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Teaching and learning profile
Following the accreditation visit of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) in 2017, the Department had been updating the Mining Engineering curriculum. The process of consultation, planning, restructuring of modules and inclusion of new modules has been concluded, and the regulations were approved at the end of 2019. The new curriculum is being phased in from 2020.
The most significant changes to the curriculum are the inclusion of a first-year module to introduce the mining environment and industry to new students, with the inclusion of a module addressing technology in the second year. Technical modules in the third and final year of study have also been revamped and reorganised to be better aligned with the natural progression of the newly acquired knowledge and understanding. The full curriculum now culminates in the capstone module Mine Design, In his contribution to this annual review, Prof Con Fauconnier, Honorary Professor in the Department and Honorary President of MASUP, observes that “mining is not an island unto itself”. He states that the curriculum for mining engineers should include exposure to aspects such as leadership (including the very important aspect of ethics in business), the social context of business (and its social license to operate), rectifying the imbalances in society created by past policies without creating new problems, international economic systems, and exposing the effectiveness of the various systems that strive to create a more equal, yet productive society. Because of such industry-wide realisations, the Department went through an extensive curriculum redesign exercise over the last two years in which the future of mining, specifically what the mining engineering profession will look like in future, was contemplated. According to Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Head of Department, “I am glad to say that the goals mentioned by Prof Fauconnier are among those being addressed in the new mine design curriculum.” Although not many new mines are commissioned in South Africa, an increase in the productivity of existing mines is becoming increasingly important. By adopting new technology interventions and mining methods, as well as focusing on the health and safety of our workforce, mine management is realising that it is no longer a question of whether one should embrace technology, but when one should do so. Another non-negotiable in the quest for an increasingly productive environment, of course, is an awareness of our social responsibility, in accordance with the goals espoused by Prof Fauconnier. where students are tested on the full design of the mining operation – from in-situ commodity to mine closure, including social responsibility and engineering management.
With a degree in Mining Engineering obtained from the University of Pretoria, a graduate will, in future, be able to apply for professional registration with ECSA, which will allow the
REDESIGNING THE MINING CURRICULUM
professional to work as an engineer in the international market.
The curriculum redesign contemplates what the mining engineering profession will look
like in future.
In accordance with this, the Department’s curriculum redesign exercise took the non-negotiable aspects related to the future of mining into account. The most important of these are improved employee safety, increased productivity, lower energy consumption, and reduced environmental impact. None of these would be possible without the adoption of suitable and applicable disruptive 4IR technologies.
What is also evident is that mining schools across the world are looking at different ways of attracting students. What the mining engineer of the future should look like is still a very important topic being debated worldwide. Prof Webber-Youngman believes that in this lies an opportunity to explore different ways of making mining more attractive as a career through collaboration efforts with other engineering disciplines. This is necessary to create a mining engineer who is equipped with new skills. This resonates with the departmental slogan: “Educating and leading mining engineers to become imagineers”.
RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC
The online learning experience: feedback from students
Students in the Department of Mining Engineering were exposed to a structured e-learning environment from their remote locations throughout the country. This was facilitated by online classes, tutorials and assignments, which included the first-semester tests. The lecturers held virtual meetings with feedback through various communication platforms. Lecturers and tutors assisted students immensely since the new approach to online teaching and learning is not a familiar one for most students.
The main challenge identified thus far is the fact that self-discipline forms a very important part of the approach to this new learning environment. Classes are still being scheduled for the specific day and time period and students are expected students to sit in on these online virtual classes, which indicated an attendance of more than 80% by Mining Engineering students up to now. In essence, this is a very good number. As part of our own drive, students are expected to make an apology for not attending, for whatever reason. This ensures that we know what the real reasons for absences are. Students are now required to read and understand the work for application-based assessments, which presented a different environment to traditional contact classes. With the nationwide lockdown brought about by the rapid spread of COVID-19, the country basically shut down in March 2020. This was the first sign that the country, as well as the University of Pretoria and its students, would be experiencing disruption on a hitherto unimagined scale. Literally overnight, lecturers were expected to change their method of transferring knowledge to an online system. The Faculty decided that it would go all-out for online teaching and assessment. Several challenges had to be overcome, such as data availability for students, access to laptops, as well as the narrated recording of lectures. According to Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Head of Department, staff did an exceptional job of accommodating this new approach.
