High retention rates, low levels of academic literacy and inundated support services show that students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are experiencing difficulty coping with the demands of tertiary study and reaching their academic goals. Literature shows that a significant number of students who are attending HEIs experience barriers to learning, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of lecturers at one University of Technology regarding their role in supporting students experiencing barriers to learning. The researcher used a mixed methods approach to collect data with the aim to describe the phenomenon accurately. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for this study as it emphasizes the importance of the interaction between the development of an individual and the systems within the individual’s social context. A purposive sampling strategy was employed, and self-structured questionnaires were given to lecturers who teach first year to post-graduate students at the University of Technology. After the statistical analysis of the quantitative data, fifteen lecturers were randomly chosen to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. The transcriptions of the interviews were coded and themes were identified. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the researcher aimed to explain the results of quantitative data analysis. The key findings revealed that lecturers feel inadequate to deal with barriers to learning; mainly owing to a lack of training and that they are mainly of opinion that their duty is to refer students for support. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Magister Curationis - MCur / Service-learning (SL) is regarded as a teaching and learning method combining community participation with content-based class discussion and reflection. It involves a teaching and learning assessment process with community members. It therefore combines theory-based knowledge learnt at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and the learning experiences produced through community engagement. National guidelines developed by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) are available for higher education to institutionalise service-learning (SL) in South African HEIs, but widespread inconsistencies with the implementation of these guidelines have been reported. This thesis is informed by a previous study conducted at an HEI in Western Cape that identified constraining factors required to institutionalisation SL within an academic programme. The aim of this study was to determine the institutional support needed for embedding service-learning in nursing at a Higher Education Institution in the Western Cape. A quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional survey design was used. The study population consisted of 60 nurse educators (lecturers and clinical supervisors). All-inclusive sampling was used because of the small number in the population. All questions were statistically analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 24) to provide descriptive statistics. The data was summarized, and the descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation.

Magister Curationis - MCur / Background: Service-learning links academic acquisition with community-based work within a partnership framework, which is underpinned by values such as respect, reciprocity, relevance and reflection. This pedagogy has its roots in the northern hemisphere, but has become popular with higher education institutions across the globe. According to Butin, service-learning became institutionalised in the USA after a critical mass of service-learning champions was reached in the 1990s. Hence, the majority of higher education institutions are now subscribing to the national organisation, Campus Compact, which is committed to broadening the footprint of service-learning in this sector. Within the South African higher education sector, “service-learning” as a term became known in 1996. There is, however, wide-spread disagreement as to what is meant by “service-learning”, or exactly what it is meant to accomplish. As a result, education institutions must define it for themselves. A School of Nursing at a university in the Western Cape has defined service-learning during a baseline study that was conducted at the school and this particular definition is, therefore, regarded as a work in progress. Aim: The aim of the study was to refine the preliminary service-learning definition developed during the baseline study by identifying the main concepts that should be included in the definition of service-learning for this School of Nursing.

Knowledge management and organisational learning have received much attention in recent times, owing to the increased recognition which has been accorded knowledge as a source of organisational success and sustainability. Researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in striving to understand how the two notions can be harnessed in order to attain that success. However, while it seems clear that both knowledge management and organisational learning have the same goals, that is to nurture and harness knowledge resources, the concepts have tended, in the past, to be regarded independently of each other, with parallel strategies having been implemented for each. Such an imposed separation has, at times, resulted in resource duplication and unsatisfactory outcomes for the organisations concerned. The current study examines the nature of the relationship between knowledge management and organisational learning in higher educational institutions in Uganda, with the aim of providing a unified framework for understanding how the above-mentioned knowledge-based concepts relate to each other. A mixed methodology approach was applied to achieve the set objective. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires from 270 respondents, employed at six higher educational institutions (comprising four universities, one management development institute, and one business school). Qualitative data, in contrast, were collected by means of interviews which were conducted with 13 key informants from three different institutions. Analytical techniques of correlation analysis, regression analysis and canonical correlation analysis were applied to the quantitative data, while content analysis procedure was applied to the qualitative data. Empirical evidence confirmed that knowledge management and organisational learning have an interdependent relationship, which is manifested in two main dimensions, namely the institutional strategic focus and people (human resources) focus. Based on such dimensions, the study proposes a re-conceptualisation of the linkage between knowledge management and organisational learning, aimed at evolving the two concepts into a single organisational knowledge sustainability concept in higher educational institutions. Such a joint concept emphasises the effective utilisation of existing knowledge, while, at the same time, focusing on the importance of continuous learning for acquiring new knowledge to meet future organisational knowledge requirements. In addition, empirical evidence from this study show that knowledge management practices play an important role in promoting learning at various levels of the organisation. The study concludes that knowledge management has not been fully integrated in the strategic agenda of most higher education institutions in Uganda and much internal knowledge is not properly harnessed for the benefit of such institutions. The study recommends that, in the current information age, higher education institutions in Uganda should prioritise both knowledge management and organisational learning by implementing strategies aimed at exploiting existing knowledge, as well as at exploring new knowledge. Lastly, recommendations for future research are presented.

