Browsing by Subject "University of Cape Town"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 23
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Advanced internet searching to find Open Educational Resources and Creative Commons
    (2012) Southgate, Nicole
    Open Educational Resources are resources which are accessed freely and can be used for teaching, learning and research. This resource is aimed at teaching second year medical students how to do an advanced search for open educational resources (OER) and images, videos and audio clips with a Creative Commons license. It also provides a list of links to useful online resources.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An Evaluation of the Functionality and Delivery of Websites of Political Parties in South Africa
    (2010) Crossland, Maria; Chigona, Wallace
    The political communication environment worldwide has been transformed by the Internet with websites providing opportunities for affordable information dissemination and reception. Internationally, a party contesting an election without a website seems impossible today. This exploratory study examines the use of websites by political parties during the 2009 South African elections and investigates the functionality offered by the websites as well as how effectively this functionality is delivered. The study analysed the websites of both large and small political parties. It is worth noting that in spite of the lower Internet penetration rates in South Africa, the majority of political parties contesting the 2009 elections had websites. The study shows that the websites of the larger parties generally offer more functionality than those of the smaller parties, supporting the view of ‘normalisation’ of party competition in cyberspace. However, an analysis of the delivery of the content does not confirm the normalisation effects.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An evaluation of the information architecture of the UCT Library web site
    (2008) Mvungi, Susan Haikaeli; De Jager, Karin; Underwood, Peter
    Web users are becoming more critical of the web sites they use. This dissertation evaluates the information architecture of the academic library web site at the University of Cape Town. The evaluation of the information architecture of an academic library web site is important because the web site functions as an international gateway to the institution's valuable library resources. A library may therefore be judged on the basis of its web site. It is no wonder that a lot of effort is put into ensuring a well-designed web site. A multi-approach evaluation was completed to evaluate the library web site. Firstly, a formal usability test was conducted with five users to establish the required site structure and to identify any possible problems with the usability of the site. Secondly, a heuristic evaluation with an expert was conducted to test the web site content, information architecture, and navigation design. Thirdly, a closed card sort analysis with ten participants was completed in order to establish the required site structure and terminology for the potential web site re-design. Fourthly, a comparative analysis of the previous versions of the university library web site was done to highlight the main differences and improvements. Reviewing "prior-art'1/previous versions of any web site guarantees the development of an improved information architecture. In addition to the aforementioned evaluation techniques, the study recommended the use of a requirements document that was developed for the purposes of this study that details a set of standard guidelines for the academic library site maintenance. In an attempt to improve the navigation problems identified on the library web site, a site map was developed for the web site as well. 11l This research found that the library web site had an overall usable web site with users rating their satisfaction with the site between good and very good. The site however exhibited a few problems with the terminology used, there were also problems identified with the navigation design. Issues relating to identifying specific information were also identified. This dissertation presents recommendations to handle the aforementioned problems. The study also encourages continual web site evaluation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Benjamin Farrington: Cape Town and the Shaping of a Public Intellectual
    (2010) Atkinson, John
    Benjamin Farrington, an Irish Protestant, joined the University of Cape Town, Classics Department in 1920, and wrote articles for De Burger to win Afrikaner support for Sinn Fein and the Irish Republic. He was credited with initiating a conference in Paris in 1922, to launch the Irish World Organisation. Disillusioned by its stillbirth he effectively shut down the Irish Republican Association of South Africa and its newspaper, The Republic, which he had founded and edited. Prominent in the circle of Ruth Schechter, whom he later married, he engaged with the likes of Hogben and Bodmer. Disengaged from active politics by mid-1922, he emerged as a public intellectual in Marxist and Leninist/Trotskyist groupings. Inspired by Karl Marx's thesis on the Epicurean theory of atomism, he campaigned against determinism, and in particular against fundamentalist and superstitious attacks on experimental science. Thus in the classical context he presented Socrates' mix of disembodied mathematics, ethics and theology as a major block to Greek physical science long before Christianity. Farrington's scientific humanism is evidenced in his translations of the Africana texts of Ten Rhyne and Grevenbroek, and in his work on Vesalius. At UCT he advanced Classics from primarily language study to the broader study of history, science and culture. He could be labelled a public intellectual by virtue of his lectures to groups in the community, articles and reviews in the press, and publications for a general readership. But he took his model rather from Epicurus.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Bullying in the workplace: a case study of the University of Cape Town
    (2025) Phillips, Patricia; Van Der Spuy, Elrena; Collier, Debbie
