Faculty of Accounting and Informatics

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Academic integration of libraries at Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa
(2014-09-16) Neerputh, Shirlene; Singh, Penny; Underwood, Peter
Academic libraries should lead in the instructional change process by being at the nexus of teaching, learning and research in the university. This study was set in the context of the current higher educational landscape of South Africa. In particular, it focused on the emerging role of the University of Technology (UoT) library to enhance academic success. This was an exploratory study juxtaposed with a literature review pertinent to national and international library integration programmes and practices. Justification for this study stemmed from the current local and international trend for academic libraries to become proactive partners in teaching and learning through academic integration and leadership in promoting the university’s mission and goals. Underpinned by the process learning theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to explore the extent to which academic integration has been adopted by UoT libraries in South Africa. Process learning was chosen by the researcher because it is considered a learner-centred teaching technique for student engagement and it is consistent with the constructivist theory postulated and applicable to UoT libraries. The specific objectives of the survey were to determine: what academic integration programmes are offered by UoT libraries to enhance teaching, learning and research in South Africa; existing information literacy programmes and assessment practices in UoT libraries; what postgraduate/research programmes are offered by the library to academics and students and how they are represented in strategy or policy documents; and the similarities and differences in academic integration programmes in all six UoTs in SA. A mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative methodologies) were used to collect data regarding programmes and practices prevalent in UoT libraries across all six UoTs in South Africa. An online questionnaire was administered using SurveyMonkey. Forty-two subject librarians participated in the survey, yielding a sixty- two percent response rate. The objectives of the study were achieved by the identification of the following key academic integration programmes: embedded information literacy programmes; resource collection and development; faculty collaboration and partnerships to promote academic success; research scholarship and open access initiatives; social media networking; and reading and writing programmes. This study found that while academic integration has gained momentum in UoTs in South Africa, greater effort should be made in collaboration with academics in: embedded information literacy and blended learning; open access and scholarship; reading and writing programmes; and collaboration in postgraduate interventions. The findings also revealed that while most libraries internationally have embraced reading and writing programmes, libraries offering reading and writing programmes to enhance academic success are relatively scarce in UoTs in South Africa. It is recommended that the subject librarians engage in academic integration practices by: supporting the curricula and research programmes; improving institutional outcomes; improving collaborations; building intellectual or knowledge centres and providing relevant information to students and staff within a knowledge society.
Balancing of associated attributes for a viable indoor real-time location system with obstruction detection
(2022-11-01) Pancham, Jeebodh; Millham, Richard C.; Fong, Simon J
Outdoor location determination is often achieved by using GPS, but indoor location determination is not possible with GPS due to the limited link to satellites from indoor environments. Research has indicated that indoor location determination is applicable in a variety of domains, including asset location, location of people, emergency evacuation, participant attendance in a venue, tracking of people’s mobility, and obstruction location. Cost, energy consumption, interference, coverage, detection range and form factor are some of the constraints reported in the literature. The attributes for further research were derived from these constraints. Bluetooth Low Energy was identified as the most suitable technology with which to design a model that would achieve an optimal balance between the identified attributes. The research used Unified Modelling Language to document the model and design science methodology to design, test and validate the model. The introduction of obstructions in the path of transmission often affects the received signals and hence affects the location determination. The connection quality indicator was used in this model to determine location instead of the widely used fingerprint method, whose data becomes unusable over time as it becomes stale and inaccurate. The design was tested with a variety of obstructions, including drywall partitions, glass, solid brick walls, metal sheets and Perspex, all of which were utilised to resemble a typical office environment. The received signal strength indicator measurements from low power nodes were filtered and smoothed using mean, median and mode statistics. This received signal strength indicator data was then used by support vector machine, k-nearest neighbour and artificial neural network machine learning models to determine the location and impact of the obstructions in the path of Bluetooth Low Energy transmission. The results obtained from machine learning and prediction revealed that the location of obstructions was determined to be within an acceptable level of accuracy. In particular, knearest neighbour performed the best compared to support vector machine and artificial neural network using the mean squared error, mean absolute error, root mean square error and Rsquared score metrics. In particular, mean squared error and mean absolute error metrics revealed the best results. The study indicates that machine learning can therefore be used to determine positions of semi-fixed obstructions within a select indoor environment.
Bio-inspired optimisation of a new cost model for minimising labour costs in computer networking infrastructure
(2024) Nketsiah, Richard Nana; Millham, Richard Charles; Agbehadji, Israel Edem
This thesis revolves around the bio-inspired optimisation of a newly formulated cost model tailored for initial installation of a user-specified computer networking infrastructure, motivated by requirements of networking industries, with a focal point on minimising labour costs. The new cost function of this infrastructure installation incorporates essential decision variables related to labour, encompassing the daily requirements and costs of both skilled and unskilled workers, their respective hourly rates, installation hours, and the overall project duration. This deliberate emphasis on labour-centric factors aim to offer nuanced insights into the intricacies of project budgeting and resource allocation. The research critically evaluates the effectiveness of the cost function by examining various factors, such as daily fixed costs, a size and complexity factor tailored to individual scenarios, and a penalty coefficient aimed at ensuring compliance with project schedules. Significantly, the deliberate exclusion of equipment, material, maintenance and operational costs underscores the focused examination of labour-related expenditures, providing a unique contribution to the optimisation landscape within the installation of the user-specified computer networking infrastructure projects. Utilising advanced bio-inspired optimisation techniques, alongside real-world data, this study endeavours to gauge the effectiveness of the new cost model in minimising labour expenses while upholding optimal network performance. The anticipated outcomes of this study extend beyond theoretical contexts to practical implications, providing actionable insights and recommendations for network infrastructure planners. The significance of labour-centric considerations in project planning and design is underscored, providing a more encompassing perspective that aligns with the evolving landscape of modern technological infrastructures. By giving attention to labour-intensive aspects within installation of computer networking infrastructure projects, the thesis aspires to enhance budgeting accuracy and streamline resource allocation processes, thereby fostering more efficient and cost-effective project outcomes.
