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Mangosuthu University of Technology Annual Report

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reported to exist on computer workstations in the existing

computer labs in the Department of Civil Engineering and

Surveying. The poor performance in Mathematics and

Science at School level, recently shown by the majority

of first-time entering students performing at NQF 2 in

the evaluations for academic readiness conducted by

the Teaching and Learning Development Centre (TLDC),

severely affected student performance and progression in

this Faculty, requiring extensive remediation in the form

of the PreTech and the extended curriculum programmes

(ECPs).

Student Awards and Achievements

Mr SN Zindela was awarded the Meritorious Student

Award by the South African Institution of Mechanical

Engineering for being the best Mechanical Engineering

student at MUT in 2015. The Conference of Southern

African Surveyors’ (CONSAS) Award of Excellence to the

best student in Surveying / Geomatics was given to Ms TN

Masuku. Every university offering a Surveying / Geomatics

programme recognised by PLATO is eligible to enter

the competition for the CONSAS Award of Excellence.

Programmes in (Land) Surveying, Mine Surveying and

Geo-informatics Sciences are included. The award is for

the best student at a university who has completed his/

her undergraduate programme and obtained at least an

average of 70% for all subjects in the relevant programme.

Ms Masuku obtained an average 79% for her academic

subjects and earned 18 distinctions out of 24 subjects -

an excellent performance which was acknowledged at

national level by CONSAS.

Staff Appointments and Qualifications

STAFF APPOINTMENTS

One (1) nGAP post was created in the Department of

Chemical Engineering and Mr Mtsweni was appointed

as a Junior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering against

this post. Mr Fred Rapai was appointed as a Lecturer in

Mechanical Engineering on the 1st August 2015 and Mrs

K. Behara was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Electrical

Engineering on the 1st October 2015.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering lost some

valuable staff members in 2015 who are not easy to

replace. The loss was to other institutions and included

staff members who had recently acquired their doctoral

degrees.

QUALIFICATIONS

Mr M D Lushiku completed a second MSc in Civil

Engineering specializing in Concrete, whilst Mr A Jaiyeola

completed his MSc in Civil Engineering. Chemical

Engineering contributed to the enhancement of the

staff qualifications profile in the Faculty through Mrs T

Makhathini obtaining a Master’s Degree in Chemical

Engineering from the Durban University of Technology,

and Messrs K Tumba and F Mhlanga obtaining their PhDs

in Chemical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-

Natal.

5.3.2. Faculty of Management Sciences

Instruction

Some departments introduced e-learning to supplement

their traditional teaching delivery methods by utilising

smart-boards in certain venues. Blackboard, group email

facilities and whatsapp messaging was also used by staff

to provide access to learning material and enhance other

technological functionalities. Students were also able to

view assessment marks via the student portal.

Limitations on Access to Certain Courses

During 2015, the Department of Accounting introduced

annual programmes and phased out certain current

semester programmes. The rationale for this change

was to provide additional teaching time to students

considering the multidisciplinary nature of accounting

programmes.

The BTech degree in Human Resource Management had

the last intake into the programme in 2015. However, it

will remain active in the University’s Programme and

Qualification Mix (PQM) until December 2018, when

it will be replaced by the Advanced Diploma in Human

Resource Management.

Lack of adequate computer laboratory space in some

instances resulted in classes having to be split. As a

consequence, greater work load burdens fell on the

shoulders of information technology teaching staff.

In isolated cases, there were no available lecturers to

conduct classes. This had a negative impact on level of

ICT related tuition received by some students.

Student Awards and Achievements

One student, Ms Z Khumalo from the Department

of Accounting was selected for the ABE Bailey trust

award. Three students from the Department of Public

Administration were selected to attend an educational tour

in Tanzania. The tour assisted in leadership development,

improving entrepreneurial skills and promoting an

understanding of the political and cultural dynamics in the

continent.