Access to special COVID-19 relief from distress grant and livelihood outcome of livestock farming households in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Unexpected events and shocks constitute greater threats to the attainment of zero hunger targets in Africa and the world over, and in the extreme case, lead to total collapse of the global food system and food supply chain. Consequently, this causes significant loss of critical income sources, renders individuals vulnerable, and further deteriorates households' livelihood outcome and welfare state. Therefore, the need for social protection programs to mitigate the impact of distress and unexpected events, as well as extreme occurrences cannot be over emphasized. This research used dataset from the 1499 households captured in the 2021 South African General Household Survey to investigate whether access to a special relief from distress grant has effect on the livestock farming households' food security status in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, a two-sample t-test, a food insecurity experience-based scale technique, and a fractional outcome model were used to analyze the datasets. Based on access to the grant, households in the non-beneficiary group are significantly distinguishable from the beneficiary counterparts, such that the beneficiary households out-performed the non-beneficiary households in the food break-even and food surplus categories. The findings further indicated the possibility of transition of the beneficiary households' population under the transitory food insecurity category to either the chronic food insecurity status or food break-even status, subject to the effectiveness of the food security policy to which they are exposed. The fractional outcome model also indicated that non -metropolitan resident households (p < 0.05), access to the special grant (p < 0.01), access to health facilities (p < 0.01), age of households' heads (p < 0.01), colored, indian and white population groups (both at p < 0.01), as well as access to remittance (p < 0.01) made significant contributions to the households' food security status. The Wald test indicated that access to the special relief grant had a significant effect on the households' food security status in the study area. The study therefore recommends accelerated investments in various social investment programs as sustained responses to expected and unexpected shocks and occurrences to be able to induce progress and realize more resilient food systems.

Practitioner Perspectives on COVID-19's Impact on Computer Science Education Among High Schools Serving Students from Lower and Higher Income Families

Research Problem. Computer science (CS) education researchers conducting studies that target high school students have likely seen their studies impacted by COVID-19. Interpreting research findings impacted by COVID-19 presents unique challenges that will require a deeper understanding as to how the pandemic has affected underserved and underrepresented students studying or unable to study computing. Research Question. Our research question for this study was: In what ways has the high school computer science educational ecosystem for students been impacted by COVID-19, particularly when comparing schools based on relative socioeconomic status of a majority of students? Methodology. We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods study to understand the types of impacts high school CS educators have seen in their practice over the past year using the CAPE theoretical dissaggregation framework to measure schools' Capacity to offer CS, student Access to CS education, student Participation in CS, and Experiences of students taking CS. Data Collection Procedure. We developed an instrument to collect qualitative data from open-ended questions, then collected data from CS high school educators (n = 21) and coded them across CAPE. We used the codes to create a quantitative instrument. We collected data from a wider set of CS high school educators (n = 185), analyzed the data, and considered how these findings shape research conducted over the last year. Findings. Overall, practitioner perspectives revealed that capacity for CS Funding, Policy & Curriculum in both types of schools grew during the pandemic, while the capacity to offer physical and human resources decreased. While access to extracurricular activities decreased, there was still a significant increase in the number of CS courses offered. Fewer girls took CS courses and attendance decreased. Student learning and engagement in CS courses were significantly impacted, while other noncognitive factors like interest in CS and relevance of technology saw increases. Practitioner perspectives also indicated that schools serving students from lower-income families had (1) a greater decrease in the number of students who received information about CS/CTE pathways;(2) a greater decrease in the number of girls enrolled in CS classes;(3) a greater decrease in the number of students receiving college credit for dual-credit CS courses;(4) a greater decrease in student attendance;and (5) a greater decrease in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses. On the flip-side, schools serving students from higher income families had significantly higher increases in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses.