A comprehensive standards-based framework for enabling semantic interoperability of disease surveillance data for Namibia through adopting health standards
(2021-09-02) Angula, Nikodemus; Dlodlo, Nomusa; Mtshali, Progress Qhaphi Thabani
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in Namibia runs silo information systems in the 14 regions of the country, and these silo systems were donated by non-governmental organisations. In addition to a regional District Health Information System (DHIS-2) for each region, there is the main DHIS-2 at the MoHSS. The Health Information Systems (HIS) that include the main DHIS-2 at the MoHSS and silo systems in the regions work in isolation currently. Hence this study aimed at finding a framework to enable semantic interoperability of disease surveillance data in these HIS. This is meant to enable the main DHIS-2 and these silo systems in the Namibian public hospitals to act as an integrated platform that shares and exchanges disease-surveillance information. Semantic interoperability is the ability to automatically interpret the information exchanged meaningfully and accurately to produce useful results as defined by the end users of both systems. To achieve semantic interoperability, both sides must defer to a common information exchange reference. Utilising the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) standard and Health Level Seven (HL7), this research provides guidelines on how to integrate these heterogeneous HIS through the adoption of established health standards. Thus, IHE and HL7 standards were adopted to interface the main DHIS-2 and silo systems at a data level. The result of this research is a framework to enable the semantic interoperability of disease surveillance data in Namibian public hospitals through the adoption of IHE and HL7 standards, in addition to a prototype that demonstrates how disease surveillance data can be integrated in the Namibia healthcare environment. In the Namibian health domain, there is no known protocol that governs or aggregates disease surveillance data from remote heterogeneous HIS. Therefore, the study developed an interlink protocol that can aggregate disease surveillance data from remote HIS. This means that health professionals in Namibia would use the system for fast decision-making simply because they are accessing disease surveillance data in real-time. In this case, the protocol was applied to govern heterogeneous systems in Namibian public hospitals for data semantic interoperability of the main DHIS-2 and these other health information silo systems so that they can exchange health data and information, specifically, disease surveillance data. This interlink protocol is based on JSon. To test the Interlink protocol, a number of use case scenarios were used. The scenarios include integrating crowd-sourced disease surveillance data through the communities’ mobile phones, integrating disease surveillance data collected through community health workers’ (CWH) visits, and also integrating disease surveillance data collected from community members during hospital visits. In each case, the interlink protocol is paired to an HL7 standard to facilitate communication of the disease surveillance data from the source to the integrated HIS. A prototype for each use case is developed as proof of concept, to test that the protocol can enable integration of the disease surveillance data in these HIS. The Retrieval Display profile was identified from HL7 standards as the closest to suit the integration of disease surveillance information obtained through mobile crowdsourcing. The Cross-Gateway Patient Discovery (XCPD) profile that supports the means to locate communities that hold patient-relevant health data and the translation of patient identifiers across communities holding the same patient data was adapted to support communication between CHWs, the DHIS-2 in the MoHSS and silo HIS in the regional hospitals. The Patient Demographics Actor (PDA) profile was adapted to support communication for data collected within the hospitals. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase was the collection of data on the status of semantic interoperability of HIS in the Namibian healthcare sector. The case study setting was based on public hospitals from eight regions in Namibia using two (2) public hospitals per region, which were purposely sampled. The study population comprised of system analysts, programmers, chief system administrators, system administrators, disease surveillance office, chief disease surveillance office nurses, doctors, therapists, health assistants, public health officers, health administrators, regional health coordinators and regional assistant coordinators. A stratified purposive sampling of the study participants was done. This first phase followed an interpretive approach. This first phase supported a mixed methods approach encompassing both qualitative and quantitative data analyses. The Grounded Theory was the underlying theory of this research. The second phase was the design and development of the semantic interoperability framework. The Design Science Research (DSR) approach guided the development of the framework and prototype. Expert reviews were sought to review and validate the framework and prototype that were developed. The study contributions to the body of knowledge were that the researcher has proven silo HIS in Namibia can be integrated, developed a prototype, integrating health standards to Namibia which hasn’t been done before.
The design of a faculty research data repository platform conducive to a University of Technology
(2023) Zibani, Patiswa; Marimuthu, Ferina; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny
As significant players in the production of scholarly work, academic researchers are increasingly gathering and producing data rapidly, exceeding the development of the knowledge and skills required for proper data storage and management. However, the focus has typically been on research publication outputs rather than the research data determining the academic's research output. This study conducted an audit survey on research data management in a University of Technology faculty context to gain insight into their research data management practices. The study was guided by the Data Audit Framework (DAF), the Community Capability Model Framework (CCMF), and the User-Centered Research Data Management Framework (UCRDMF). The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed method research design incorporating quantitative and qualitative components. In the quantitative phase, an online survey was administered to postgraduate students pursuing Master's and Doctoral degrees between 2015 and 2020. On the other hand, the qualitative phase involved conducting a meta-analysis of research repositories across global Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and conducting online interviews with postgraduate supervisors who play a crucial role in postgraduate study and research administration. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software. The collected data were then analyzed respectively with theoretical frameworks and existing literature. The findings revealed that managing research data was primarily a personal matter. The main reason for the difficulties was that the faculty lacked a research data management investment. The use of emails, external hard drives, and personal laptops are additional examples that showcased that the faculty had not established centralized systems for managing research. However, participants did recognize the benefits of managing research data, such as scientific advances, enhanced data repurpose, and simplicity for data reusers. Findings also showed that the lack of platforms permitting data sharing and reuse was one of the main reasons that most researchers had not shared or reused other researchers' research data. Researchers, however, wanted to share their data without restrictions. The study's conclusions were also used to create and document a conceptual framework for the faculty research data repository platform. The proposed model aims to guide the conception of a repository that will secure the storage of faculty digital information that can be easily retrieved.
