# SideHustle: Jason GH Londt’s contribution to holdings of the South African Cicadidae (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha) in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440598 , vital:73796 , 10.3897/afrinvertebr.64.100851
- Description: Jason GH Londt contributed almost a quarter of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum’s specimens of Cicadidae, including a strong sample of females, and probably the best set to date of African records of predation on cicadas by robber flies. The collection provides evidence that robber flies catch more male cicadas; speculatively, because attacks on the heavier-bodied female fail more often. The metadata derived from these specimens also provide a small gazetteer of Londt’s collecting sites.
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- Date Issued: 2023
A Comparative Analysis of Speaker and Headphone-Based Immersive Audio in VR and Gaming Applications:
- Authors: Marais, Kyle , Foss, Richard
- Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/426705 , vital:72384 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10289435
- Description: Precise and accurate audio spatialization is crucial for gaming and Virtual Reality (VR) applications, as it is an essential aspect of the immersion experienced by users. When the audio of a virtual environment is synchronized with its visual sources and localized accurately, users are more likely to feel deeply engaged and suspend their disbelief. Audio Middleware software is commonly used in cooperation with game engines to meet the audio requirements of virtual environments created by game developers. This research paper presents a comparative analysis of speaker-and headphone-based immersive audio systems within the context of VR. The research findings indicate that, despite the headphone-based system offering more accurate audio localization and a higher ‘perceived audio quality’, the speaker-based system resulted in a greater sense of ‘immersion.’.
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- Date Issued: 2023
A Global Call for More Investment in Data-Driven Perioperative Care Delivery Models in Humanitarian Settings
- Authors: Mara, Busisiwe Oladimeji, Olnrewaju.
- Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/9118 , vital:72975
- Description: Abstract that must end in a full stop.
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- Date Issued: 2023
A Practical Use for AI-Generated Images
- Authors: Boby, Alden , Brown, Dane L , Connan, James
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463345 , vital:76401 , xlink:href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-43838-7_12"
- Description: Collecting data for research can be costly and time-consuming, and available methods to speed up the process are limited. This research paper compares real data and AI-generated images for training an object detection model. The study aimed to assess how the utilisation of AI-generated images influences the performance of an object detection model. The study used a popular object detection model, YOLO, and trained it on a dataset with real car images as well as a synthetic dataset generated with a state-of-the-art diffusion model. The results showed that while the model trained on real data performed better on real-world images, the model trained on AI-generated images, in some cases, showed improved performance on certain images and was good enough to function as a licence plate detector on its own. The study highlights the potential of using AI-generated images for data augmentation in object detection models and sheds light on the trade-off between real and synthetic data in the training process. The findings of this study can inform future research in object detection and help practitioners make informed decisions when choosing between real and synthetic data for training object detection models.
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- Date Issued: 2023
A replacement name for Bostra Stål (Insecta, Phasmida, Diapheromeridae), a junior homonym of Bostra Walker (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440738 , vital:73808 , https://jor.pensoft.net/article/97047/
- Description: Bostra Stål (Phasmida, Diapheromeridae) is a junior homonym of Bostra Walker (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae). The replacement name Bostranova Villet nomen nov. is proposed for Bostra Stål, and new combinations are proposed for the species-group names currently included in that phasmid genus.
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- Date Issued: 2023
A Spectre Haunting a Journalist and a Devastated Land
- Authors: Baines, Gary F
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/450055 , vital:74879 , https://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/hist/v68n1/07.pdf
- Description: In 1986, British journalist Fred Bridgland published the first, and to date the only full-length English language biography of Jonas Savimbi, 1 the leader of UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola). The mammoth volume raised the profile of Savimbi and elevated the guerrilla to a pantheon that included his idol Mao Zedong and his reputed friend, Che Guevera. 2 Apparently unbeknown to Bridgland, Savimbi was already exhibiting the worst excesses of Mao: the elimination of all potential rivals to his ironclad control of the rebel armed group. What Bridgland could not have foreseen was that Savimbi was destined to die in the same undignified manner as Guevera with the reputation that he had helped cultivate in tatters (255).