The role of crises in transformative change towards sustainability

Path-breaking transformative change is needed in human-environment relations to move towards more sustainable development trajectories at local, national and global scales. Crises may trigger transformative change and learning in the short and in the long term. However, in particular, a short-term response to crises may also be reactive, strengthening established unsustainable practices and further perpetuating vulnerability and inequality rather than supporting transformative change towards a more sustainable path. To understand the nature and response to a crisis in the context of sustainability transformations, this paper elaborates on the following aspects of a crisis: What are the characteristics of a crisis? What and who shapes the narrative(s) of a crisis? What and who shapes the nature of the response to a crisis? Do responses to crises trigger higher levels of learning? Conceptual synthesis is complemented with an exploratory comparative analysis of the Cape Town water crisis and of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. To this end the paper analyzes the interplay between mobilizing individual, collective and relational agency and navigating and transforming power relations to challenge and profit from already weakened unsustainable structures. This approach proves to be promising to understand the role of crises in catalysing and supporting transformative learning to eventually replace unsustainable structures. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Health Sciences students' experience of COVID-19 case management and contact tracing in Cape Town, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has challenged health and higher education systems globally. Managing the epidemic in Cape Town, South Africa (SA), required partnerships with universities and setting up of de novo systems for mass case and contact tracing (C&CT). Health sciences, predominantly medical students, as well as social work and psychology students formed the core of this telephone-based work over the 18 months when SARS-CoV-2 caused severe disease. METHODS: This qualitative study aimed to elicit students' motivations for becoming involved in C&CT, their experiences, and recommendations for C&CT and curricula. After Cape Town's first COVID-19 wave, six on-line focus groups comprising 23 students were conducted, and a further four were conducted with 13 students after the second wave. As the researchers were predominantly educators previously involved in undergraduate health sciences education, the study's purpose was to reflect on students' experiences to make educational and health system recommendations. RESULTS: Students were largely motivated to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on society and support people affected by COVID-19, as well as hone their professional skills. While these motivations were realised, students also needed to learn new skills - to autonomously work remotely, using novel communication strategies to engage those affected and use virtual groups to connect with colleagues. They managed responsibilities within the healthcare systems that did not always work smoothly, distressed cases who were financially insecure, difficult employers, and language barriers. They were prepared through training, and supported by virtual, yet effective teamwork and debriefing opportunities. Although the work was sometimes physically and emotionally exhausting, students found the work personally meaningful. They embraced public health's role to protect population and individuals' health. CONCLUSION: New teaching and learning practices adopted due to Covid-19 lockdowns enabled this digital C&CT project. It facilitated students to become confident, work autonomously and navigate challenges they will encounter as young professionals. The programme demonstrated that novel opportunities for rich student learning, such as in telehealth, can be embedded into public health and clinical functions of health services in contexts such as in SA, deepening partnerships between the health services and universities, to mutual benefit.

Data-Driven Decision Making in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A City of Cape Town Case Study

In the event of a crisis, such as COVID-19, the decisions and subsequent actions taken by the local government are one of the primary sources of support to the local population. Yet the processes through which these decisions are reached and the data engineering advancements made for and during events are poorly reported. Understanding the capabilities and constraints in which city officials operate is essential for impactful academic research alongside global city comparison and discussion on best practices in reaching optimal and data-informed decisions. This is especially pertinent for the global South, where informality in housing and the economy presents further challenges to appropriate resource distribution in a crisis. Here, we present insights into the City of Cape Town's data-driven response and subsequent data engineering and analytical developments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is based upon a review of internal documentation including a close-out report which summarised semi-structured interviews with staff involved in the data work stream. The paper reports on the deliverables produced during 2020 by the data work stream and outlines specific challenges the city faced and its data-informed response in the areas of (1) quantifying costs for COVID-19 initiatives, (2) dealing with a surge in fatalities, (3) guiding scarce public resources to respond to an evolving crisis, and (4) data sharing. We demonstrate the real-term value of incorporating data into the decision-making process and conclude by outlining key factors that cities and researchers must consider as a part of the usual business to effectively assist their populations during times of stress and crisis. © 2023 by the authors.

Practitioner Perspectives on COVID-19's Impact on Computer Science Education Among High Schools Serving Students from Lower and Higher Income Families

