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Patient Rambe

University of the Free State, Computer Science and Informatics, Post-Doc

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Papers by Patient Rambe

Towards a mobile flipped classroom: Using mobile instant messaging to enhance distributed learning of academically challenged students

Headache, 2015

While mobile devices have been touted by technology optimists as silver bullets for tackling the ... more While mobile devices have been touted by technology optimists as silver bullets for tackling the challenges of asymmetrical access to learning resources and ‘fixing’ inflexible traditional educator-dominated pedagogies, the irony is that educators’ expectations for emerging technologies to mediate untransformed pedagogical practices have impeded the optimal utilisation of mobile applications like mobile instant messaging. Since profound shifts in pedagogical designs are necessary for the adoption of mobile instant messaging to ensure distributed collaborative learning by students, this study adopted a flipped mobile classroom to re-engineer pedagogical delivery. The mobile flipped classroom comprised the use of a mobile application (i.e. WhatsApp) by geographically dispersed students to collaboratively engage with content after demonstration of IT concepts and processes by the educator. Evidence from WhatsApp-enabled collaborative engagements (i.e. lecturer-student, student-peer) an...

Financial cost implications of inaccurate extraction of transactional data in large African power distribution utility (proof copy)

In view of the increasingly competitive business world, prudent spending and cost recovery have b... more In view of the increasingly competitive business world, prudent spending and cost recovery have become the driving force for the optimal performance of large public organizations. This study, therefore, examined the cost-effectiveness of a Large Energy Utility (LEU) in a Southern African country by exploring the relationship between extraction of transactional customer data (that is, data on the servicing and repairing energy faults) and the Utility's recurrent expenditure (especially its technicians' overtime bill). Using data mining, a large corpus of the LEU Area Centre (AC) data was extracted to establish the relationship between transactional customer data extraction including capture and the financial cost of the LEU (e.g., recurrent expenditure on overtime bill). Results indicate that incorrect extraction and capturing of transactional customer service data has contributed significantly to the LEU's escalating overtime wage bill. The data also demonstrate that the correct extraction and capturing of transactional customer service data can positively reduce the financial costs of this LEU. The paper demonstrates one of the few attempts to examine the effects of correct data extraction and capture on the financial resources of struggling large public energy utility. Using Resource Based Theory, the study also demonstrates how technicians' feedback on incorrect transactions enhances the measurement of inaccurate transactional data albeit a burgeoning overtime wage bill incentives.

Disrupting and democratising higher education provision or entrenching academic elitism: towards a model of MOOCs adoption at African universities

Challenges of broadening access, escalating cost, maintaining desirable quality and enhancing mea... more Challenges of broadening access, escalating cost, maintaining desirable quality and enhancing meaningful learning experiences in African higher education (HE) have spurred debates on how to restructure higher education delivery to meet the diverse needs of heterogeneous learners and adapt pedagogical models to the educational realities of low income
African countries. In view of these complexities, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been advanced by Western Consortia, universities and online platform providers as panaceas for disrupting/transforming existing education models African
universities. MOOCs have been touted as disruptive innovations with the potential to create new niche markets for HE courses, disrupt traditional models of instruction and content delivery and create new revenue streams for higher education. Yet academic elitism which manifests in the exclusive selection of top American universities to develop,
host and deliver MOOCs, MOOC providers’ use of university brand and reputation as benchmarks for charging recruitment fees on headhunters recruiting MOOC graduates and their complex business models involving the sale of students’ big data (e.g. learning analytics) for profit seem to be inconsistent with claims about philanthropic and egalitarian
drive of MOOCs. Drawing on disruptive innovation theory and a review of mainstream literature on MOOCs adoption in American and African tertiary sectors, this study argues that behind the MOOC rhetoric of disrupting and democratizing higher education lies the projection of top academic brands on the marketing pedestal, financial piggybacking on the hype and politics of academic exclusion.