    Workplace bullying likely started after the Industrial Revolution, with the development of formal workplaces like factories and offices, and has increasingly become a problem in workplaces, particularly for victims on whom the impact can be lifelong and debilitating. This minor dissertation explores global and South African prevalence to demonstrate the extent of this harmful practice. It further reviews global and South African legislation and introduces bullying in academia as a backdrop to the Case Study on Bullying at the University of Cape Town. While research on workplace bullying had primarily focussed on the personality traits of victims and perpetrators, this minor dissertation attempts to draw on themes drawn from a review of Criminological Theory (Routine Activities and Normalisation Theory) and Transformational Theory to present a case study on Bullying at the University of Cape Town. These themes include the normalisation of deviant behaviour in workplaces, the impact of guardians failing employees in their protective role in organisations, the impact of life-changing events on both the individual and the organisation, and finally, how dysfunctional organisational structure contributes to workplace bullying with particular reference to the University of Cape Town. Finally, it explores whether workplace bullying can be addressed by legislation and implementation of workplace policies.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Computational modeling of the tissue mechanics in rheumatic heart disease patients
    (2025) Familusi, Mary Ajibola; Skatulla, Sebastian; Gumedze, Freedom; Hussan, Jagir; Gummedze, Freedom
    Non-invasive measurements play a crucial role in advancing heart failure treatments, a leading global cause of mortality. Understanding the biomechanical characteristics of myocardial material behavior in both healthy and diseased hearts through finite element analysis offers valuable insights into cardiac function and potential interventions for diastolic abnormalities linked to ventricular hypertrophy and inflammation. This study aims to develop accurate, subject-specific computational models of the human bi-ventricle using high-resolution cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images from rheumatic heart disease patients (RHD) and healthy individuals. These models will facilitate the investigation of heart biomechanics, focusing on the impact of myocardial elastic material behavior, including compliance (stiffness), muscle fiber orientation angles, and directionally dependent properties (anisotropy coefficients). Using CMR images, three-dimensional (3D) finite element models (FEM) were constructed for both RHD patients and healthy subjects. The material parameter optimization uses inverse modeling based on the finite element method combined with the Levenberg-Marquardt method (LVM) by targeting subject-specific hemodynamics. The computational models describe the passive behavior of the myocardium by nonlinear, orthotropic, and nearly incompressible hyperelastic material constitutive equations. Parameter optimization of myocardial tissue stiffness, anisotropy coefficients, fiber angles, and diastolic pressures aimed to minimize the error between the Klotz curve and the simulated end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship (EDPVR) curve for each subject. Beginning with the unloaded left ventricular volume (V0), optimization progressed until the end-diastolic volume (EDV) was reached at the specified end-diastolic pressure (EDP). Objective functions were defined based on the difference between simulated and measured left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) EDVs. Additionally, two further objective functions were established: the first combining EDVs and global strains (circumferential, longitudinal, and radial), and the second combining EDVs with short-axis diameters. The study of elastic myocardial parameters between healthy subjects and RHD patients shows an elevated stiffness in diseased hearts. In particular, the anisotropic material behavior of the healthy and diseased cardiac tissue significantly differs. Furthermore, as the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreases, the myocardial tissue stiffness and anisotropy coefficients increase. The LV myocardial circumferential and longitudinal stresses were negatively associated with LVEF. The sensitivity analysis results demonstrate that the observed significant difference between the elastic material parameters of diseased and healthy myocardium is not exclusively attributable to increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in the diseased heart, but rather to the presence of fibrosis in the myocardium. Additionally, the sensitivity of elastic material parameters and muscle fiber angles with respect to the specific strain components included as targets in the objective function was reported on. Patient-specific computer simulations of EDV and strains for all objective functions agreed well with clinical data. The error difference between the predicted and clinical parameters is less than 0.1%. Qualitative and quantitative differences in stress and strain distributions for each parameter optimization target are presented. Lastly, the combination of EDV and cavity diameters to estimate elastic material parameters, fiber angles, and diastolic pressures was explored. The obtained results distinguish between the elastic material parameters and diastolic pressures of individuals with RHD and those of healthy controls. The study provides valuable insights into the biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium, advancing our understanding of cardiac function in health and disease and offering potential implications for clinical practice and future research directions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Curriculum Decolonization in the University of Cape Town: Research, Policy and Practice
    (2022) Muraina, Luqman O; Xulu-Gama, Nomkhosi
    Despite seeking a ‘transformation' agenda since the end of apartheid, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and South African universities are still unable to displace Western hegemony in higher education. Hence, knowledges and the curriculum are structured along Western epistemological traditions with a strong depiction of African epistemicide. The inability of students to see themselves and be present in Teaching & Learning (T&L) spaces, amidst feelings of alienation and pain expressed through the Fallist movements which started on the University of Cape Town campus and continued in subsequent national and international decolonization uprisings. Since the end of the Fallist protests, research around decolonization has increased, including in UCT. Meanwhile, there are still calls for more practical research on decolonization, including decolonizing classroom spaces. Similarly, the DHET has been critiqued for not creating space for investigating curriculum learning and pedagogies beyond its demographic and economic-oriented ‘transformation' agenda. Lastly, the conversations around UCT's Curriculum Change Framework and its capacity to be implemented as a university-wide curriculum reform ‘framework' motivated the study's broad question - what does curriculum decolonization entail at UCT concerning research, policy, and practice? The study is anchored in a ‘coloniality of knowledge' theoretical orientation and critical qualitative inquiry design. By using a stratified sampling strategy, the UCT staff population were divided into decolonization researchers, university administrators, and lecturers from whom individuals were purposively