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Faculty of Arts and Design

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Author: search.filters.author.Mlambo, Philani BrianStart date: 2021

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Instructional practices by engineering graphics and design teachers : a focus on teaching and learning of isometric drawing
    (OpenEd Network, 2024) Mlambo, Philani Brian
    This qualitative study was conducted to investigate the instructional practices used by Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) to teach Isometric Drawing (ID). This enquiry was necessitated by the growing concern from subject advisors and teachers about the poor performance of learners in isometric drawing. In an attempt to meet the objectives, this study adopted an interpretivist position to understand the instructional practices employed by teachers in teaching isometric drawing. This study used seven (7) EGD teachers who were conveniently selected, it is worth noting that the sample was influenced by the fact that EGD is a subject that is not common hence not many schools offer it. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and was analyzed using a thematic analysis. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) was used as a framework that underpinned this study. Findings from this study indicated that all EGD teachers have the common understanding that ID involves converting 2d orthographic view into a 3d figure. The findings further revealed that teachers rely heavily on models, YouTube videos and AutoCAD to develop learners’ spatial ability which is a very important skill. The study recommended that there should be no teacher hired to teach EGD without being fully trained. The study further recommended that future research should be conducted on learners to get their insight on why they are performing poorly in ID.
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    Exploring the adoption of ChatGPT in higher education : a case of lecturers in a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
    (IATED, 2024-07) Mlambo, Philani Brian
    ChatGPT has been regarded by many scholars as the innovation of the century since its inception in November 2022. This is mainly because of the things that are out of this world that ChatGPT is capable of doing and that has led to many heated arguments about using ChatGPT in higher education settings. As a result, this qualitative study sought to explore the adoption of ChatGPT in higher education by getting the views of eight (8) lecturers through semi-structured interviews. The data from the semi structured interviews was analyzed using a thematic analysis to gauge the lecturer's view about the adoption of ChatGPT in higher education. This study adopted a convenience sampling technique to select the eight (8) lecturers that formed part of this study. This study responded to the objectives of this study through the aid of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory which underpinned this study. The findings from the semi-structured interviews indicated that ChatGPT is a tool that will promote laziness in students and take away the ability to think critically. Findings further revealed that most lectures have engaged with ChatGPT, and they were mesmerized by the ability ChatGPT has. Based on the findings, this study recommends that students should be taught how to use ChatGPT as a supporting tool for teaching and learning rather than taking ChatGPT as a tool to do everything for them which will impact the kind of graduates, they will be upon graduating in higher education.
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    Teachers’ readiness towards the integration of information and communications technology into teaching and learning : a case of engineering graphics and design in uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal
    (2023-06) Mlambo, Philani Brian; Maeko, Mogale S. A.; Khoza, S. D.; Maeko, Mogale Simon Albert; Khoza, Samuel Dumazi
    The infusion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into the education system has led to changes in the way teaching and learning are conducted. One of the factors is the migration of the world to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and another factor is the recent outbreak of COVID-19. This change has necessitated the need for teachers to have ICT skills that would help them integrate ICT into teaching and learning. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the state of readiness of Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) teachers in the integration of ICT in teaching and learning in uMgungundlovu secondary schools. To carry out the objectives of this study an interpretivism paradigm was employed. The study also employed qualitative approach to collect data. The investigation comprised of 9 teachers and convenience sampling was used to select the participants. Interviews and classroom observations were used as data collection methods. These methods were adapted from the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework that was used to underpin the study. Data gathered from interviews was subjected to thematic analysis and data gathered from classroom observations was reported descriptively. The findings of this study discovered that EGD teachers in uMgungundlovu District are ready to infuse ICT into teaching and learning as they indicated that ICT integration in EGD lessons is very essential but there are few challenges like the shortage of ICT resources that are proving to be a stumbling block. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should provide teachers with training so that those teachers who are technically disadvantaged can be equipped with relevant ICT skills. The study further recommends that DBE should also provide schools with equipment such as laptops, projectors, whiteboards, AutoCAD, and tablets that EGD teachers would use to incorporate ICT into teaching and learning as it has been proven that abstract concepts are best studied using technology.
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    Investigating ChatGPT : a threat or benefit to higher education?
    (Futurity Research Publishing, 2024-03-13) Mlambo, Philani Brian
    Over the past years, technology has been on the rise and this rise has necessitated the need for technology developers to be on their toes in ensuring that new technologies are developed to keep up with the fast-paced technology rise. Consequently, the rise in artificial intelligence brought ChatGPT which has been seen as the most advanced chatbot that has ever been created. However, scholars have mixed views about ChatGPT in the context of higher education which has compelled the need to investigate ChatGPT to gauge whether it is a threat or a benefit to higher education. This study aimed to investigate lecturers' views about ChatGPT, ascertain whether ChatGPT is a threat or benefit to higher education, and get lecturers' views if whether or not ChatGPT can be used as an official academic tool to support both lecturers and students in doing their academic work. To carry out the objectives of this study, a qualitative research approach was employed, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data collected was analysed using a thematic analysis. Furthermore, convenience sampling was used to select eight (8) lecturers to gather their in-depth understanding of ChatGPT. Findings of this study indicate that lecturers view ChatGPT as a source of information. Findings further revealed that there are mixed views among lecturers on whether ChatGPT is a threat or benefit to higher education. This study recommends that there should be guidelines and policies to guide the usage of ChatGPT so that students and lecturers will not misuse it.
