Browsing by Author "Case, Jenni"

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    Assessing the effectiveness of academic development programmes: A statistical analysis of graduation rates across three programmes
    (South African Journal of Higher Education, 2015-05-28) Smith, Leonard; Case, Jenni; van Walbeek, Corne
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    Becoming an academic : a study of learning to judge student performance in three disciplines at a South African university
    (2007) Jawitz, Jeffrey Paul; Shay, Suellen; Case, Jenni
    This study seeks to understand how new academics learn to judge student performance in complex assessment tasks, i.e. tasks that allow students substantial initiative and latitude in their response. It was conducted at a research intensive historically white university in South Africa and involved case studies in three academic departments. Thirty one academics were interviewed across the three departments. The analysis of these cases was conducted in two parts, using a framework developed from Bourdieu's theory of practice and Lave and Wenger's situated learning theory. In the first part, I analysed the academic workplace in each case and identified three different configurations of communities of practice that formed key dimensions of the fields within which these departments were situated. In the second part, I applied the concepts of habitus and legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) to understand how new academics engaged with the communities of practice in their departments and learnt how to judge student performance of complex assessment tasks. The study revealed limitations in the explanatory power of social learning theory in contexts where the stability of communities of practice was uncertain, where there were no opportunities for LPP and where knowledge was deemed to reside in the individual rather than to be distributed in the community. In contrast to the view that learning in the workplace is informal and unstructured, in each of the case studies it was possible to identify a learning to judge trajectory, which, in some cases more than others, provided a structured "learning curriculum" (Wenger, 1998) for new academic staff. Learning to judge student performance happened through participation in a series of assessment practices along this trajectory. The experience of following a learning to judge trajectory was closely associated with the identity trajectory of each individual academic and depended on three factors: the particular configuration of communities of practice within each field, the capital valued within this configuration, and the nature of the capital that the newcomer brings into the department. However, the existence of these trajectories did not mean that learning was unproblematic, as they appeared to support the dominant relationships of power within each field and posed particular challenges for those individuals who embarked on alternative trajectories.
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    A bourdieuian analysis of foundation programmes within the field of engineering education : two South African case studies
    (2011) Kloot, Bruce; Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia
    While analyses of foundation programmes have traditionally focused on pedagogical innovations, curriculum design or student experience, this thesis investigates social structures in order to examine the potential that foundation programmes, in general, hold for the transformation of higher education in South Africa.
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    Characterization of gold catalysts for methanol synthesis
    (2012) Van Heerden, Tracey; Van Steen, Eric; Case, Jenni
    The activity (per mass of catalyst) of supported gold catalysts across a range of reduction and oxidation reactions is significantly affected by the average crystallite size of the gold crystallites in the catalyst. Supported gold catalysts are most commonly characterized for particle size using TEM and XRD. Both of these methods can have a large degree of inaccuracy associated with them at low metal loadings and for catalysts containing small gold crystallites. In this study oxygen chemisorption was used as an additional method to characterize supported gold catalysts to complement electron microscope techniques. Agreement between the results from these different methods was obtained only with regard to the order of magnitude range of crystallite size. The oxygen chemisorption can be used to estimate the mass fraction of gold present as nano-crystallites (typically less than 1%) implying a large room for improvement in catalyst preparation technique. In this study a range of supported gold catalysts were prepared by ion exchange, varying a range of preparation variables, including gold concentration in the precursor solution, washing procedure using an aqueous ammonia solution, as well as drying and calcination procedures. The washing procedure and in particular the concentration of ammonia and the duration affected the final metal loading of the catalyst. TEM analyses show crystallite size distributions between 2-5nm for all catalysts excepting those which were not washed using an aqueous ammonia solution and which did not show any small crystallites. Only the total omission of the ammonia wash resulted in a significant change in the gold crystallite sizes observed on TEM-images. Further characterization with SEM showed that catalysts that appeared identical on the TEM-images also contained large 50-500nm crystallites. This additional method of characterisation using SEM allowed for the identification of significant differences between catalysts upon varying the preparation method. Catalyst drying was also shown to be a crucial step in the catalyst preparation method, with SEM images displaying only small well-distributed gold crystallites for catalysts dried in the rotary evaporator. Two of the catalysts were then tested for their activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of CO or CO 2. Although it has been shown that the production of methanol from CO (and CO 2) can be catalysed by gold particles with crystallite sizes below 5nm (Haruta, 1997), this reaction has received comparatively little attention compared to the more extensively studied CO oxidation reaction. Testing was done over a range of temperatures (200 - 350°C) at a pressure of 30bar. The obtained methanol yields and selectivities are comparable to reported values in literature. The hydrogenation of CO 2 was shown to have higher yields and selectivities to methanol than the hydrogenation of CO over the same catalyst. The preparation of the catalyst was shown to have an effect on the activity and selectivity, with the catalyst dried in the rotary evaporator having a higher yield and selectivity to methanol, while also forming a larger variety of products than the catalyst dried in the oven.