The Influence Of Personal, Family And Social Variables On Technology-Oriented Venture Creation: Theoretical Case Of Internet Cafés In Bloemfontein, South Africa

In an increasingly competitive, technology-driven world, the pressure for small, technology-orien... more In an increasingly competitive, technology-driven world, the pressure for small, technology-oriented firms in developing countries to be productive and efficient has never been more intense. For technology-oriented firms such as internet cafés, which are now in constant competition with inexpensive, low threshold, ubiquitous technologies such as mobile phones and social media for availing internet resources and providing personalised learning environments respectively, the need to understand the critical determinants of the establishment and sustenance of small technology-oriented ventures demands rigorous investigation. Despite the central place of internet cafés as the dominant points-of-access of internet resources for low socioeconomic groups in South Africa, there is paucity of in-depth knowledge on the critical variables influencing the establishment of such technology-oriented ventures. This research gap is attributed to the independent and fragmented examination of micro-level (personal demographic variables such as gender, age, income and language of manager/owners), institutional (such as family role models, family entrepreneurial values and support) and macro-level variables (as manager/owner's prior scientific literacy such as their participation in STEM subjects, social prejudice) that shape and influence the creation of technology-oriented ventures. The thesis of this theoretical paper, therefore, is that an integrated perspective that combines these micro-level, institutional and macro level factors would provide a more inclusive, authentic view of the process of establishing small internet cafés in emerging economies. The contribution of this paper is an integrated conceptual framework premised on the combined influences of determinants of technology-oriented ventures and their implications for technology oriented venture creation.

Informal distributed leadership in technology adoption

This study investigated the role of informal distributed leadership in dealing with the complexit... more This study investigated the role of informal distributed leadership in dealing with the complexities of adopting technology innovation in Higher Education contexts. In the study, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were held with a group of informal leaders in a South African university. The findings suggest that informal distributed leadership works best in promoting technology adoption when there is a clear understanding of: (1) the locus of control
of technology adopters; (2) power contestations between academics and students; (3) alignment of technology with pedagogical goals; and (4) shared intentionality between the core group of informal leaders. In practical terms, the study offers a middle-of-the-road approach to diffusion of technology innovation as an alternative to the ineffective top-down and individual innovative leader (bottom-up) approaches. For originality/novelty, the study introduces the distributed leadership
theory into the technology adoption discourse.

Relationship Between Managerial Competencies Of Owners /Managers Of Emerging Technology Firms And Business Performance: A Conceptual Framework Of Internet Cafés Performance In South Africa

Despite the growing literature on the impact of entrepreneurial traits of managers/owners on the ... more Despite the growing literature on the impact of entrepreneurial traits of managers/owners on the performance of small firms in developed economies, little is known about the contribution of managerial competencies (MC) of these managers/owners to the success of their firms. Since entrepreneurial literature attributes the failure of most emerging businesses (i.e. in their first three years of existence) to the paucity of MC among managers/owners of emerging businesses, an investigation into the effects of these competencies on the performance of small emerging internet businesses is critical to locating the strategic levers that potentially optimise the growth and sustainability of these businesses in emerging economies. This theoretical study, therefore, examines the relationship between managerial competencies of owners/ managers and the performance of emerging internet firms in South Africa. Extant literature and researchers' reflective experiences were used to develop a conceptual model on the relationship between managerial competencies of managers/owners of small internet cafés and the performance of their firms. The model suggests that an assortment of managerial competencies (human capital requirements, resources and individual capabilities) is critical to the improved performance of small internet businesses. The thesis of this paper is that understanding the appropriate constitution of managerial competencies ideal for emerging technology firms, organisational context of emerging technology firms including the broader business environment would positively impact small internet business performance.