This thesis presents a seven-step process for sustainability report development within the higher education sector. Currently, there exists a variety of sustainability indicators and sustainability assessment tools to aid local governments, corporations and higher education institutions in sustainability performance measurement and reporting. Such variety illustrates the value-laden nature of defining sustainability, determining the relative importance of environmental, social and economic facets, and selecting performance evaluation methods. While the municipal and corporate sectors can benefit from step-by-step guidance on the process of sustainability reporting, such guidance is weak in the higher education sector. To address this issue, empirical evidence from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) is complemented with an analysis of select municipal and corporate sustainability reporting processes to arrive at the seven-step process for sustainability report development at the higher education sector. Therefore, this thesis is of particular interest to practitioners undertaking sustainability reporting within the higher education sector for the first time.

Šio darbo tikslas yra suprojektuoti ir sukurti neformalaus švietimo įstaigų administra-vimo sistemą. Ši sistema palengvintų tokių įstaigų darbuotojams ir moksleiviams reikiamos infor-macijos gavimą ir pateikimą. Išanalizavus esamas panašias sistemas bei atlikus konsultacijas su tokių įstaigų administracija buvo sukurti sistemos ir jos duomenų bazės projektai, kurie vėliau buvo realizuoti. Ši sistema suteikia galimybę įstaigos moksleiviams gauti informaciją apie jų pažangumą bei lankomus būrelius. Taip pat būrelių vadovams pateikti informaciją apie būrelio artimiausią užsiėmimą, o kitiems įstaigos darbuotojams peržiūrėti visą informaciją apie esamus darbuotojus, būrelius, moksleivius ir jų globėjus. / The main objective of this work is to design and realize administration system for non-formal education institutions. System like this would make easier to access neccessary information for institution personnel and its students. After similar systems analyzis and consultations with non-formal education institutions administrations, system and its database design were made, which later were realized. System described in this work allows institution students to access information about their classes and achievements in it. Also teacher can submit neccessary information about upcoming classes. In addition, other institution workers can access all information about institution classes, teacher, student and their parents.

