Delegates were welcomed by Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo, who highlighted, among other developments, the establishment of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies on the Bellville and Cape Town Campuses.Prof Liz van Aswegen of the Research Directorate also stressed that CPUT’s research output has increased over the last three years in terms of the Department of Higher Education and Training’s publication subsidy allocations. External funding has also increased, with funding exceeding R1 million sourced by six researchers.Guest speaker Dr Edith Madela-Mntla from the Medical Research Council congratulated CPUT for creating an environment conducive to research, but also warned that universities were facing the danger of becoming diploma factories, with fewer students progressing to post-graduate studies. Dr Thandi Mgwebi, from the National Research Foundation (NRF) outlined some of the financial deterrents facing budding academics from advancing in their research, but also indicated how the NRF helps institutions of higher learning with research and funding.Outstanding CPUT researchers were honoured at the event, with a platinum award given to Prof Daniel Makinde for research publication, and Prof Raynitchka Tzoneva for postgraduate supervision. Both professors hail from the Engineering Faculty.Prof Stephanie Burton from the Biocatalysis and Technical Biology Research Group was also honoured with a platinum award, while Prof Robert van Zyl, also from the Engineering Faculty, scooped a diamond award for the generation of external funding in excess of R1 million. Researchers in various other categories (publications, successful postgraduate supervision and sourcing of external funding) were presented with gold, silver and bronze awards. Postgraduate students, supervisors, and researchers also received awards for the best research posters.
Other highlights of the day included a presentation by Prof Kamilla Swart from the Faculty of Business who investigated the Fifa 2010 World CupTM initiatives in the Eden District Municipality, their impacts and whether planning initiatives were integrated or not. The findings of Prof Swart’s research will be valuable for the future planning and hosting of sport mega-events in South Africa. Prof Rainer Haldenwang from the Engineering Faculty delivered a presentation titled ‘Everything Flows’, while Prof Jeanine Marnewick of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences spoke about the potent health benefits of South Africa’s wonder-plant Rooibos.Dr Nhlapho summed up the sterling advances made by CPUT in the research sphere by saying that CPUT’s scholarship is recognised as one that has touched the academic lives of many young scholars. This through research and study support from the university research fund and innovation fund. “Our strategies and policies are aimed at encouraging research productivity by rewarding quality research output.”By Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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Prof Oluwole Daniel Makinde, Senior Professor and Chair of Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Engineering at CPUT, has recently been appointed as the new Secretary General of the African Mathematical Union (AMU).

The unanimous appointment, preceded by a nomination and election by his colleagues and peers, took place during the 7th Pan African Congress of Mathematicians, an annual AMU gathering which ran from 2 to 8 August 2009.

The congress was held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, at the Félix Houphouët Boigny Foundation for Peace Research, with this year’s theme being ‘New Trends in the Development and the applications of Mathematical Sciences’.

AMU is an African organisation dedicated to the development of mathematics in Africa and is a member of the International Mathematical Union.

It was founded in 1976 in Rabat, Morocco, during the first Pan-African Congress of Mathematicians.

Held every four years, the congress is attended by delegates from all African countries and representatives from other continents like Europe, Asia and North America, making this a truly global achievement for this highly acclaimed ambassador of the sciences.

It is also an acknowledgement of the international recognition accorded to Prof Makinde’s numerous research publications, students’ mentorship and outreach activities in the area of Mathematical sciences by colleagues nationally and internationally.

When asked how he felt about his achievement, Prof Makinde said: “I am deeply humbled, highly delighted and honoured. It is a call to serve my continent in promoting teaching, learning, research and outreach in mathematical sciences.”

Prof Makinde added, “Mathematics is widely regarded as the language of science and technology. Without mathematics there is no science, without science there is no modern technology and without modern technology there is no modern society”.

In other words, mathematics is the “precursor of science and technology and the indispensable single element in modern societal development.”

In his view, mathematics education is therefore indispensable in nation-building.

Prior to joining CPUT, Prof Makinde headed the Applied Mathematics Department for more than ten years and became a Full Professor at the University of Limpopo in South Africa.

He has taught, supervised and served as an external examiner and promoted several students at undergraduate and postgraduate at many universities both locally and internationally.

His key focus area for research is in Computational and Mathematical Modelling of Engineering and Biological Systems.

He has co-authored several textbooks and monographs on a variety of subjects in Applied Mathematics and has had his research articles appear in numerous reputable Scientific and Engineering journals and conference proceedings.

Prof Makinde was an associate member of National Institute for Theoretical Physics, an editorial board member and a regular reviewer of numerous international academic journals.

He has received several academic and research excellence awards honours and grants, including a nomination for the annual National Science and Technology Forum awards.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News

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A group of CPUT academics are among the authors of a recently released report on digital readiness and using visual methods in Higher Education.

The report offers an overview of the teaching skills needed to face digital readiness during the pandemic, offering details about the pedagogical approach and methodologies to use, focusing on visual methods.

It is based on research from June to December 2021 within FutureAbility - Digital and transversal skills for online teachers, a two-year European-funded project under the Erasmus Plus Strategic Partnership. FutureAbility is a Strategic Partnership of nine organisations.

Assoc Prof Eunice Ivala, Director: Centre for Innovative Educational Technology (CIET), is the project leader representing CPUT. Dr SisandaNkoala, Senior Lecturer in the Media Department, is the project administrator. The other team members are Assoc Prof Candice Livingston, Head of the Department: Research and Postgraduate Studies; Assoc Prof Virimai Mugobo, Head of the Department: Retail Business Management; Rifqah Abrahams, Lecturer in the Media Department; Cheri Hugo, Lecturer in the Department of Design and Eran Tahor, Lecturer in Department of Film. Assoc Prof Daniela Gachago from the University of Cape Town is working on the project as a consultant.

“The project has three phases. The first phase was generating a report on the perspectives and experiences of educators who teach visual communication courses and use visual methods. This was based on a desktop study, focus group discussions and a survey of around 300 participants. The project's second phase, currently underway, is to create open education resources in online courses to address some of the gaps identified in phase one regarding the skills needed to teach online. The third phase, set for 2023, will be to roll out the courses and get participant feedback,” said Nkoala.

She said one of the key findings was that most respondents argued that the key challenges they faced teaching visual communication and using visual methods were a lack of student motivation, various technical problems and digital literacy.

Furthermore, the study found that online teaching exclusively harms courses and research that rely primarily on practices, as with visual communication-based courses. Online education and learning diminish the quality of interactions. As such, blended forms of teaching are foreseen as the most optimal approach in future by many professionals and students.

The project's next phase, which started in February 2022, is to develop courses to address these gaps and upskill lecturers to teach visual arts-related subjects and use visual methods online more effectively.

Nkoala said that in the short term, one of the key outputs from the study would be the development of online, open-access, multilingual courses that educators can take to upskill themselves on how to teach visual arts subjects and other subjects using visual methods in an online context.

The courses are being developed based on a literature review, focus group discussion and surveys with participants across the partner countries.

“The courses are being developed using design thinking principles which CPUT introduced to the partners. In particular, CPUT introduced the learning design through workshops based on our expertise as an institution in learning design. It is envisaged that any university can use the courses to train lecturers in this regard. The great thing about the nature of the courses being developed is that they are not solely for teaching visual arts courses but can also be used in any discipline which uses visual teaching methods,” she said.

Click here to read the report.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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