Developing a model to design and implement computer user interfaces in rural communities, an exploratory study
(2014-10-03) Heukelman, Delene; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
This thesis reports on original exploratory study that is aimed at contributing towards understanding of factors that influence Africa users support for alternative object metaphors for user interface icons. One of the great impediments for efficient utilization of information systems is the existing gap between system designs that typically follow western cues for crafting user interfaces and actual users who use those systems within their diverse cultural frames. The problem remains important because of the wider penetration of information systems, which serve as modern technology tools to improve service provisioning worldwide. In order to overcome the problem of optimum utilization of information systems, previous studies have proposed culturally adaptive user interfaces. The basic principle behind culture adaptive interfaces is to develop intelligent user interfaces that can automatically adapt to user contexts. However, the challenges with the new proposals for adaptive user interfaces are how to best model information about users, how to access the cultural background of individual users and empirically examine the effects of culture on user interface preferences. In order to properly contribute to solving these problems, an exploratory study was conducted to empirically establish African rural users support for alternative village object metaphors, examine effects of culture on user support and investigate response characteristic among culturally diverse user groups. The synthesis of bodystorming and cultural probes methodology was applied to engage the participation of African rural users in the study. Technology support model was developed to measure user knowledge, comprehension, skills, performance and support for alternative African village metaphors as interface icons. The partial least square analytic modelling technique and finite mixture path segmentation model were used to test a set of research hypotheses and detect heterogeneity in 71 respondent data generated. Experimental results of this study show that human cognitive factors of technology knowledge, comprehension and performance influence African users support for alternative village object metaphors as interface icons. However, skill factor is not found to influence user support for alternative African village object metaphors. The factor of culture is found to moderate the effects of comprehension on user support and effects of user performance on user support. This study also identifies three segments of African users that result in heterogeneity within the inner path model.
Developing an expanded Technological Acceptance Model for evaluating e-Learning in the Sub-Saharan African environment
(2020-09-04) Ujakpa, Mabeifam Martin; Heukelman, Delene
The Technological Acceptance Model was originally developed in the United States of America, which is culturally different, from Sub-Saharan Africa. Applying the existing Technological Acceptance Model to evaluate technological applications intended for the SubSaharan African environment, is likely to give inaccurate results because of the cultural dissimilarities and the diverse socio-cultural composition of Sub-Saharan Africa. As a way to improve accuracy of results, this research reviewed relevant literature and applied a mixed methodology to gather data from 308 students from five public universities in five countries across the five Sub-Saharan African regions (North, South, East, West and Central) on the use of e-learning in universities. Upon analyses of the data through Cronbach‘s α measure, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin‘s measure, Bartlett‘s test of Sphericity, confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive statistics, an extension of the original technology acceptance model was developed. The extended model has seven constructs: Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Performance, Perceived Benefits, External Factors, Behavioural Intention, and Technological Acceptance. Four of these constructs (Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Performance and Perceived Benefits) directly influence Behaviour Intention. In consonance with previous findings in literature findings, Perceived Usefulness rated higher than Perceived Ease of Use. Perceived Benefit rated the lowest among the four constructs. The research further confirms previous findings that Perceived Ease of Use influences Perceived Usefulness. Additionally, this study found that External Factors directly influence Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Performance and Perceived Benefit. Amongst these, External Factors influence Perceived Benefit most, followed by Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Performance, and lastly Perceived Usefulness. Last, but not least, the research further found that Behaviour Intention influences Technological Acceptance positively. Considering that this research collected data from only five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop and test the model, caution needs to be taken when generalising the research findings beyond the said population and technology considered in the research. Future research on technological acceptance may refine the suggested expanded model to explain further, the variance in students‘ Behaviour Intention, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Benefit, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Performance and also to examine the performance of the suggested expanded model to explain the different technology acceptance behaviours in the information technology field
Development of a clustering algorithm for universal color image segmentation
(2023-01-01) Joseph, Seena; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
Image segmentation is an important stage of many real-world image applications in the domain of computer vision as a core method for understanding and analyzing digital images. It is aimed to segregate the most salient objects in an image by clustering homogenous regions based on the characteristics of image pixels. Segmentation of salient objects is a complex process because of the existence of numerous inherent characteristics of images that can impede the performance of the process. Due to these diverse image characteristics, a model that is suitable for one category of images is essentially inappropriate for other image categories, which makes image segmentation an open problem. Myriads of classical segmentation algorithms have been developed over the years, yet generalization and universal optimum performance are far from ideal levels. Clustering algorithms have been developed in recent times for the effective segmentation of images. However, the performance of the majority of the existing clustering-based segmentation algorithms substantially relies on the selection of an optimal number of initial clusters. Incorrect cluster count selection may result in uneven highlighting of the target object and be susceptible to under- or oversegmentation of images. This opens an avenue to fully discover a universal clustering algorithm for image segmentation that would be appropriate for manifold classes of images. In this study, the color histogram clustering algorithm has been proposed to automatically determine a suitable number of clusters that indicates homogenous regions in an image. The aim was to segment the most salient object from its surrounding regions using color histogram clustering that characterizes homogenous regions based on primitive features. The segmentation algorithm starts with histogram clustering-based on the quantized RGB color image to automatically identify the clusters that correspond to the homogenous regions in the image. The perceptual homogeneity of the input RGB color image is achieved by the transformation to L*a*b* color model based on four primitive features. The primitive features are color contrast, contrast ratio, spatial feature, and center prior that are extracted to compute the descriptor of each cluster. The cluster level saliency score is then computed as a function of the four primitive features extracted from the color image. The cluster level saliency is used to compute the final saliency score of each pixel to highlight the target object. The color histogram clustering method of this study combines the Otsu thresholding algorithm with the saliency map to represent the segmented image in a silhouette format. Morphological operations are finally performed to remove the undesired artifacts that may be present at the segmentation stage. Hence, this present study has introduced a novel, simple, robust, and computationally efficient color histogram clustering algorithm that agglutinates color contrast, contrast ratio, spatial feature, and central prior for efficiently segmenting the target objects in diverse image categories. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated using the widely used metrics of precision, recall, F-measure, mean absolute error, and overlap ratio on six different categories of images selected from five benchmarked corpora of MSRA10K, ASD, SED2, ImgSal, and DUT OMRON. Moreover, 1000 images from ECSSD, 4447 images from HKU-IS, and 1500 images from COCO datasets were selected to validate the performance of the algorithm on more complex natural datasets. Experimental results have indicated that the proposed algorithm outperformed 30 bottom-up non-deep learning and seven top-down deep learning salient object detection algorithms. The performance of the proposed algorithm was further evaluated on four medical image datasets and the effects of image preprocessing were comprehensively investigated. The performance of the proposed image segmentation algorithm was analyzed in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and dice similarity on 10015 images from HAM10000, 2594 images from ISIC2018 dataset, and 200 images from the PH2 dataset against six supervised and six unsupervised benchmark segmentation algorithms. The performance of the proposed algorithm was further validated on the segmentation of 1145 leukocyte nuclei images from the Raabin-WBC dataset in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, Dice similarity, and Jaccard index. In total, 22307 images with a variety of properties were used to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. In addition, the effects of image preprocessing on the performance of the proposed algorithm were further investigated in this study. The statistical results obtained have shown that the proposed algorithm is free from image preprocessing, and demonstrated its application on a wide class of images without any bounding to the heterogeneous characteristics of the input images. The novelty of the work reported in this thesis has demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is superior to the investigated supervised deep learning and prominent unsupervised segmentation algorithms in terms of quantitative results and visual effects.
The development of a computerised simulation model to guide the South African higher education sector in short and long-term planning of TEL infrastructure
(2023-05-11) Reddy, Pregalathan; Pratt, Deirdre Denise; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
This study deals with the development of a computerised simulation model to guide the South African higher education (HE) sector in short and longterm planning of TEL (technology enhanced learning) infrastructure. A critical realist orientation was adopted, using a case study approach focusing on provision of TEL infrastructure at three Natal universities, namely, the Durban University of Technology, the University of KwaZuluNatal and Mangosuthu University of Technology. A mixed methods approach was used, combining qualitative with quantitative techniques, in order to collect data to establish key model specifications. The qualitative aspect comprised an online survey to obtain user feedback on the proposed computerised simulation. Quantitative methodology involved using functional decomposition design to extract the specifications from the data. The computerised simulation model was developed using a system dynamics approach which could define forecasting in operational terms, and thus offer various scenarios to guide institutional decision-makers in future planning. The systems model thus developed was then configured online using simulation software and tested out with key stakeholders. While computerised simulations currently exist in the area of infrastructural forecasting, the new contribution to the field is thought to be in forecasting the provision of TEL infrastructure.
The development of a framework for blended learning in the delivery of Library and Information Science curricula at South African universities
(2015) Rajkoomar, Mogiveny; Raju, Jayarani
The core interest in blended learning lies in the need to provide more engaged learning experiences while recognizing the potential of ICTs which has a profound impact on all aspects of life including the Library and Information Service (LIS) field. This doctoral study was undertaken with the objective of exploring the educational and pedagogical issues in blended learning for the development of a framework for designing and implementing blended learning in the delivery of LIS curricula in South African universities. The target populations for this study included, LIS educators from higher education institutions in South Africa offering LIS education, LIS students from these institutions exposed to blended learning interventions and facilitators of blended learning (individuals in institutional teaching and learning units) from the various institutions offering LIS education and using blended learning. The study adopted a mixed method research approach using a fully mixed dominant status design to explore and understand the phenomenon of blended learning at a more detailed level by using qualitative follow-up data (for example, interviews with LIS educators and institutional facilitators of blended learning and focus group discussions with LIS students) to explain and explore the results of a largely quantitative Web survey. The theoretical framework that underpinned the study involved various learning theories, learning styles as well as blended learning models relating to the higher education environment. The key findings of the study reveal that blended learning remains a complex concept with no clear consensus on the key components that need to be blended, how much of each component to blend and the criteria that are needed for the interventions to be regarded as blended learning. This flexibility, to an extent, allows for institutions to tailor the concept and maximise the potential of blended learning while still being responsive to the diverse student populations at South African higher institutions. The framework for blended learning in the delivery of LIS curricula at South African universities proposed by this study is generated from the theories informing this study; the literature reviewed; existing frameworks for blended learning such as Khan’s octagonal framework and the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework; the findings of this study; the researcher’s own educational experiences; and, is grounded in the larger field of higher education. The use of blended learning has the potential to transform LIS education and training by encouraging LIS educators to reflect on their teaching and learning practices and to use the proposed framework as a guideline to design and implement pedagogically sound blended learning interventions for LIS education and training.