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- Date Issued: 2023
Abortion Services and Reproductive Justice in Rural South Africa
- Authors: du Plessis, Ulandi , Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434081 , vital:73030 , ISBN 9781776148738 , https://www.witspress.co.za/page/detail/Abortion-Services-and-Reproductive-Justice-in-Rural-South-Africa/?K=9781776148776
- Description: Despite progressive legislation, abortion service implementa-tion and access in South Africa’s rural areas is challenging and directly affects low-income communities. This book urges an intervention for safe and accessible abortion services that does not compromise costs or confidentiality within a repara-tive reproductive justice framework. South Africa’s progressive abortion legislation was hailed as transformative in terms of reproductive health and rights. Despite this promise, many challenges persist resulting in a lack of services, especially in rural areas where distances and transport costs are a factor.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile fibers and their porphyrin-immobilized composites for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water
- Authors: Oyim, James , Amuhaya, Edith K , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:65077 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10601325.2023.2183868"
- Description: Photocatalyst adsorbents are an appealing group of materials for environmental applications. Herein, we study a new simple, inexpensive, yet very effective adsorbent photocatalyst based on porphyrin immobilized activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile, InP(PAN/AC), for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water under Xe-lamp and sunlight irradiation (the latter for Ciprofloxacin only). Our results shed light on developing the most effective and sustainable adsorbent photocatalysts that can easily be industrialized due to the ease of preparation through electrospinning coupled with the readily available preparation materials. After five cycles, the InP(PAN/AC) maintained high methylene dye removal efficiency and structural integrity. Significantly, we propose the coordinated contribution of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical in the photodegradation process and highlight the importance of such an integrated system with adsorption and photodegradation capabilities for water treatment.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Agent-based model development of a complex socio-ecological system: Methods for overcoming data and domain limitations
- Authors: James, C. L , Bradshaw, Karen L
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440189 , vital:73755 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102224"
- Description: Agent-based models (ABMs) are appropriate tools for modelling socio-ecological systems due to their ability to handle complexity. However, development of such models is often an intensive process. There are many tutorials on the general methods and steps in ABM development but there are not necessarily practical details on how to overcome certain challenges. Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.), a kind of fynbos vegetation found in the Western and Eastern Cape mountains, is an important ecological and agricultural product in South Africa. It is considered a complex system due to its variability and unpredictability. The honeybush tea industry faces the challenge of meeting emerging market demands while maintaining sustainable harvesting practices, in the midst of an uncertain future due to climate change. We created a prototype model, HoneybushModel, using the MARS framework, a C# multi-agent simulation toolkit. The model was validated using historic data. Whilst outlining the development processes used to create the Honeybush Model, this paper provides a methodology for the development of such models and demonstrates techniques for addressing data, domain and framework limitations. The implemented model also acts as a case study for similar systems that could be modelled using an ABM.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation for Transmission Dynamics and Surveillance of Dengue: Conceptual and Design Model
- Authors: Pascoe, Luba , Nyambo, Devotha G , Bradshaw, Karen L , Clemen, Thomas
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440200 , vital:73756 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1109/AFRICON55910.2023.10293299"
- Description: African countries need to strengthen surveillance and control of arboviral diseases such as dengue due to increased outbreaks and spread of arboviruses. Climatic, socio-environment, and ecological variables influence the spread of dengue fever in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper presents an Agent-Based conceptual and design model for dengue fever developed using the Multi-Agent Research and Simulation (MARS) framework. The study analyzes dengue fever's spatial distribution and identifies the causal relationship between the disease and its climatic and environmental variables. Agent-based modeling (ABM) was used to comprehend the spatial patterns of variation to determine the ecological association between the observed spatio-temporal variations in dengue fever. The domain and design model of an ABM for the surveillance of dengue fever is presented based on the Overview, Design Concepts, and Details (ODD) protocol. Model input parameters and input data for the study area are also presented. The dengue ABM can be adopted and reused for modeling other diseases and other complex problems from different domains while ensuring that their unique characteristics and appropriate modifications are considered to ensure the model's validity and relevance to the new context.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Agricultural disturbance affects taxonomic and functional diversity of Afrotropical macroinvertebrate composition in a South African river system
- Authors: Akamagwuna, Frank C , Odume, Oghenekaro N , Richoux, Nicole B
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/454293 , vital:75333 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2023.100251"
- Description: Developing species-level biomonitoring tools to monitor riverine systems threatened by anthropogenic pollution, including local agricultural activities in the Afrotropical region, remain a critical challenge. Here we explored the utility of taxonomic-based (diversity, richness, and composition) as well as functional-based (functional diversity) indices to examine the effects of agricultural disturbance on macroinvertebrate communities in the Kat River, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. We collected physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrates from eight sites delineated into four land-use categories (highly impacted, HIC; impacted category, IC; moderately impacted, MIC and least impacted, LIC) using agricultural land cover. We recorded 70 macroinvertebrate taxa belonging to 49 families and 48 genera in the Kat River. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Pearson correlation analysis revealed that species of Lymnaeidae, Belostomatidae, Planorbidae and Libellulidae families and class Oligochaeta were tolerant to agricultural disturbance, as they were dominant in the highly impacted sites and were significantly associated with high salinity, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), flow velocity and nutrients. Conversely, species of Baetidae, Caenidae and Potamonautidae were negatively associated with the highly impacted sites and high salinity, temperature, and nutrients. On the other hand, taxonomic indices showed more sensitivity to indicators of agricultural pollution than functional indices, with taxon richness, Shannon index, Simpson's index and Margalef's index declining significantly in the highly disturbed sites (p less than 0.05). They were negatively associated with high electrical conductivity, large river width, and high nitrite and nitrate concentrations; hence they were identified as indicator metrics sensitive to agricultural pollution. Overall, our study revealed that agricultural disturbance could differentially affect the structure and function of macroinvertebrates, and indicator taxonomic and functional indices were identified for long-term monitoring of rivers that drain agricultural landscapes.