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    Investigating factors contributing to poor performance in teaching and learning of N3 assembly drawing : a case of uMgungundlovu TVET college
    (Lembaga Penelitian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat - LITPAM, 2024-01-25) Mkhwanazi, Mthokozisi Sakhile; Mlambo, Philani Brian
    Poor performance in Assembly Drawing (AD) has been a significant issue in Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) in high schools and TVET colleges. This poor performance in AD, which is a crucial component of the EGD exam, leads to students not performing well in Grade 12 and consequently limits their entry into engineering programs in TVET colleges. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the contributing factors to poor performance in the teaching and learning of AD among N3 students. To achieve the objectives of this study, a mixed research approach was employed, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews and the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT). A purposive sampling method was used to select four Engineering Drawing (ED) lecturers and 45 N3 Engineering Drawing students to participate in this study. Furthermore, Piaget's perception and imagery theory and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) were utilized as frameworks underpinning this study. The interview results were analyzed using thematic analysis, while the data from the PSVT was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of this study indicate that N3 students have very low spatial visualization skills, and the negative attitude displayed by both students and lecturers towards the teaching and learning of AD contributes to poor performance in N3 ED. The findings further revealed that the lack of drawing-related teaching qualifications among lecturers also contributes to poor performance in AD. Furthermore, the quantitative findings show that the students achieved a mean score of 16.82, with a standard deviation of 8.389, indicating poor performance on the PSVT test. One limitation of this study is the small number of lecturers interviewed (four), which makes it difficult to generalize the results. Therefore, future studies should include a larger sample size of lecturers. This study recommends that lecturers be hired based on their relevant teaching qualifications and further suggests the use of technology to enhance students' spatial visualization skills and improve their performance in AD.
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    Factors contributing to resistance in the use of information and communications technology : a snapshot on engineering graphics and design teachers
    (Society for Research and Knowledge Management, 2023-10-30) Mlambo, Philani Brian; Maeko, Mogale Simon Albert; Khoza, Samuel Dumazi
    The prevalent adoption of ICT in education has compelled even EGD teachers to integrate ICT in teaching and learning of EGD. However, not every teacher understands the importance of using technology in EGD lessons, even though it offers a lot of benefits for both teachers and learners. Many scholars have attributed this resistance of teachers to many factors, such as gender, age, and attitudes as well as the fact that teachers do not perceive technology as important as they believe that traditional methods are still bearing fruit. In an attempt to understand the actual reasons behind teachers’ resistance to ICT integration in EGD lessons, this study followed a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Purposive sampling was used to identify 11 EGD teachers to take part in this study. Furthermore, the study employed the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework, which puts emphasis on the acceptance and adoption of technology. This framework assisted in pinpointing factors contributing to ICT resistance and how teachers can accept technology for the purpose of teaching and learning. The findings show that factors such as age, lack of proper skills to use technology, lack of exposure to technology at the tertiary level, attitude, and shortage of resources in schools are contributing to teachers’ resistance to using technology. The study recommends that the department of education should train teachers and provide schools with relevant ICT resources.
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    Teachers’ readiness towards the integration of information and communications technology in teaching and learning of engineering graphics and design in KwaZulu-Natal
    (OpenEd Network, 2023-09) Mlambo, Philani Brian; Maeko, Mogale Simon Albert; Khoza, Samuel Dumazi
    The integration of information and communications technology (ICT) into the education system has led to changes in the way teaching and learning are conducted. These changes have necessitated the need for teachers to have ICT skills that would help them integrate ICT into teaching and learning (T&L). Hence, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate the state of readiness of Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) teachers in the integration of ICT in T&L in uMgungundlovu secondary schools. Convenience sampling was employed to select nine EGD teachers to partake in this study. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data. Data gathered from interviews was subjected to thematic analysis, and data gathered from observations was reported descriptively. The findings of this study revealed that EGD teachers in uMgungundlovu District are ready to integrate ICT into the T&L of EGD, as they indicated that ICT integration in EGD lessons is essential. The study further revealed a shortage of ICT resources and a lack of ICT skills among teachers, which hinder the successful integration of ICT. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) provide teachers with ICT training so that those who are technically disadvantaged can be equipped with relevant ICT skills. The study further recommends that DBE give the schools an AutoCAD license, as it has been proven to be a useful ICT tool.
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    Information and communications technology in engineering graphics and design classrooms: a post COVID-19 era
    (Lembaga Penelitian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat - LITPAM, 2023) Mlambo, Philani Brian
    The integration of information and communications technology in teaching and learning is growing at an exponential rate due to many factors we have observed lately, such as the outbreak of COVID-19. The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 took the world by surprise. Many sectors such as health and education were left shattered due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The outbreak compelled the educational sector to come up with alternative majors to keep the teaching and learning process alive as the physical classes were suspended as means to curb the spread of COVID-19. In an attempt to investigate different ways Engineering Graphics and Design teachers used to conduct lessons during the COVID-19 lockdown, this study employed a qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicate that COVID-19 did influence the way teachers are teaching post-COVID-19.  The study findings further reveal that WhatsApp was the tool most teachers relied on to keep teaching and learning alive, however, some teachers were experiencing problems. The study recommends that teachers should continue using WhatsApp as a way of extending lessons during home hours.