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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

Getting out of the dark

2015-06-10

ESKOM is making daily announcements on the status of the power grid.

Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at University Estates, is in continuous contact with Eskom and Centlec in an effort to stay abreast of load shedding.

According to Anton, Eskom has recently - the week of 20 April - been focusing on the evening peak, and has announced STAGE 1 load shedding from 17:00-22:00; thus, the Bloemfontein Campus should be able to continue business as usual during the day, except for Thursdays from 18:00 and, possibly, Fridays from 17:00.

Where can I get more information about load shedding stages?

Apart from Eskom’s webpage, staff can also visit GRID WATCH. Click on "Search", then under "Schedules". Look for "Mangaung Local Municipality", and select "GROUP 4". Save this location. “This can even be loaded onto your mobile device.”

“The time slots can be seen for a couple of days in advance, to allow us to plan around the possibility of load shedding in our daily lives,” said Anton.

Please note: ESKOM can change the STAGE level at any time. Therefore, keep an eye on GRID WATCH and News24.

View the typical seven-day planner for the Bloemfontein Campus (Group 4), which indicates the STAGE 2 and 3 possibilities. Take note that, on some days, the STAGE 2 and 3 time slots are the same.

More load shedding tips: Your IT needs

The UFS Data Centre (Computer Room) is fully serviced by a generator facility, and can function without external power supply for a few days.

The generator servicing the UFS data centre does NOT provide power to the outlying facilities. This implies that all digital equipment at gates, booms, and access points will be shut down until the power is restored to these facilities. “We are now, in collaboration with Nico Janse van Rensburg, in a process to install UPS facilities at these points, which will ensure two to three hours of power supply at these points, even during load shedding,” said Dr Vic Coetzee, Senior Director: ICT Services.

No Wi-Fi will be available, as it is dependent on the power supply to the buildings where it is installed.

All servers are contained in the data centre, and will be kept running by our generators.

How to manage load shedding and your IT needs:

1. Get into the habit of saving your work regularly on computer so that you don’t lose your work/files during load shedding.
2. Back up important data. Keep to a schedule of regular back-up. Make sure your computer back-ups are safe and recoverable.
3. Keep all electronic devices charged and ready to run on battery power. Keep your cellphone charged: some old-style Telkom landlines will still operate during power outages, but others won't.
4. Remember, when power supply is restored, it sometimes happens that a power surge is sent through the network, which will damage your computer. Fortunately, laptop computers will not suffer this fate as their power is provided through an external power pack. Often, this power pack will be damaged, but not the laptop itself.
5. It makes good sense to reboot your computer daily, not only in terms of power shedding, but also in terms of updating the drivers, software, etc.
6. Switch off all computers and other electrical equipment at the wall plug overnight and on weekends.
7. Should your IT equipment not switch on after a power outage, log a call with the ICT Services. You can also call them at x2000.

More information, guidelines and contact numbers

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