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- Date Issued: 2023
An Evaluation of Machine Learning Methods for Classifying Bot Traffic in Software Defined Networks
- Authors: Van Staden, Joshua , Brown, Dane L
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463357 , vital:76402 , xlink:href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-7874-6_72"
- Description: Internet security is an ever-expanding field. Cyber-attacks occur very frequently, and so detecting them is an important aspect of preserving services. Machine learning offers a helpful tool with which to detect cyber attacks. However, it is impossible to deploy a machine-learning algorithm to detect attacks in a non-centralized network. Software Defined Networks (SDNs) offer a centralized view of a network, allowing machine learning algorithms to detect malicious activity within a network. The InSDN dataset is a recently-released dataset that contains a set of sniffed packets within a virtual SDN. These sniffed packets correspond to various attacks, including DDoS attacks, Probing and Password-Guessing, among others. This study aims to evaluate various machine learning models against this new dataset. Specifically, we aim to evaluate their classification ability and runtimes when trained on fewer features. The machine learning models tested include a Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron, Logistic Regression, and K-Nearest Neighbours. Cluster-based algorithms such as the K-Nearest Neighbour and Random Forest proved to be the best performers. Linear-based algorithms such as the Multilayer Perceptron performed the worst. This suggests a good level of clustering in the top few features with little space for linear separability. The reduction of features significantly reduced training time, particularly in the better-performing models.
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- Date Issued: 2023
An Exploration of Flow Control Using Machine Learning and Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Authors: Bradshaw, Karen L , Cornfield Matthew
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440211 , vital:73757 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.59200/ICARTI.2023.017"
- Description: Although numerous studies relating to computational fluid dynamics and machine learning have been conducted in relation to automotive development, the majority focus on either early development using completed 3D models, or the final testing stages of development, or machine learning accelerated computational fluid dynamic simulations. While this approach is helpful in software development and simulation, it is not easily adaptable to automotive design where the final model is constantly changing and being modified. Consequently, the aim of this study is to propose a method for conducting computational fluid dynamics and machine learning concurrently to accelerate the development process. The proposed method is used to design and improve the aerodynamic efficiency of an object. The approach focuses on developing, implementing, and comparing machine learning models capable of generating optimised three-dimensional objects with the required geometry to direct airflow paths required in applications such as pressure generation, as needed for both active and passive flow control. The study concludes that both decision tree regression and long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder models could be used to optimise the aerodynamic efficiency of solid bodies, but that the LSTM autoencoder performs better overall. An undesirable effect of the shape optimisation is an overall reduction in shape size as optimization increases.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Analysis of South African Media Coverage of the 2022 KZN Floods
- Authors: Aiseng, Kealeboga , Gamede, S
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/455411 , vital:75428 , ISBN , https://tiikmpublishing.com/proceedings/index.php/msdc/article/view/1117
- Description: Literature exists that studies media coverage of natural disasters. The media has the potential to influence how governments react to disasters, how emergency services handle disasters, and how people receive and react to the news of disasters. However, the media sometimes sensationalizes the news about the disasters and focus on other manifestations such as panic, looting, shock, emerging heroes and villains, human conflict, and suffering. This study aims to analyze the media coverage of the 2022 floods in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa. In particular, the study seeks to evaluate if there was media coverage of the floods and what the contents of the coverage were. The study used content analysis to examine the presence of KZN floods from three selected online newspapers, focusing on whether the floods were covered, and which issues or themes dominated the reporting of the floods. The aim here was to examine the role that the media played during this disaster in South Africa. Content analysis was used to note the number of stories covered during the KZN floods in the media, the key themes that dominated the coverage of the floods and factors that influenced the media coverage of the floods. The selected online newspapers are News24, Independent Online (IOL) and TimesLive. These newspapers were purposively selected because of their wider national readership, the ideology of the newspaper, strong online presence, and type/style of reporting. Based on the above-presented data, we argue that there was sufficient coverage of the KZN floods in South African media. The study also discovered that the following issues or stories dominated the reporting/coverage of floods: disaster management, casualties, relief measures, the role of the government, business interests, the role of opposition parties, destruction of infrastructure, and effects on social life.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Analyzing agricultural financing for resettled farmers in Zimbabwe: the case of targeted Command Agricultural program in Mutare District