selected and invited for interviews. A semi-structured qualitative interview instrument was finalized after conducting pilot interviews. The study received ethics approval from the sociology department, and eleven interviews conducted were analysed within a thematic (reflexive) method using NVivo as a systematic resource aid. The thematic framework consisted of five themes: coloniality of knowledge, DHET transformation affairs, UCT decolonization engagements, curriculum decolonization, and putting decolonization into practice. Coloniality of knowledge talks about asymmetrical global knowledge systems structured along racial and gender lines. Curriculum decolonization entails dismantling and rethinking HE amidst curriculum diversity, relationality and promoting indigenous knowledges. The DHET transformation agenda is limited to who is at the university and does not consider whose knowledge, teaching methods, and learning cultures are foregrounded in universities. UCT's decolonization engagements have achieved a few quantitative successes such as changing building names, but much more needs to be done to interrogate Western hegemony, knowledges and culture in the university. A decolonial curriculum frame is the major finding concerning curriculum decolonization theme. It concerns how academic disciplines and lecturers must reflect on how they sustain coloniality in T&L spaces. Finally, decolonization entails pluriversal thinking; hence, a top-to-bottom policymaking approach is detrimental to it. The study recommended that UCT must not adopt neoliberal methods in decolonizing the curriculum. The DHET and UCT must be provocative in dismantling Western education structures and epistemological cultures and embracing ‘Other ways of doing curriculum', including multilingualism. In conclusion, seeking decolonization to be politically right is detrimental to students' sacrifices and intergenerational Black pain.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Evaluating the decolonisation of the Humanities curriculum at the University of Cape Town: Khanyisa courses as a case study
    (2025) Phetlhu, Ontiretse; Morreira, Shannon; Hoadley, Ursula
    This study sought to bring the conversation around the decolonisation of the curriculum to the fore by evaluating the decolonial work that the Humanities Faculty at the University of Cape Town has attempted to do with regard to the undergraduate degree programme through the introduction of a new suite of course, called the Khanyisa Courses. As such, this study establishes the various ways in which the Humanities faculty through the Khanyisa Courses (specifically the course called: Literature: How and why? – ELL1013F) has attempted to decolonise the curriculum in terms of the way the course is structured, the way it is taught and the way the course is assessed. The aim is to establish whether the course fulfils the decolonial project by means of disrupting and challenging the Eurocentric traditions of teaching and assessing the course. The thesis argues that the ELL1013F course does decolonial work in that it adopts a paradigm shift away from Eurocentric traditions within the discipline of literary studies. The course does this decolonial work by means of adopting epistemic disobedience as one of the approaches in how the course is structured and how the content is taught and assessed – with the idea of the students' positionality being at the at the centre of the learning process thereby disrupting existing hierarchies of knowledge. Furthermore, the thesis argues that the various modules also adopt different approaches in terms of Jansen's (2017) six conceptions of decolonisation and this varied from the different lecturers that taught the modules of the ELL1013F course. Lastly, this thesis shows how the course did not managed to fully decolonise the curriculum, at the level of assessment as it did not overtly disrupt hierarchies of western knowledge in any significant way.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Evaluating the University of Cape Town's pilot discover commerce programme
    (2021) Noordien, Zayaan; Boodhoo, Adiilah
    Background First year experience (FYE) programmes are standard offerings across a number of higher education institutions (HEIs), both locally and internationally. The increase in FYE programmes has been due to the fact that many first-year university students struggle with the academic and social transition from high school to university (Anderson, Wason, & Southall, 2016; Briggs, Clark, & Hall, 2012). The Discover Commerce (DC) Programme is a FYE programme that was first implemented at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2019. The DC Programme targets all first-year students enrolled in any degree programme offered by the Faculty of Commerce. The overarching aims of the programme are: (a) to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills to successfully transition from high school to university and thrive academically within this higher education environment, and (b) to provide students with a strong foundation for success at university and in their careers post university. The programme includes an online learning component, face-to-face group work sessions and peer mentoring. Evaluation Focus The main objectives of this evaluation were to determine: (a) whether or not the DC Programme had been designed in a way to achieve its intended outcomes, (b) to clarify whether the personal, academic and social needs of first-year students were correctly identified by the stakeholders who designed the DC Programme, and c) to use the DC's reconstructed programme theory and logic produced in the theory evaluation to inform the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework. As such, a theory evaluation and needs assessment were conducted. An M&E framework was also developed for the programme. The following questions were addressed: 1. What are the assumptions that underlie the DC Programme? 2. Is there evidence that the DC Programme's activities, outcomes and causal linkages are plausible? 3. What elements of the DC Programme theory could be modified to maximise the intended outcomes? 4. What are the personal, academic and social needs of first-year university students in a South African context? 