1,369,456 research outputs found
10th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable on The Threat to Leadership in South African Universities
No full textMP4 video, Size: 1.6GB; Duration: 1:34The 10th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable Discussion and the first in 2023, titled “The threat to leadership in South African universities” was presented on 27 January 2023. In recent times university staff have been assaulted and killed on and around campuses across the country, for instance, the killing of Prof Gregory Kamwendo, former Dean of Arts at the University of Zululand, Prof Mohammed Saber Tayob, a CA associate professor at the University of Limpopo, then, Peet Roets, who was the head of Fleet management at the University of Fort Hare, to name but a few. Now this year, the attempted assassination of the Vice-Chancellor of Fort Hare University and the tragic murder of his bodyguard, Mr Mbonelli Vesele, has generated intense public reaction against the perceived lack of response from government, whether it be in bringing the criminals to justice or providing adequate support to university leadership when their very lives are at stake.
Prof Jonathan Jansen, ASSAf’s President, moderated the dialogue to get a deeper understanding of why this is happening; if government is doing enough to support university staff; and what these attacks mean for the future of South African universities in general and university leadership in particular. The discussions were led by Prof Nomalanga Mkhize (HoD: History and Political Studies, Nelson Mandela University), Prof Mohamed Saleem Badat (Research Professor: College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal), Prof Themba Mosia (Vice-Principal, University of Pretoria) and Prof Adam Habib (Director: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London). The panellists viewed these developments as a crisis that needs to be handled with extreme caution. The ASSAf Presidential Roundtables on Science, Scholarship and Society, which are hosted by ASSAf and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen, are an evidence-based dialogue that brings together experts and stakeholders to address critical issues affecting society at large and are of interest to a broad audience.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
The effects of war in Ukraine on oil price and SA economy
No full textMP4 Video; Size: 5.51GB; Duration: 01:20Please cite as: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2022). The effects of war in Ukraine on oil price and SA cconomy. [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/238This webinar was presented by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) on 5 May 2022. It is the 4th in a series of Annual ASSAf Business Leadership Forums. Panellists: Mr Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist: Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz); Prof Nicola Viegi, South African Reserve Bank Chair: Monetary Economics, University of Pretoria; Prof Heinrich Bohlmann, Department of Economics, University of Pretori
The implications of ChatGPT for assessment in higher education
No full textMP4 Video, Size: 1.6GB; Duration: 1:14:14ChatGPT is a new language-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by OpenAI, that can understand and communicate in human language. ChatGPT has gained a lot of attention since its release in November 2022 and is already being integrated into various industries. Many in the field of higher education are curious to know how ChatGPT could be used to create authentic assessments to measure students’ knowledge and skills. On the other hand, students could also use ChatGPT to write assignments etc., making it difficult for educators to detect cheating.
In response, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted the 11th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable Discussion titled “The Implications of ChatGPT for Assessment in Higher Education”. The panellists included: Dr Franci Cronjé (Research Associate, The IIE Vega School), Dr Roze Phillips (Founder and CEO, Abundance at Work) and Prof Johannes Cronjé (Professor, Digital Teaching and Learning, Cape Peninsula University of Technology). The overall sentiment is that ChatGPT is a useful tool that should be used with some element of caution. We must consider the ethics, the learning process for the student and move our thinking about assessment from assessing the product, to assessing the process, amongst other things. There were close to 1400 participants in attendance.
The ASSAf Presidential Roundtables on Science, Scholarship and Society, which are hosted by ASSAf and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen, are an evidence-based dialogue that brings together experts and stakeholders to address critical issues affecting society at large and are of interest to a broad audience.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
The threat of academic xenophobia to the future of South African universities
No full textMP4 video, Size: 1.69GB; Duration: 1:36Webinar presented on 24 November 2022 as part of the 9th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable series. The 9th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable Discussion topic is “The Threat of Academic Xenophobia to the Future of South African Universities”. The more visible signs of xenophobia happen on the streets of South Africa and are sometimes violent and disruptive. But universities as institutions have not been immune to what we call academic xenophobia. The dialogue brought together experts to discuss the latest data on African scholars and scientists in South African universities, their experiences on campuses throughout the country, and what can be done to develop a progressive employment regime that is built on the academic values of the modern university. The Panellists included Prof Evance Kalula (Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Cape Town), Ms Nicole Fritz (Director, Helen Suzman Foundation), Dr Precious Simba (Lecturer, Department of Education Policy Studies, Stellenbosch University) and Prof Sakhela Buhlungu (Vice Chancellor, University of Fort Hare). The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) runs these series of ASSAf Presidential Roundtables on Science, Scholarship and Society bi-annually and are hosted and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen. The roundtables are an evidence-based dialogue that brings together experts and stakeholders to address critical issues affecting society at large and are of interest to a broad audience
ASSAf Humanities Book Awards Ceremony 2023
No full textMP4 video, Size: 5.50 GB; Duration: 1:24:33The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is happy to announce its winners for the Humanities Book Prize Awards for 2023. These awards are made every year to honour the importance and contribution of scholarly texts to humanist knowledge production and intellectual endeavour in South Africa.
