Dissertation (MTech: Business Administration))-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / A quantitative research study was conducted in order to gain insight and knowledge into the various destinations CPUT Marketing graduates end up after completing their course of study. A cohort of students that graduated between 2001-2010 was used in this research. The motivation for the study stemmed from the researcher’s experience working at CPUT, lecturing and the researcher’s interaction with the students. The ultimate objective of the study was to trace the graduates, identify their employment status and observe if they are employed in the area for which they have studied.The literature study covers areas that relate to how students choose what to study, graduate skills, the workforce and graduate employment and unemployment. These areas were reviewed from different sources and authors that specialize in graduate development.The researcher elected to work with CPUT graduates as the researcher too is an alumnus of CPUT and was familiar with the policies and procedures of the institution.Results of the research confirmed that tracer studies are an essential tool for tracking graduates and the findings of tracer studies are beneficial for future curriculum development. Although tracer studies yield valuable insight into graduate trajectories they undervalued and underutilized. Furthermore, the results confirm that graduates are employed in the sectors for which they studied or associated sectors. Moreover co-operative education should be further explored to yield better results and perhaps secure employment for the student after graduation.The recommendation is that academic staff revisits the curriculum and better incorporate scarce skills such as critical thinking skills and also institute a formal tracking system that can be used to benefit the department.

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Town and Regional Planning in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The South African (town) planning education system has been influenced by philosophies of European and American planning education models. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) planning school is no exception to this influence. The planning school adopted the technical and physical design model which was meant to respond to the need for technically skilled labourers of the 19th century. In the 19th century, education was security to a lifetime job, however in the current technological revolution this is no longer the case; it is the learned skills and experiences that can be added to your portfolio. Employers argue that graduates are out of sync with the needs and demands of the workplace; they are unable to express what they have learnt in the classroom in the workplace. The argument of this research is that the dominance of the technical skills component in the CPUT planning programme meant that graduates had a high level of technical skills while their “soft skills” were insufficiently developed. The “soft skills” that graduates need are enterprise skills. Enterprise skills are the result of enterprise education. There are two forms of enterprise education: education for enterprise aims to equip students with business start up skills, education through enterprise (which is the focus of this research) aims to teach students interpersonal skills through “learning by doing”; this enables students to translate the theory learnt in the classroom in the workplace. The objective of education through an enterprise approach is to develop behavioural skills, attitude and values which students can use in their professions. The research problem is that the current town planning curriculum of CPUT does not motivate nor support graduates to be enterprising. The first objective of this research is to investigate enterprise skills that are relevant for planning graduates. The second objective is to investigate the existence of enterprise skills development in the town planning curriculum of CPUT. Therefore, the research questions are: 1. Which enterprise skills are relevant for town planning graduates? 2. Is there an existence of enterprise skills development in the CPUT town planning curriculum? A mixed method research approach was used to answer the above-mentioned research questions. A quantitative research approach was used to answer the first research question, and this took the form of a questionnaire. There were two research participants: employers of CPUT graduates in the Western Cape were asked to identify relevant skills that graduates should have for the workplace. The other research participants were lecturers at the CPUT Department of Town and Regional Planning. They were asked to identify the skills that they developed through their teaching. The qualitative research approach was used to answer the second research question, this was in the form of structured interviews, and it was directed at the lecturers of the CPUT planning department. The objective of the qualitative method was to investigate the teaching styles of lecturers whether they promoted the development of enterprise skills. Employers have confirmed that CPUT graduates demonstrate more technical skills than the interpersonal skills. Although employers are content with the quality of technical skills, they have indicated that the workplace needs graduates with thinking skills, teamwork, planning and organising, the ability to recognise the importance of stakeholders, time management, the ability to adapt to change and the ability to act resourcefully. On the other hand, lecturers believed that they developed graduates that have thinking skills, self-learning, problem solving, analytical skills, planning and organising, decision making, communication skills, independence and confidence. The