5. What indicators, implementation and outcome measures need to be incorporated into the M&E framework for the DC Programme? Methodology The evaluator used Donaldson's (2007) five-step process for developing and assessing the programme theory. An initial programme theory was developed for the programme by engaging a purposive sample of three programme stakeholders in a structured discussion session (evaluation question 1). A plausibility assessment of the initial programme theory was conducted through an extensive literature review to address evaluation question 2. Based on the plausibility assessment findings, the evaluator was then able to make recommendations on how the programme theory could be reconstructed to improve the likelihood that the DC Programme will achieve its intended outcomes. A needs assessment was conducted by qualitatively analysing the data from a sample of 60 reflective assignments completed by first-year Commerce students who participated in the DC Programme. This needs assessment was conducted to shed light on whether the programme had correctly identified the needs and challenges of its target population. The evaluator used a modified five-stage process developed by Markiewicz and Patrick (2016) to outline the M&E framework. The evaluator used the reconstructed DC Programme theory and logic produced in the theory evaluation to inform the development of the evaluation questions, indicators, and targets for the framework (evaluation question 5). Key Evaluation Findings from the Theory Evaluation and Needs Assessment The final output of the theory evaluation was a critically reconstructed programme theory of the DC Programme (evaluation question 1). The evaluation found that the activities, outcomes and causal linkages of the programme theory were plausible (evaluation question 2). However, the literature suggests that the success of these types of programmes is dependent on the programme incorporating best practices and several design considerations. These include: a) appropriate staff recruitment, training and support; b) content and grading of assessments; c) structure and dosage of the programme; and d) quality of programme staff-student relationship (evaluation question 3). • The literature review findings indicated that the DC Programme did incorporate some of the design requirements for an effective FYE programme. For instance, content offered in the programme was aligned to best practice literature which includes problem-solving activities, collaborative group work and a reflective assignment. • In terms of the structure and dosage of the programme, the DC Programme has small class sizes for the face-to-face component and runs for a full academic year, which is in accordance with best practice literature for effective FYE programmes. • There are, however, various areas of improvement for the design of the DC Programme. According to best practice literature, students should receive written feedback on assessments and these assessments should be letter-graded to ensure that expectations for students are set at appropriately high levels. The group sessions and major assessments in the DC Programme are not letter-graded and students do not receive written feedback on tasks or assessments. • In terms of appropriate staff and recruitment, literature review findings indicate that the face-to-face component in FYE programmes are most effective when taught by academic staff. The DC Programme does not meet this design requirement as it uses third-year undergraduate students to facilitate the group sessions of the programme. • Literature review findings emphasise that ongoing professional development opportunities for FYE programme staff is a best practice for FYE programmes. In the case of the DC Programme, although programme staff undergo training before being recruited onto the programme, the programme does not have ongoing professional development opportunities for programme staff. Several key themes emerged from the needs assessment which related to the personal, academic and social needs of first-year university students (evaluation question 4). • Students reported various academic challenges and successes experienced during the first-year of university. The DC Programme has addressed these academic challenges in the programme through the online modules that provide structured academic guidance and support. • Students were also positive about the exposure to different disciplines and courses during the first-year of university. This need has been addressed by the programme as the face-to-face component of the course exposes students to different Commerce disciplines in the various group case study projects. • In addition, students reflected on their personal growth during the year. The DC Programme considered the need for students to reflect on their overall experience of university through the reflective assignment. • The needs assessment findings, however, indicated that not all of the needs of first-year university students were adequately addressed by the programme. For instance, students placed importance on social engagement with their peers. Although the DC Programme incorporates group work which is meant to facilitate student engagement, this group work is academic-focused and may not provide students with sufficient opportunities for social interaction. • Students also reported experiencing mental health challenges due to academic demands and other external factors experienced during the first-year of university. Although the DC Programme does include online modules that contain stress management strategies, it does not include specific initiatives to support students who experience mental health challenges. Recommendations The evaluation findings informed the key recommendations in this dissertation which include the following: • It is recommended that the DC Programme uses a letter-grading system for the tasks that have to be completed as part of the programme and award a final grade on completion of the course. Grading rubrics could be designed for major assignments (e.g. the reflective assignment) to help students understand what the expectations are for each assignment. These grading rubrics may also guide the instructor or the marker on how to give constructive written feedback. • It is recommended that the DC Programme appoints faculty staff to facilitate the face-to-face group discussions (if resources permit). Peer mentors could still be involved in a support capacity (i.e. to assist faculty staff during the sessions and with grading of assignments). • The DC Programme should consider providing structured professional development opportunities to programme staff. This is an essential component of successful FYE programmes. These structured development opportunities could take the form of check-in meetings before and after each of the face-to-face group sessions. These meetings could serve as a platform to share insights, strategise on how to tackle common or unique challenges encountered and develop new facilitation skills. • To increase the opportunities for social interaction and foster a sense of community amongst the groups, it is recommended that students are given an opportunity to engage and connect meaningfully with peers on a social level. Small-group social gatherings could be arranged at different points during the academic year. • It is recommended that the DC Programme strengthens its linkages with the UCT Wellness Service, and provide structured in-person guidance on how to access this service. Peer mentors could be involved in the referral and information dissemination process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Illegally or unconstitutionally obtained evidence: a South African perspective