- Authors: Mafirakurewa, Tariro https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6587-4524
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: Agricultural administration--Finance , Farmers -- Zimbabwe , Agriculture -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/28255 , vital:73985
- Description: Agriculture plays a paramount role in the economy of many countries including Zimbabwe where more than 70 percent of the population depends on agricultural activities for their livelihoods. Smallholder farmers’ access to agricultural credit is vital for the development and growth of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, hence agricultural financing is crucial in rural development. Despite the Government’s efforts to provide affordable agricultural credit services to its majority smallholder farmers’ participation is still meager. The aim of this study is to analyze agricultural financing for resettled farmers in Zimbabwe, with special focus on the command agricultural loans in the Mutare district. A multistage sampling technique was employed in this study. Firstly purposive selection of Manicaland province was carried out because it is endowed with the five natural farming regions found in Zimbabwe. The second stage involved a random selection of 4 out of 7 districts with favorable climatic conditions for maize production. Thirdly, the study also carried out a purposive selection of Mutare district among the four districts with favorable climatic conditions, given the time and financial constraints. The last stage involved the use of stratified sampling technique, where the sample was divided into two strata. Stratum 1 with A1 farmers and stratum two consisting of A2 farmers, and a random sample was selected from each stratum. The study involved 301 A1 farmers and 49 A2 farmers, making a total sample of 350 farmers used for this study. Double hurdle was employed to examine the factors influencing A1 and A2 farmers` participation in command agriculture loans in the study area. Multinomial logistic regression model was also applied to investigate the determinants of command agriculture loan repayment, while propensity score matching technique was used to examine the impacts of command agriculture loans on maize productivity and profitability of A1 and A2 farmers. The results revealed that family size, and distance from the market GMB positively influence farmers likelihood to participate in in the command agricultural loan. While family size, farmer type and distance from the market were proven to have a positive significant influence on the extent of participation in command agriculture. Also training on the command agriculture loan and gender were proven to have a negative signification influence on the extent of farmers` participation in command agriculture loan. The maximum likelihood estimates of the multinomial logistic regression revealed that age and output levels significantly influence resettled farmers` likelihood to partly pay their loans. Also, the likelihood estimates of the multinomial logistic regression showed that distance from the market and output levels have a positive influence on resettled farmers` likelihood of fully paying the command agriculture loan. Access to extension services to extension services was proven to negatively influence farmers` likelihood to fully pay the loan. The results also revealed that participating in command agriculture significantly impacted productivity at the 1 percent level, while it was not significant in the participants' profitability. The results show that participating in command agriculture increases productivity by 0.93 tonnes hectare. The study recommends the intensification of extension service supply to ensure that farmers are receiving relevant agricultural training, mainly on climate change adaptation strategies. This will help resettled farmers to adjust and adapt to their new farming environments and, in turn, have a positive impact on their production levels. Also, to improve farmers’ profitability the GMB selling price should be in American dollars USD and not paid in part RTGS and part USD, because the RTGS part is always outstripped by inflation. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023
Anton Reichenow and the birds of Africa
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/448786 , vital:74760 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2023.2263165
- Description: The first handbook of the birds of Africa was completed in 1905 by Anton Reichenow (1847–1941). Based in the Berlin museum for almost 50 years, he described 152 African taxa that are still recognised as valid species today, and was considered by his contemporaries as a key figure in the development of African ornithology.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Asymmetrical zinc phthalocyanine conjugated to various nanomaterials for applications in phototransformation of organic pollutants and photoinactivation of bacteria
- Authors: Mgidlana, Sithi , Openda, Yolande Ikala , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360344 , vital:65081 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.134850"