skills that employers get, do not correlate with those skills that graduates demonstrate. The skills that graduates demonstrate do not correlate with the skills that they have been taught. Literature confirms this trend by stating that planning practitioners and planning educators share a common misunderstanding about what skills graduates should have. The teaching styles of lecturers at the CPUT planning department were analysed using the principles of teaching through an enterprise approach which is: student centeredness, collaborative, experiential, flexible and negotiated teaching methods. It was found that the principles of collaboration and experiential learning were evident teaching practices. However, the principles of student centeredness, flexibility and negotiation were non-existent practices. In other words, there is some existence of an enterprise approach in teaching. Is it sufficient enough to develop enterprise skills that graduates need in industry? No, employers have confirmed that what they want from graduates is not what they get. Even though literature does not explicitly link planning education and enterprise education, there are numerous planning education authors who believe in the concept and principles of enterprise education. The findings of this research have also indicated that indeed enterprise skills are vital for the workplace. The advantage of integrating enterprise education is that it can be moulded to fit the purpose and objective of any subject; it can be weaved into already existing subjects so that it does not overwhelm the system. There are numerous opportunities in the CPUT planning curriculum that provide a platform for the inclusion of enterprise education, such as planning design studios, service learning projects, etc. What is needed is a mind-shift from authoritarian teaching to a more student centred approach.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The use and design of library spaces in higher education is a theme that has come to the forefront of user needs in the past few years. Academic libraries are redesigning their spaces to accommodate the 21st century user. The 21st century user is often labeled as Generation Y and requires a different set of knowledge and skills. In today’s knowledge economy, core skills include creativity, problem solving and collaboration. Libraries are creating space to accommodate the needs of these new users. They are developing group work areas, relaxation or pause areas, technology hubs and discussion rooms. This study has investigated how to redesign academic libraries, using Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Cape Town branch as a pilot study. The researcher used the concept of library "as place" or "3ʳᵈ place" as a theory. The framework interrogated the ten qualities of a good library space. The researcher used a mixed method research design to conduct this study. A questionnaire of which multiple copies were made, interviews and internal statistics were used to gather data. The results of the study reflected that the library is functional, can be adapted, the space is accessible and varied, it is conducive to motivating and inspiring people, it does promote interactivity between users and library services, and is environmentally suitable, flexible and has a wow factor. All of these characteristics conform to McDonald’s ten qualities of a good library space.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Student counselling services, typically located within a holistic developmental approach, aim to render comprehensive student services to service users in relation to their psychological, social, educational and spiritual well-being. However, a number of cognitive and affective barriers reportedly reduce the likelihood of young people at universities seeking professional psychological help for personal-emotional problems. Accordingly, the aim of this study, which is located within the Theory of Reasoned Action, was to explore students' attitudes towards utilising student counselling services, as well as their interpretations of the influence of age, gender and education on their attitudes and self-rated knowledge regarding seeking psychological help. The study thereby attempts to provide an understanding of the factors that influence help-seeking behaviours in university students. The research sample consisted of twenty nine students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The data was collected through focus group discussions, which were conducted using an open-ended and participant centred approach to the discussion. The qualitative approach of the study was informed by the theory of social phenomenology. Data gathered from the focus group discussions was thematically analysed. The results suggest that attitudes have a potentially important influence on intentions to seek out psychological counselling. Findings show that students feel shame and guilt when they are struggling psychologically and as a result avoid seeking psychological intervention for fear of being negatively stigmatised. The study revealed that education around mental health disorders and the management thereof was crucial in order for them to be demystified and de-stigmatised, and to facilitate openness in the sharing of these problems, and society's understanding and acceptance of people experiencing psychological disorders. Results also indicate that there is a shift taking place in these attitudes, and suggest ways in which this change can be further facilitated, such as the utilisation of peer helpers who could playa key role in facilitating and reinforcing help seeking behaviour. The outcomes of the study may further contribute to informing universities' goal to provide accessible, quality and effective development and support services to its students.