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    A classroom of life : a qualitative analysis of the reflections of medical students on their entry into an obstetric community of practice
    (2006) Draper, George; Thesen, Lucia; Case, Jenni
    This study looks at how students describe their entry into an Obstetric community of practice.In common with other Health Science Faculties in South Africa the MBChB curriculum offered by the University of Cape Town is in a state of transition with the last final year class of the outgoing curriculum graduating at the end of 2006. The Obstetric programme in the outgoing curriculum provided courses in the fourth and sixth years of study. The fourth year rotation provided students with their first contact with childbirth and the related service I learning environment. The final year programme prepared students for internship and subsequent independent practice. The overall theoretical framework for this study is the situated learning theory of Lave and Wenger (1992), particularly its notions of community of practice and legitimate peripheral participation. Additional insights are provided by ritual theory, with its notions of separation,transition and integration. Other important concepts include the role of reflection in learning and critical discourse analysis as a means of analyzing textual data. Students' descriptions of their entry into an obstetric community of practice in reflective commentaries and a focus group interview provide the data set on which the analysis is based. Specific aspects considered are identities, roles, relationships and issues of power. Shifts in these aspects over time and the implications of these issues for curriculum change are explored. Within a qualitative research framework a case study strategy is employed. The 'case' consists of a 'focal group' of five students purposively selected from the group of students who had voluntarily submitted reflective commentaries. Their commentaries written in their fourth year and the transcription of a focus group interview conducted at the end of their final year provide the data for the analysis. The research process involves a layered, sequential approach. A limited quantitative analysis of demographic data compares the students who submitted commentaries with those who did not. Using a content analysis of all the student commentaries common themes are identified. These inform the more detailed discourse analysis of a sample of textual material derived from the reflective writing and the transcriptions of the focus group interview. The results overall indicate that the spheres of practice for the two years are related but differ in key areas.
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    Contradictions in the situational logic of the university: implications for student success
    (2014) Kotta, Linda; Case, Jenni; Luckett, Kathy
    Nearly sixteen years into the new democracy, student success at South African universities continues to be differentiated along lines of race. The tendency has been to define the problem in terms of student deficit. This article suggests that this is a limited view of a complex problem. The study investigates the case of a South African universitys engineering department and its historical struggle with the success of black students. It is an exploration of students progression through a design course and the associated pedagogical realities. Using a social realist approach, this study shows that the higher education environment is a complex of necessary contradictions which create a situational logic for agents. In the process of navigating the inconsistencies of a system in which academic development and quality assurance work against each other, it seems that black students get caught in the middle, with deleterious consequences for the countrys transformative agenda.
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    The effect of selected academic development programmes on the academic performance of academic development students at a South African university : an empirical study.
    (2012) Smith, Leonard Cowper; Case, Jenni; Fraser, Duncan; Van Walbeek, Corné; Ranchhod, Vimal
    The case studies that make up this thesis cover the three largest academic development programmes at the University of Cape Town. A variety of statistical methods are used to estimate the effect of educational interventions in selected first- and second-year academic development courses on the academic performance of academic development students in these courses and through to graduation, relative to mainstream students. In general, research in this area in South Africa and internationally has been characterised by small sample sizes and a lack of statistical rigour. Few studies control for the range of independent variables that can affect students’ academic performance, in addition to the academic development programme or course, and the great majority ignore the sampleselection problem that arises in the selection of students for academic development and mainstream programmes. The theoretical rationale underpinning this thesis is informed by the postpositivist and evidence-based approaches to empirical investigation. Demographic, academic and other data for some 9000 students for the years 1999?2005 was obtained from the university’s data base and academic departments. Statistical techniques including multivariate analysis and propensity score matching are used in an attempt to finesse the problems associated with the use of non-experimental data as students are selected into different courses and programmes.
