IS and Education Researchers

Prof Alta van der Merwe

Position: Deputy Dean Teaching and Learning (EBIT)

NRF rating: B3

Office: IT Building 5-82.2

ORCID: 0000-0002-3652-7512

My research generally focuses on IS and Organizations. The majority of my students use design science as their research approach, mainly using qualitative data collection. My students are involved in the following research focus areas:

Enterprise Architecture (EA): EA approaches, data and process management within EA, modelling and adoption.
Society 5.0: Disruptive technologies, Data Science related topics from an Organization perspective.
Design: Design of systems within an IS organization, Social-technical systems.
Design Science: Studying the approach of Design Science.

The research domains that I investigate include IS organizations, Education.

Topics that I am actively involved in are listed below. I can support students who are committed to researching suitable topics in one of the following areas:

Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Management
Innovation Cycles, methodologies, practices
Design Science;
IT Strategy for Society 5.0.

These keywords and concepts are relevant to my research. Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Management, Innovation, Design, Data Science, Design Science, Industry 4.0.

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Prof Machdel Matthee

Position: Associate Professor

NRF rating: C2

Office: IT Building 5- 58

E-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-6973-1798

My research generally focuses on 21st century skills (skills needed to function in a technology-dominated society) and the teaching thereof. The aim is to provide quality education and promote social well-being:

• Computational thinking: the thinking processes underlying computing

• Critical thinking: the importance and role of critical thinking in the information age

• ICT and education: acceptance and use of ICT in education, IS education

• Societal implications of IS: e.g. social aspects of social networks, the changing nature of human agency, fake news.

The research domains that I investigate include schools, higher education institutions, organisations, communities and end-users.

Topics that I am actively involved in are listed below. I can support students who are committed to researching problems in one of the following:

• Enabling teachers to teach computational thinking;

• Effective ways to teach computational thinking;

• The role of numeracy in computational thinking;

• Computational thinking and ethics;

• Fake news and critical thinking;

• Detection of fake news;

• Critical thinking and the IS curriculum

Keywords and concepts relevant to my research: Critical thinking, Change, Societal Implications, ICT and education, Disruption, Social media, Future, 21st century skills, Society 5.0, well-being.

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Dr Lizette Weilbach

Position: Senior lecturer

Office: IT Building 5-69

E-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-0827-2444

The research domains that I focus on include IS and organisations, Society 5.0, disruptive technologies and UX (User Experience) Design. I am particularly interested in the way in which information technology affects the social and emotional well-being of people. This includes, but is not limited to:

The use of Social media
The use of AI
FOMO
The overuse of technology
Cyber-bullying

IS development and design is another passion. I have presented multiple business & systems analysis and design courses to industry. My latest interest in this field focuses on UX design and I’m interested in pursuing research which focusses on evaluating and enhancing the human computer interaction aspects of IS.

I’ve been teaching in the field of IS for many years, and thus also have an interest in ICT to support quality education. Here my focus is on ICT to enhance teaching and learning: the use of current tools, techniques, and approaches available for both face-to-face and online teaching and learning.

I can support students wanting to do research on all the topics mentioned above.

Keywords: Society 5.0; AI use and consequences; disruptive technologies; UX Design; Social Media use; cyberbullying; technology to enhance teaching and learning.

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Dr Riana Steyn

Position: Senior Lecturer

NRF rating: Y2

Office: IT Building 5-66

E-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-9841-2497

My research generally focuses on Entrepreneurs from an educational perspective. I focus my research on Entrepreneurial skills development and how this can be achieved through various avenues, thus focusing my research on:

Micro-credentials (Badges) and the role they play to increase entrepreneurial skills levels
The effect of Nano-teaching and learning on Higher education and/or entrepreneurs
Educational technologies to increase skills development
Entrepreneurs and the adoption of IT in their business
IT training and skills development needs of entrepreneurs

Topics that I am actively involved in are listed below. I can support students who are committed to researching suitable topics in one of the following areas:

Micro-credentials (badges) to increase skills levels
Educational technologies and teaching online
SME and IT adoption
Entrepreneurial IT adoption approaches
IT training needs for entrepreneurs

These keywords and concepts are relevant to my research. IT adoption, entrepreneurs, SMEs learning approaches, Micro-credentials, Nano-teaching and learning

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Dr Tania Prinsloo

Position: Senior Lecturer

NRF rating: Y2

Office: IT Building 5-59

E-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0003-1877-9115

My main research area is within ICT for Agriculture, focusing on the three Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Zero Hunger and Life on Land. In this domain, I look at:

IS in issues of (in)equality and marginalized groups.
IS for a greener society, specifically in agriculture.
Designs for wearable, pervasive, and ubiquitous systems and computing in agriculture.
Ethical uses of data.
The role of IS for climate change.
Animal-computer-interaction.

In terms of ICT for Education, I focus on the Sustainable Development Goals Quality Education and Reducing Inequalities. Here, I focus on:

Principles of lifelong learning.
Different learning styles and how to accommodate students in an online environment.
Continuous assessment vs. the traditional methods of assessment.
Current IS teaching trends.

Finally, I am interested in developmental issues pertaining to the Global South.

The research domains that I investigate are new technologies in development, agriculture and education.

These keywords and concepts are relevant to my research. ICT4D, ICT4Ag, ICT for Education, sustainable agriculture using technology, wearable devices in agriculture, IS and climate change, animal-computer-interaction, development in the Global South, lifelong learning, learning styles, continuous assessment, teaching trends.

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Dr Nita Mennega

Position: Lecturer

Office: Building IT 5-98

Email: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0003-0893-7810

My research generally focuses on the dynamics influencing individuals' decision to enter the Information Technology industry. I take an interdisciplinary view in applying either qualitative or quantitative approaches, or a combination thereof, to study the following research focus areas:

IT labour market: Shortage of IT professionals, gender issues, diversity issues
Higher Education: Information Technology qualifications - availability and uptake
Industry readiness: Soft skills development for the workplace

Topics that I am actively involved in are listed below. I can support students who are committed to researching suitable topics in one of the following areas:

Factors that influence students' decision to enroll for an IT degree
Theoretical approaches to investigating the lack of diversity in the Information Technology workforce
Perceptions of society on the IT industry
Development of soft skills in engineering and IT students (e.g. communication skills, teamwork, project planning)

The following keywords and concepts are relevant to my research: gender and Information Technology, Information Technology career choice, graduate skills development.

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