Development of a mobile digital library model for teaching support in selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal
(2024) Khomo, Musawenkosi Phumelela; Sucheran, Reshma; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny
This study aimed to identify the contributing factors to the successful development and use of a mobile digital library model, assess its feasibility for teaching purposes, determine the technological competences of teachers in utilizing mobile technology, and develop a suitable mobile digital library model for under-resourced schools. The objectives of the study were to identify the factors that would contribute to the successful development and the use of mobile digital library model for teaching and learning support at selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal; to establish the feasibility of using a mobile digital library model for teaching in selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal; to ascertain the technological competences of teachers to use mobile technology; and to develop a mobile digital library model suitable for teaching in under-resourced schools. The study employed an exploratory sequential mixed method design. The preferred research paradigm for this study was pragmatism and interpretivism. The study surveyed eleven selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal, categorized as quintile one, quintile two, and quintile three. Ninety-three teachers and three teacher librarians contributed to the study. Clustersampling method was employed to select the participating schools. Data collection instruments included individual interviews with teacher librarians, focus group discussions with teachers, and self-administered questionnaires for teachers and librarians. The study consisted of two distinct phases i.e. qualitative data collection through focus group and individual interviews then quantitative data collection with the usage of questionnaire. A mixed methods approach for data analysis was used. Both individual interviews and focus group interviews were transcribed and later edited, with the audio recordings serving as the primary source of data. The themes were formulated by the researcher, and the findings were subsequently synthesized and organized within these thematic categories. For quantitative data, the researcher employed multivariate analysis, a statistical technique aimed at investigating relationships among multiple variables. The findings revealed several factors influencing the development and use of a mobile digital library, such as the need for digital literacy training for the school community, user-friendliness of the mobile digital library platform, and financial support from the organization. The feasibility of implementing a mobile digital library relied on factors such as financial support, robust internet connectivity, digital literacy among the school community, and improvements in technological infrastructure. Additionally, the study found that younger teachers demonstrated greater technological competence compared to more experienced teachers. A mobile digital library model was developed to support teaching, ensuring a conducive learning environment where teachers and learners have access to information anytime and anywhere. The study recommends regular training for teachers and learners on the utilisation of a mobile digital library, adequate funding for hosting and maintenance, and improvements in technological infrastructure.
Development of a training model on digital pedagogies for academic librarians at Universities of Technology in South Africa
(2023-03-21) Omarsaib, Mousin; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny; Naicker, Nalindren
Globally, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted teaching philosophies at higher education institutions. This disruption beyond physical walls into virtual spaces has allowed academic librarians to explore teaching roles as online mediators and facilitators in the digital environment. However, historically, literature has challenged the pedagogical competencies of academic librarians when teaching in a face-to-face environment. In recent years, the ability to integrate suitable technologies with teaching methods in a digital environment has further questioned the competencies of academic librarians. Therefore, worldwide, the online teaching role of academic librarians is under the microscope. Thus, the objectives of this study were to ascertain, explore and establish the emerging role of academic librarians in relation to digital pedagogy and the online environment at UoTs in South Africa. Digital pedagogy can be defined as a process to effectively connect relevant pedagogical and technological knowledge to enhance teaching in multimodal environments. The Community of Inquiry (COI) and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks was used to probe the pedagogical and technological knowledge of academic librarians as teachers in the digital environment. A sequential explanatory mixed method design framed the research approach. During the quantitative first phase, a webbased exploratory survey was administered to academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa. The emerging themes from the web-based exploratory survey was used to design the interview schedule for the second qualitative phase. The results from both phases were analysed and interpreted to present the findings. The results from data collected were then triangulated with the theoretical frameworks and reviewed literature. The overall findings revealed academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa lacked in digital pedagogies juxtapose digital environment. Consequently, academic librarians need to acquire pedagogical and digital skills when teaching in a digital environment. The study recommends system, methods, and processes that the Library and Information Science sector can implement to ensure academic librarians gain the necessary expertise to teach in a digital environment. Ultimately, the study proposes a design of an online training model on digital pedagogies for academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa.
Development of an effective Zapping delay framework for Internet Protocol Television over a converged network
(2018) Adeliyi, Timothy Temitope; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
Internet Protocol Television is a system that has revolutionized the media and telecommunication industries. It provides the platform for transmitting digitised television services across the Internet Protocol infrastructure. Internet Protocol Television took advantage of the Internet service convergence by providing seamless interactivity, time shifting, video on demand and pay per view to subscribers. However, zapping delay is a critical problem that deters the switching intention of terrestrial subscribers and the widespread of Internet Protocol Television services. Subscribers often experience this zapping delay problem in Internet Protocol Television when switching channels, which makes subscribers, wait for several seconds before the desired channel is found and made available. The zapping delay problem is intrinsically caused by video stream end-to-end delay, buffering delay, network jitter and traffic load. In the last few decades, a lot of frameworks, for instance, those based on multiple channels, have been proposed to reduce zapping delay in Internet Protocol Television. Such frameworks are implemented at the subscriber level, network level or video level. However, high bandwidth is still required to make the existing frameworks work effectively, which is an intrinsic limitation because not all subscribers can afford the cost of high bandwidth. This research develops a unified framework that takes the advantages provided at the subscriber level and network level to solve the zapping delay problem in Internet Protocol Television. It is possible to reduce zapping delay in Internet Protocol Television using an effective framework to aid faster channel switching and increase the quality of experience. The framework being proposed in this research is faster than a regular stream and it reduces the zapping delay to the bare minimum. The framework has been validated at both subscriber and network levels, which indicates that as traffic load increases at a set bandwidth within the converged network, packet end to end delay and network jitter should be reduced in order to eliminate zapping delay. Furthermore, the encoded and decoded video sequence available to the subscriber is evaluated using popular quantitative metrics and mean opinion score to determine subscriber perceptions of video quality through the salient object that will interest the subscriber in the video sequence displayed in order to aid a high satisfaction level video quality of experience. A large-scale implementation of the proposed framework by a telecommunication firm promises to generate revenue for the firm. In addition, the implementation and practical deployment of the proposed framework would also benefit subscribers to enjoy unlimited Internet Protocol Television services at reduced cost.