Research Problem. Computer science (CS) education researchers conducting studies that target high school students have likely seen their studies impacted by COVID-19. Interpreting research findings impacted by COVID-19 presents unique challenges that will require a deeper understanding as to how the pandemic has affected underserved and underrepresented students studying or unable to study computing.Research Question. Our research question for this study was: In what ways has the high school computer science educational ecosystem for students been impacted by COVID-19, particularly when comparing schools based on relative socioeconomic status of a majority of students?Methodology. We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods study to understand the types of impacts high school CS educators have seen in their practice over the past year using the CAPE theoretical dissaggregation framework to measure schools' Capacity to offer CS, student Access to CS education, student Participation in CS, and Experiences of students taking CS.Data Collection Procedure. We developed an instrument to collect qualitative data from open-ended questions, then collected data from CS high school educators (n = 21) and coded them across CAPE. We used the codes to create a quantitative instrument. We collected data from a wider set of CS high school educators (n = 185), analyzed the data, and considered how these findings shape research conducted over the last year.Findings. Overall, practitioner perspectives revealed that capacity for CS Funding, Policy & Curriculum in both types of schools grew during the pandemic, while the capacity to offer physical and human resources decreased. While access to extracurricular activities decreased, there was still a significant increase in the number of CS courses offered. Fewer girls took CS courses and attendance decreased. Student learning and engagement in CS courses were significantly impacted, while other noncognitive factors like interest in CS and relevance of technology saw increases.Practitioner perspectives also indicated that schools serving students from lower-income families had (1) a greater decrease in the number of students who received information about CS/CTE pathways;(2) a greater decrease in the number of girls enrolled in CS classes;(3) a greater decrease in the number of students receiving college credit for dual-credit CS courses;(4) a greater decrease in student attendance;and (5) a greater decrease in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses. On the flip-side, schools serving students from higher income families had significantly higher increases in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

Hospitality managers in turbulent times: The COVID-19 crisis

Purpose: This study aims to explore the role General Managers (GMs) play in mitigating the effects of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative structured interviews conducted online with 50 hospitality GMs from 45 countries are used to explore the impact of the pandemic on the industry's operational norms and the role of managers in both managing the crisis and planning contingencies for recovery. Findings: The findings enhance the conceptual capital in this emerging field and provide insights on how GMs behave during crises. Four related sub-themes emerged from the data analysis, namely, contingency planning and crisis management, resilience and impact on GM roles, the impact on hotels' key functional areas and some GMs' suggestions for the future of luxury hospitality. Research limitations/implications: This study generates empirical data that inform contemporary debates about crisis management and resilience in hospitality organizations at a micro-level operational perspective. Practical implications: Findings suggest that, in times of uncertainty and crisis, luxury hotel GMs are vital in coping with changes and leading their organizations to recovery. GMs' resilience and renewed role and abilities enable them to adapt rapidly to external changes on their business environment. Originality/value: This study is unique in terms of scale and depth, as it provides useful insights regarding the GM's role during an unprecedented crisis such as COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of COVID-19 and coping strategies used by small-scale farmers: a case study of buffalo city metropolitan, Amathole and O.R Tambo - district municipalities of the Eastern Cape

Livestock farming plays a vital role in food supply, job creation, promoting economic transformation and financial capital. Covid-19 pandemic negatively influenced livestock production through reduced access to markets, medicines, extension services and animal health services. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of covid-19 and coping strategies used by small-scale farmers in three municipalities. Eleven farms were purposively selected and a total of 30 farmers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. The results showed that the participation of females (12%) in farming was low compared to males (88%). Lower participation by the youth was alarming with 92% of farmers were above 35 years of age and 50% having a matric. Landownership;40% were private farms, 30% rely on communal land and 30% on lease agreements. The findings showed that the majority of farmers kept livestock for cash sales (60%) meat (19%) and prestige (10%), respectively. Reduced access to markets (50%) and animal health services (19%) were the most highly ranked constraints. Farmers mentioned that they had lost marketing opportunities and income due to the suspension of traditional ceremonies and initiation schools by government restrictions. Approximately 50% of farmers acknowledged the government's intervention in the form of vouchers to cushion the impact covid-19. Due to stringent restrictions, 66% of farmers used cell phones, and 13% went used online to gain access information in order to cope with challenges imposed by the pandemic. In conclusion, the study revealed that small-scale farmers were socially and economically affected by the pandemic.

