M. Tech. Fashion Design and Technology / For students to remain competitive in their respective industries, it has become essential for them to be trained in the use of discipline relevant software programs. When focusing on Computer Aided Design (CAD) training for fashion specifically, certain challenges arise. Traditionally software instruction focused on teaching the interface, tools and functions of a software program as opposed to it being used appropriately within the context of a particular discipline. As a result, students struggle to recall the steps they need to follow and consequently also to apply their newly gained knowledge to project work. Compounding this, high-end fashion-specific design packages, such as Lectra, are not suitable for use by individuals due to its expensive nature. The use of these packages is similarly limited in its use via departmental computer laboratories due to licencing restrictions. The licencing of mid-range design packages such as the Adobe Creative Suite might be more affordable, but at an institutional level it is still regarded as expensive and also only installed in departmental computer laboratories, again limiting students access. Even where a student owns a personal computer, purchasing the Adobe Creative Suite (at discount) may not be viable. However, despite it being intended for other design disciplines resulting in large parts of the program becoming redundant for Fashion use, Adobe Photoshop still remains the best possible, most affordable and preferred alternative package with the capacity for long-term use. The challenge arises where the lecturer is required to teach students against the backdrop of the problems mentioned above. Curricula rarely keep up with industry requirements and the onus falls on the lecturer to employ methods and tools to adapt and change within the confines of the curriculum structure itself. Software instruction should ideally take place in a manner that will aid the retention of the students user knowledge and be integrated with their project work. Resultantly, an innovative approach to teaching had to be developed and tested. v Observing, identifying and aiding the resolution of students learning problems place the lecturer within a participatory anthropological, natural environment. As such the research study was qualitative in nature. Appropriately, this study did not propose to merely better the current (inadequate) situation observed in the classroom. Instead, it created an entirely new learning environment aimed at addressing the students pre-determined and quantifiable needs through the student-centred teaching method of Concurrent Cycle Instruction (CCI). The chosen methodology: Design Research (DR), provided the framework against which the new CCI method could be tested and data relating to its efficacy could be gathered. The findings of the research study are based on an analysis of the data that was mined as part of the small-scale design experiment.

M.Tech. Fine and Applied Arts. / This study explores the Platonic notion of idealism, specifically applied to the botanical imagery represented in Renaissance paintings and its enamelled jewellery counterparts, as an aid in contemporary enamelled jewellery design. The same process of idealisation found in Renaissance painting and enamel jewels, is applied to South African botanical motifs, which creates a stylistic departure from the botanical images used during the Renaissance. This research employs a literary review on the thought and theory of idealism and its link with Renaissance painting and enamelled jewellery. Images and information on selected Renaissance paintings and enamelled jewellery incorporating botanical motifs are compared and analysed in order to investigate the progression of the idealised motif. Through the analysis of Renaissance jewellery, the basic design framework that was employed in the designing of the piece becomes apparent. The enamelling techniques, types, colours and motifs are re-applied using the notion of idealisation, to South African botanical motifs and a design framework is constructed for contemporary enamel jewellery. This study demonstrates the application of an historical design principle to contemporary jewellery design. As a result, unique collections of enamelled contemporary jewellery are created, translated from the Renaissance idealised botanical motifs into a South African context.

Thesis (DTech(Design)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / Universal Design (UD), as it is known in the USA and elsewhere, is an inclusive approach to designing for the broader population and is rapidly gaining popularity amongst design practitioners and planners globally. Similar non-exclusive approaches have evolved in diverse parts of the world to counter the systemic disablement and exclusion of vulnerable/special populations of users perpetuated by traditional approaches to design. The transdisciplinary field of UD is informed by concilience in accommodating a wide range of related fields, such as education, landscape architecture, architecture, town and regional planning, industrial/product/three-dimensional design, furniture design, interior design, communication/information/graphic design, interaction design, human-computer interaction (HCI)/usability studies, and ergonomics/human factors engineering. UD proposes a collaborative systems approach that benefits from the synergies of cross-functionalism by approaching the diverse challenges facing society through socially responsible design. In so doing, UD can potentially impact such diverse issues as health, transportation, inclusive education, sports and recreation, entertainment, social welfare, inclusive employment, transgenerational/lifespan housing, inclusive tourism, accessibility, safety, and ecological concerns on sustainability.

