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Using digital technology in transforming assessment in higher education institutions beyond COVID-19
(Creative education, 2022) Haipinge, Erkkie; Kadhila, Ngepathimo; Josua, Lukas Matati
Purpose: This paper explores the dominant practices by integrating the use of technology to enhance assessment practices to better respond to the learning needs of the 21st century and the imperatives of the 4th industrial revolution. Objectives: 1) To explore how digital assessment could support diagnostic assessment in post-COVID-19 assessment practices. 2) To develop a digital assessment tool that supports the uptake and appropriate use of diverse digital assessment techniques. 3) To strengthen lecturers’ awareness of Constructive Alignment and implement it in digital-assisted assessment to promote the integration of graduate attributes in students. Method: The paper adopted the three elements of criticality, reflexivity, and praxis to address the use of digital technology to transform assessment of and for student learning within an institutional context. Criticality was used to provide a constructive reflection aimed at transforming the context; reflexivity enabled introspection and self-awareness regarding assessment as a pedagogical component that enhances student learning, and praxis helped to relate theories, concepts, and ideas to practice. The three elements informed the development of the model for enhancing and transforming digital enhancement assessment at the University of Namibia. Findings: The main findings revealed that higher education institutions could benefit from the forced COVID-19 migration to digitally-enabled assessment. The paper also revealed that for the digitally enabled assessment to be enhanced it requires collaboration between various institutional stakeholders. Conclusion: The paper concluded that there are opportunities for further collaboration among different institutional departments such as the faculties, quality assurance, innovation in learning and teaching, and research units, towards investigating, improving, and implementing new ways of assessing that are forward-looking and more supportive of student learning beyond their university careers
Reconceptualising teaching for quality learning at University of Namibia
(African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning, 2017) Kadhila, Ngepathimo; Nyathi S.F.; Shanyanana R.N.; Iipumbu N.
Teaching approaches in contemporary universities around the world need to be underpinned by
new theories of how students learn, and the role of academic developers in shaping and
influencing institutional culture in this regard cannot be overemphasised. This study investigated
the methods used by lecturers at University of Namibia (UNAM) in their teaching and what
informs the choice of these methods. The study also gauged lecturers’ views on their
involvement in academic development activities. This study employed a phenomenological
research design; and a mixed-method approach was used whereby qualitative and quantitative
approaches were combined. Structured interviews were conducted with at least 49 lecturers at
various levels across 12 UNAM campuses. Participants were purposefully approached to be
interviewed because we knew they have experience of the phenomenon explored. The study
revealed that lecturers were more comfortable with using traditional lecturer-centred approaches
in their teaching. They expressed the need to be equipped with skills that would enhance their
ability to facilitate, manage and assess student learning using approaches that have been proven
to be effective. Furthermore, they acknowledged the academic development interventions
provided by the Centre for Professional Development Teaching and Learning Improvement
(CPDTL) in the form of short courses and the recently implemented Postgraduate Diploma in
Higher Education for Academics. Only a handful of participants did not support the idea of
offering a full academic programme through short courses. The study recommended that CPDTL
should capitalise on the willingness of most of academics to engage in academic development
activities to intensify its operations and make such activities compulsory in order to promote
their effectiveness and fast track their impact
An investigation of the relationship between effective employee engagement and performance of Zambezi Regional Council
(University of Namibia, 2018) Maloboka, Riscoh Muswabile
Human resources are one of the most critical success factors of any organization or
institution. Having employees feeling that they are part of the organization’s big
family can motivate them to perform their duties exceptionally well and in the long
run make an organization more competitive. The performance of an employee is
linked to the performance of the organization in the sense that if employees do not
perform their duties diligently, the performance of the organization will also suffer,
and consequently the organization will perform poorly. This study investigated the
relationship between effective employee engagement and the performance of
Zambezi Regional Council. The study used a random sampling technic to select the
sample. A structured questionnaire was used in gathering data. A response rate of
92.5% was recorded. The data collected was recorded, coded and presented in
Microsoft Excel. The collected data was presented by way of various graphs such as
pie charts, bar graphs and line graphs. The main research finding was that most
employees are not engaged fully in their work due to various reasons contained in
this document and thereby impacting the organizational ultimate performance
Risks profile of natural hazards and selected diseases in Namibia
(The Risk Profiling Project, 2024) Hipondoka, Martin; Hamunyela, Eliakim
The occurrence and effects of natural disasters and
infectious diseases in Namibia are diverse and vary
in different areas, indicating the varying levels
of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability within
the Namibian society. The diverse and pervasive
occurrence of these disasters are costly to the
country when dealt with in a non-holistic manner.