Tracking COVID-19 in sewers and in patients to help halt the pandemic

In this article, experts highlighted their experiences with employing a wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance (WBE) approach to track coronavirus infection levels in local communities in an online symposium. The objective of the Water Research Commission (WRC)-hosted symposium was to share knowledge on the progress that has been made in South Africa in monitoring the spread of COVID-19 using the WBE approach. With insights from collaborating partners, the establishment of South African Collaborative COVID-19 Environmental Surveillance System (SACCESS) has become one of the most significant development to date in terms of WBE surveillance in South Africa. With SACCESS and WBE, advance warnings about outbreaks can be made, such that the data collected using the WBE approach enabled researchers to predict the surge in clinical cases in April in KwaZulu-Natal three weeks before it happened. But risk is still prevalent for the health of wastewater workers or in the reuse of treated effluents, as well as the absence of WBE surveillance in non-sewered communities. With this, research has been made on developing and optimising the methodology for SARS-CoV-2 detection, quantification and monitoring in different types of samples from non-sewered environments. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 98% of the wastewater samples collected has demonstrated the proof of concept for using WBE surveillance to track COVID-19. Continued WBE sampling at priority sites will allow for the expansion of pandemic trend monitoring. In terms of the impact on public health decision-making, only the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health have incorporated WBE into their local responses.

Association Between Weather Parameters and SARS-CoV-2 Confirmed Cases in Two South African Cities.

Several approaches have been used in the race against time to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19. In this study, we investigated the role of temperature, relative humidity, and particulate matter in the spread of COVID-19 cases within two densely populated cities of South Africa-Pretoria and Cape Town. The role of different levels of COVID-19 restrictions in the air pollution levels, obtained from the Purple Air Network, of the two cities were also considered. Our results suggest that 26.73% and 43.66% reduction in PM2.5 levels were observed in Cape Town and Pretoria respectively for no lockdown (Level 0) to the strictest lockdown level (Level 5). Furthermore, our results showed a significant relationship between particulate matter and COVID-19 in the two cities. Particulate matter was found to be a good predictor, based on the significance of causality test, of COVID-19 cases in Pretoria with a lag of 7 days and more. This suggests that the effect of particulate matter on the number of cases can be felt after 7 days and beyond in Pretoria.

Everyday mobility practices and the ethics of care: young women's reflections on social responsibility in the time of COVID-19 in three African cities

This paper draws principally from COVID-19 diaries written by young women whom we had previously trained as peer researchers in a mobility study of low-income neighbourhoods in Abuja, Cape Town and Tunis. Some live with parents or older extended family members, others have children in their care, but concerns around avoiding contagion have forced all peer researchers to reflect on their everyday socio-spatial mobility practices. This includes whether/how much they need to travel or can substitute virtual for physical travel;which transport mode to take and when;what precautions they must take on the move;what strategies of engagement are required to cope with externally imposed rules and contingencies–and the potential impact of their negotiations, decisions and experiences on the health of those dear to them at home. Reflections on these pandemic-induced responsibilities range from social distancing and mask wearing to issues around handling cash, modes of greeting and travel to funerals. The personal interpretations of responsibility that are reported in individual diaries point to the complexity of entanglements between everyday mobility practices on city streets and negotiated relations of care within the household (and other relational settings) that have emerged and deepened as the COVID story unfolds. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Being near the action: bed and breakfast and guesthouse entrepreneurs and the hosting of black South African domestic tourists in the Cape Town townships

This article examines how black female bed and breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the black townships of Cape Town, South Africa were providing accommodations to black South African domestic tourists that allowed these tourists to ‘be near the action' in the townships. ‘Being near the action' refers to being able to conveniently attend various life-cycle events, such as weddings, funerals, and circumcision celebrations that involve friends and/or family, or engage in work, business, and other activities in the townships. This research contributes to tourism mobilities studies by explaining how these entrepreneurs impacted and were being impacted by domestic tourism and how the social spaces or ‘moorings' of the entrepreneurs' accommodations produced and reproduced social and cultural life. In addition, this study provides an understanding of tourism in Africa, and specifically domestic tourism in South Africa, related to the discretionary mobilities of a growing population of middle-class black South Africans. For this study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with black female B&Bs and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the townships of Langa, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha. The article also includes a discussion of the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic's halting of travel mobilities on the economic sustainability of these entrepreneurs. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Dysphonia Severity Index and Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Outcomes, and Their Relation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the results of the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) between patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and healthy subjects, as well as to investigate the correlation between DSI and CAPE-V. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty subjects, 40 COVID-19 patients (with a mean age of 41.2± 5.41) and 40 healthy subjects (with a mean age of 44.50± 3.50) participated in this study. Assessments included the DSI for aerodynamic-acoustic measurement and the Persian version of Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) for evaluating auditory-perceptual voice quality. Data were analyzed by means of the independent t-test and Pearson correlation at the 5% significance level. RESULTS: The results showed COVID-19 patients got significantly lower score in DSI compared to healthy subjects (P < 0.05). Moreover, the patients with COVID-19 had higher scores in all categories of voice production (severity, roughness, loudness, pitch, strain and breathiness) than the healthy group (P < 0.05). Comparing the result of the two voice assessments in each group revealed that there was a greater negative significant correlation in the diseased group (r p: -0.68, P: 0.001) than in the healthy group (r p: -0.37,P: 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients experience deviations in the voice quality and acoustic-aerodynamic features of their voice. Also, the results of this study showed the patient group had higher perceptual dysphonia and lower voice quality compared to the healthy group. Further studies are recommended to determine the relationship between objective and subjective voice evaluation in patients with COVID-19 after recovery.