    (2011) De Vos, Wouter L R
    Illegally or unconstitutionally obtained evidence: a South African perspective This article is based on a national report to an international conference of the International Association of Procedural Law rendered. The contribution focuses on recent developments in the South African case law regarding the admissibility of illegally or unconstitutionally obtained evidence. Considerable attention is given to the position in criminal cases and the impact of Canadian case law on the courts. In this regard it is particularly important to note the latest approach on the admissibility of real evidence obtained so that accepted the Canadian Supreme Court. In light of the weight that our courts to attach Canadian rulings on constitutional issues, the development likely to have an influence on our judgment. The first article outlines briefly the background of the South African law of evidence and the handling of illegally obtained evidence to the subject for a foreign reader in perspective. Criminal cases are first in line and in this context the focus on the content and application of Article 35 (5) of the Constitution. Because of the influence of Canadian case law on our judgment, attention is focused on a three rulings of the High Court Canadians, namely R v Collins, R v Stillman and R v Grant. The Grant- decision is particularly important because the court in this matter A new approach followed regarding the admissibility of real evidence was obtained in contravention of the provisions of the Canadian charter. In short, this means that the court in R v Grant the approach in R v Stillman rejected and a new framework proposed in which courts Article 24 (2) of the charter should apply. The Stillman approach entailed that for purposes of the inquiry to the fairness of the trial the distinction between real and communicative evidence as irrelevant considered. The only question was whether the evidence - real or communicative - in a forced way acquired. In R v Stillman is also dispensed with the rule that the privilege against self-incrimination only applies to communicative evidence. The Stillman -beslissing evoked justifiable criticism in both Canada and South Africa. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court of Appeal in S v Tandwa the Stillman -beslissing result and Collins approach, according to which the distinction between real evidence and communicative evidence maintained rejected. The Grant -beslissing impose a broad flexible approach down within said distinction in the context of the fair trial query can still play a role. The hope is expressed that the highest court of appeal, submitted to the next occasion when this issue before the court, his back to S v Tandwa will turn and careful consideration to the judgment in R v Grant will give. The position in civil cases concerning improperly or illegally / unconstitutionally obtained evidence is discussed below. The focus is mainly on case law on this issue since the new constitutional dispensation came into force. Two issues of importance in the context Lotter v Arlow and Fedics Group (Pty) Ltd v Matus. In conclusion it is pointed out that the rules governing the admissibility of illegally or unconstitutionally obtained evidence regulates aimed the rights of the accused in a criminal case and to protect the parties in civil cases. The rules also aim to serve the interests of justice. It can also happen, however, in both criminal and civil cases, that evidence has been obtained on the controversial manner, yet are allowed. In a criminal case may such a finding is affected because of the bona fide actions of the police, while in a civil case the unlawful conduct of the party objection to the evidence the foundation can provide for. The task of the court is to maintain a balance between the conflicting interests by all circumstances into consideration.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Metadata only
    International trends in problem-based learning facilitator development
    (2013) Amien, Feroza
    The facilitator plays an important role in ensuring that a Problem-based Learning (PBL) curriculum is successful. This set of video resources can be utilized as a guide to training and recruiting PBL facilitators. It provides a rich source of information about how facilitators are trained at other universities across the world.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Investigation of alternative carbon sources for the biological treatment of synthetic sulphate-laden water and mine impacted water in a linear flow channel reactor
    (2025) Tawodzera, Nyasha; Harrison, Susan; Fernandes, Sarah
    South Africa grapples with the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD), which adversely affects surface and ground water quality. Existing treatment methods typically treat the acid and heavy metal components of AMD but often fail to meet sulphate removal standards, necessitating additional polishing steps that add to expense. They also carry drawbacks such as high operational costs and metal sludge generation for active treatment and reduced process control and the need for large land areas for installation for passive treatment. These treatment methods are not cost-efficient when treating low-volume, circum-neutral wastewater. Biological sulphate reduction (BSR) offers a sustainable alternative for sulphate removal and is applicable to partially treated AMD as well as circum- neutral, mine-impacted water. Coupled with partial sulphide oxidation, it also has the potential to convert sulphate to elemental sulphur, touching on waste valorisation as sulphur is a value-added product. However, BSR systems require supplementation with organic carbon and are characterised as slow, while partial oxidation of sulphide is difficult to control in many reactor systems; these are key drawbacks in the economic feasibility of these processes. A semi-passive linear flow channel reactor (LFCR) which simultaneously reduces sulphate to sulphide using sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) and partially oxidises the sulphide formed to elemental sulphur using sulphur oxidising bacteria (SOB) within a floating sulphur biofilm, was developed at the Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. It may be operated as a one- or two-stage reactor system, with the second stage providing additional surface area for partial sulphide oxidation. During its development, carbon fibres were added to enable biomass retention and thereby enhance reaction rates. For this study, the primary reactor was further modified to include baffles for improved directional flow and enhanced contacting and the carbon microfibre biomass support was replaced with polyurethane foam (PUF) previously shown to