Consequently, Namibia promulgated a disaster risk
management law, the Disaster Risk Management
Act 10 of 2012, to provide a legal framework for
managing disaster risks in the country. This legal
instrument provided the necessary framework for
facilitating the nation’s transition from disaster
management to risk management and focus on
resilience-building, which aligns with the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
However, a comprehensive understanding of
disaster risk for various hazards in the country was
lacking.
The Government of the Republic of Namibia, through
the Office of the Prime Minister, commissioned
this study to profile the disaster risks of pertinent
natural hazards and selected diseases countrywide
at the level of Population Enumeration Area, the
lowest possible spatial scale in the country. The
study profiled the vulnerability and risk of nine
natural hazards (drought, flood, heatwave, wildfire,
sea level rise, frost, earthquakes, windstorms and
lightning) and five diseases (malaria, HIV/AIDS,
COVID-19, foot and mouth disease and diarrhoea).
As the profile shows, there is not a single place in
Namibia which is risk-free from all 14 hazards
analysed in this profile. There are, however, areas that are free from some risks such as malaria,
wildfire, foot and mouth disease, and sea level
rise. At the same time, there is not a single place
in Namibia which is at high risk of all 14 hazards.
The profiled risks are spatially differentiated.
Nevertheless, there are areas with high or very high risk levels for multiple disaster risks. In the Zambezi
Region, for example, there are areas compounded
with a high or very high risk of floods, malaria,
diarrhoea, and foot and mouth disease. The south eastern part of the //Kharas Region is concurrently
under high or very high risk of heatwaves, frost and
earthquakes. This speaks to the need for resilience building efforts to be risk-holistic and area-specific,
to reduce vulnerability and disaster risk of the
communities and infrastructure. Thus, this profile
has established the baseline information necessary
for Namibia to move from managing natural
disasters and leverage the mechanism for disaster
risk reduction in accordance with the Sendai
Framework. However, there is a need to integrate
disaster risk maps in the planning processes at
all levels of government and across all sectors to
reduce the impacts of natural hazards on society.
For this integration to be effective, it is imperative
to develop an integrated and spatially-enabled data
management system for storing data on hazards,
risks, vulnerabilities, impacts and interventions
to support resilience-building efforts. This data
management system should be accompanied by
mandatory and standardised annual reporting of all
hazards and their impacts to ensure that resilience-building efforts are evidence-based
Barriers to the provision of smoking cessation intervention/services: A mixed-methods study among health care workers in Zambezi region, Namibia
(Journal of Public Health in Africa 2023, 2023) Mahoto, Silvia K.; Mitonga, Kabwebwe H.; Oladimeji, O.
Over the past few years, several surveys have been conducted
regarding smoking in Namibia;
9,10,15–19 however, there has been
lack of information on the barriers towards the provision of SC
intervention in Zambezi region, therefore increasing the challenges
associated with developing prevention interventions. Knowledge
of the barriers towards the provision of SC intervention would be
essential in the design and implementation of SC strategies.
Therefore, the aim of the current study was to contribute to knowl edge gaps on the identification of barriers which prevent HCWs
from delivering SC therapy and treatment to patients in Zambezi
region, Namibia. To our knowledge, this is the only study explor ing the barriers that prevent HCWs in Zambezi region from engag ing in SC with patients.
The study outcomes presented an understanding of the regular
perceived barriers that prevent HCWs in Zambezi from delivering
SC intervention to their patients who smoke. The main outcomes
of this study were divided into three separate categories namely;
structural, healthcare workers and patient-based barriers.
Prevalence and risk factors of smoking among healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers in Zambezi region, Namibia: A cross-sectional study
(Southern African Journal of Public Health, 2021) Mahoto, Silvia K.; Mitonga, Kabwebwe H.; Oladimeji, O.
Background. Smoking is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and remains a significant public health challenge in many low- and middle-income countries, including Namibia.
Objective. To estimate the prevalence of smoking and its associated risk factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs in Zambezi region, Namibia.
Methods. An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and October 2020 among residents of the eight constituencies of Zambezi region. A total of 461 respondents who had been residents of the selected constituencies for over 5 years and were aged between 17 and 60 years were selected for the study. The main outcome measure was current cigarette smoking status. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents. We stratified data analysis according to whether individuals were health workers or non-health workers. A bivariate Pearson χ2 test was used to determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and smoking status. Statistically significant variables in the bivariate analysis were used as predictors in the univariate and multivariate models.