Professor Lesley Green is awarded the 2023 ASSAf Humanities Book Award (category ‘Established Researcher’) for her book Rock|Water|Life: Ecology and Humanities for a Decolonial South Africa.
Joint winners of the ASSAf Humanities Book Award in the category of ‘Emerging Researcher’ in 2023 are Dr B Camminga and Dr Dariusz Dziewanski for their books Transgender refugees and the imagined South Africa: Bodies over borders and borders over bodies, and Gang Entry and Exit in Cape Town: Getting Beyond the Streets in Africa’s Deadliest City.
ASSAf awards these prizes bi-annually for scholarly publications that make outstanding and exemplary contributions to scholarship in the Humanities, Social Sciences or the Performing Arts.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
Roy Assaf Trio, jazz (Estados Unidos)
No full textPara Roy Assaf Trio, el repertorio a interpretar en cada concierto es solo una guía, un bosquejo sobre el que empiezan a crear improvisaciones libres, que evolucionan en canciones en el momento en el que se enfrentan a su audiencia. Nunca planean completamente sus presentaciones; éstas siempre son diferentes y novedosas. Tampoco se imponen limitaciones, pueden navegar cerca o lejos de la forma y en ocasiones utilizar solo parte de una composición, lo que posibilita la transformación de cada pieza en un estilo diferente. Los tres músicos presentan su nuevo ‘estilo’ colectivamente. A pesar de llamarse ‘Roy Assaf Trio’, Roy, Raviv y Ronen lideran el grupo conjuntamente e introducen una perspectiva que nunca antes se había visto en un trío de piano. Todo esto y más se crea de manera orgánica en cada concierto en vivo. Mediante una muestra de su proceso, le explican su concepto al público e invitan a los oyentes a hacer un viaje que nunca olvidarán
ASSAf Copyright Amendment Bill Workshop, 29 June 2021
No full textMP4 video; Size: 1.16GB; Duration: 2:02Please cite as: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2021). ASSAf Copyright Amendment Bill Workshop, 29 June 2021. [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/196The genesis of the Copyright Amendment Bill was in 2009, when the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) initiated various studies and impact assessments. In July 2015, the DTI published a Draft Copyright Amendment Bill for public comment. The final 2017 version of the Bill was approved by Parliament in 2019 and it was sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa for action in terms of Section 79(1) of the Constitution. Section 79(1) states that “The President must either assent to and sign a Bill passed in terms of this Chapter or, if the President has reservations about the constitutionality of the Bill, refer it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration”. The President referred the Bill back to Parliament for review on 16 June 2020, on constitutionality issues. In response to the President’s reservations, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry has invited stakeholders and other interested parties to submit written submissions on certain sections of the Bill by no later than 9 July 2021.
The current copyright law is outdated and does not address the digital environment. The Academy of Science of South Africa seeks to take into account the status of the copyright legislation and the anticipated effects of the amendment Bill on different issues and thereafter, provide recommendations to the President. This webinar workshop was hosted on 29 June 2021. Access the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/embed/LBhJfAKPTN0.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
ASSAf Humanities Book Award Lecture by Prof Lesley Green
No full textMP4 video, Size: 2.05 GB; Duration: 1:46:22The series of lectures serve as a continuation of the award ceremony, providing the award winners with a platform to present their journeys and motivations behind their books, discuss the societal impact of their work, and share the personal influence it has had on their lives. This lecture is aimed at enhancing the recognition of the exceptional scholarly contributions made by Prof Lesley Green who was awarded the 2023 Humanities Book Award prize in the Establisher Researcher Category. The award ceremony took place on the 29th of August 2023.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
ASSAf’s Institutional and Public Engagement Roadshows (Connecting Science to Society): ASSAf and SAYAS Visit to the University of Limpopo
No full text5 pagesThe Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the official national science Academy mandated to promote and inspire outstanding achievements in all fields of scientific enquiry and to grant recognition of excellence. ASSAf is a Membership based entity currently comprising 658 Members who represent the collective voice of the most active scholars in all fields of scholarly enquiry. ASSAf hosts the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), which represents early career and emerging scientists and researchers. ASSAf and SAYAS Membership are utilised as a collective resource to provide evidence-based solutions to national problems.
