The state of mental health in South African tertiary institutions

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EdTech Insights

THE FUTURE IS NOW

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Mental health status of South African students is shocking

“We are seeing increases in mental health challenges worldwide – more stress, more anxiety, more depression and more suicides,” Kevin Kruger, president of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education or NASPA, told University World News.

The state of the mental health of students at tertiary institutions has become a major crisis in South Africa – as well as the rest of the world. One of the biggest challenges relating to this crisis is that the magnitude of the issue is often neglected or ignored at national and local level. In South Africa we are faced with so many other challenges when it comes to the Education sector, that often no systems are put in place to identify and treat students who are suffering from mental illnesses.

In 2017, a study by UCT brought to light that at least 12% of university students exhibit “moderate to severe symptoms of depression.” And stats indicate that these figures are rising. In the UK, reports show that at least 27% of UK students have some form of mental health challenge.

These concerning figures reiterate the importance of tackling mental health issues at universities and colleges. In South Africa students face financial constraints, social situations and other challenges that come with adjusting to tertiary education. These stress factors place strain on the mental health of to their students.

While developing policies and task teams to address mental health at universities and colleges are great initiatives, more can be done to monitor mental health on campus. There is a solution in the form of an automated system. A system that not only monitors existing cases, but flags potential cases and offers data and insights that help tertiary institutions identify potential risks before tragedy strikes. 

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Apply a 360 degree model of campus safety—from behavioural intervention to campus security.

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

Biggest IT system in 100 years

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Academia-SIS

Consistent campus management. Delivered

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University Installs Biggest IT System in 100 years

The launch of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) new student information system, SUNStudent, was celebrated in Stellenbosch on 6 May 2019.  The implementation of this campus-wide information system forms part of the institution’s System’s Renewal Project (SRP) and is regarded as the single biggest IT system implementation in the 100 year history of the institution.

SUNStudent will be implemented using the SIS solution by SeroSoft, namely Academia. This is a hyper-modern system, that manages the entire campus, addressing each phase of the student life cycle.

 

Imagine a SIS solution…

  • – With the capability to respond to new & rapidly changing requirements
  • – With improved reporting & analytics functionality
  • – That provides a better overall user-experience for staff & students
  • – That has modern and easy-to-use interfaces
  • – That is configured to adapt and integrate to suit your institution’s unique needs
 Educate. Grow. Succeed.
 
Contact us for more information or to set up a free demo.

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Automate your academic and administrative processes – addressing the complete student life cycle.

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

The power of analytics

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EdTech Insights

The future is now

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The power of analytics

As the days of the month of March slowly tick by, many students face the reality of the challenges they must face to be successful in their courses. While some may think they have a handle on it, some may not realise they are falling behind… fast and furiously. The result can easily mean another student dropout…or a few. So how can an educator spot an at-risk student and intervene before it is too late?

Simple – learning analytics.  Picture a student in your class fiddling with their phones. He appears to be taking notes, but you cannot really say if he is, or if he is just WhatsApping a friend…in class time. Of course, he could be checking coursework or working with his peers on lecture related work. But then again, he could be completely distracted during your class with non-related activities.

Now, what if you as educator, had access to data to help you understand your students’ behaviour better. Not only picking up on their online activities, but also using analytical tools to speak to your students in their unique, digital language. Through understanding your students’ behaviour when it comes to technology, you may also have the insight to create a course that meets his/her needs and expectations.

While there is no easy solution to engaging students, but there are definitive, constructive steps you can take.

  1.          You can use analytical tools to help identify at-risk students.
  2.         Help students who are struggling through interpreting analytics
  3.          Support students in discovering how they can help themselves

Learning analytics can help your students be happier and more efficient in their studies. Find out how and more by getting in touch with us today – for tools that offer strategic solutions.

 

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Making students happier is just the start of how learning analytics can help you

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

Software solutions for schools

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EdTech Insights

The future is now

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School principal shares the answers to successful school management

According to Shandre Otto, principal of Zwaanswyk High, there are lots of administrative frustrations when it comes to a school environment. Shandre has found the solutions their school needed in Staffroom Software.

