedness to study music, has traditionally been addressed through certificates and diploma qualifications in music. A discussion, and interpretation of the literature, has led to the researcher to develop an alternate framework to both improve student access to music degrees and manage under preparedness. The proposed approach advocates that music departments at universities adopt the framework of the national certificate vocation as an alternative to certificates and diplomas. The alternative curriculum structure for music, would be a more cost effective way to address under preparedness, improve academic success and lead to high skill levels. The study is situated in a constructivist, interpretive worldview, with a qualitative research design. Purposive sampling in the form of the choice of literature for the theoretical framework was adopted. While this theoretical study is contextualized for music, it is applicable to other fields.","PeriodicalId":44786,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Higher Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67713872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}