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Faculty of Accounting and Informatics

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Educational technology--South Africa

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    Students' perceptions towards using an e-learning tool, Tax-Tim, as a teaching and learning method in Taxation 1 syllabus
    (2020-04-28) Sheik-Essop, Andre; Stainbank, L.J.; Jali, Lulu Fortunate
    The expanding world of technology has extended into the education space through employers’ needs regarding graduates’ technology attributes. To keep abreast of the trends of technology adoption in education, particularly blended theory and technology learning and to provide a basis for practical teaching and learning. The need for continued research in this area has arisen. The purpose of the research is to investigate students’ perceptions of using an e-learning, e-filing tool to determine their attitudes towards acceptance of using technology and the benefits and challenges of e-learning tool, Tax-Tim. The intention of the assessment is to investigate students’ ability to apply the theoretical underpinnings of the Taxation 1 syllabus to an online simulation of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) efiling system. The e-learning tool chosen was Tax-Tim which simulates a SARS efiling tool and is assessed by an independent company called Tax-Tim. The research defined three objectives. The first research objective was addressed by hypotheses developed using the theoretical framework of the Technology Acceptance model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989). To be able to explain user acceptance of new e-learning technology using the antecedents of the TAM, constructs used included perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), Attitude towards (ATT) and behavioural intention (BI) with external variable computer self-efficacy. The second objective explored the extent of effectiveness of using Tax-Tim as a case study e-learning tool. The third objective was to investigate the extent to which Tax-Tim worked together with determining the benefits and challenges of the e-filing simulation tool, Tax-Tim, that the students identified. Descriptive statistics highlighted that students mostly agreed that Tax-Tim was an effective tool and added value to their experience of an e-learning tool. Additionally, English second language students found Tax-Tim to be more helpful than English language students. Four hypotheses, H3, H4, H6 and H7 positively supported the TAM model. Alternatively, three hypotheses, H1, H2 and H5 did not contribute to the TAM model. CSE was rejected as positively supporting the hypothesis. The research could be used as a basis for e-learning technology adoption at Durban University of Technology and using e-learning for a blended learning approach.
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    Developing a web based blended learning technique to improve computer programming competence of information technology students
    (2017) Jackson, Priyalushinee; Olugbara, Oludayo O.
    Computer-programming dexterity is an essential skill for students of computer science, information technology and engineering who are intrinsically expected to be able to do programming. However, teaching and learning computer-programming concepts and skills have been recognised as a great challenge for both teachers and students, for many reasons. Computer-programming requires new ideas in thinking and conceptualising practical solutions. It requires creative skills in solving practical, but often difficult problems. Moreover, computer-programming students, generally lack problem-solving skills and self-efficacy. They typically find it difficult to use artificial programming languages to solve challenging problems. There is the problem of poor background in science and mathematics that would help students to rapidly understand the intricacies of computer-programming. Students are not motivated to overcome the fear of the bizarre syntax of computer-programming codes. These challenges, coupled with the huge potential of computing applications in the society have made the development of effective pedagogies and environments for computer-programming courses, an important issue. To address this issue in a unique way, this study proposes to explore a web-based, blended learning technique with minimal instructor intervention, to improve the computer-programming competence of information technology students. These students are expected to have developed an acceptable level of computer-programming competence at university to be job ready and to be self-reliant in their future careers. The technique being proposed in this study was implemented in a blackboard ™/®/© web-based environment. The effectiveness of the technique was demonstrated using experimentation coupled with the data analysis method that is based on the three-parameter item response theory and retrospective pretest. The method used in this study to evaluate computer- programming competence of students reflects the perspective of the students in the evaluation process. The results of the study indeed show that using the proposed technique, information technology students dynamically collaborate with their peers with minimal instructor intervention towards improving their computer-programming competence.
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    The ease of use and perceived usefulness of a selected computer game in expanding vocabulary in English among students at a university of technology
    (2016) Lingwati, Matshafeni Lucas; Millham, Richard C.; Heukelman, Delene
    The need to utilize English in daily International communications within broad settings, such as business and academia, is accelerated by Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and internationalisation. Internationalisation introduces the increased need (through ICT) to communicate through a common language (global language) and English has evolved into such a ‘global language’. There is evidence in the literature indicating that teachers assume that students have the educated ‘guessing skill’ in the ability to read and write efficiently in English. Literature further proves that limited ESL proficiency is still a major drawback for the efficient and effective use of English as a medium of instruction both in academe and in other industries. Therefore, the current study postulates that interventions such as perceived educational themed computer game playing could facilitate English vocabulary improvement; an approach believed to be more appealing to the students of this ICT-dominated world than traditional rote learning. As a result, students of the Internet age more receptive towards vocabulary conveyed through ICT tools, as opposed to traditional printed texts. The focus of this study was on the utilization of an ICT tool in the form of a computer game in supplementing teaching and learning of English vocabularies. This quasi-experimental mixed methods’ research used seven research instruments that incorporated both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This research attempted to investigate the effectiveness of a selected computer game on English vocabulary improvement using engineering students (participants) that served as either the control or experimental groups. Data analysis tests, such as Wilcoxon Signed Ranks, Chi-Square and Paired Samples T-Test assisted in analysing the data collected for this study. The significant findings of this study indicate that the study’s selected computer game was easy to use and useful, because there were improvements in English vocabulary amongst participants resulting from the game. Further lessons learned from this study confirm that ICT relevant tools (such as this study’s computer game), do complement teaching and learning. These findings also align with the study’s theoretical framework by indicating that perceived ease of use and usefulness of the study’s selected computer game have an influence towards English vocabulary improvement.