Lecturers in the Department accepted the challenge and all assessments for the mining modules were successfully concluded in June and July 2020. In this way, lecturers and full-time postgraduate assistant lecturers showed their commitment and resilience in dealing with the challenges: truly embracing disruption as an opportunity to introduce new ways of teaching and learning at the University by following a new, innovative approach that will form part of a new approach to teaching and learning to be explored even further in the future.
While the terms hybrid and blended learning are sometimes used interchangeably in the literature, the University of Pretoria makes a distinction between the two approaches. The blended approach to teaching and learning is a combination of traditional contact teaching, enhanced by the use of online learning both inside and outside the classroom. The blended approach uses technology to enhance traditional methods of teaching and learning without reducing the number of contact hours. The hybrid approach to teaching and learning, on the other hand, is characterised by different combinations of contact and online delivery. A lecturer will decide to replace some contact time with online teaching time. The modules are therefore redesigned from an instructional design perspective to ensure integration and coherence, and to achieve the aims of the hybrid model. In the context of the pandemic, it was all-out online learning with no physical student contact whatsoever.
“Adapting to the “new normal” has been challenging, particularly as it pertains to working effectively from home, adjusting to activity management, and being self-disciplined.” “We hope we can pass, from home.” “A total transformative experience. We thought we knew how technology works, but this has been at an entirely new level.”
STUDENT WELLBEING
The Department operates from a value-driven framework based on respect, care, honesty, integrity and trust. In accordance with its value-driven framework, the Department focuses on the wellbeing of its students. The aim is to ensure that it can lend support in order to avert any anxiety that students may experience during their studies. Confidentiality is guaranteed and all cases are handled on merit.
In the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the nationwide lockdown and related COVID-19 prevention regulations, several challenges had to be overcome. These included the availability of data for students, access to laptops and the narrated recording of lectures. In addition, it was found that a real level of uncertainty and anxiety was prevalent among the students as it pertained to the resources available to support their online needs. In this regard, both the Faculty and the University as a whole were instrumental in their efforts to make free data available, supply laptops to students on a loan basis, accommodate students in University residences and issue travel permits. Without these support initiatives, an effective roll-out of the online approach to teaching, learning and assessments would not have been possible. According to Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Head of Department, staff did an exceptional job of accommodating this new approach.
Under normal circumstances, students are also assisted in various ways, including the provision of prescription glasses, daily meals, accommodation and registration fees. The financial support of industry is highly appreciated and the funds are put to good use. MASUP provides support to students in the form of an annual donation. The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) supports students in their early years of tertiary education on a year-byyear basis through its SAIMM Scholarship Trust Fund, although funding in this regard is continuously under pressure due to companies having to deal with their own financial challenges.
Messages of appreciation from students
“I want to express my gratitude for the financial help I received from the Department this year. I would never have managed to finish my degree without it. I also want to thank the Department for the support that has always been available throughout the years. I am eternally grateful and if the opportunity ever presents itself, I will pass on the kindness the Department has shown me.”
We are in this together.
During the period under review, the activities of the Department’s M&R Mining Engineering Leadership Academy (M&R MELA) was further enhanced through the establishment of the M&R Chair in Industry Leadership 4.0.