Power Distribution at Eskom: Putting Self-Leadership, Locus of Control and Job Performance of Engineers in Context

Given the deep energy crisis that currently engulfs South Africa, which has been attributed to th... more Given the deep energy crisis that currently engulfs South Africa, which has been attributed to the crisis of electricity supply leadership and perceived weak locus of control among Eskom management and staff, the purpose of this study is to review the self-leadership and internal locus of control literature to identify components of these concepts that could leverage employee job performance and improve electricity service delivery. In the absence of literature that examines the combined effects of self-leadership and internal locus of control, the researchers adopted a theoretical and reflective approach that combined the interpretation of extant literature on isolated effects of these variables on job performance and the researchers' individual perspectives on the matter.

An empirical analysis of the determinants of mobile instant messaging appropriation in university learning

learner control was found to have a positive influence on attitude towards mobile learning and ex... more learner control was found to have a positive influence on attitude towards mobile learning and exhibited the highest path coefficient of the overall model. The study implication is that educators need to create varied learning opportunities that leverage learner control of learning in mobile learning systems to enhance flexible mobile learning. The study also confirmed the statistical significance of the original Technology Acceptance Model constructs.

The role of educational technology in design and delivery of curricula programmes: A case of STEPS at a University of Technology

Recommended Citation Rambe, P. (2015). The role of educational technology in design and delivery ... more

Cable Theft and Vandalism by Employees of South Africa’s Electricity Utility Companies: A Theoretical Explanation and Research Agenda

ABSTRACT In this paper, the researchers argue that unravelling perceptions and attitudes of relev... more ABSTRACT In this paper, the researchers argue that unravelling perceptions and attitudes of relevant employees
towards theft and vandalism is critical to stemming electric cable theft. The researchers draw on the Reasoned
Action Theory (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explain the involvement of electricity
utility companies’ own employees in vandalism and theft of electricity copper cables.Drawing on a theoretical
research approach involving the examination of mainstream literature, the paper explores the reasons for employees’
engagement in actions that contradict company policy, namely stealing from the employer or vandalizing
organisational property. The findings suggests that personal traits (employee perceptions and attitudes),
organizational factors (such as organizational climate) constitute presage factors that trigger psychological
dispositions to rob the company of its material assets (copper cables) in general and ultimately steal and vandalise
copper cables in particular.

Leveraging Educational Quality in Southern African Educational Systems: A Practitioners' Perspective (Book)

Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group, Bamenda, Cameroon.

Fostering seamless learning through mobile devices: A case of student WhatsApp postings (book chapter)

Activity theory, Authentic Learning, and Emerging Technologies: Southern Perspectives in Higher Education (pp. 226-233), Routledge Education Series.

Technological utopia, dystopia and ambivalence: Teaching with social media at a South African university

British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(3), 1-20.

The discourse of social media adoption in higher education has often been funnelled through utopi... more The discourse of social media adoption in higher education has often been funnelled through utopian and dystopian perspectives, which are polarised but determinist theorisations of human engagement with educational technologies. Consequently, these determinist approaches have obscured a broadened grasp of the situated, socially constructed nature of human interaction with educational technologies and failed to explain ambivalent positions of technology adoption. To contest the innate determinism embodied in the aforementioned technological views, this paper draws on technological ambivalence to unravel the complex, multiple possibilities in pragmatic use of technology-including the double-bound relationship between human agency and educational technology. A phenomenological approach that draws on self-narratives of the use of social media by Computer Science and Informatics educators at a South African university is employed to unravel how their perceptions of social media shaped and informed their pragmatic instructional uses of these technologies. Findings suggest that the sharp contrasting experiences of collaborative engagement, enactment of decentralised power and democratic expression in social media coexist recursively with the disempowering, dependence-ridden and distractive effects of these technologies. This technological divergence is further compounded by ambivalent views that neither celebrate the unrealistic hopes of social media nor grossly protest against the debilitating effects of these technologies. This view foregrounds the social embeddedness of technology and its potentially multiple, contradictory effects. The implications of these findings include the need for educators to consider social conditions of technology use, the alignment of such conditions with innovative social media-enhanced pedagogical models and the use of proven models to demonstrate the educational potential of social media technologies.

