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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.