Traditionally, all final-year Mining Engineering students attend the M&R MELA programme at the beginning of each year from February to July, when it flows into the Mine Design Leadership Week. With its incorporation into the M&R Chair in Industry Leadership 4.0, it also involves postgraduate student researchers as part of capacity building. However, with the disruptions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the activities of the M&R MELA for 2020 could no longer take place. This pandemic provided a clear indication of the impact of disruptions and the effect they had on the quality of leadership worldwide. When one considers that we are in the middle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), disruptions are part of the everyday working environment of leaders worldwide. The intervention of a leadership academy such as the Department’s M&R MELA is therefore a critical part of exposing final-year mining students to the challenges associated with disruptions. The M&R MELA programme will continue in the second semester, where students will work in teams of three for the Mine Design course. However, the Leadership Week activities will take place online via clickUP. The subsequent assignment With the rapid and practically exponential advancement of technology in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, the need to address leadership development on a wider scale in engineering, the construction industry and at university level is at a critical juncture. The quality and understanding of the importance of leadership in the implementation of new technology to enable companies to be more competitive and sustainable in terms of their growth strategies have already been identified as a key aspect for consideration in future. In the opinion of Prof Ronny WebberYoungman, Head of Department, “the quality of leadership in future will be a game-changer in distinguishing good companies
from great companies”. presentations emanating from the Leadership Week will take place on campus early in August 2020, since these assignments feed into specific aspects of mine design, such as community and human settlements, mine closure and post-mine activities, and women in mining. The team-building event will also take place during the second semester.
With the disruptions also came the opportunity for Dr Johann Uys and Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman to complete the manuscript for a popular book on the 4.0D TM Leadership Model for Industry.
Other unexpected and unplanned activities under the auspices of the M&R MELA that occurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic included a two-hour Zoom masterclass, presented by Dr Uys and co-facilitated by John Philp, the CEO of the Dubai-based company Talent Expertise International. The theme of this event was “Leading in crisis”. It was attended by 148 CEOs and leaders in the oil and gas industries from Australia, the European Union, the Middle East, West Africa and the USA. Dr Uys spoke about three important aspects of the 4.0D TM Leadership Model that leaders in organisations should consider when disruption threatens an organisation’s survival, business goals and direction.
IMPROVING THE ENGLISH LITERACY OF MINING STUDENTS
The Department is committed to providing education in a manner that addresses the real obstacles facing South African students in an ever-globalising world. A key factor to address this is the Department’s English Literacy programme.
The vast majority of the Department’s student cohort PowerPoint presentations that were designed to explain key
(89%) are not English first language speakers, and the fact that English is the language in which they have to study can become a hurdle to adequately understanding and communicating their understanding of complex concepts. Comprehension has been identified as a key element that needs to be addressed, and the English support programmes that are being put in place addresses this expect from the Department and its support staff.
need. The Department’s dedicated English support staff give presentations, testing, writing workshops and private consultations that are aimed at providing students with individualised solutions for their language skills improvement.
In 2020, the Department once again appointed four English tutors (one for each academic year group) to work alongside the Mining Engineering lecturers to aid students in becoming effective communicators in the engineering field. The intervention focuses on providing one-on-one consultations the implementation of the lockdown in March, this approach had to be adjusted.
To continue to aid students in improving their overall English skills, the English tutors had to turn to various other teaching methods. One was to rely on online adaptive learning platforms that students could access at their own time with the tutor acting as moderator and providing additional support. Students were also provided with narrated concepts to help them to write clear assignments.
Finally, students continued to receive individualised feedback through asynchronous online consultations as the tutors provide feedback on their written work in a manner that is tailored to address each student’s understanding of the English language rules and writing conventions.
While online learning remains a challenge, it is one that staff members embrace in the belief that this global disruption to higher education should not be allowed to compromise the quality of education that Mining Engineering students can geared at improving students’ written work. However, with
This pandemic has served as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of our global economy and has reminded all of us of the very international context within which our students will work as engineering professionals one day.
Once again, we are reminded of the need for developing good communication skills in the international lingua franca – English. The English team, therefore, remains committed to aiding the Department’s students’ English language skills development in an online environment.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
All Mining Engineering modules are designed in a format where the one-dimensional script is enhanced through the inclusion of high-quality pictures and illustrations that make it possible for students to comprehend the theory without needing to go underground (which even then they would find the content difficult to grasp). Animations are used to show difficult concepts in mining, making them more understandable for the inexperienced mining student, and video material is used to make images come alive.
A databank of mining industry videos has been collected as part-time viewing material for students to enhance their understanding of difficult mining concepts and procedures, including reconstructions of typical mine incidents with 3D animations, incident reconstruction simulations and geology features. These videos have already been introduced in some modules and will further enhance students’ understanding. The videos can also be used to introduce students to basic mining concepts.