Learning with and from Facebook: Uncovering power asymmetries in educational interactions (In Press)

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2014, 30(3).

Although social networking sites (SNS) are increasingly popular among students, their academic ap... more Although social networking sites (SNS) are increasingly popular among students, their academic application is unfolding on trial basis and best practices for integration into mainstream teaching are yet to be fully realised. More importantly, is the need to understand how these sites shape academic relations and participation of heterogeneous students, particularly in resource-constrained African environments. The speculation about meaningful educational uses of SNS possibly rests on the complexity of grasping the multiple horizontal and vertical interactions that unfold via these sites. This study examines academic relations on Facebook with a view to generating a nuanced account of how power is reinforced or disrupted in interactions mediated by Facebook. The paper analyses the Facebook wall and forum postings of 165 first year Information Systems students and employs Anderson's model of six types of interactions to explore student experiences of the enactments of social power in Facebook engagements. Issues relating to power that emerged from Facebook interactions concerned asymmetrical engagements based on gender, breaching of hierarchical boundaries, compulsive academic use of Facebook, perceptions of vertical surveillance, lecturer and student projection of themselves and impression management. The paper recommends that learning with and from Facebook demands identification of leverage points in various stages of Facebook interaction.

Using digital storytelling to externalise personal knowledge of research processes: The case of a Knowledge Audio repository

Internet and Higher Education, 22, 11-23

and sharing with colleagues.

Using mobile instant messaging to leverage learner participation and transform pedagogy at a South African University of Technology

British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4), 544–561

One of the most complicated academic endeavours in transmission pedagogies is to generate democra... more One of the most complicated academic endeavours in transmission pedagogies is to generate democratic participation of all students and public expression of silenced voices. While the potential of mobile phones, particularly mobile instant messaging (MIM), to trigger broadened academic participation is increasingly acknowledged in literature, integrating MIM into classrooms and out-of-the-classroom tasks has often been confronted with academic resistance. Academic uncertainty about MIM is often predicated on its perceived distractive nature and potential to trigger off-task social behaviours. This paper argues that MIM has potential to create alternative dialogic spaces for student collaborative engagements in informal contexts, which can gainfully transform teaching and learning. An instance of a MIM, WhatsApp, was adopted for an information technology course at a South African university with a view to heighten lecturer-student and peer-based participation, and enhance pedagogical delivery and inclusive learning in formal (lectures) and informal spaces. The findings suggest heightened student participation, the fostering of learning communities for knowledge creation and progressive shifts in the lecturer's mode of pedagogical delivery. However, the concomitant challenge of using MIM included mature adults' resentment of the merging of academic and family life occasioned by WhatsApp consultations after hours. Students also expressed ambivalence about MIM's wide-scale roll-out in different academic programmes.

Converged social media: Identity management and engagement on Facebook Mobile and blogs

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(3), 315-336.

There is scant evidence to demonstrate that researchers grasp the social dimensions of convergenc... more There is scant evidence to demonstrate that researchers grasp the social dimensions of convergence, and particularly, the academic and social implications of converged media on students' lives. Despite a surge in student appropriation of social media-enabled mobile phones for exchanging educational resources and social practices, little is known about this collapsing of academic and social contexts. Twelve purposively selected postgraduate students who used Facebook Mobile for exchanging learning resources and micromanagement of their daily lives were interviewed to unravel the influence of converged social media on students' lives. Identity construction and convergence as theoretical constructs were drawn upon to examine student narratives of their Facebook interactions and navigation of their identities. The findings suggest that Facebook Mobile enhanced the students' networked exchange of knowledge and meaningful participation in learning communities. However, students expressed uncertainty about educators' judgements of their online personae, invasion of their privacy, information security and fears of jeopardising future career prospects. The study recommends best-practice pedagogical designs that emphasise deep engagement, safe communication, measures to deal with plagiarism and policy interventions to address privacy and information security.