effect efficient biomass retention. A secondary reactor was included to provide 30% of operating volumes with no baffles; it was connected in series to increase surface area for sulphur recovery. The baffled hybrid linear flow channel reactor (BaH-LFCR) was supplied with an organic substrate, lactate, and was tested for its treatment of a synthetic sulphate laden feed. Lactate has been shown to be highly effective carbon source and electron donor for sulphate reduction but is expensive and not available at sufficient scale or low enough cost to be a cost-effective option at an industrial scale. The synthetic feed, unlike AMD from the field, was nutrient-rich with a stable, neutral pH that promoted SRB function. This study investigated the selection and use of an alternative, cheap and readily available carbon source and electron donor for BSR as well as the treatment of AMD from the field in the BaH-LFCR. Alternative carbon sources investigated included molasses, acetate, honey and algal biomass; each have a high chemical oxygen demand making them potentially suitable organic carbon sources for BSR. Honey and algal biomass can be produced on-site enhancing availability and negating transportation costs. As a byproduct of the sugar industry, the equivalent COD as molasses costs less than 0.1% of that of lactate. Acetate is a byproduct of most fermentation processes making it readily available. Field AMD presents several challenges for BSR due to its acidic nature, lack of nutrients, and potential toxins. To address these challenges, the AMD was characterised and pre-treated to increase the pH before introduction into the BSR system. Use of an alternative substrate and real AMD from the field demonstrates the ability of the LFCR to achieve real-world application and implementation. Three small-scale reactor configurations were tested with lactate and sulphate-laden feed: a 1 L fed-batch Schott bottle, a 93 mL continuous mini column, and a 1 L continuous Schott bottle. Continuous reactors performed poorly due to oxygen ingress, achieving only 43.4% sulphate conversion in the Schott bottle and no conversion after 23 days in the mini column. The fed-batch reactor demonstrated better stability with 78.1% conversion. Oxygen ingress impact was found to be inversely proportional to reactor size. Based on superior stability and conversion efficiency, the fed-batch reactor was selected for carbon source testing. The four alternative substrates were tested against lactate, as base case, in the fed-batch reactor. Molasses showed the highest performance among the alternative carbon sources, achieving 82.7% sulphate conversion and producing the highest sulphide concentration. In contrast, honey and algal lysate performed poorly, with average sulphate conversions of 7.4% and 14.1% respectively. The poor performance of honey was attributed to its antimicrobial properties and acidic nature. Poor performance of algal lysate likely resulted from its composition of predominantly unusable COD which would require fermentation to produce more accessible compounds. Acetate had an average conversion of 41.4% which was approximately half the conversion achieved using molasses as a carbon source. VFA analysis revealed that molasses was the only substrate where all measurable sugars and VFAs were consumed by the end of each cycle, as indicated by HPLC analysis. Additionally, molasses contained fermenting microorganisms that converted sugars into small concentrations of lactate, enhancing sulphate reduction. These fermenters were introduced into the BSR system along with the molasses substrate. Before introducing AMD from the field to the BaH-LFCR, various AMD pretreatment methods were evaluated using lactate-fed batch reactors. Four AMD conditions were tested: untreated AMD, lime-treated AMD, lime and sulphate-treated AMD, and lime-treated sterilised AMD. The untreated AMD batch showed the lowest sulphate conversion (9%) due to its acidic pH, which inhibited SRB activity. The highest conversion of 89% was achieved with lime-treated, sterilised AMD. Sterilisation eliminated competition for the carbon source between native microorganisms present in AMD and the SRB, resulting in enhanced sulphate conversion. Three experiments were conducted in the BaH-LFCR system to evaluate its performance using different combinations of carbon sources (lactate vs. molasses) and feed solutions (synthetic Postgate media vs. pre-treated AMD from the field). The first experiment established a base case using lactate and sulphate-rich synthetic feed to determine the optimal hydraulic residence time (HRT). At the optimal 3-day HRT, this base case achieved 64.8% sulphate conversion and the highest volumetric sulphate reduction rate (VSRR) of 0.187 mmol/L.h in the primary reactor, nearly two-fold that achieved previously in the LFCR. The second experiment, using lactate with partially treated AMD, achieved the highest sulphate conversion of 87.4% and the second-highest VSRR (0.216 mmol/L.h) in the primary reactor. It had 41.6% of the sulphur entering the system through the feed converted to sulphur. Sulphur formation was observed to decline, likely due to the development of a thin, impervious surface film hypothesised to consist of calcium crystal complexes. This film may have impaired oxygen di`usion at the air-liquid interface more severely than the typical floating sulphur biofilm (FSB), thereby reducing the efficiency of sulphide oxidation to elemental sulphur. The third experiment, combining molasses with partially treated AMD, achieved second highest sulphate conversion of 85.6% in the primary reactor. Overall sulphate conversion however dropped to 27.2% due to extensive re-oxidation in the secondary reactor. This re-oxidation linked to poor FSB formation and limited carbon availability in the secondary reactor. However, in the primary reactor the molasses configuration achieved the highest proportion of expected sulphide converted to sulphur of 30.7%, with a comparable expected sulphide amount of 518 mmol. The synthetic feed + lactate experiment achieved approximately only 9.4% sulphide conversion in the primary reactor, with an expected sulphide amount of 428 mmol while the AMD + lactate experiment had the highest expected sulphide amount of 543 mmol. In summary, the introduction of partially treated AMD into the LFCR system on a lactate carbon source not only maintained but enhanced system performance, achieving the highest sulphate conversion despite lacking the additional nutrients present in the SRB-specific feed. While using molasses as a complex waste stream carbon source achieved high sulphate conversion in the primary reactor, sulphur recovery was compromised due to re-oxidation at the primary reactor effluent port and because of limited carbon availability there was poor sulphur formation and high sulphate concentrations. The effective treatment of circum-neutral, sulphate-laden mine-impacted water using a readily available, cost-effective substrate demonstrates the system's suitability for industrial-scale deployment.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    The Literature Review Survival Guide 2014