A total of 80% of the Department’s modules have been instructionally designed following the ADDIE approach, which incorporates Analysis (what are the outcomes, and where can the content be enriched with media elements for better understanding), Design of the content (applying for copyright when reference is made to journal articles, Development (building the design in an electronic format, creating the links to the media and journal files, and testing all the links), Implementation (students’ use of the material and feedback) and Evaluation (what worked, what did not work, and where is improvement necessary for the next offering).
INTERACTIVE IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY
Building on the success of the Virtual Reality Centre in presenting real-world scenarios for immersive experiences by means of virtual reality (VR), the Department recognised the potential of expanding this facility to offer innovative teaching and learning experiences.
One of the initiatives that the Department has launched utilising the facilities of the Virtual Reality Centre is the blast wall, which provides training in a “practical” environment through the use of VR. This exercise involves projecting the blast wall onto a screen, after which learners will mark grade lines, direction lines and grid lines onto a virtual wall. They will then use VR and augmented reality to design the blast, mark the blast holes and timing sequences, and actually execute the blast. This has the advantage over teaching in a traditional classroom environment, as the learners are able to visualise and fully comprehend the concepts being taught, while gaining practical experience in a userfriendly, safe and erasable environment, where mistakes can be made without any consequences.
The Multimedia programme in the Department of Information Science is also collaborating with the Department of Mining Engineering in research related to virtual reality and user interaction. The Department’s interactive immersive technology drive
The first group of students trained by Detnet on the IntelliShot TM control equipment.
strives to be an innovative resource for bringing real-world scenarios to students to enhance their exposure to their chosen industry, and allowing technical and other practitioners to simulate plans and designs in a risk-free environment, with minimal time and resource allocation. By introducing this level of innovation into the educational space, the Department can offer unique learning opportunities.
During the period under review, the Department acquired IntelliShot TM control equipment through a donation from the Minerals Education Trust Fund (METF) . This equipment will be used for the initiation of dummy electronic detonators to illustrate single hole sequential firing by the third-year students in the Rock Breaking module.
INDUSTRY VISITS
Each year, the Department arranges for its third-year class to visit mining operations in industry. During these visits, students are exposed to real-life mining activities before completing their studies. This year, the students were led by Dr Bertie Meyer.
TUKS MINING SUBHOUSE (TMS)
Tuks Mining Subhouse is a student organisation aimed at benefiting Mining Engineering students. This house is currently under the leadership of Pontsho Shilote (Chairperson and Student Wellbeing), Xolani Sibeko (Vice-Chairperson and Industry Exposure), Rapelang Khutsoane (Treasurer), John Phetla (Community Outreach and Transformation), Scelo Nkosi (Social and Marketing) and Nkele Kadi (First-year Representative). The main objective of the TMS Committee for 2020 was to encourage engagement among students, the Department and the industry at large. The Committee explains that mining is one of the careers where your life can depend on your relationship with the people you work with, as well as on your communication. It therefore provides a platform to develop these inter-personal skills.
In the first quarter of 2020, TMS was able to host the first-year welcome dinner to break the ice between the new students and build a foundation for long-lasting relationships that will be beneficial to them, both in their time at UP and in their future workplaces. Thereafter, student events were canceled due to COVID-19 regulations.
As part of TMS’s response to the challenges of virtual learning, the Student Wellbeing and Transformation portfolios were able to recruit third- and fourth-year students to join the mentorship programme, where they were matched with a first-year student. This was done to ensure continuous support to first-year students through the sharing of study material, advice and academic assistance where possible.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Department of Mining Engineering final-year class and staff, 2019.
The following students received recognition for their exceptional academic results and their commitment to their studies.
Lulama Mthembu was placed third at the SAIMM Student Colloquium in October 2019. This event is intended to give the best students in the fields of mining and metallurgy an opportunity to present their final-year projects. Here, industry experts have the opportunity to meet top young professionals who are about to embark on their careers in industry. Lulama is currently a mining intern at Exxaro Resources.