COVID-19 and Homelessness: Response of South African Municipalities during First Wave of the Pandemic

The coronavirus is a quintessentially urban pandemic that wreaked havoc in all social settings, from villages to cities. Homelessness can create an ideal environment for the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 within this vulnerable group. The current pandemic has exposed the inaccessibility of healthcare services by those experiencing homelessness. As such, this paper uses an event methodology to examine how (1) local municipalities have responded to homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) the extent of the involvement of civil society groups across Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. It also compares each city's policy frameworks and strategies to identify the challenges and successes experienced. Findings suggest that although a cookie-cutter technique does not exist for addressing homelessness during the current pandemic, there are valuable lessons to be learnt such as the use of public-private partnerships with shared responsibility. It is hoped that through the findings of this research, future local, provincial and national homelessness housing policy could avoid the barriers that will arise in addressing homelessness.

Evaluation of a public COVID-19 dashboard in the Western Cape, South Africa: a tool for communication, trust, and transparency.

BACKGROUND: Public health dashboards have been used in the past to communicate and guide local responses to outbreaks, epidemics, and a host of various health conditions. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, dashboards proliferated but the availability and quality differed across the world. This study aimed to evaluate the quality, access, and end-user experience of one such dashboard in the Western Cape province, South Africa. METHODS: We analysed retrospective aggregate data on viewership over time for the first year since launch of the dashboard (30 April 2020 - 29 April 2021) and conducted a cross-sectional survey targeting adult users of the dashboard at one year post the initial launch. The self-administered, anonymous questionnaire with a total of 13 questions was made available via an online digital survey tool for a 2-week period (6 May 2021 - 21 May 2021). RESULTS: After significant communication by senior provincial political leaders, adequate media coverage and two waves of COVID-19 the Western Cape public COVID-19 dashboard attracted a total of 2,248,456 views during its first year. The majority of these views came from Africa/South Africa with higher median daily views during COVID-19 wave periods. A total of 794 participants responded to the survey questionnaire. Reported devices used to access the dashboard differed statistically between occupational status groups with students tending toward using mobile devices whilst employed and retired participants tending toward using desktop computers/laptops. Frequency of use increases with increasing age with 65.1% of those > 70 years old viewing it daily. Overall, 76.4% of respondents reported that the dashboard influenced their personal planning and behaviour. High Likert score ratings were given for clarity, ease of use and overall end-user experience, with no differences seen across the various age groups surveyed. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that both the availability of data and an understanding of end-user need is critical when developing and delivering public health tools that may ultimately garner public trust and influence individual behaviour.

Social inclusion through the urban lens: a comparative analysis of neighbourhoods of residential racial homogeneity and heterogeneity in Cape Town, South Africa

