2011-NMMU-Research-Report - Research Management - Nelson ...

A selection of knitwear from the MaXhosa by Laduma TM brand.
The NMMU has assisted Laduma in registering five of his designs in
South Africa and Europe, as well as providing him with incubation
space at the Second Avenue Campus. The NMMU also provides him
with mentorship and guidance, particularly as there are significant
challenges in manufacturing high-quality knitwear locally.
Braid remover
Ms Khwezikazi Mkentane in the laboratory.
In the course of her MTech studies an NMMU Chemistry student,
Khwezikazi Mkentane, identified that the crucial part of removing
hair braids is detangling the matted hair. She decided to create
a braid removal formulation that would solve this problem and
facilitate the process of removing braids from human hair.
The formulation is the subject of a South African patent, and
product evaluation trials on a number of volunteers were successful.
The product will be licensed to a company in the cosmetic and hair
product industry.
Expanding Focus on the
Scholarship of Teaching
and Learning
Prof Cheryl Foxcroft, Dean: Teaching and Learning
NMMU is committed to provide a responsive learning environment
that fosters student success and holistic development. Among
the ways to enhance teaching and learning at NMMU has been
to engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
SoTL involves systematic research into teaching and learning and
student success factors.
While a variety of outputs ensue from such research, SoTL
researchers are increasingly encouraged to publish their work
in peer-reviewed journals as this assists in building a body of
knowledge internationally concerning research into teaching and
learning.
In 2009 and 2010, 8% and 11.5% of NMMU’s subsidy-generating
publications fell in the SoTL category. Of the publications that
qualified for subsidy in 2011, 8% had a SoTL focus. While this
might be interpreted as being that the number of SoTL-related
publications decreased, the number of SoTL-related subsidygenerating
publications in fact increased from 42 in 2010 to 44 in
2011. Breaking this into the various subsidy-earning categories, 5%
of the published articles, 21% of the book chapters and 12% of the
published conference proceedings that gained subsidy at NMMU in
2011 had a SoTL focus.
When the titles of these publications were thematically analysed,
nine themes emerged. These were:
1. Discipline-specific teaching and learning at a higher education
level: For example: Knoetze, E. Die onderrig van die inheemse
reg: Bevoeg of beperk deur boeke? Obiter, 31(3); Wood, L.A.
Lessons from a postgraduate certificate in education experience.
Acta Academica, 43(4); Hibbert, L.L. Language development
in Higher Education: Suggested paradigms and their applications
in South Africa. South African Linguistics and Applied Language
Studies, 29(1).
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