The Cape Peninsula University of Technology is the only university of technology in the Western Cape of South Africa and is the largest University in the region. The University has six faculties focused on Applied Sciences, Business, Education and Social Sciences, Informatics and Design, Engineering and Health and Wellness Sciences. The University also plays a leading role in the provision of service-learning opportunities for its students.
The University offers more than 70 career-focused courses and has infrastructure that includes, apart from the two main campuses in Bellville and Cape Town, the Granger Bay Campus with a hotel school and restaurant next to the world-renowned V&A Waterfront in Cape Town as well as various campuses in Mowbray, Wellington, Athlone, Worcestor, George and the two major hospitals in the region.
The University’s research culture and history spans almost two decades and focuses on applied and problem solving research which is responsive to regional, national and continental needs. Since its establishment the institution is making excellent progress in strengthening its research capacity with the establishment of a number of research and innovation centers and also boasts a large number of rated researchers and research chairs. Like all other Universities of Technology in South Africa 2015 saw the celebration of a 10 year birthday milestone for the institution and we look forward to many more decades of innovation and groundbreaking firsts.
Translating notes into ‘deep’ or ‘high’ versions of languages isn’t very useful for young students who prefer vernacular, colloquial ways of speaking.
Shutterstock
Bernie Millar, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
There is little value in translating academic texts into “high” or “deep” versions of African languages. Most students read and speak their mother tongues in a far more colloquial fashion.
Up to 40% of South African university students drop out after their first year.
Shutterstock
There are a number of factors outside the academy that hold first-year university students back. Addressing these can improve retention rates.
Not all supplement brands commit to nutritional supplement “best practice” manufacture policies, emphasising the need for these products to be regulated.
Shutterstock
Libraries are warm, dry and safe spaces with free Internet, which many people need. But academics and researchers in the 21st century can get along very well without them.
A woman visits the Scientific Institute in Cairo, Egypt. The role of libraries is changing but they are as relevant and important as ever.
REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Lara Skelly, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
African libraries have more of an opportunity than ever before to bring the continent’s knowledge to the world. They just need to adapt their traditional roles and functions.
Pre-service teachers can learn a great deal from their young pupils.
Shutterstock
Pre-service teachers are learning a great deal about their own skills and the challenges of the job through a part of their curriculum that approaches training differently.
Many South African schools lack basic equipment like chairs, textbooks, pens and blackboards. Research suggests they could still succeed – by taking learners’ ideas and concerns more seriously.
Ryan Gray/Reuters
What happens when a school doesn’t have many resources but teachers and the principal really listen to learners’ ideas and fears? The results, research finds, can be remarkable.
Children need to get involved in classroom decisions that affect them, rather than just answering questions when prompted to do so.
Thomas Mukoya /Reuters
Naseema Shaik, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
At its simplest, participation is about allowing children to get involved in making decisions that affect their own lives and their own learning experiences.
Using fruit waste in a sustainable manner can have economic benefits for industries.
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
Philip Lloyd, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Fracking presents a better alternative to coal mining. Finding a way to produce the gas economically is the first challenge to getting fracking underway.
TshepisoSAT, Africa’s first nano-satellite developed by students and staff at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
CPUT
Janet Condy, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Once they graduate, they’ll educate South Africans of all race groups – so what happens when student teachers don’t mix across racial lines? A digital storytelling project is bridging gaps.