M.Tech. (Fashion) / Advanced studies in fashion design in South Africa have attracted little interest. Master’s studies are limited and doctoral studies are almost non-existent. This situation has resulted in the academic vulnerability of the discipline as a creative and commercial practice. In order to promote and expand research activities and advanced studies within fashion design at the University of Johannesburg, this study contends that it is necessary to develop a systematic understanding of the theoretical and practicing manifestations of fashion design in relation to the nature and process of design and fashion systems. In order to develop a deeper understanding of the interconnection between theory and practice, this study adopts a thematic style and a qualitative methodological approach to the examination of fashion design from the perspectives of history, theory and practice. The study synthesises key ideas from these areas and applies relevant frameworks to review the South African fashion system and to determine the theoretical orientation of selected advanced studies and research activities pursued over the last decade. The study proposes that considerations for the theoretical grounding of advanced studies in fashion design that could be taken into account include the need to: encourage an approach that accommodates the broader theoretical and practical dimensions of fashion design when engaging in advanced studies and research activities; view fashion design within the constellation of specialist design practices integral to ideas of a unitary discipline which could underpin and enrich advanced studies; adopt forward-oriented theoretical foundations for research and advanced studies which would ensure greater and more meaningful connections to practice; develop third- and fourth-order design theory and thinking in advanced studies in any discipline of design; take cognisance of developments in design theory concerning the nature and context of design problems and ensure an understanding of fashion systems and the multiple positioning of fashion designers within such systems.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Fashion Design)-Durban Institute of Technology, 2006, 168 leaves : ill. + 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.). / My journey of awareness which is an exploration of my identity through design has resulted in a body of artefacts presenting as sculptures and various pieces of jewellery and a written dissertation. The sculptures include bronze castings as well as stoneware ceramic pieces. I produced silver jewellery and vitreous enamelled pieces which include some gold and glass bead detail. Although my sculptures could be considered as fairly small, working on this scale was a new experience to me as a jewellery designer who is used to working on an even smaller scale. I found it challenging to express the necessary emotion and meaning in my work while creating on such a relatively small scale. The body of artefacts is a concrete manifestation of my exploration of identity and was produced as an intuitive expression of memories and emotion. My memories are of personal experiences within a specific cultural and historical context, and the exploration forms part of a critical transformative inquiry. The motivation for this transformative inquiry forms part of a holistic de-fragmentation of my personal and cultural identity in an attempt to construct meaning and authenticity through design. The artefacts were produced in holistic cycles presenting in two distinct phases which are discussed chronologically. I recorded the process and my thoughts and feelings in a reflective journal which included a visual journal in my studio and served as a reference for my discussion of the cycles. I experienced the process of making as a ritualistic enactment of healing and the construction of meaning. In the written and illustrated submission for the award of this degree, I have endeavoured to offer an explanation of my professional and emotional development that formed part of the transformative process. I have chosen not to separate my explanation of my development as a designer and my personal development as it occurred concurrently. Digital imagery of my body of artefacts forms a record of my work offered for exhibition purposes and is included with the written dissertation.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Fashion Design)-Durban Institute of Technology, 2006, 168 leaves : ill. + 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.). / My journey of awareness which is an exploration of my identity through design has resulted in a body of artefacts presenting as sculptures and various pieces of jewellery and a written dissertation. The sculptures include bronze castings as well as stoneware ceramic pieces. I produced silver jewellery and vitreous enamelled pieces which include some gold and glass bead detail. Although my sculptures could be considered as fairly small, working on this scale was a new experience to me as a jewellery designer who is used to working on an even smaller scale. I found it challenging to express the necessary emotion and meaning in my work while creating on such a relatively small scale. The body of artefacts is a concrete manifestation of my exploration of identity and was produced as an intuitive expression of memories and emotion. My memories are of personal experiences within a specific cultural and historical context, and the exploration forms part of a critical transformative inquiry. The motivation for this transformative inquiry forms part of a holistic de-fragmentation of my personal and cultural identity in an attempt to construct meaning and authenticity through design. The artefacts were produced in holistic cycles presenting in two distinct phases which are discussed chronologically. I recorded the process and my thoughts and feelings in a reflective journal which included a visual journal in my studio and served as a reference for my discussion of the cycles. I experienced the process of making as a ritualistic enactment of healing and the construction of meaning. In the written and illustrated submission for the award of this degree, I have endeavoured to offer an explanation of my professional and emotional development that formed part of the transformative process. I have chosen not to separate my explanation of my development as a designer and my personal development as it occurred concurrently. Digital imagery of my body of artefacts forms a record of my work offered for exhibition purposes and is included with the written dissertation.

M. Tech. Textile Design and Technology / Outside the classroom, students constantly interact with technologies such as smartphones, iPods the Internet and social networking sites this study has identified that these technologies can support learning both in and outside of the classroom. Through the use of a case study, 95 visual media students at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) were approached. Three paper-based questions were administered to establish the following: What type of access do students have to different types of technologies outside of class? What number of students engage with social media for personal use? What types of educational technologies are lecturers currently using inside and outside their classrooms? This study found that visual media students at TUT are active social media users. They are enthusiastic towards efforts of integrating smartphones and social media as teaching tools for learning. Visual media students are competent at using digital editing, imaging and electronic presentation software, but lack the skills and knowledge to use online collaboration and journaling tools. Lastly, at TUT course related communication is still mainly face-to-face due to that fact that infrastructure upgrades such as in-class Wi-Fi networks are needed. IV 21st century education recognises that learning takes place in various settings (physical and virtual) and not just in the classroom. In a rapidly globalised society, smartphones and social media as teaching tools for visual media students at TUT may possibly offer an affordable and accessible medium to equip students to be able to make local and global connections.