Examining the impact of the ethnoscience teaching philosophy on academic performance in introductory computer programming
(2021-09-20) Sofowora, Mayowa A.; Eyono Obono, Seraphin Desire
The mastery of the core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) seems to require a set of skills that are reputed to be difficult to learn. This also includes general STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related know- how where computer programming is considered by many as the new linking glue of the 4IR despite its reputation of being difficult to learn and to master. 4IR is credited with a wide range of advantages, such as improved production, communication and participation, but it also comes with several disadvantages, such as the widening of the digital divide and higher levels of unemployment, especially for unskilled people. In fact, computer programming and other STEM related skills are crucial for the optimization of the benefits of the 4IR and for the minimization of its disadvantages. This is why this study is examining the impact of a different type of teaching approach known as the ethnoscience teaching approach, a STEM teaching philosophy, on students’ academic performance in introductory computer programming. A content analysis of existing literature on academic performance factors was first undertaken, both for introductory programming and for STEM subjects, in order to design an aggregated theoretically sound model of academic performance factors for these two fields. That model was then partially empirically tested by this study first within a totally culturally neutral teaching approach, then with a quasi- experiment whose experimental group was taught and tested with the use of the ethnoscientific teaching approach and philosophy while the control group stayed with the conventional culturally neutral teaching approach. The results of this study indicate that the ethnoscience teaching approach significantly improves students' academic performance in introductory computer programming compared to the conventional teaching approach. They also indicate that students’ prior language and computing subject choices affect their performance in conventional but not in culturally sensitive introductory computer programming. The participants of this study were selected from the introductory programming 2018 class of the IT Department of the Durban University of Technology. Should the findings of this study be confirmed with more programming concepts and with different samples, they will confirm the intrinsic value of culturally sensitive computing education.
Exploring e3-value ontology-based service engineering for participatory processes of community development projects
(2018) Ochieng', Dennis Miyogi; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
In recent years, the global economy has witnessed a steady transition from broad-based government development projects to community-driven participatory processes as a viable conduit for channelling development efforts. However, these participatory processes are being faced with intrinsic challenges of unsustainability, bureaucracy, funding constraints, conflicts amongst project actors, social capital problems, political power tussles, inadequate systems for tracking progress and lack of an integrated approach, which are precursors that impede the effectiveness of project implementation. Participatory processes have transformed from the use of conventional systems to applications of digital technologies in order to address these challenges. However, the existing digital technologies for participatory processes often lack a value-based approach. This inherent curb has been tackled in this study using the e3-value (value perspective) and e3-control (process perspective) ontology-based service engineering to orchestrate an innovative change in participatory processes. To realise this innovation, the proposed value-based service system was modelled on service innovation life cycle model that integrates service exploration, value co-creation, process modelling and system evaluation. Consequently, a value-based requirements specification has been constructed using a process-oriented approach, which represents a departure from the traditional functional approaches to offer leaner, flexible and market-oriented structures that guarantee better organisational performance. The requirements specification was implemented to realise a mobile cloud service system that allow seamless data sharing and facilitate participatory processes. The applicability of the service system was illustrated using an expert-driven and criteria-based usability evaluation. Consequently, the service system provides an adequate framework for communicating the understanding of services for participatory processes.
A framework for supporting technological innovation by manufacturing small and medium enterprises in KZN
(2024) Bingwa, Luyanda Loraine; Ngibe, Musawenkosi
Unemployment is an ongoing phenomenon in every country. It is rapidly increasing, which leads to a decline in the economy and other societal problems. This is particularly evident in developing countries such as South Africa, where the unemployment rate is 32.9%. The South African government has identified small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a key aspect of its strategy to reduce unemployment rates and to realise the vision outlined in the National Development Plan 2030. SMEs are major job creators and contribute significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa. They account for the majority of employment opportunities in the country, especially in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services. SMEs also support economic growth through their capacity for innovation and swift market adaptation. They are ideal for generating innovative ideas due to their pioneering role in adopting new technologies and are particularly adept at identifying gaps in the market which could be addressed through innovative solutions. There are ongoing debates about the uptake of technology by SMEs in African countries, including South Africa. Some scholars argue that manufacturing SMEs in South Africa have been hesitant to adopt modern technologies, which has hindered their growth and their ability to reach full potential. However, there are counterarguments that provide a more nuanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities for technology adoption among manufacturing SMEs in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. One significant issue is SME owners' inability to fully grasp the complexity of information and communications technology (ICT), which has a negative impact on their decision to adopt ICT. Furthermore, government regulations and compliance requirements have been a crucial factor affecting the viability and growth of manufacturing SMEs. Without a comprehensive understanding of ICT, SMEs find it challenging to make informed decisions about their investments in this field. Critically evaluating the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies as a way of improving success rates amongst manufacturing SMEs in KZN will enable the development of a framework which can provide practical guidance for the adoption of 4IR technologies by manufacturing SMEs in KZN. The objectives of this study are supported by a pragmatic methodology, which considerably expands the area of the investigation. 384 manufacturing SMEs in KZN are the target population for this study, and approaches for identification and selection of the sample size include convenience and purposive sampling. The study utilises both primary and secondary research. Interviews and questionnaires are utilised as data collection instruments. The review of literature and relevant theories such as the technology acceptance model (TAM), the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, dynamic capability theory (DCT), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), task-technology fit, process virtualisation, and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) assist in identifying and addressing potential barriers that may arise during the technology adoption process, such as cost, skills, resistance to change, and compatibility with existing systems. The primary results of this study demonstrate that digital competencies and thorough ICT knowledge are lacking in manufacturing SMEs in KZN. In addition, ICT adoption and usage in manufacturing SMEs in KZN is significantly low, which diminishes the potential of ICT as a long-term strategy. This is evident in the investigation of several factors relating to the acceptance and use of ICT by manufacturing SMEs as a longterm tool for business success. The findings of this study also suggest that manufacturing SMEs do not have the capacity to identify and implement appropriate and adequate ICTs as a sustainable strategy to improve their business viability. Based on the key findings, the study recommends that manufacturing SMEs prioritise digital literacy, which will enhance their comprehension of the potential benefits of ICT adoption. Consultation with IT professionals is recommended as a valuable means for SME owners to obtain reliable guidance and to discuss the complexities of ICT. The government should consider creating platforms to enable SMEs to express objections to regulations, contribute to amendments, and provide insight into the impact of legislation on their business.