Entrepreneurship has played an important role in economic prosperity and social stability in many developed countries. Today South Africa as developing country is faced with massive challenges of high levels of unemployment among the youth, especially university graduates, due to lack of work experience, low skills base and education. The formal labour market in South Africa is currently saturated, unable to absorb the ever increasing number of labour force; hence, the decision by the government to prioritise the development and support of small medium enterprises. Beside all these interventions, South Africa is still ranked among the lowest of all developing countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). Today entrepreneurship is offered in most of the universities as part of the curriculum but it is evident that levels of entrepreneurship are still not improving in the country. There has been an upward trend in the number of young South Africans entering higher education; this can be attributed to the poor market conditions for low–skilled workers and the high monetary benefits to education. The daunting observation is that while the graduate labour force is on the rise, a large number of graduates possessing diplomas and degrees are finding it difficult to find employment. Graduate unemployment in South Africa has been rising very fast since 1995 along with national unemployment. In this study the entrepreneur was used casually to refer to the owner or creator of a new business, small, growing, and successful business. This includes any person who sets up a small business, or changes from being an employee of an organisation to being self employed, even though neither needs any significant degree of innovation nor capital. Risk taking and risk tolerance is one component of entrepreneurship that is very critical, hence there is a need for more attention in the entrepreneurial education. In the discovery perspective, cognition has impact on the chance that some people will identify and seize the opportunity. Opportunity identification depends on prior awareness and knowledge, whilst exploitation depends on having the necessary ii capabilities. Entrepreneurs should be able to read and recognise patterns for them to recognise opportunities. Profile of an entrepreneur and skills required are technical skills, perseverance, communication skills, managerial skills, leadership skills, innovative skills, pro–activity, information seeking skills, and financial skills. The primary objective of this study was to assess the attitudes and perceptions towards entrepreneurship among students in a higher education institution in the Sedibeng District of the Gauteng Province. The empirical study was conducted among the population and recommendations on entrepreneurial education were compiled. The survey was conducted using a self–completion questionnaire method, whereby questionnaires are handed out to respondents for self–completion and returned to the researcher immediately. In an effort to encourage high response, the questionnaire was accompanied by a cover letter which assured the respondents of confidentiality. An attitude scale to test the prevalence of entrepreneurial attitudes and perceptions among the respondents was used. The Likert scale was used whereby the respondents were asked to rate a particular issue on a scale that ranged from strongly disagrees to strongly agree. The majority of the respondents are predominantly young Africans, from low income families with only few parents that made it to university level, and mostly not involved in entrepreneurship. The gap exists with regard to equipping the respondents with entrepreneurial education and training. The university and other stakeholders should create an environment that is supportive towards entrepreneurial activities. There are still many business opportunities that need to be explored in South Africa but the biggest challenge remains the access to knowledge and information with regard to available support structures. Tertiary institutions should: Develop start–up capital systems for students whilst studying. The curriculum design should support employability skills such as languages, starting your own businesses, presentation skills, creativity and leadership abilities, specific qualifications focusing on business creation should be developed, case studies should focus more on opportunity orientated ideas and business and lecturing staff should be empowered to support entrepreneurial activities in their respective fields. Databases of possible business ideas should be developed. A conceptual research model that will support accelerated youth entrepreneurship should be developed in the country and research institutions should be contracted to populate this research model. Furthermore, government regulations should be tested regarding their impact on youth entrepreneurship development as a standard item. Fresh approaches are thus needed to stimulate youth entrepreneurship in rural areas. Therefore, policies and programmes to encourage youth entrepreneurship in these areas should be researched. National competitions for youth entrepreneurs should be encouraged and visible events should be organised such as enterprise weeks at tertiary educational institutions. Tertiary institutions can also investigate the possibility of business hives for students or allowing students businesses to operate on campuses for the duration of their studies. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Entrepreneurship has played an important role in economic prosperity and social stability in many developed countries. Today South Africa as developing country is faced with massive challenges of high levels of unemployment among the youth, especially university graduates, due to lack of work experience, low skills base and education. The formal labour market in South Africa is currently saturated, unable to absorb the ever increasing number of labour force; hence, the decision by the government to prioritise the development and support of small medium enterprises. Beside all these interventions, South Africa is still ranked among the lowest of all developing countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). Today entrepreneurship is offered in most of the universities as part of the curriculum but it is evident that levels of entrepreneurship are still not improving in the country. There has been an upward trend in the number of young South Africans entering higher education; this can be attributed to the poor market conditions for low–skilled workers and the high monetary benefits to education. The daunting observation is that while the graduate labour force is on the rise, a large number of graduates possessing diplomas and degrees are finding it difficult to find employment. Graduate unemployment in South Africa