    (2014-08-25) d'Angelo, Alex
    This guide will help you to find full text electronic information for tutorials and essays.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Metadata only
    Managing health care - Clicks workplace case study
    (2013) Abrahams, Sianne; Chetty, Rulisha; Williams, Reza
    Understanding your role in HIV management within the workplace is important because your response must be objective yet empathetic and non-discriminatory. For practitioners who may need a workplace scenario to demonstrate health management practice.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Mindsets: lived experiences of black actuarial science students
    (2025) Ntombana, Sixolile; Peters, Simone; Zungu, Thomzonke
    This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews and an intersectionality lens to explore the experiences of six black actuarial science students at the University of Cape Town (UCT). With the underrepresentation of black African students in South Africa's actuarial science exacerbating societal imbalances, the research aims to unveil their experiences and factors shaping these students' mindsets. Mindsets are influenced by parental feedback, socioeconomic status, background, and socialisation, among other factors. At historically white UCT, challenges faced by black African actuarial science students stem from a clash between their diverse mindsets and the prevailing white-oriented academic environment. The study reveals that academic excellence and the desire to uplift families' socioeconomic status motivate students amid challenges tied to socioeconomic factors, language barriers, and disparate educational backgrounds. The mindset analysis reveals that prevalent discouragement, external expectations, and self-doubt rooted in predetermined negative beliefs foster a fixed mindset among these students. Conversely, factors fostering a growth mindset include resilience, determination, and socioeconomic motivations. Positive role models, supportive lecturers, and optimistic career prospects contribute to a growth-oriented perspective, emphasising individual agency, positive influences, and socioeconomic considerations. The findings underscore the urgent need for universities and actuarial science programmes to implement targeted support mechanisms addressing the unique challenges black actuarial science students face. The study advocates for increased racial representation, linguistic inclusivity, and socioeconomic equity within actuarial science, highlighting the importance of fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment. Furthermore, it urges academic institutions to invest in mental health services to alleviate the emotional toll associated with actuarial science studies.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Morphological, ethological and genomic discrimination of functional stocks of spotted grunter, an estuarine-dependent fish
    (2024) Coetzee, Vivienne Nicole; Kerwath, Sven; Parker, Denham; Lamberth, Stephen
    This thesis investigates the differences between spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii from two biogeographically distinct South African estuaries, 800 km apart, and relates these differences to the environmental properties of these estuaries, in particular turbidity. Understanding both the phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms that structure spotted grunter populations is beneficial for their effective conservation and management, especially in the advent of climate change and anthropogenic pressures. The two study sites, the Breede Estuary and the Kei Estuary, represent low and high turbidity habitats, respectively. These properties affect the ability of fishes to use visual and acoustic modes of interaction. Moreover, recent literature has suggested the establishment of a recent divergent breeding population of spotted grunter in the Breede Estuary. Genetic and phenotypic differences, that drive population divergence, do not progress at the same rate and the divergence of these traits will occur at different timescales. This thesis provides a multifaceted approach that incorporates both phenotypic and genetic analyses of traits that can change over different timescales to identify any differences in fish originating from these two estuaries of contrasting turbidity. Consequently, four characteristics were chosen: (1) spot patterns, (2) otolith shape morphology, (3) acoustic repertoire and (4) genomic analysis. Markings and colouration of fishes are traits associated with camouflage as well as inter and intra-specific communication. As the species name implies, spotted grunter have distinct spot patterns. It was hypothesised that the spot patterns of spotted grunter living in turbid environments would differ from those living in less-turbid environments. It was important to establish the degree of phenotypic plasticity in spot patterns prior to field studies. Thus, a controlled aquarium experiment was conducted in order to ascertain the degree to which spotted grunter individuals can alter their spot pattern in response to changes in turbidity. The experiment revealed that an individual cannot alter the number or position of their spots but can adapt their spot size and brightness in response to changes in turbidity levels. Changes to spot size and brightness were also found to be reversible. Subsequent findings from the field revealed that spotted grunter from the less turbid Breede Estuary presented with more- and larger spots, for a given size range, compared to those living in the turbid Kei Estuary. Acoustic communication involves the dual process of generating and receiving sounds, where the functionality of the vocal organs must be paired with an appropriate sensory counterpart. Therefore, one would expect changes in the acoustic repertoire to coincide with changes in otolith morphology. Otoliths are under dual regulation by both genetic and environmental factors. It was hypothesised that (1) spotted grunter from the two biogeographically distinct estuaries would exhibit differences in their otolith morphology and (2) there would be differences in the otolith outlines of spotted grunter captured in the Breede Estuary pre-2002 and post-2019. While each otolith is unique to some degree, the results revealed significant differences in the outlines of otoliths from spotted grunter samples, both spatially and temporally. Furthermore, these differences could be used to assign individuals to their specific populations. As with most species of the Haemulidae family, spotted grunter produce rasping-or as the name suggests- ‘grunting' sounds, by stridulation of their pharyngeal teeth, which are amplified by the swim