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07 September 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs
Two lecturers in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State (UFS) authored and presented a paper that received the best paper award at this year’s 50th Annual Conference of the Southern African Computer Lecturers’ Association (SACLA). 

SACLA is an association for academics teaching Computer Science, Information Systems, and Information Technology subjects at universities and other higher education institutions in Southern Africa. The Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Johannesburg hosted the conference.

Dr Pakiso Khomokhoana, Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, presented the paper titled Mapping the problem-solving strategies of novice programmers to Polya's framework: SWOT analysis as a bottleneck identification tool. He chose this topic because he was concerned that students (especially novices) are always encountering challenges when it comes to understanding source code and working with related problems.

Prof Liezel Nel, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, co-authored the paper with Dr Khomokhoana.

“When the time came to announce the best paper, my heart was panting, and I was thrilled to hear elements of my paper mentioned in preparation for the final announcement,” says Dr Khomokhoana, who reckons that the amount of work one puts into a paper is equivalent to the yield you receive in return.

He is convinced that one should feel the ‘pinch’ for whatever you do in life. Those who are studying can relate to nights spent toiling, headaches, and stressed muscles, with the pain only going away after reaching your goal. “One has to work hard in order to succeed in life,” he states.

He says that being recognised for this paper not only means that he can produce more acceptable research in the future; with the feedback received from reviewers, he can help other upcoming researchers by imparting to them the research skills he obtained over the years.

The UFS also presented a second paper at the conference. Mokotsolane Mase, Lecturer from the same department on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus, presented a paper co-authored by Prof Nel as well, titled: Common code writing errors made by novice programmers: Implications for the teaching of Introductory Programming.

Continuous excellence

The SACLA programme committee is committed to keeping papers earmarked for journal publication to a very high standard. “Since only the top papers are earmarked for journal publication, it was a great achievement to have both papers selected for inclusion in the 2021 publication,” says Prof Nel. 

However, the highlight of the conference for her was when the paper she co-authored with Dr Khomokhoana was recognised as the best paper. 

“What makes this achievement even more special, is that it is the second time in three years that Dr Khomokhoana and I have received this award (2019 and 2021). This is also the third time (since the inception of the ‘best paper award’ in 2014) that I have been the co-author of the best paper.”

“Being recognised at this level for our research in the field of Computer Science Education (CSE) is testament to the quality and importance of the research being conducted within the CSE research group of the UFS Department of Computer Science and Informatics,” she says. 

The way forward

Prof Nel believes in the potential of the CSE research group, and her goal for the next five years is to continue to expand the CSE research group within the department. 

“What I love most about this type of research is that it requires a close integration of the lecturing and research roles of academics. As educational researchers, we must reflect critically on our current teaching and learning practices and consider ways in which we can ultimately provide our students with the best possible learning experiences that will adequately prepare them for the world of work. Mentoring young academics who are interested in this field of research, is one of my biggest passions. By sharing our research at conferences (such as SACLA) and through publication in international journals, we contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning on a much broader scale,” she says. 

Dr Pakiso Khomokhoana reckons that the amount of work you put into a project is equivalent to the yield you receive in return.
Dr Pakiso Khomokhoana reckons that the amount of work you put into a project is equivalent to the yield you receive in return.
Prof Liezel Nel believes that educational researchers need to reflect critically on their current teaching and learning practices and consider ways in which to ultimately provide students with the best possible learning experiences.
Prof Liezel Nel believes that educational researchers need to reflect critically on their current teaching and learning practices and consider ways in which to ultimately provide students with the best possible learning experiences.
Mokotsolane Mase, lecturer from the same department on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.
Mokotsolane Mase, lecturer from the same department on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.

News Archive

Suspension of the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
2016-05-04

The senior leadership of the UFS and the management of the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) take note of the decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to suspend the laboratory’s accreditation to perform doping control analysis on biological samples of athletes and sportsmen and -women until 30 September 2016. During this time of suspension, all sport-related samples will be sent for analysis to the WADA accredited laboratory in Qatar until the accreditation of SADoCoL is re-established. Analysis according to WADA accreditation will therefore not be interrupted during the period of the suspension of the accreditation of SADoCoL.

The announcement by WADA on 3 May 2016 follows a voluntary decision by SADoCoL in March 2016 to temporarily close the laboratory for some of its routine analytical duties for six months, as from 1 April 2016. The decision was taken in consultation with the senior leadership of the UFS and other role players, especially the Department of Sport and Recreation of South Africa (SRSA) and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS). SADoCoL is a specialised service laboratory of the University of the Free State (UFS) and has been in existence for more than thirty years.

Due to the ever-increasing demands on the number, variety and analytical sensitivity of compounds to be analysed according to the Prohibited List of WADA, technical and infrastructure adaptations need to be implemented in the laboratory continuously to keep up with the demands. Over the last year, SADoCoL has drastically increased its capacity in both personnel and infrastructure, to a point where these changes can be implemented for optimal performance of the laboratory.  This has to be done while normal routine analysis continues, and it became clear that at present, implementation cannot be successfully accomplished together with the workload from normal routine analyses.

The time of suspension will be utilised to implement and test these new systems in order to achieve the standard presently required by WADA, as well as to perform development and improvements.  This development will be performed in close collaboration with other role players in the anti-doping movement in South Africa, such as SAIDS and SRSA. Scientific development aid will also be acquired from other doping control laboratories worldwide in order to assure that the high analytical quality is maintained and expanded to meet the fast growing challenges in this field. The progress of the process will be closely monitored, and the upgraded methodologies will then, after rigorous testing, be implemented to ensure that the required analytical quality is maintained so as to obtain re-accreditation by WADA at the conclusion of the suspension period.

Issued by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27(0)51 401 2584 or +27 (0) 83 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 (0) 51 444 6393

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