has been rising very fast since 1995 along with national unemployment. In this study the entrepreneur was used casually to refer to the owner or creator of a new business, small, growing, and successful business. This includes any person who sets up a small business, or changes from being an employee of an organisation to being self employed, even though neither needs any significant degree of innovation nor capital. Risk taking and risk tolerance is one component of entrepreneurship that is very critical, hence there is a need for more attention in the entrepreneurial education. In the discovery perspective, cognition has impact on the chance that some people will identify and seize the opportunity. Opportunity identification depends on prior awareness and knowledge, whilst exploitation depends on having the necessary ii capabilities. Entrepreneurs should be able to read and recognise patterns for them to recognise opportunities. Profile of an entrepreneur and skills required are technical skills, perseverance, communication skills, managerial skills, leadership skills, innovative skills, pro–activity, information seeking skills, and financial skills. The primary objective of this study was to assess the attitudes and perceptions towards entrepreneurship among students in a higher education institution in the Sedibeng District of the Gauteng Province. The empirical study was conducted among the population and recommendations on entrepreneurial education were compiled. The survey was conducted using a self–completion questionnaire method, whereby questionnaires are handed out to respondents for self–completion and returned to the researcher immediately. In an effort to encourage high response, the questionnaire was accompanied by a cover letter which assured the respondents of confidentiality. An attitude scale to test the prevalence of entrepreneurial attitudes and perceptions among the respondents was used. The Likert scale was used whereby the respondents were asked to rate a particular issue on a scale that ranged from strongly disagrees to strongly agree. The majority of the respondents are predominantly young Africans, from low income families with only few parents that made it to university level, and mostly not involved in entrepreneurship. The gap exists with regard to equipping the respondents with entrepreneurial education and training. The university and other stakeholders should create an environment that is supportive towards entrepreneurial activities. There are still many business opportunities that need to be explored in South Africa but the biggest challenge remains the access to knowledge and information with regard to available support structures. Tertiary institutions should: Develop start–up capital systems for students whilst studying. The curriculum design should support employability skills such as languages, starting your own businesses, presentation skills, creativity and leadership abilities, specific qualifications focusing on business creation should be developed, case studies should focus more on opportunity orientated ideas and business and lecturing staff should be empowered to support entrepreneurial activities in their respective fields. Databases of possible business ideas should be developed. A conceptual research model that will support accelerated youth entrepreneurship should be developed in the country and research institutions should be contracted to populate this research model. Furthermore, government regulations should be tested regarding their impact on youth entrepreneurship development as a standard item. Fresh approaches are thus needed to stimulate youth entrepreneurship in rural areas. Therefore, policies and programmes to encourage youth entrepreneurship in these areas should be researched. National competitions for youth entrepreneurs should be encouraged and visible events should be organised such as enterprise weeks at tertiary educational institutions. Tertiary institutions can also investigate the possibility of business hives for students or allowing students businesses to operate on campuses for the duration of their studies. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This thesis presents a seven-step process for sustainability report development within the higher education sector. Currently, there exists a variety of sustainability indicators and sustainability assessment tools to aid local governments, corporations and higher education institutions in sustainability performance measurement and reporting. Such variety illustrates the value-laden nature of defining sustainability, determining the relative importance of environmental, social and economic facets, and selecting performance evaluation methods. While the municipal and corporate sectors can benefit from step-by-step guidance on the process of sustainability reporting, such guidance is weak in the higher education sector. To address this issue, empirical evidence from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) is complemented with an analysis of select municipal and corporate sustainability reporting processes to arrive at the seven-step process for sustainability report development at the higher education sector. Therefore, this thesis is of particular interest to practitioners undertaking sustainability reporting within the higher education sector for the first time.

Purpose: This paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the perspective from what HEIs do in pursuit of SD to how these activities impact society, the environment and the economy. Design/methodology/Approach: The paper provides a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2005 and 2017. Inductive content analysis was applied to identify major themes and impact areas addressed in the literature to develop a conceptual framework detailing the relationship between HEIs- activities and their impacts on SD. Findings: The paper identi fi es six impact areas where direct and indirect impacts of HEIs on SD may occur. The fi ndings indicate a strong focus on case studies dealing with speci fi c projects and a lack of studies analyzing impacts from a more holistic perspective. Practical implications: This systematic literature review enables decision-makers in HEIs, researchers and educators to better understand how their activities may affect society, the environment and the economy, and it provides a solid foundation to tackle these impacts. Social implications: The review highlights that HEIs have an inherent responsibility to make societies more sustainable. HEIs must embed SD into their systems while considering their impacts on society. Originality/value: This paper provides a holistic conceptualization of HEIs- impacts on SD. The conceptual framework can be useful for future research that attempts to analyze HEIs- impacts on SD from a holistic perspective.