Since its inception, the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) curriculum in South Africa has caused much confusion and frustration among teachers, especially with regard to the implementation of Outcomes- Based Assessment (OBA). From the onset of the implementation of OBE in South Africa, teachers were confronted with unfamiliar challenges with regard to teaching, learning and assessment. Most teachers experienced these challenges as very stressful, because they were inadequately prepared for the didactical paradigm shift. This resulted in a general degree of negativity and resistance towards OBE amongst teachers. In particular, there seemed to be much confusion and frustration about the workload and administrative burden that OBA imposed on teachers. In the light of the afore-mentioned, the researcher wished to determine how the teachers from the North- West Province experience the OBA of Physical Sciences in the Further Education and Training (FET) Band. In order to achieve the aim and objectives of the research, a literature study as well as an empirical investigation was undertaken. The literature study focused on OBA, OBE, and the National Policy Document on the teaching, learning and assessment of Physical Sciences in the FET Band. For the purposes of the empirical investigation, quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of a questionnaire that was distributed among a sample of teachers who taught Physical Sciences in the FET Band schools in the North-West Province. The data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed and on the basis of the findings the following conclusions were drawn: • Although most participants indicated that they received training in OBA and were in possession of the relevant National Curriculum Statement (NCS) documents, some of their responses indicated a lack of practical implementation skills. It also transpired that some of the participants experienced a lack of resources and inadequate support from subject advisors in implementing OBA. • Participants experienced the following obstacles with regard to the assessment of Physical Sciences in the FET Band: - inadequate training to conduct practical work; - a complicated and confusing NCS document that does not contain clear guidelines; - an overloaded curriculum; and - limited resources, time constraints, overcrowded classrooms and an overloaded curriculum make practical work and experimentation very difficult. On the basis of the findings emanating from the research, a model for the implementation of OBA of Physical Sciences in the FET Band was proposed to close the gap between the theory and assessment practice. / Thesis (PhD (Natural Science Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

<p><font size="3"> <p>The aim of this research was to investigate the use of social media (SM) in improving the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming in South Africa&rsquo / s Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. The study addresses the high learner failure rates in computer programming at National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) level 3. A preliminary investigation identified that increased lecturer contact time with the students could positively affect the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming. The social medium of Facebook (FB) was studied to assess whether it could enhance contact time with students.</p> <p>In investigating factors affecting computer programming passes at the College of Cape Town, the study identified how SM technologies can assist in increasing contact time for students outside normal college time. Four groups on FB were created to allow learners to ask questions, interact with the lecturer and peers on the subject. A mixed approach was employed using qualitative and quantitative data. Test scores for previous years (2011) were compared to current (2012) test scores for the NCV 3 learners. Statistical functions calculated the average passes and total number of passes. Furthermore, a total of thirty questionnaires were used to check the learners&rsquo / perceptions toward the use of SM outside the class to enhance performance..</p> <p>More lecturer contact time on FB for one student group scored better in terms of the quantity and quality of passes. The groups using FB (with more practice time or more technical contact time) produced results which were far better than in previous years (2010 and 2011). The fourth group using FB for more peer interaction also did fairly well with an increase at the end of the year (2012) of 35% pass in programming at level 3 - up from 30% in 2011. It is the researcher&rsquo / s view that, once internet access is evenly spread, it has the potential to increase performance in subjects like computer programming. A further look at the certification of level 4 learners for programming subjects indicated an improvement could be possible by the introduction of SM at level 3 - where much of the bottleneck lies.</p> <p>As this research was limited to a single FET college it cannot be generalised. Further research spread across various FET colleges countrywide will serve to confirm these findings and determine new insights into the whole process of using SM to improve passes in computer programming at NCV level 3.. The practical recommendation is that FB should be used for this stated purpose. In respect of academic recommendations, the researcher intends to implement the same study with learners at level two and level four.</p> </font></p>

<p><font size="3"> <p>The aim of this research was to investigate the use of social media (SM) in improving the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming in South Africa&rsquo / s Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. The study addresses the high learner failure rates in computer programming at National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) level 3. A preliminary investigation identified that increased lecturer contact time with the students could positively affect the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming. The social medium of Facebook (FB) was studied to assess whether it could enhance contact time with students.</p> <p>In investigating factors affecting computer programming passes at the College of Cape Town, the study identified how SM technologies can assist in increasing contact time for students outside normal college time. Four groups on FB were created to allow learners to ask questions, interact with the lecturer and peers on the subject. A mixed approach was employed using qualitative and quantitative data. Test scores for previous years (2011) were compared to current (2012) test scores for the NCV 3 learners. Statistical functions calculated the average passes and total number of passes. Furthermore, a total of thirty questionnaires were used to check the learners&rsquo / perceptions toward the use of SM outside the class to enhance performance..</p> <p>More lecturer contact time on FB for one student group scored better in terms of the quantity and quality of passes. The groups using FB (with more practice time or more technical contact time) produced results which were far better than in previous years (2010 and 2011). The fourth group using FB for more peer interaction also did fairly well with an increase at the end of the year (2012) of 35% pass in programming at level 3 - up from 30% in 2011. It is the researcher&rsquo / s view that, once internet access is evenly spread, it has the potential to increase performance in subjects like computer programming. A further look at the certification of level 4 learners for programming subjects indicated an improvement could be possible by the introduction of SM at level 3 - where much of the bottleneck lies.</p> <p>As this research was limited to a single FET college it cannot be generalised. Further research spread across various FET colleges countrywide will serve to confirm these findings and determine new insights into the whole process of using SM to improve passes in computer programming at NCV level 3.. The practical recommendation is that FB should be used for this stated purpose. In respect of academic recommendations, the researcher intends to implement the same study with learners at level two and level four.</p> </font></p>