Results. The response rate of potential participants was 95% (n=434). The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 32.5 (11.34) years. Significant relationships were observed between smoking status and area of residency (constituency), gender, age category, level of education, age of onset of smoking and daily smoking frequency. The majority of smokers (n=108) were non-HCWs, with males the majority (n=62). Age (p=0.001), education levels (p=0.001) and area of residency (p=0.022) were highly associated with smoking among non-HCWs, while marital status was associated with smoking among HCWs (p=0.013). In the final multivariate model, the odds of smoking among female non-HCWs were significantly lower (odds ration (OR) 0.386; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.228 - 0.655). Furthermore, the odds of smoking among this same group were lower among those who had secondary-level education (OR 0.178; 95% CI 0.0659 - 0.483), post-secondary (OR 0.117; 95% CI 0.0412 - 0.330) and first-stage tertiary (OR 0.306; 95% CI 0.106 - 0.881) compared with those who had primary school education.
Conclusion. The smoking prevalence among non-HCWs and HCWs working in Zambezi included in the study was similar to that of the general Namibian population, but higher than that in neighbouring countries within the Southern African Development Community. The results showed a need for the establishment of specific smoking-related strategies that target HCWs to address smoking use parallel to the running strategies of non-HCWs, which would ultimately decrease smoking prevalence and improve health.
An analysis of relationship between research, innovation, and teaching in higher education in readiness for the 4IR
(University of Namibia, 2023-11-26) Mbangula, Daniel K.
The presentation is about the relationship between research, innovation, and teaching in higher education in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Evaluation of the Moringa oleifera leaf meal effects on milk yield, milk quality and the helminthic load of saanen dairy goats in rangeland conditions at Neudamm farm
(University of Namibia, 2024) Shea, Immanuel Mayday Kauluma
Capra aegarus hircus (Goats) are popular small ruminants kept mainly for meat and milk. Over time, goat milk became popular and a substitute for cow milk. Researchers have focused their studies on alternative and cheaper methods of increasing milk yield, milk quality and improved animal health. This study aimed to assess the effects of Moringa oleifera inclusion in the diet of Saanen dairy goats on their milk yield and quality as well as the reduction of gastrointestinal parasite egg load. The study used a 3x3 Crossover Latin square Design to determine the effects of 0g, 10g and 30g/day Moringa oleifera leaf meal on the milk yield and quality whilst a completely randomised design was used to determine the effects on the parasite egg load. The evaluation of milk yield was done by hand milking the goats daily, whereas milk quality was conducted using a Lactoscan SP. The parasite egg load was assessed using the quantitative faecal flotation method complemented by the McMaster Egg Counting Technique. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS®) version 27 (IBM, 2020) software was used for data analysis. Milk yield and quality data were analysed using the General linear model and the parasitic egg counts were analysed using the generalised linear model (Poisson regression model). The comparison of means was done using Duncan’s new multiple range test at P<0.05 significance. The goat milk yields significantly differed at P<0.05 in the first period at 3.178 kg/day (30 days) and the yield reduced in the second at 2.848kg/day and 2.831kg/day for the third period (30 to 90 days of the trial). The moringa supplement had no significant effect on the goat milk yield. The treatment did not affect the milk fat, non-fat solids, density, protein, lactose, added water, temperature, freezing point, salts, total solids or pH of the goat milk. The gastrointestinal parasite egg load assessment found the presence of three genera; Strongyloides, Moniezia and Coccidia. The study treatment levels of 10g and 30g of moringa leaf meal/day were effective in the reduction of the egg loads. In conclusion, the study findings showed no positive response in the milk yield and milk quality for the treatment levels of 10g and 30g/day, however, a positive response of parasites to moringa leaf meal was observed due to the reduction of parasitic egg load with 10g and 30g/day treatments. The results from this study show that moringa leaf meal could be used in Saanen dairy goats in the reduction of gastrointestinal helminths. This study would recommend the use of 10g/day moringa leaf meal supplementation for dairy goats for ecological management of gastrointestinal tract parasites.
Children's world survey Khomas region - 2018
(University of Namibia, 2021) Ruiz-Casares, Mónica; Gentz, Shelene
Children’s worlds national report: Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2019-11) Ruiz-Casares, Mónica; Gentz, Shelene
This document is the national report for Namibia from the children's worlds project, providing an overview of the survey results conducted in the Khomas region of Namibia in July 2018.