Browsing by Author "Campbell, Anita"

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    Avoiding frustrations of unprepared students with online quizzes
    (Clute Institute, 2013) Campbell, Anita; Rajaratnam, Kanshukan
    The hierarchical nature of many degrees enables higher-level courses to build on knowledge that has been developed in earlier courses. However, when students enter with weak prior knowledge, lecturers have to spend time addressing this before starting with the new material. This adds time pressure and frustration to lecturers as well as students who have strong prior knowledge. In this paper, we discuss a strategy that we implemented in order to encourage students to revise or learn prerequisite material at the beginning of a master's level module. Students were asked to take an online quiz on the prerequisite topics. Immediate feedback directed the students to resources which could enhance their knowledge and understanding of the material prior to course commencement. We discuss the multiple benefits this had, for both students and the lecturer, drawing on students' written responses to reflective questions about the experience and reflections from the lecturer on the use of online quizzes.
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    Enabling 'growth mindsets' in engineering students
    (University of Cape Town, 2020) Campbell, Anita; Craig, Tracy; Collier-Reed, Brandon
    Student failure is often attributed to a lack of work by students. While this view has some merit, it implies that only students need to change and reduces the incentive for lecturers, curricula, assessment practices to be interrogated. In this thesis, I take a comprehensive look into why students do not work. Firstly, I place social psychology factors in context with other factors that impact student success and show how beliefs about academic ability underpin the academic behaviour that leads to success. By placing a learning theory lens on six characteristics of fixed mindsets (beliefs that ability can only be developed to an individually pre-determined level) and growth mindsets (beliefs that that effective effort will lead to unlimited self-improvement), I develop a theoretical framework that explains how both fixed and growth mindsets can be encouraged by teaching practices. As students with fixed mindsets may be more vulnerable to dropping out of university, lecturers should be aware of the mindset messages they are sending to students through their words, actions and choice of activities and assessment practices. To address the question of how growth mindsets can be developed, I present results from a systematic literature review of growth mindset interventions aimed at engineering students, drawing on databases in education, engineering, and psychology. The findings show that most interventions involved informing students about mindsets and asking students to reflect on or teach others about mindsets, using personal examples. An intervention was devised to develop growth mindsets in engineering students through tutoring groups on the social media platform WhatsApp. Poor group functioning was addressed using a design-based research approach for the establishment of effective groups. Unexpectedly, assessments of engineering students' mindsets through surveys and interviews showed very low numbers of students with fixed mindset views. Reasons for this result are explained by categorizing growth mindset enablers identified from literature and comparing the literature findings with interview data from engineering students. The thesis culminates by contributing a critique on mindset assessment and a framework for creating learning environments conducive to student success.
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    Enhancing students' learning through practical knowledge taught by industry professionals
    (Clute Institute, 2013) Rajaratnam, Kanshukan; Campbell, Anita
    A topic of interest in teaching business courses is incorporating the practical aspect of the subject matter into teaching as this helps to bridge theory and real-world practice. Research indicates that students gain a deeper understanding of material when theory is contextualized through real-life practical examples. However, given the traditional career-path of academics in finance in countries such as South Africa, a significant proportion of finance lecturers have little or no relevant practical experience in the subject matter. In this paper, we discuss a strategy implemented in finance courses at sophomore and senior levels in order to link theory and practice. Guest speakers were invited from industry to contextualize the topics for the students. Students' perceptions on the benefit they derived from the speakers were deduced from statistical analyses of student evaluations. The results indicate that the experience was positive and aided in their understanding of the subject.
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    A new selection model for the academic development programme for engineering at UCT
    (SASEE, 2018-02-16) Campbell, Anita; Craig, Tracy S; le Roux, Pierre
    The Academic Support Programme for Engineering at the University of Cape Town (ASPECT) has operated under a slowly evolving model since its inception in 1989. Different models of access and curriculum are frequently under consideration and in 2014 we had the opportunity to put into practice a new model, involving self-selection and delayed transition into ASPECT driven by first term assessment. In this paper we present a historical overview, reflect on the 2014 experiences of students and staff in light of relevant theory and conclude with an argument in favour of the delayed transition model.
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    Understanding how socio-ecological factors affect resilience and persistence among students in engineering education in South Africa
    (2025) Mostert, Morney Conrad; Campbell, Anita; Smit, Reneé
    Resilience is paramount in the demanding sphere of tertiary studies, particularly in engineering programmes that require significant cognitive and emotional investment. Guided by Ungar's Socio-Ecological Model of Resilience, this study examines the factors contribute to or hinder resilience and academic persistence among engineering students at a South African university of technology. The study was a qualitative analysis using insights from semi-structured interviews with seven senior engineering students. Criterion sampling was employed to deliberately exclude first-year students to ensure sufficient academic experience with rigorous theoretical coursework and intensive laboratory sessions. Seven senior engineering students participated, and data were collected via semi-structured, online interviews using Microsoft Teams, each lasting between 45 to 60 minutes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using Deductive Thematic Analysis. The themes were mapped explicitly onto Ungar's ecological framework, ensuring rigorous alignment between theoretical concepts and empirical data. In Ungar's framework, resilience results from active interweaving of factors at four ecological levels: macrosystem, microsystem, exosystem, and mesosystem. At the microsystem level, encouragement by members of the faculty, positive relationships with peer students, and curricular requirements that are well structured offer the greatest contributory factors to student motivation. Family and community support as well as mentorship create strong pillars within the mesosystem and are supported at the campus level. At the exosystem level, institutional policies and infrastructure demonstrate how challenges regarding access to financial aid and bureaucracy, as well as problems like unstable electricity supply, at times diminish students' resilience, but in some cases may support it. At the macrosystem level, societal perceptions of engineering as both prestigious and demanding shape students' aspirations and pressures, underscoring the need for broader cultural and systemic support. These findings refine Ungar's model by highlighting engineering-specific challenges, such as lab-intensive coursework and infrastructural constraints, and underscoring how multi-tiered interventions can foster resilience in resource-limited contexts. Practical recommendations include streamlining funding and administration, implementing empathy training for academic staff, adapting curricula to local conditions, and forging collaborative ties with families and communities. By viewing resilience as a socially anchored process rather than purely an individual trait, the study calls for coordinated efforts to empower engineering students, ultimately enriching both their academic success and the broader STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - landscape in South Africa