ASSAf in partnership with SAYAS initiated the 2023 roadshows to engage institutions of higher learning and other science, technology and innovation (STI) institutions nationwide. The aims of the roadshows are: to increase the visibility of ASSAf and SAYAS; and their standing as well as activities in promoting the value of science in society. The first ASSAf roadshow was held at the University of Limpopo (UL) on 15 to 17 March 2023. The roadshow began with an information session with students and staff members at the university, followed by science engagement sessions at the UL Science Centre with staff, teachers and learners from Klass Mothapo Secondary School, Mankweng District in Limpopo. The roadshow brought increased awareness about ASSAf and SAYAS and provided both Academies with opportunities to increase their membership from UL; and to partner with UL, local high schools and the community on various activities.Department of Science and Innovation (DSI
Twelve Years Later: Second ASSAf Report on Research Publishing In and From South Africa
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2019). Twelve Years Later: Second ASSAf Report on Research Publishing In and From South Africa (2018). [Online] Available at: DOI:10.17159/assaf.2018/0030The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) released its second major Consensus Report on a commissioned study of Research Publishing in South Africa in 2006, with detailed data analysis and a 360-degree view of the topic, including the impact of new technologies on the dissemination of research results and the world-wide open access movement. A second Consensus Report on scholarly books followed in 2009. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) endorsed the two reports and requested the Academy itself to oversee the implementation of the recommendations, and has funded the Academy’s Scholarly Publishing Programme (SPP) ever since. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has supported the projects of the SPP in various relevant areas. Much has been achieved even though much remains to be done. In 2016, the Academy commissioned Professor Johann Mouton and his colleagues of the Centre for Research on Evaluation of Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University to do a thorough, largely bibliometric study of scholarly publishing in and from South Africa (SA) in the period 2005 – 2014, with all forms of peer-reviewed scholarly publications included, whether in journals, books or conference proceedings. The group has become extremely well versed in the appropriate methodologies, using reliably indexed databases and cooperating with partners who have developed special techniques for sharpening the focus of
standard parameters such as citation counts and rates over time, demographic shifts in authorships and indicators of collaboration. The study was completed in 2017, and submitted to the Academy. Amongst a large number of interesting and relevant findings were disturbing indications of predatory publishing and questionable editorial practices. As the period studied by the CREST team coincided almost exactly with the period that has elapsed since the data-gathering for ASSAf’s above-mentioned first report, the Academy has decided to publish a second report on scholarly publishing in SA, to include concise but essential summaries of the two earlier ASSAf reports (Chapters 1 and 2); a review of the work of the SPP in the research publishing system over the past 12 years (Chapter 3); an analysis of the problems of access on the part of South African researchers to the problematic international
commercial research literature (Chapter 4); the concise version of the new CREST report (Chapter 5); a consideration of the threat posed by predatory publishing and questionable editorial and authorship practices (Chapter 6); a discussion of the main issues and unresolved problems still remaining in the system despite its
generally good progress (Chapter 7); and a set of headline recommendations for the future (Chapter 8). The Academy believes that the formation of public policy should involve a
longitudinal understanding of how systems behave over time periods that are sufficiently long to reveal both the trends and the underlying causes. We see no reason in this new analysis to depart from our original conclusion, that the highest possible quality of scholarly publishing within a country is important, but that only open access publishing of local journals will ensure the wide dissemination of their
important content, with all the benefits that that will bring. This standpoint is not at variance with the other conclusion that South African researchers should also actively contribute to the international literature and participate as fully as possible
in the world’s knowledge system.Department of Science and Technology (DST)
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET
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