bladder. These sounds are species specific in terms of a number of acoustic properties. With respect to turbidity, it was hypothesised that the acoustic properties of voicings or vocalisations of spotted grunter from turbid environments would differ from those in less turbid environments. The findings from the field experiment confirmed this hypothesis, albeit in a manner opposite to expectations. Individuals from the less -turbid Breede Estuary produced longer, louder sounds of a lower frequency; this is presumed to be due to differences in each estuary's ambient noise or due to spotted grunter communication behaviour whereby acoustic signals may only succeed visual signals. The divergence of phenotypic stocks can eventually alter the genomic structure of a species. Despite differences in the phenotypic characters measured above, the genomic results suggested a single panmictic population of spotted grunter. Interestingly, a few highly differentiated loci were identified and some of these loci were associated with the measured phenotypic characteristics. Therefore, despite evidence for high gene flow occurring between these two estuaries, the highly differentiated loci may suggest early stages of divergence. This research marked the initial discovery that functional stocks of spotted grunter differ in aspects related to sound production, colouration and pattern. Currently, these differences are temporary, reversible phenotypic adaptations to local environments. However, if a new breeding population is established in a different biogeographic zone with unique environmental properties these differences could result in a genetically, morphologically and ethologically distinct population of spotted grunter, with distinct conservation and management requirements.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Online teaching in response to student protests and campus shutdowns: academics’ perspectives
    (2019-12-20) Czerniewicz, Laura; Trotter, Henry; Haupt, Genevieve
    Abstract During the period 2015–2017, student protests and university shutdowns rocked the higher education sector in South Africa, with key issues being raised regarding student exclusion based on financial, epistemological and cultural grounds. In this highly politicised and contested environment, some universities decided to use blended and online delivery as a strategy to enable the academic year to be completed and all curriculum to be covered, despite the disruptions. This was a controversial decision politically and a challenging one practically. From the perspective of the academics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), this paper draws on interviews with educators in three broad disciplinary areas to explore their views, practices, and experiences regarding the use of online materials in these unique circumstances. Activity Theory provides a framework to consider the issues systemically and to identify the tensions and contradictions in the system.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Openness at UCT - A brief history about OpenUCT
    (2014-11-04) Czerniewicz, Laura
    On 13 March 2014, OpenUCT and the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) held a workshop day with UCT Libraries on open educational resources (OERs) at UCT. Laura Czerniewicz's presentation covered the history of openness here at the University of Cape Town.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Risk Assessment tool for water reuse - University of Cape Town as a case study
    (2025) Tendo, Zindzi Sekyana Nabassagi; Okedi, John; Carden, Kirsty
    The 2015 – 2018 Cape Town drought led to investigations into alternative water sources such as greywater, rainwater, and stormwater. To implement these alternative sources effectively, the associated risks must be understood. The World Health Organisation's Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) already exists but can be complex, and relevant pathogen data is limited in South Africa. The existing risk assessment framework for irrigation with greywater in South Africa also lacks a detailed risk analysis. Lastly, no tools assess combined risk for the integrated use of greywater, rainwater and stormwater for a context such as Cape Town. This study developed a simplified qualitative risk assessment tool to provide risk management strategies for greywater, rainwater and stormwater. The tool's questions and answers were informed by the QMRA framework and the Irrigation with Greywater framework. Tool users were categorized based on whether they knew what alternative water source they intended to use. The user's answers were then assigned weights reflecting both the probability of exposure and the severity of consequence, with certain answers prioritized due to their substantial impact on elevating risk. From the weightings, a risk profile with an accompanying score ranging from ‘Low-1' to ‘Very High-25' – where higher numbers represent higher risks within a risk category, was assigned based on a risk matrix informed by risk matrices from Nel et al. (2022), World Health Organization (2016), and NRMCC et al. (2006). The tool was tested on four buildings in the study area, i.e., the University of Cape Town: The Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika (d-school), the New Lecture Theatre (NLT), the Tugwell residence and the Liesbeeck Gardens residence. The results indicated a high-15 (the high scale was from high-4 to high-15) risk when using untreated rainwater for toilet flushing at the d-school and a very high-25 (highest risk on the very high scale and overall) risk for any alternative water use at the NLT. The Tugwell student residence also exhibited a very high-25 risk for toilet flushing with greywater and stormwater. In contrast, Liesbeeck Gardens showed a moderate-10 (highest risk on the moderate scale of moderate-6 to moderate-10) risk of using rainwater in washing machines across the whole residence, and a very high-25 risk for greywater and stormwater and a moderate-10 risk for rainwater, used in toilet flushing within a flat at the residence. Common risk factors included the presence of tall trees and roof inclination angle for roof-harvested rainwater, proximity to uphill parking lots and motorways for stormwater, and the presence of individuals with low immunity in buildings utilizing greywater. Additionally, the season in which the alternative water source was used significantly influenced the risk profile. The study concluded that the tool can be used to support users in identifying areas of high risk when using these alternative water sources, and therefore aid decision-makers in prioritising resource allocation. The tool can also be used as an educational tool in living labs.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Metadata only
    Some determinants of Academic Exclusion and Graduation in three faculties at UCT
    (2017-06-06) Rooney, Christopher; Van Walbeek, Corne