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 I do not know how I could do my job, or my staff theirs, without Staffroom. 

Shandre Otto

Education. Technology. Innovation

From cheating to integrity

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The future is now

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Building a culture of academic integrity

 

Technology has brought benefits to the classroom, as well as drawbacks. Higher education faculty and administrators have raised concerns that cheating is easier than ever before due to the Internet. Fortunately, there are proven methods and new digital tools that help detect and discourage cheating, and more specifically, plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty comes in all shapes and forms, from buying papers off the internet, to copying someone else’s work or cheating in an exam. The ugly truth is that cheating is usually directly linked to the stressful, competitive environment of higher education. It happens everywhere from TVET colleges to other higher institutions such as universities. No academic institution is immune to dishonesty.

The battle to eliminate cheating is often a losing one, but instead of working to eliminate cheating, learning institutions should rather focus their efforts on building cultures of integrity.  This encourages a natural inclination for honesty and creates opportunities to learn from dishonest or cheating incidents. According to Gary Pavela, an authority on academic ethics, students will most likely be an institution’s biggest ally when it comes to building a culture of academic integrity.

But how does one build this culture of integrity, despite the ease of access to tools that facilitate cheating?

 

Get in touch with us for a white paper that will help you in practical ways to encourage this culture of academic integrity.

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Students will most likely be an institution’s biggest ally when it comes to building a culture of academic integrity.

Gary Pavela

Eiffel Corp. Education. Technology. Innovation

Mobile app solutions

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EdTech Insights

The future is now

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A mobile app in less than an hour?

In South Africa, 93% of our population has access to a smart phone. 20% of South Africans check their phones within 5 minutes of waking up, while 20% of us check our phones up to 50 times per day. So, what better way to reach your target audience of today than via their phone?

It is not that simple though, developing mobile applications for your institution could run into hours of development, technical headaches and at high costs. Or would it? What if building an app required no technical skills and could take only an hour to build?

Often the benefits of developing a mobile app, is overshadowed by technical speak and developers who are out of touch with processes and practicalities of campus. But what if building an app requires no technical skills and could take only an hour to build?

Smart phones have become part of our daily lives. Integrated in each and every activity, it has become a tool – from planning our schedules to reading emails, to organising our social lives, to LIVING our social lives. In fact, the students in 2020 will most likely be scrolling through content on their phones while in the company of friends. 

That is why mobile apps can aid institutions in communicating, but more than that, engaging their communities. From prospective students to faculty and staff, or even alumni – an interactive mobile app can reach them. Many institutions are successfully implementing mobile apps for recruitment, registration, student retention and even graduation. It is also the perfect solution to connecting with alumni or faculty. 

So, the benefits are obvious, but what about the effort or headaches. With the right solutions these mobile apps can be easy to build – even in less than an hour! In fact, no technical skills are needed, and apps can be developed with the input of all involved! 

Interested in a simple, fast – but highly efficient mobile app solution? 

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 With the right solutions these mobile apps can be easy to build – even in less than an hour!

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

Future of students

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The future is now

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A bleak future for SA students?

The unemployment rate for graduates is high at 7% out of 433 000 people, while 1 in 4 SA University students are being diagnosed with depression. Taking these challenges into consideration, do students face a bleak future in SA? Or can institutions play a role in managing these challenges to achieve more positive outcomes. 

With February behind us, both students and institutions alike were occupied with registrations. While this is a busy time for institutions, it is an especially significant time for students of 2019. This is the beginning of their future, filled moments of important decisions that will pave the way.

But with South Africa’s high unemployment rate and so many challenges students will face along the way – the future of South African students is everything but secure. Should institutions play a role in solving unemployment? 