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    Efficiency optimisation in a DC-DC chopper motor drive
    (1983) Prest, Rory Bruce; Case, Jenni
    A complete DC-DC motor drive (battery, chopper, and motor) - is investigated with a view to optimising efficiency. The losses at each stage are analysed in detail and proposals are made to minimise them. The overall system is also modelled for the purpose of computer simulation. The computer model is used to investigate the possible efficiency saving if both field and armature current are controlled. An optimum control system is developed and compared with other control systems.
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    Kolb Interrupted : An investigation into students' experience of an experiential learning approach to entrepreneurship education
    (2012) Marks, Jonathan Tresman; Hall, Martin; Collier-Reed, Brandon I; Case, Jenni
    Entrepreneurial activity is widely regarded as a primary driver of socio-economic development. Alongside structural and systemic support, entrepreneurship education is a critical factor in improving entrepreneurial activity. While entrepreneurship education initiatives abound, little is understood about the effectiveness and pedagogical basis of these programmes, especially from the perspective of the student. This thesis focuses on a case study of a South African programme of entrepreneurship education designed around Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. The research employs a phenomenographic framework to identify the qualitatively different ways in which students experience this experiential learning approach to entrepreneurship education. This research shows that students' ways of experiencing learning can be characterised in one of two ways; a superficial way of experiencing learning in which students takes on a less sophisticated and surface view of learning, and an immersed way of experiencing learning in which students' engage in a deep and sophisticated manner. These ways of experiencing learning suggest two ways in which Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is interrupted; firstly, at the point of concrete experience, and secondly, at the point of reflective observation. This study makes a contribution to knowledge by examining experiential learning from the perspective of the student, and shows how programmes of entrepreneurship education can be better designed, in order to have an impact on entrepreneurial activity and socio-economic development.
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    Mind the gap: science and engineering education at the secondary-tertiary interface
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia; Grayson, Diane
    In the South African higher education sector, there is increasing concern about the poor retention and throughput rates of undergraduate students. There is also concern that the participation rates in higher education, relative to population demographics, remain extremely racially skewed. With the quality of schooling unlikely to change dramatically in the short term, universities need to look for ways to improve student success, particularly in science and engineering, where graduates are needed for a range of key roles in society. Here we review the research presented at a forum held by the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2010, which sought to bring together the latest expert thinking in this area. The major focus of academic development to date has been the establishment of extended degree programmes. However, it is clear that this model has limited capacity to deal with what is, in fact, a much broader problem. We summarise existing interventions aimed at reducing the 'gap' between secondary and tertiary education, and describe key innovations in mainstream programmes that are possible at the levels of pedagogy, curriculum and institutional environment, some of which are also becoming established internationally in science and engineering. Driving such initiatives will demand visionary university leadership in order to effect the integrated and holistic change that is needed.
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    Problem solving in chemical engineering : a study of the solution of mass balance problems by second year students
    (2002) Dhliwayo, Evelyn Chengetanai; Fraser, Duncan McKenzie; Ensor, Paula; Case, Jenni
    Bibliography: leaves 106-111
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    Structural conditioning and mediation by student agency : a case study of success in chemical engineerng design
    (2011) Kotta, Linda Thokozile; Case, Jenni; Luckett, Kathy
    The study, informed by Bhaskar’s realist philosophy for social science, seeks to provide an explanation for the differential success rates in a final year chemical engineering design course.
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    Student success in an introductory engineering course : an investigation of approach to learning and cultural capital
    (2008) Setlogelo, Disaapele Gleopadra; Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia
    The construct of approach to learning has proved to be powerful in explaining differences in students' experiences of learning in higher education. However this construct does not explain the impact that students' socio-economic background has on their experiences of higher education. For this reason, the construct of cultural capital that is widely used in the sociology of education literature was used in an attempt to explain the differences experienced by students from various social classes. Data of this study were collected through individual in-depth interviews with each of ten purposefully selected students. Students' approaches to learning were identified for both early and later in the course. A majority of students' approaches shifted from the use of a deep approach to a strategic approach. However, in terms of success in the course, the construct of approach to learning was limited in explaining why some students failed while others were successful in the course. Cultural capital better explained why these differences in performance occurred, and it further emphasized the importance of taking into account the different forms of cultural capital that students bring into higher education. This study has two main implications: firstly, it supports the promotion of deep approach to learning, however, a caution about the students workload should be taken as this might unintentionally promote the use of surface approach. Secondly, the results regarding cultural capital showed that students come from varying backgrounds. This implies that assessment should take this into account and should aim to be explicit in all demands.