- Description: Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) complexes are linked to metallic nanoparticles covalently via amide and ester bonds. The photocatalytic activity of the conjugates of ZnPc complexes with NiWO4, Ag2WO4, CoWO4 and Ag-Fe3O4 nanoparticles are evaluated for photodegradation of methylene blue, tetracycline, and dibenzothiophene. The photocatalytic efficiencies of the prepared phthalocyanine complexes increased in the presence of nanoparticles. This work also reports on the photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy activity of these materials against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. The results indicate that Ag2WO4 based nanoconjugates exhibit high antimicrobial activity with higher log reduction compared to NiWO4, CoWO4 and Ag-Fe3O4 based materials.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Best practices in the use and exchange of microorganism biological control genetic resources
- Authors: Mason, Peter G , Hill, Martin P , Smith, David , Silvestri, Luciano C , Weyl, Philip S R , Brodeur, Jacques , Vitorino, Marcello Diniz
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/417927 , vital:71495 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-023-10197-3"
- Description: The Nagoya Protocol actions the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity and provides a framework to effectively implement the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources. This includes microorganisms used as biological control agents. Thus biological control practitioners must comply with access and benefit-sharing regulations that are implemented by countries providing microbial biological control agents. A review of best practices and guidance for the use and exchange of microorganisms used for biological control has been prepared by the IOBC Global Commission on Biological Control and Access and Benefit-Sharing to demonstrate commitment to comply with access and benefit-sharing requirements, and to reassure the international community that biological control is a very successful and environmentally safe pest management strategy that uses biological resources responsibly and sustainably. We propose that best practices include the following elements: collaboration to facilitate information exchange about the availability of microbial biological control agents and where they may be sourced; freely sharing available knowledge in databases about successes and failures; collaborative research with provider countries to develop capacity; and production technology transfer to provide economic opportunities. We recommend the use of model concept agreements for accessing microorganisms for scientific research and non-commercial release into nature where access and benefit-sharing regulations exist and where regulations are not restrictive or do not exist. We also recommend a model agreement for deposition of microbial biological control agents into culture collections.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Blended Agile Learning of Computer Architecture under COVID
- Authors: Machanick, Philip
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439141 , vital:73550 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grant-Ooster-wyk/publication/375547243_Beyond_the_Hype_A_Cautionary_Tale_of_ChatGPT_in_the_Programming_Classroom/links/654e3009b1398a779d76a75e/Beyond-the-Hype-A-Cautionary-Tale-of-ChatGPT-in-the-Programming-Classroom.pdf#page=45
- Description: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges. 2021 was an interesting year because we had overcome the worst of the teething problems of remote learning but were able to resume some in-person activities. I present experiences from a second-year computer architecture course that I have taught since 2014 to illustrate that some lessons from operating under pandemic conditions can apply to running courses under more normal conditions. 2021 was an interesting year because we reintroduced in-person pracs partway through this course, allowing students to reflect on the difference this made. Reflection on what did and did not work in the course points to possible improvements in pedagogy in more “normal” times. In isolation, the very positive feedback in a course survey may be flattering but there are useful insights to be drawn from what worked. Drawing on ideas from the social construction model of education, where students should be actively involved in learning, and agile software development, results in some insights that may generalize. The kind of feedback that is part of agile development can be layered on top of formative assessment. Empathy with difficulties faced by a class can make a class more involved in the strategy for course delivery. In 2022, without COVID constraints, some of the lessons were applied with positive outcomes.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Challenges and Opportunities of Preserving African Indigenous Knowledge Using Digital Technologies: The Case of Bogwera
- Authors: Aiseng, Kealeboga
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/455424 , vital:75429 , ISBN 9781668470244 , DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7024-4.ch007
- Description: Most indigenous knowledge systems, practices, and values disappear due to the influence of technology, human migrations, climate change, globalization, death, memory loss, and civilization. Therefore, indigenous knowledge systems will disappear if they are no longer used. This is because many traditional practices and activities within indigenous knowledge systems that have been used are essential coping and living strategies and are now in danger of disappearing. The chapter investigates how social web technologies, social media platforms, and online video tools can digitize, share, and preserve indigenous knowledge for the current generations that need to be more knowledgeable about these systems and future generations. With the example of bogwera, the chapter studies the role that digital technologies can play in protecting and preserving indigenous knowledge systems in the Taung community in North West, South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2023