Faculty of Arts and Design
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Item Student evaluations of teaching as a tool for making summative personnel decisions at a tertiary institution(2000) Harrison, Janet Elizabeth; Prosser, Julia JudithA random sample of learners and educators, at a Technikon, was surveyed with regard to the teaching behaviours that most contributed to effective learning. Variables included in the survey were identified by a focus group of educators and learners who negotiated the content of the survey questionnaire over a six-week period. This methodology ensured that learners were able to voice their interests in what should be assessed in a summative learner evaluation of teaching. Educator opinion on what feedback they would be prepared to receive from learners was a necessary touchstone to ensure compliance with legislative and administrative requirements for good practice in performance appraisal. Educators and learners agreed on thirteen of fourteen significant educator behaviours which learners felt contributed to effective learning. These findings suggest that a) learners and educators may not be as dissimilar in their teaching and learning agendas as previously thought and b) that participant meanings regarding teaching and learning practice may playa large role in defining teaching competence. Supervisor: MRS J. PROSSER Department of EducationItem An evaluation of the suitability of the course Communication Skills 1, for engineering students at technikons in Natal(1997) Narsee, Sheila Devkaran; Dobie, B. A.The title of this research dissertation includes the appellation 'Natal'. Since the work began in 1989, the name of that province has officially become 'KwaZulu-Natal'. However, the previous designation has largely been used interchangeably with the present one, mainly because the course evaluated was and has been identified with Natal. This research was inspired by the assumption that the Communication Skills I course presently being offered to engineering students at technikons in South Africa did not appear to satisfy the workplace needs (in terms of content and time) of the engineering industry. This assumption arose out of a pilot study undertaken by the writer in 1989. In this pilot study, engineering companies were visited, and interviews were held with managers/directors/training managers, to ascertain the communication skills requirements of engineering technicians in the workplace. Many criticisms were made regarding the communication competency of engineering technicians in the workplace. According to the findings of the pilot study, engineering practitioners hold the view that the literacy skill demands of jobs are increasing while the basic skills of the available workforce, eg. reading, writing and speaking are decreasing. Employers expressed concern with the large numbers of workers who lack such skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking, and believe that this limits their chances of upward mobility in the workplace as well as their ability to adapt to workplace changes. All these factors, according to employers, have a negative impact on productivity levels. It was, as a result of the pilot study, suggested that engineering curricula, specifically the Communication Skills I course, should be fully evaluated to see to what extent they meet the workplace requirements of industry. What seems important is that the engineering technician should practise what has been learned and for the lecturer/instructor to bring practitioners and the workplace experiences into the classroom.