Framework to develop a data-driven resilient and sustainable health information system for health care applications
(2024) Epizitone, Ayogeboh; Moyane, Smangele Pretty; Agbehadji, Isreal Edem
As the world advances, the population increases and many economic gradients are impacted in several sectors. The need for an information system that affords intelligent and valuable insights is a potential upshot to targeting some of the challenges of the current global transformation. In the healthcare sector, an integrated information system that is salient in augmenting and enabling healthcare is highly demanded. Thus, a sustainable and resilient Health Information System (HIS) for quality health care applications in the healthcare space is paramount. This premise is substantiated by the need for real-time elucidations from an information system like the HIS that is transient between time and space to enable healthcare applications for all healthcare stakeholders. However, the current HIS has been posited in extant literature to be flawed in affording enhanced healthcare. Accordingly, deploying HIS practically has been challenging with isolated stakeholders' involvement. Although HIS is inadequate, it still maintains a firm position in the healthcare systems. The WHO acknowledges its disposition as a core enabling constituent of healthcare and a vital tool to realise pressing healthcare agendas. Extant literature further asserts the potential of HIS in realising the sustainable development goal related to health and well-being. Recognising the value and benefits of HIS necessitates harnessing technological advancement to augment its capabilities and leverage its weaknesses. Thus, this thesis investigates the HIS for heathcare applications via a data-driven paradigm with maximum inferences to the stakeholders within the healthcare arena. This thesis pinpoints and constructs the development of sustainable and resilient HIS from a data-driven angle as necessary for healthcare augmentation. The thesis uses a research methodology that traversed the study's main aim at the intersection of design science research and data sciences in conjunction with a sociotechnological concept to afford a resilient and sustainable HIS for health care applications. To uncover the knowledge-creation capabilities of health data within the HIS environment and revolutionise healthcare. Additionally, it highlights data science techniques that have been deployed in the health arena for health care applications. The thesis also illustrates the importance of data sciences serialisation and its implementation within the healthcare arena. This study develops a novel framework for HIS for healthcare that takes advantage of data to provide a resolution to counter the challenges experience with their deployment and utilisation. The concerns of HIS juxtaposition that have resulted in inadequate healthcare and impermanence among stakeholders are also considered in this thesis. The proposed framework integrates the socio-technical stance in the face of digitalisation and globalisation. The thesis’ findings stem from a deeper delve into extant literature to substantiate the knowledge, constraints, and perception of HIS deliverables. In the course of this study, the performance of HIS and health care applications was uncovered from the analysis of the extant body of gen on healthcare to highlight the significance of HIS within the healthcare space. The findings substantiated the value of HIS and unveiled its untapped benefits to the healthcare arena. It also highlights an overview of the existing HIS framework, which established the datadriven paradigm for HIS sustainability and resiliency. It further discusses data sources, actions and decisions within the healthcare arena. Demonstrating a pragmatic application of generated insights from data sciences techniques urgently needed to transmute the healthcare systems and respond to its associated dares. A practical enactment of this efficient and effective holistic model framework that incorporates data sciences to attain a robust, resilient and sustainable HIS for health care applications is envisioned to benefit healthcare stakeholders significantly. In addition, deploying and implementing the proposed framework would benefit the global healthcare stakeholders to attain its goal of universal healthcare coverage at a minimal cost.
A framework to lower maternal mortality and morbidity rates in Kenya using mobile technology
(2019-11-15) Mukami, Victoria; Millham, Richard; Puckree, Threethambaal
Background. Maternal health represents an area of significant concern in the world. With various innovations in healthcare, maternal mortality rates are decreasing exponentially. However, this is not the situation in developing countries, specifically Kenya. Several causes of maternal mortality exist; however, it is noted that one of the key causes is due to a lack of information by pregnant women. Traditional strategies such as free maternal health care at public hospitals have been in place to improve overall pregnancy outcomes. While this is aimed at a reduction in maternal mortalities, it has not been as effective in Kenya. Non-conventional strategies are needed to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce maternal mortality. Information Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the areas that has been proven successful in reducing maternal mortality. Aim. The aim of the research was to create an ICT framework that aided in educating pregnant women using an mHealth dissemination tool and thus reduce complications that led to mortalities within Kajiado North Constituency. Methods. The study utilized a sequential mixed-method design. Phase one consisted of a retrospective chart review and a cross-sectional survey on nurses and pregnant women. The first phase focused on understanding the maternal mortality rates within Kajiado North and to determine procedures pregnant women and nurses took during pregnancy. The retrospective chart review was conducted for a period of six months at two health facilities, the Ongata Health Centre (OHC) and Ngong Sub District hospital (NSD). The cross-sectional survey interrogated the mitigation strategies with a focus on information and communication technologies (ICT). Phase two was a prospective multi-location randomized clinical trial (RCT). A two-arm, two-site RCT was conducted using an intervention in the form of an ICT prototype with messages aimed at educating the pregnant participants. The trial was conducted at two public health facilities namely the Ongata Health Center and the Ngong Sub District. A total of 211 pregnant women were recruited from both locations after they had met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and after providing consent to participate in the study. During the RCT, an intervention was developed using the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) and was used to send messages to participants within the intervention arm. The DSRM approach allowed for two iterations to be created, with one iteration being tested during the pilot test and the other during the RCT. Pregnant participants within the intervention groups received messages on their mobile phones about well-being during pregnancy. Women in the control group continued to receive their established standard of care. Both groups completed a post-test survey at the end of the trial. Data were analysed using ANOVA with the probability set at p≤0.05%. The relationship between the number of antenatal visits and the place of delivery on the complication rate was shown using the correlation coefficient. Additionally, a multiple regression model was generated based on the antenatal visits, place of delivery and the study arms and their impact on the complications. Results. Data from phase one of the study showed a need for a messaging system to send messages to pregnant women. The retrospective data showed no maternal mortalities, however, the nurse survey highlighted possible explanations for the lack of mortalities. From the RCT, there were no known maternal mortalities. There were three neonatal mortalities (p=0.154), one from the OHC intervention group and