Our first DUT Data Day (D³) was held as an Exhibition of data at the end of August 2019. This year, our event will take place virtually during the first week of November. Data Day (or Days) provides an opportunity for the DUT community to showcase and learn about the different types of data, and how we use data at our university. This focus on institutional data and on understanding the importance of applying data to guide decision making within our institution contextualises DUT Data Day(s) within the field of empirical Institutional Research which is applied research about an institution, for that institution – in our case, DUT.

#D³Envision2030

We know that the focus of our new strategic plan has broadened from a student-centred to a more inclusive people-centred institution. We know that this requires our people, staff and students, to be actively engaged in their work and studies. We know that we wish to develop into an innovative and entrepreneurial institution of higher education which enables our people to participate productively in developing our region, country and the world. DUT Data Day is about Knowing, Doing, Impacting and Transforming. As the University begins implementing its new strategic plan, what existing and new data are important in helping us move towards achieving our vision and our 12 strategic objectives? How are we using data for planning, decision-making and improving what we do, and in this way, help transform DUT into an institution that participates productively in society and contributes to the improvement of lives and livelihoods?

The D³ event this year will be held in byte-sized sessions over five days from 2^nd – 6^th November from 13h00 onwards on MS Teams. We open the event with a Panel discussion by invited external speakers, each of whom engage with data at a practical level across various sectors of society. The next three days are devoted to data presentations and discussions aligned to the four perspectives of DUT’s strategic plan, namely Stewardship, Systems & Processes, Sustainability and Society. We close the event on the fifth day with a Panel discussion by our Senior Executives on their evidence-led management practices. The panel includes the DVCs, the CFO, Registrar and the Director – Midlands. We have an exciting programme lined up and hope that you can join us as a presenter or as an audience participant to discuss, to learn and to share ideas and activities about data and how data are and can be used to inform decision-making and progress both at DUT and in society at large.

For an explanation of the four Perspectives and 12 Strategic Objectives of Envision 2030 click here: Envision 2030

D3 programme

Everyone can join us on MS Teams each day in one easy click here: DUT Data Day

Don’t forget this exciting event! You can add it to your calendar by downloading and accepting here: DownloadCalendar

Please see the link to the Programme for more information on the presentations.

Monday, 2^nd November (13:00 – 14:30)

Panel Presentation: The Role of Data in the World of 2030 and Beyond

Panelists:

Mr. D. Albrecht (Digital Planet)

Mr. R. Gevers (Open Cities Lab.)

Dr. A. Marais (Foundation for Space Development)

Mr. A. Vally (Microsoft South Africa)

Tuesday, 3^rd November to Thursday, 5^th November (13:00 onwards)

Envision 2030

Friday, 6^th November (13:00 – 14:30)

Panel Presentation: Using Data to Transform DUT

Panelists:

Prof. S. Moyo, DVC RIE

Prof. N. Sibiya, DVC T&L

Dr. I. Machi, DVC P&O

Dr. T. Pillay, Registrar

Dr. J. Molete, Director Midlands

Ms. N. Dhumazi, CFO

#D³KnowingDoingTransforming

We invite you to consider the various ways in which data has been/is being/will be used to inform the planning, processes and policies in your department, division or faculty aligned to the four perspectives and 12 strategic objectives of Envision 2030. This could include:

• What data do you collect currently?
• How do you collect the data?
• For what purposes are the data used?
• How are the data important in relation to Envision 2030?
• What other data do you consider important for Envision 2030 that you plan to collect?
• What are some of the key findings/learnings emanating from the current data?
• How do you share these learnings with other DUT stakeholders?

In other words, how are you, as DUT staff or student, using data about the University and for the University to achieve Envision 2030? Come and share your insights, your knowledge, your plans and your practice with the wider DUT community.

#D³LetDataSpeak

We are inviting submissions for two types of data-sharing presentations namely Say it in Six (6- minute alternative media submission) and Take Two (2-minute video submission only). All Say it in Six presenters will receive a Certificate of Presentation.

PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED FOR THE BEST PRESENTATIONS!

Say it in Six

This submission type is open to DUT staff only. Each 6-minute presentation will be contextualised within a particular perspective of Envision 2030, namely Stewardship; Systems & Processes; Sustainability; and Society and one or more of its associated strategic objectives (See Envision 2030 Statement of Intent). Given the concise duration of this presentation, the following guidelines must be adhered to.

CONTENT

Three questions are to be addressed in your “Say it in Six” presentation, namely:

1. What are the types of data you compile/will be compiling within your division and what is their purpose aligned to the University’s strategic plan?
2. What are some of the key findings (or baseline data for 2020 if available)?
3. How are you using/will be using data to transform DUT in line with Envision 2030?

For example, suppose a focus of your work/study at DUT relates to the strategic objective of building a “Digital environment” and you collect/analyse/use data thereto pertaining. Then your presentation will address the three questions contextualised within the Systems & Processes perspective of Envision 2030, and the “Digital Environment” strategic objective.

FORMAT        

Your “Say it in Six” presentations can take any of the following media formats (or combination thereof):

• Pre-recorded video
• PowerPoint (if using, please see attached template Say in Six PowerPoint Template)
• Talking head (no PowerPoint/video)

REGISTRATION

Please register your “Say it in Six” presentation here Say it in Six by 21^st October 2020.

PRESENTATION

Kindly note that you are responsible for delivering your presentation during the session online irrespective of the format you choose. However, as a back-up contingency, if you wish, you may submit your pre-recorded video or PowerPoint presentation to the event organisers at Say it in Six Repository

Please use the following labelling guidelines for your presentation file when submitting:

Perspective_Your First Name and Surname

For example, if your presentation is contextualised under the Society perspective and your name is Donald Trump, then name the file:

Society_Donald Trump

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 28^th October 2020.