Employability challenge accepted

Institutions can and should play a role in setting up students for employability. In fact, employability outcomes are increasingly integral to Higher Learning Institutions. Central to these outcomes is the development of student skills and abilities for the workplace. Essentially how well graduates are faring in the job market post-graduation has become a Key Performance Indicator for the South African Education Sector.  

But how can an institution become “better” at achieving employability for students? One proven way would be to adopt tools that harness innovative technology that integrates employability across an institution. Through configurable and robust software, students would be linked to recruiters and recruiters in turn gain access to an extensive resource base of entry-level talent available. 

Discreet, strategic and proactive

Racial tension, sexual offences and class discrimination are challenges South African students face on a regular basis. Added to this, suicide is the second leading cause of death on campus after accidents. To manage these sensitive matters, institutions need a strategic solution for student conduct and behavioural intervention management. It is also important that students have access to a safe space where they can report issues in a user-friendly, simple and confidential manner. And with improved access to vital information, institutions can develop proactive strategies not only to react to incidents, but to pre-empt where necessary.

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A Student Information System automates and streamlines your institution’s academic and administrative processes – addressing the complete student lifecycle.

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

Student Information Systems

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The future is now

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Advance tertiary education management

Many tertiary institutions were faced with a registration crisis this year. Never ending lines of students waiting to be helped, late applications, rejected NSFAS applications, walk-ins who want to register to name a few challenges. While most tertiary institutions have online registration portals, these portals only serve one purpose – registration. Institutions need a central point of information, where data is collected and accessed for informed decisions. This is just one of the benefits that a Student Information System can offer.

A Student Information System or SIS automates an institutions administration and management systems. As complex as this may sound, this process actually streamlines the way an institution is managed. Saving time, human resources and energy, while creating more efficient management systems. Other benefits include:

·        Registration simplified: Students can register remotely via the SIS, but also pay fees, enroll for specific courses and access relevant information for these courses.

·        No more manual paperwork: automated administration means information in the system can be pulled through to populate report, track students and capture any relevant data.

·        Communication: With access to student information, what they are studying, contact details, their process – institutions can communicate with students via the SIS ensuring smooth communication.

·        Course content generation: Create course content via the SIS platform and manage these courses through the same system.

·        Manage data: With 1000s of students, managing data has to be seamless for it to be effective. A SIS offers one central point where all information can be accessed in an organised and effective manner. User-friendly dashboards offer access to relevant information about a student, course or faculty at the touch of a button – in real-time.

Interested in a SIS for your institution – submit your details for a free, obligation free demo.

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A Student Information System automates and streamlines your institution’s academic and administrative processes – addressing the complete student lifecycle.

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation

Edtech Insights March 2019

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EdTech Insights

The future is now

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A New Academic Year

In 2018 we reached a milestone, celebrating 20 years of being in the Edtech space. It created the opportunity for us to highlight success stories, review our challenges and achievements, but also to consider our next 20 years.

A much-discussed topic of 2018, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is becoming more relevant to our immediate and long-term future. With the speed at which technology is developing, we are on the doorstep of this revolution, peering into a world where the lines between digital, physical and biological spheres become blurry. Virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence are changing the role of humans in society, and more specifically, the economy. But this does not mean humans will become obsolete. We have to reinvent the way we apply ourselves in the work place, the way we interact with each other and with technology. For this change to realise, we must, in fact, adapt our communication; the way we learn and the way we teach.

In 2019, more than ever, the way we understand and immerse ourselves in technological tools is of high relevance the future. But even more so, how we value our ‘humanness’ and develop our skills to differentiate ourselves within this steadily developing hybrid economy. As a technology company, we are committed and ready to meet these challenges. Finding solutions that enhance and support education and communication. Solutions that harness the power of technology to help learners, students and teachers apply their unique set of skills – those that make them human – optimally in the work place.

We look forward to working with you to achieve this, to future proof your institutions and organisations for tomorrow – starting today.

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We look forward to working with you to achieve this, to future proof your institutions and organisations for tomorrow – starting today.

Eiffel Corp

Education. Technology. Innovation