Electricity and power generation is an essential part of our life. However, powergeneration activities also create by-products (such as sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides,carbon monoxide, etc), which can be dangerous when released to the atmosphere.Sensors, as part of the control system, play very vital role for the fluegas cleaning processes in power plants. This thesis concerns the development ofSilicon Carbide Field Effect Transistor (SiC-FET) gas sensors as sensors for sulfurcontaining gases (SO2 and H2S) used as part of the environmental control systemin power plants. The works includes sensor deposition and assembly, sensinglayer characterization, operation mode development, performance testing of thesensors in a gas mixing rig in the laboratory and field test in a desulfurization pilotunit, and both experimental and theoretical studies on the detection mechanismof the sensors. The sensor response to SO2 was very small and saturated quickly. SO2 is a verystable gas and therefore reaction with other species requires a large energy input.SO2 mostly reacts with the catalyst through physisorption, which results in lowresponse level. Another problem was that once it finally reacted with oxygen andadsorbed on the surface of the catalyst in form of a sulfate compound, it is desorbedwith difficulty. Therefore, the sensor signal saturated after a certain timeof exposure to SO2. Different gate materials were tested in static operation (Pt,Ir, Au), but the saturation phenomena occurred in all three cases. Dynamic sensoroperation using temperature cycling and multivariate data analysis could mitigatethis problem. Pt-gate sensors were operated at several different temperatures in acyclic fashion. One of the applied temperatures was chosen to be very high for ashort time to serve as cleaning step. This method was also termed the virtual multisensor method because the data generated could represent the data from multiplesensors in static operation at different temperatures. Then, several features of thesignal, such as mean value and slope, were extracted and processed with multivariatedata analysis. Linear Discrimination Analysis (LDA) was chosen since itiiiallows controlled data analysis. It was shown that it was possible to quantify SO2with a 2-step LDA. The background was identified in the first step and SO2 wasquantified in the second step. Pt sensors in dynamic operation and 2-step LDAevaluation has also demonstrated promising results for SO2 measurement in thelaboratory as well as in a desulfurization pilot unit. For a commercial sensor, algorithmhave to be developed to enable on-line measurement in real time. It was observed that Ir-gate sensors at 350oC were very sensitive to H2S. The responseobtained by Ir sensors to H2S was almost five times larger than that of Ptsensors, which might be due to the higher oxygen coverage of Ir. Moreover, Irsensors were also more stable with less drift during the operation as a result ofhigher thermal stability. However, the recovery time for Ir sensors was very long,due to the high desorption energy. Overall, the Ir sensors performed well whentested for a leak detection application (presence of oxygen and dry environment).The geothermal application, where heat is extracted from the earth, requires thesensor to be operated in humid condition in the absence (or very low concentration)of oxygen, and this poses a problem. Temperature cycle operation and smartdata evaluation might also be an option for future development. Along with the sensor performance testing, a study on the detection mechanismwas also performed for SO2 sensor, both experimentally and theoretically. The experimentincluded the study of the species formed on the surface of the catalystwith DRIFT (diffuse reflectance infrared frourier transform) spectroscopy and theanalysis of the residual gas with mass spectroscopy. Explanatory investigation ofthe surface reactions was performed using quantum-chemical calculations. Theoreticalcalculations of the infrared (IR) vibration spectra was employed to supportthe identification of peaks in the DRIFT measurement. Based on the study on theresidual gas analysis and quantum-chemical calculations, a reaction mechanismfor the SO2 molecule adsorption on the sensor surface was suggested.

When Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) reached the Further Education and Training (FET) band in 2006, teachers were confronted for the first time with a new curriculum that challenged them to implement a learner-centred approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Since assessment is seen as the heart of effective teaching and learning, this research was aimed at establishing how effective teachers of English First Additional Language (EFAL) in the FET band were in implementing Outcomes-Based Assessment (OBA). A thorough literary survey on OBE and OBA was conducted. This survey included a study of the principles and philosophical underpinnings of OBE and the clarification of the key concepts of OBE and OBA. Various documents on the teaching, learning and assessment of English Second Language from the Departments of Education in New Zealand, Canada and Australia were studied to gain an international perspective. This was followed by an analysis of South African policy documents on the teaching, learning and assessment of EFAL. Empirical research was conducted by means of a survey in which both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. The data analysis revealed that teachers of EFAL in the FET band experience problems with the practical implementation of the curriculum and the assessment thereof. Problems were mainly experienced with setting achievable outcomes, designing lessons, teaching material and learning activities, teaching and assessing in a learner-centred way, employing the most appropriate types and methods of assessment and using feedback to enhance learning. A model for assessment has been designed to fill the gap left between the theory of OBE and OBA as expressed in the NCS for EFAL and the successful, practical implementation thereof. It is anticipated that this model will contribute to the improvement of teaching, learning and assessment of EFAL in the FET band in public schools. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2007

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2007

Zugl.: München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2007.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2005--Aachen.