The world is increasingly urbanising, more than half of the global population live within cities. The impact of COVID-19 is having devastating effects. The United Nations estimates that the pandemic will most likely elevate poverty and inequalities at a global scale. The World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting prosperity and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals have deemed inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities as global imperatives. Despite wide recognition, building inclusive cities remains a challenge. Many studies of social inclusion are conducted at an individual or household scale, with little emphasis on the interaction between human dynamics and the spatial characteristics of cities. This article proposes a data driven framework for examining urban social inclusion through the profiling of neighbourhoods by combining spatial network measurements, transport, land use and socio-economic indicators in Cape Town, South Africa. The spatial unit of the neighbourhood is considered an important building block within cities and has especially historically important social and cultural connotations in South Africa. The results show that there are 4 types of neighbourhoods, Economically disadvantaged and marginalised, Affluent and exclusive, Semi residentially heterogeneous and Residentially heterogeneous. Neighbourhoods with increased residential racial heterogeneity, additionally, have access to higher levels of mixed land use, transport, and global closeness centrality. Furthermore, neither extremely high nor low-income neighbourhoods are found to be related to racial heterogeneity. The results enable the profiling and comparison of neighbourhoods, and it is envisioned that this evidence-based approach could support policy makers and urban planners within decision making processes. © 2022 Proceedings 13th International Space Syntax Symposium, SSS 2022. All rights reserved.

Blackboard learning prior Covid 19 pandemic era: A challenging or resourceful case

The eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic era has resulted in infused technology learning. eLearning has since been regarded as an essential aspect targeted toward effective schooling. Teaching-learning approaches had to be re-looked as universities struggled to engage in online contact sessions through Blackboard as a Learning Management System (LMS). This paper aims to examine whether Blackboard learning has any substantial influence on learner academic attainment. Little is noted by literature on predicaments entangling rural schooling environments for implementing eLearning. The examination was administered through a qualitative research approach embedded in a case study design. Three purposefully nominated teachers from a university located in a rural Eastern Cape Province were interviewed as participants. It was divulged as the findings that (i) connectivity glitches, thus having an impact on (ii) contact session attendance, as well as (iii) limitation of eLearning-related soft skills, were the significant hiccups to this emergent learning platform. The study concludes that teachers and learners are held liable to acquaint themselves with eLearning, hence the digital world, entirely. This paper recommends alterations and re-inventing of teaching-learning approaches, thereby curbing situations of rural-urban digital variations.

Preliminary Study on e-Collaboration Readiness and Community of Inquiry Presences in a Higher Educational Institution

The current nature of large class size in Higher Educational Institutions (HEI), the recent COVID-19 pandemics, and more importantly, because lecturer-student’s relationships mostly terminate right after the class session have made educators faced many new challenges. Based on these, educators have found it imperative to change the pedagogical and didactical approaches to teaching by integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the classroom. e-Collaboration is one of the pedagogical approaches that enable two or more people to work together using technology to help achieve a goal. This study has introduced students to e-collaboration platforms via Learning Management System (LMS) and Piazza. The present research focuses on finding out the experience and readiness of the e-collaboration in a HEI. Both qualitative and quantitative approach were employed in the study. Results indicated that majority of participants in the study have positive attitude towards e-collaboration, their attitude results are significantly varied with their gender, and there are positive correlations among the Community of Inquiry (CoI) constructs at r = 0.75, n = 75, p = 0. In addition, majority of participants would like to use e-collaboration in future at M = 3.95. Thus, both male and female have positive attitudes towards e-collaboration at M3.82 SD = 0.74. The research brings to light the usefulness and the possibilities of e-collaboration for effective teaching and learning in HEI. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The Economics of Agricultural Productivity in South Africa

Accurate measures of productivity growth are an important policy tool but are difficult to obtain in South African circumstances. In this article, we review work on the measurement of farm-level productivity in South Africa since the earliest attempts at multifactor indices in the early 1990s. The focus is on total factor productivity, but single input measures such as labor and land productivity (yields) are also discussed. Measurements using time-series and cross-sectional data are discussed separately, along with measures to explain the effect of climate change. Data deficiencies are also pointed out. The article concludes that international collaboration should be maintained if important issues such as the COVID-19 impact, food security, climate change, and labor market shocks are to be successfully addressed.

On the predictive power of CAPE or Shiller’s PE ratio: the case of the Greek stock market

This paper examines the capability of the Cyclically Adjusted Price to Earnings (CAPE) or Shiller’s P/E ratio, along with other relative valuation ratios such as the P/E and the P/BV, to predict future returns of the FTSE/ASE Large Cap Index, starting from the development of the index (1997) to December 2018. We have herein used several regression models in order to examine the relationship between the above ratios and the future returns of 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. We show that, while P/E and P/BV ratios are not correlated to future returns, the CAPE ratio and its variation CAPE 5, which uses real 5 year earnings, are efficient estimators of future returns. Our results imply the informational inefficiency of the Greek Stock Market.