Cable Theft and Vandalism by Employees of South Africa’s Electricity Utility Companies: A Theoretical Explanation and Research Agenda

Journal of Social Sciences, 39(2), 179-190.

In this paper, the researchers argue that unravelling perceptions and attitudes of relevant emplo... more In this paper, the researchers argue that unravelling perceptions and attitudes of relevant employees towards theft and vandalism is critical to stemming electric cable theft. The researchers draw on the Reasoned Action Theory (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explain the involvement of electricity utility companies' own employees in vandalism and theft of electricity copper cables.Drawing on a theoretical research approach involving the examination of mainstream literature, the paper explores the reasons for employees' engagement in actions that contradict company policy, namely stealing from the employer or vandalizing organisational property. The findings suggests that personal traits (employee perceptions and attitudes), organizational factors (such as organizational climate) constitute presage factors that trigger psychological dispositions to rob the company of its material assets (copper cables) in general and ultimately steal and vandalise copper cables in particular.

AFRICAN TRADITIONAL CUSTOMS’ POTENTIALITIES AND DILEMMAS: CONFLICT OVER THANKSGIVING TO CHIEFS IN ZIMBABWEAN RURAL VILLAGES

The transformation of society towards modernity and the attendant socio-economic challenges it ha... more The transformation of society towards modernity and the attendant socio-economic challenges it has imposed on African societies have compelled insensitive traditional structures of governance to hijack traditional customs and practices to serve their ulterior motives. Thanksgiving to chiefs (kubika chiutsi, in Shona language), is one such traditional practice that has been manipulated to serve the self-aggrandizement of Zimbabwean traditional chiefs in rural areas under the guise of subjects' gratitude expression to traditional authority. We employ benevolent theory as a theoretical lens to unravel both the potentialities and the dilemmas that surround this highly contentious practice. While acknowledging thanksgiving to chiefs as an adhesive that tightly bounds subordinates to established traditional authority thus fostering a cohesive society in ancient times, we argue that in contemporary Zimbabwe, the practice unfolds as benevolent despotism (by chiefs) unleashed on pauperised masses. Many rural people conceive thanksgiving to chiefs as an idealized version of the "tragedy of the commons" as chiefs misconstrue them (subjects) for tradable communally owned commodities. Drawing on our reflections of our experiences in Zimbabwe, our argument is that the tradition of thanksgiving is riddled with absurdities, injustices and abuses-itself a crime against humanity committed by African chiefs veneered by relentless pursuit of tradition and custodianship. The paper thus contributes to the African cultural practices and mainstream human rights debates in Zimbabwe predicated on the contradictions between preservation of traditional customs and forces of change towards modernity.

Critical discourse analysis of collaborative engagement in Facebook postings,

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(2), 295-314

While research literature affirms the potential for social networking sites (SNSs) to democratise... more While research literature affirms the potential for social networking sites (SNSs) to democratise communication, their impact on micro-level, academic relations at university level has not been explored sufficiently in developing countries. The literature on SNSs (especially Facebook) has emphasised its appropriation for the marketing of university programs to prospective students and enhancing institutionallevel contact between university administration and students. As such, the impact of SNSs on micro-level (educator-learner and learner-peer) relations and relational power remains speculative. Mindful of how discursive types and discourses inform the construction of social power, this study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) and educator-learners Facebook conversations to expose the exercise of relational power and social learning in these interactional spaces. Facebook postings are examined to explore academic relations and associated learner challenges like limited meaningful engagement with peers and content, superficial learning and general academic underpreparedness. The findings suggest the prevalence of formal authoritative (or hierarchical) discourses, few informal liberating (horizontal) discourses, nascent peerbased collaboration and limited learner engagement with theory. These phenomena generally point at first year students' under-developed study skills and less sophisticated literacies. The challenges and potential for transformative learning are explored and possibilities for effective engagement suggested.