The dawn of democracy in South Africa necessitated some changes in many spheres of government including education. There was a dire need for educational transformation from the apartheid education system, which favoured white South Africans, to an inclusive education system. This transformation was crucial to address and/or redress the neglect and/or exclusion of certain learning areas and methods in the school curriculum, especially in South African rural schools. Furthermore, it was needed in order to provide a uniform education system for all South Africans under one Department of Education. The first South African curriculum restructuring innovation resulted in Curriculum 2000 which was later renamed Curriculum 2005 (C2005). The review of C2005, in an attempt to assess progress in its implementation, revealed enormous challenges. Thus, in an attempt to strengthen C2005 the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS): grades R-9 and the National Curriculum Statement (NCS): grades 10-12 were introduced. These two curricula were followed by the National Curriculum Statement (NCS): grades R-12. There is, however, overwhelming evidence that C2005 and the curricula that followed thereafter faced huge problems in their implementation. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the complementarity between curriculum design and development processes, and curriculum implementation in the South African education arena. This study was located within the pragmatic paradigm and used mixed methods research design. In this study complementarity of curriculum design and development and curriculum implementation refers to the ability of curriculum design and development processes to have comprehensive provisions for curriculum implementation. The investigation of this complementarity was conducted through the exploration of the main research question: What complementarity existed between the process of curriculum design and development, and curriculum implementation in South Africa? Other subsidiary questions were also derived from the above main research question.ii Thirty schools from the population of schools in the Libode Mega-District were randomly sampled from which sixty participants in the study had been selected. All data in the study were obtained from these participants. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were the instruments used to collect data. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen participants after the researcher had collected all questionnaires. Data collected through the use of questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics obtained through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Data collected through interviews were first coded to form units according to similarities and/or differences among units. Units were thereafter grouped into clusters to form domains in order to discover relationships between these domains. Challenges that faced curricula implementation, as per the findings of this study, included: inadequate teacher training, ineffective methods used in curricula dissemination, lack of infrastructure, lack of adequate support from other stakeholders, lack of teacher involvement in curricula design processes, and lack of teaching and learning material. The present study concluded that there was no complementarity in the curriculum design and development processes and curriculum implementation. This study recommended, among other things, that the DBE should provide effective programmes on teacher training in preparation for curricula implementation, ensure availability of human and material resources and infrastructure and also teacher involvement in the curricula designing processes.

The aim of this study is to illustrate how, in the design of costumes, adopting design elements used to produce conceptual fashion can create conceptual costumes that have the ability to express emotions. The play Sounds of South End (2013) contains such qualities; therefore it has been selected to illustrate how the mood and emotional trajectory of a play can be interpreted through symbolism. The play illustrates the life before and after the forced removals during the apartheid (1960s and 1970s), of a fictional family, the Dietrichs, who live in South End, a suburb in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. A focus on the nature of emotional changes experienced by the family has been used to determine the overall mood of the play, leading to a translation of the shifting mood through a collection of conceptual costumes. The final collection was exhibited as an installation artwork that is an interpretation of the altering moods and emotions that occur in the life of the Dietrich family as the play unfolds. The conceptual costumes have been constructed to imbue the narrative of the play with deep meaning by using symbolic elements, such as colour, texture and weight, to suggest the emotional trajectory within the play. The eight costumes portray the interrelated gradual decline and resultant deterioration of human relations experienced by the Dietrichs, from a contented state of harmonious living to a wounded state of despair.

The construction industry produces a high rate of accident statistics. Constructors are exposed to a range of construction hazards and risks which manifest themselves in accidents and lead to a high incidence of illnesses, injuries and fatalities. Despite evidence that up to 50 percent of construction accidents can be avoided through mitigation of hazards and risks in the design phase of construction projects, architectural designers do not adequately engage in designing for construction health, safety, and ergonomics. The research localises the problem in the context of South Africa and sets out to develop an architectural design oriented model toward a reduction of construction hazards and risks, which can be engendered through optimisation of tertiary architectural education and through continuing professional development (CPD) programmes. The ultimate aim is to realise a paradigm shift in architectural design relative to construction health, safety, and ergonomics as architectural designers in South Africa still view it as the constructor’s responsibility. The research intertwined a range of secondary data with four provisional studies undertaken in the Eastern Cape Province considered representative of South Africa. This involved both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and were directed at architectural designers registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP). The provisional studies were published in international conference proceedings and served to gradually provide local insight, and ultimately provided a line of structured questions for use in the main study. The main study was positioned in the action research (AR) paradigm and used focus group (FG) methodology to solicit a vast richness of qualitative data from SACAP registered architectural designers who participated in the FG proceedings. Synthesis of data with literature and the provisional studies gave rise to a provisional model comprising six main model components and a range of sub-components. The provisional model was validated and refined while simultaneously testing the research hypotheses by means of questionnaires directed at the SACAP registered FG participants. The evolved model includes a core model embedded in a greater process model, and implementation and use of the core model relies on appropriate knowledge of architectural designers. It is ultimately recommended that tertiary architectural education institutions and those involved in architectural CPD programmes take ‘upstream design ownership’ and use the model as a basis for designing and implementing appropriate tertiary architectural programmes and architectural CPD offerings. Ultimately the model is not considered as a complete means to an end, and further investigation is needed in order to design and implement the recommended programmes. Only then can we begin to realise a paradigm shift in architectural thinking and practice.