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    Sustainable development as a threshold concept : an investigation into chemical engineering students' knowledge
    (2011) Sibanda, Lesley Kudakwashe; Case, Jenni; Von Blottnitz, Harro
    These studies aimed to investigate the sustainability conceptions held by engineering students and to assess their level of knowledge on sustainability concepts. The findings revealed that the level of knowledge is poor and engineering students had varying ideas on what sustainability is.
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    Synthesis and characterisation of carbon supported gold catalysts prepared by ion-exchange
    (2008) Beeming, Brendan Albert; Van Steen, Eric; Case, Jenni
    Gold has been previously overlooked as a catalyst, mainly because the metal has been regarded as catalytically inert, and was tested as large aggregates, and not as nanocrystallites. Large crystallites of gold do not exhibit significant catalytic activity, and if they do, their activity is small compared with platinum group metals. The recent interest in gold as a catalyst has been fuelled by the development of processes to deposit gold on a catalyst support as nano-crystallites (Prati and Martra, 1999). Gold catalysts with nano-crystallites on selected supports have been shown to exhibit high activity for mainly redox reactions (Gluhoi, 2005; Hutchings, 2005). These catalysts have recently been attracting attention as they can be used at near ambient conditions, which allows for cheaper and more environmentally friendly processes. Glucose yielding gluconic acid is an industrially important reaction (Biella et aI., 2002). Gluconic acid and its salts are used as water-soluble cleansing agents or as additives in food and beverages which makes these products important in industrial applications (Kirk-Othmer, 1995). Industrially, the aerobic oxidation of glucose is an enzyme catalysed process. However, due to the low productivity of the glucose fermentation process, the development of a chemical route is of interest. Gold catalysis provides a promising alternative route which can be applied at mild conditions.
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    Transforming content knowledge: a case study of an experienced science teacher teaching in a typical South African secondary school$$h[electronic resource]
    (2013) Toerien, René; Case, Jenni; Clark, Jonathan
    The unique knowledge that teachers possess Shulman called pedagogical content knowledge or PCK. In the following 25 years many scholars have conceptualised PCK, and only recently, with an international PCK Summit, have attempts been made to consolidate this field. South Africa’s primary and secondary public education system is continuously under scrutiny, as it continues to perform poorly in international benchmarking assessments. The need to understand what is happening in our classrooms, especially in science and mathematics, is now more important than ever. In response to this need, this study investigated the classroom practice of a dedicated and experienced science teacher over a period of three years, as she taught the organic chemistry section of the Grade 12 Physical Sciences syllabus. PCK was used as a lens to focus on how teacher knowledge manifests in practice.
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    UCT Laptop Project Report and Appendices
    (2016-02-24) Brown, Cheryl; Chernotsky, Kira; Marquard, Stephen; Fellingham, Kevin
    In 2017 the University of Cape Town made a decision to roll out a programme to provide a new laptop to every first year undergraduate student fully funded through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme see http://mg.co.za/article/2017-02-16-00-flip-varsity-lectures-for-equal-success/ Over a period of fours year between 2013 and 2016, four courses at UCT (PHY1004W, CHE1005W, RDL 1008H/9H and AGP2039W) piloted the use of laptops in both formal and informal teaching and learning. This report summarizes the lessons learnt from this pilot programme.
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    The use of inventories in student learning research : a case study
    (2006) Short, Heidi; Case, Jenni; Scott, Leanne
    This study examines the practical use of student learning inventories in the higher education setting, using Vermunt's (1998) Inventory of Learning Styles in the context of a second year Business Statistics course at the University of Cape Town. The theoretical underpinnings of the inventory, as well as its predictive value, are investigated. This is done through the use of simple, yet effective, statistical techniques, some of which have not yet been attempted on an inventory of this kind. Data were collected through an online course website and student responses to the inventory were analysed along with their final results for the course in question.