two from the OHC control group. The ANC visits relationship towards the complication rate was calculated. At the NSD site, the effect size of the ANC visits based on the participants' study arm toward the complication rate was low (0.027) and statistically insignificant (p=0.15). At the OHC site, the effect size was moderate (0.405) and statistically significant (p=0.003) for the ANC visits variable. The place of delivery relationship towards the complication rate was calculated. At the NSD site, the effect size of the place of delivery based on the participants' study arm toward the complication rate was moderate (0.366) but statistically insignificant (p=0.479). At the OHC site, the effect size of the variables was low (0.237) and statistically insignificant (p=0.789). The stepwise regression model at the OHC site showed significance when ANC visits (p=0.007), place of delivery (p=0.003) and participants study arm (p=0.008) were sequentially entered. The multiple variables (R=0.516) Only had a medium effect size (0.266) toward the complication rate. The stepwise regression model at the NSD site was statistically insignificant when the place of delivery (p=0.283), participants study arm (p=0.445) and ANC visits (p=0.655) were sequentially entered. The multiple variables (R=0.217) had a small effect size (0.047) toward the complication rate. Conclusion: Qualitative findings revealed that maternal health was affected adversely by several lengthy health worker strikes. Negligence on part of the health worker was a lead contributor to neonatal deaths. The study also found that accountability systems for referrals were lacking within the county and measures needed to be put in place to mitigate the consequences. In addition, feedback from the study participants indicated that the messages had aided in helping them to take necessary action based on complications and warning symptoms. Based on the data, the study finally proposed a framework that would allow for a reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality rates using ICT technologies. The study equally contributed to knowledge when using technology to empower women on maternal health matters as well as areas of maternal health practice that need improvement
Image content-based user preference elicitation for personalised mobile recommendation of shopping items
(2021-10-26) Oyewole, Stanley Ade; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
Personalised recommendation of product items has been recognised as an exciting snug suggestion for an individual customer. This is required to meet the preferences of an individual customer and improve the sales of merchants. Most current research works in content-based recommendation heavily relied on an orthodox 2-dimensional “user by item” data structure has been used extensively in different application areas for product items recommendation. However, this structure is limited in delivering personalised recommendations to mobile customers because of the inherent “problem of concept drift” that can result in degrading the performance of a recommendation system. This research work introduces an image content-based preference elicitation model based on the approach of supervised machine learning to deliver personalised product items recommendation to mobile customers. This model of product items recommendation leverages the extraction of multiple aspects of item dynamic features to characterise the preferences of mobile customers. This will help mobile customers and nomadic to pervasively discover product items that are most relevant to their interests and reduce barriers to purchase. To start with, a new image-based item classification framework that leverages a novel 4-dimensional colour image representation and Eigen-colour features is built to realise efficient item-class features. The framework is devised to realise a timedependent item relevance score for selecting a set of product items of interest. These features were integrated with other features such as price, location, and incentive associated with a product item to improve the performance of a shopping recommendation system. This is to build the proposed design towards addressing the concept drift problem and large recommendation space problems often associated with the orthodox items recommendation systems. Experimental results of testing an implementation of the proposed item classification framework have shown a recommendation system to produce low-dimensional item features and an implicit shortterm preference profile for a new system user with recommendation accuracy of 92.2% on popular PI100 e-commerce shopping items corpus. Moreover, another experiment on item-based multiple criteria decision-making techniques has revealed that multiple factors can adequately address the concept drift problem. The proposed technique spawns better top-5, top-10, and top-15 rank personalised recommendation accuracy results when compared to the orthodox content-based approach. Finally, as a proof of concept, an imaging interface that anchors the proposed framework in a client-server system was simulated on a mobile phone
Intelligent decision support systems for managing the diffusion of social computing in school-based ubiquitous learning
(2022-01-06) Sam, Caitlin; Naicker, Nalen; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny
The past decade has seen an explosion in social media applications. Most adolescents in South Africa have access to social media applications despite the country’s economic inequalities. The drive for social media applications is important to enhance human connectedness. In unprecedented times social computing can be utilised in school-based learning to benefit learners. Climate change has propagated extreme weather patterns which has increased the occurrence of natural disasters and diseases. The emergence of the novel Coronavirus resulted in most countries implementing nation-wide forms of lockdown to curb the spread of infection. Consequently, these adverse phenomena across the globe are disruptive to conventional schoolbased education. Ubiquitous learning (u-learning) relates to learning that occurs at any place without time constraints. In some schools, u-learning has become a conventional learning approach and pedagogy but there are various education and technology attributes that must be addressed for the penetration of social computing in schools. Therefore, there is a need to guide learners and school-based instructors on their preferences of digital access and social media applications. The main aim of the study was to investigate social media-driven Intelligent Decision Support Systems using live data, to assist instructors and learners manage the diffusion of social computing in school-based ubiquitous learning. In pursuing this study, a quantitative research methodology was used for the collection of data from learners and instructors from the schools in the eThekwini Region, namely, Umlazi District and Pinetown District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. A survey was conducted to elicit data from participants on their use of social computing for u-learning. The approximate target population size was 129 421 individuals with a sample size of 384 participants. There were 260 respondents with an acceptable response rate of 67,71%. The study derived attributes for ranking the social media applications and Principal Component Analysis which is an unsupervised Machine Learning algorithm reduced the dimensionality of the attributes. The multi-criteria decision-making algorithm, Fuzzy Technique of Order Preference Similarity Ideal Solution was implemented to rank the social media applications in line with the dimensionality reduced criteria based on the subjective decisions of expert decision makers. Data Envelopment Analysis, another multi-criteria analysis method was utilised to score the efficiency of the devices for u-learning. The results showed the most precise, mathematically approved social media applications and devices that can support u-learning in schools. An automated application based on research evidence using Intelligent Decision Support Systems was designed as a research output.