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Dr Rouxan Fouché’s research helps improve computer literacy in Mangaung

21 April 2023 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Charl Devenish

Dr Rouxan Fouche — Dr Rouxan Fouché on stage in the Callie Human Centre during his graduation ceremony. He hopes his PhD findings will be used to improve the UFS’s Information Technology Service-Learning (ITSL) project’s effectiveness.

When Dr Rouxan Fouché decided to undertake a PhD in Computer Science and Informatics, he was motivated by his commitment to addressing the digital divide in South Africa through service-learning. Through his research, he investigated how the UFS’s Information Technology Service-Learning (ITSL) project could be improved by collaboration with all project stakeholders to positively address and impact the digital divide in the local Mangaung community.

Dr Fouché is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State (UFS) and received his PhD during the UFS’s April 2023 graduation ceremonies.

He based his PhD thesis, titled ‘Addressing the South African Digital Divide through a community-informed strategy for Service-Learning: A Critical Utopian Action Research (CUAR) Approach’, on the service-learning module he taught after he realised the positive effect of an information technology-focussed service-learning module on computer literacy levels in the local community. “The initial goal of the service-learning module was to provide free computer literacy training to computer-illiterate community members as part of the students’ community engagement,” Dr Fouché said.

Community-focused PhD research

According to Dr Fouché researchers have recently started looking at how universities can use their service-learning modules (as part of community engagement) to bridge and address the digital divide. He also believes “current conceptualisations indicate that most university service-learning endeavours are organised without engaging with the local community or incorporating their specific needs.”

This is where he hopes his research and findings could make a difference.

His study aimed to re-evaluate and revise the ITSL project by using a hands-on, collaborative approach which included all ITSL project stakeholders. Members of the community served by the project were involved in the shared decision-making and knowledge sharing. “Furthermore, the short-term and lasting impacts of this revised community needs-led ITSL project on the participating community members were investigated.”

The study was conducted in three cycles: Cycle 1 constituted a survey approach to identify the concerns and possible shortcomings of the ITSL project. In Cycle 2, all stakeholders participated in a ‘Future-Creating Workshop’, which reviewed findings from Cycle 1, and a utopian action plan was developed by all involved. Cycle 3 saw the revised project being implemented based on all the recommendations from the previous cycle. “This cycle also included the evaluation of the project’s immediate impact using pre-test and post-test questionnaires completed by project participants.”

Service-learning project made a difference

When Dr Fouché initiated the ITSL project in 2015, the main objective was to serve and equip Mangaung and surrounding communities with necessary computer literacy skills. The programme entails training in Microsoft Word and Excel via two short learning programmes.

The impact of the programme was far-reaching, as it enabled participants to gain formal employment. “The participants told me that they were able to find employment as service station attendants, administrative clerks, and cashiers, among other roles, due to the computer literacy certificates they received after completing the ITSL project.” Witnessing the positive impact of the ITSL programme led Dr Fouché to focus his PhD research on improving the service-learning offerings the UFS provides for the community.

“I realised that it was necessary to investigate how the ITSL project could be improved and tailor-made for the community it serves,” he said.

News Archive

Central SRC constitution for UFS approved by Council

2005-07-20

University of the Free State Fact Sheet

1. The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) on 10 June 2005 unanimously approved the establishment of a Central Student Representative Council (CSRC) to constitute a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of students of all three of its campuses in the governance of the university.

2. In a major breakthrough and transformation step for student governance, the Central SRC will include representatives of the main campus in Bloemfontein, the Vista Bloemfontein campus and the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS.

3. The need to establish the Central SRC follows the incorporation of the Qwaqwa campus into the UFS in January 2003 and the incorporation of the Vista campus in Bloemfontein into the UFS in January 2004.

4. The constitution of the Central SRC is the outcome of a consensus reached during a lengthy process of negotiation between the SRCs of the three UFS campuses, indirectly involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, ANCYL, YCL, Pasma, SASO, SADESMO, AZASCO, SCO, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, ACDP, etc. Independent constitutional and political experts facilitated key parts of the negotiation process.

5. In this process, the UFS management went out of its way to ensure the participation of all student formations, especially Sasco and the ANC Youth League, as well as the duly elected SRC officials of the three campuses.

6. With the establishment of a Central SRC, the UFS has adopted a federal student governance model whereby the CSRC is the highest representative student body on matters of common concern for all students. The three campuses of the UFS will retain SRC structures for each campus with powers and responsibilities for matters affecting the particular campus.

7. The central SRC will have 12 members made up of delegates of the different campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. In total, the main campus will have 5 representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have 4 representatives and the Vista campus will have 3 representatives. This ratio ensures a strong voice for the smaller campuses in the central SRC.

8. This arrangement will be reviewed after a year to make allowance for the phasing out of undergraduate (pipeline) students at the Vista campus, as was agreed in the negotiations preceding the incorporation of that campus into the UFS.

9. From these 12 members a central SRC president will be chosen on a quarterly basis to represent the general student body at Executive Management, Senate and Council.

10. The historic official inauguration of the first Central SRC is scheduled to take place in early August 2005.

11. This event, like the adoption of a broadly negotiated new constitution for the main campus SRC, represents a breakthrough in that all three campus SRCs delegations and all relevant student organizations have been part of the process and have accepted the outcome of the process.

20 July 2005

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