You are kindly requested to be available throughout the session to answer any questions that may arise.

Take Two

This submission type is open to DUT staff and students. This presentation is a 2-minute “selfie-style” video on your mobile phone/laptop and is particularly aimed at our students.

Remembering the focus of DUT Data Day is on Knowing, Doing, Impacting, Transforming within the context of DUT, your presentation must involve DUT data in some way – either data that you are already collecting/analysing or that you plan to, as part of your work or studies. While Data Day is not a forum for general research as such, you could use this platform to communicate any institutional research that you may be considering (i.e. research about, for or involving DUT).

CONTENT

You could answer each question in your video very concisely using the guidelines in the parentheses if you wish.

1. What DUT-related data do you currently collect/plan to collect/analyse? (I collect/analyse ….)
2. How/why is the data important to your work/study and for DUT? (The data is/are important because …)
3. What is one result/learning/recommendation from your current data that is important for DUT, e.g. can transform/improve DUT in some way? (One important finding is …)

FORMAT

Any appropriate video format (e.g. MP4) may be used. Please ensure that the length of your video is 2 minutes maximum.

Please use the following guidelines to “name” your video file when submitting:

If you are DUT staff:

Staff_Your First Name and Surname

For example, if your name is Donald Trump, then name the file:

Staff_Donald Trump

If you are a DUT student:

Student_Your First Name and Surname

Student_Donald Trump

You are kindly requested to be available throughout the session to answer any questions that may arise.

REGISTRATION

Please register your “Take Two” video submission here Take Two by 21^st October 2020

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Please upload your video to Take Two Repository by 26^th October 2020.

Meet the DUT Presenters

Best Presentation: Say it in Six

Perspective:      STEWARDSHIP

Presenter:        Kudayja Parker

Department:     Institutional Planning

The presentation highlighted the stewardship role of the Siyaphumelela Project in building a data culture at DUT and using data to inform systems, policies and processes at the University. Driven through the Institutional Planning office, the Project aims to improve throughput rates of undergraduate students who comprise over 95% of headcount enrolments. An important aspect of the Project’s work focuses on analyzing key student success related data and making these findings available to the various stakeholders at the University. Data were presented from the 2019 and 2020 First-year Student Survey (FYSS) on students’ experiences with  certain departments/activities with which they had engaged as part of the registration process. These included Recruitment, Registration, Cashiers and Orientation. The survey was administered at Orientation and through direct engagement with faculties. The 2-year comparison indicated that students’ experiences have improved and that overall, more than 60% of students in both 2019 and 2020 reported having a good or very good experience in their engagements with these departments. Recruitment showed the biggest improvement, but it is clear that there are still problems being experienced during registration. Students recommended that staff show greater patience and understanding, particularly with first-year students, and that better registration facilities including computers were needed to improve the registration experience. It is envisaged that the FYSS will be administered every year going forward to provide useful trend data for policy improvement purposes.

Perspective:      SYSTEMS & PROCESSES

Presenter:        Rajan Naicker

Department:     Management Information

The presentation outlined the core functions of Management Information (MI) at the University, namely:

• Preparation and submission of the statutory Higher Education Management Information (HEMIS) reports;
• Providing MI reports to internal and external stakeholders;
• Assisting in the co-ordination and tracking of the DUT enrolment plan.

Key 2020 student data and the audited 2019 performance indicators aligned to the DHET benchmark were presented. MI is part of the team that delivered PowerHEDA as a data warehouse solution for DUT and is instrumental in building relevant dashboards and providing support to staff for using PowerHEDA. The presentation detailed that 63 dashboards and 91 reports were developed and that 174 academic and support staff from faculties had attended training. In alignment with ENVISION2030, the department’s focus in terms of PowerHEDA activities will be on building capacity of staff in the use of data, creating customised reports and dashboards and developing analytics capacity for staff.

Perspective:      SUSTAINABILITY

Presenter:        Philisiwe Charity Cele

Department:     Research & Postgraduate Support Directorate

This presentation highlighted the work of the Research Information Management (RIM) office within the Research & Postgraduate Support Directorate. Amongst its many activities, the office provides statutory reporting of research data within the institution and externally.  The data are collated for purposes of measuring DUT’s research performance amongst other reasons. The alternative types of research output data presented included publications (journal articles, books, chapters in books), creative research, conference proceedings and postgraduate qualifications tracking.

DUT research output data trends show that as time progresses, DUT research performance improves significantly from 2018 to 2019 (669,93 to 684,79 output units) and we expect an increase of research publication units in 2020 also, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Data also revealed that DUT research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which means that it is relevant  to industry/society and continues to drive global solutions (i.e. global security, global health as well as global sustainability). In 2019, DUT recorded the highest income generated by research outputs to date, in the region of R45 million. The RIM division of the Research office continues to provide administrative and other support to the University’s research community to ensure financial sustainability in line with ENVISION 2030.

Perspective:      SOCIETY

Presenter:        Monique Marks

Department:     Urban Futures Centre (UFC)

A homelessness survey conducted in eThekwini by the Human Rights Research Council demonstrated that roughly 60% of homeless people in the City have a substance use disorder. These disorders include the problematic use of alcohol and drugs (both licit and illicit). In Durban, the illicit drug that is most widely used, and whose use is on the rise, is heroin in its ‘brown’ or impure form, also known as sugars, whoonga, or nyaope. Roughly 2000 homeless people were provided with shelter, ablutions facilities, and four meals a day during lockdown level 5 and 4, and into level 3. These temporary arrangements which took the form of tents, shelters and an underground parking were called safe spaces. Prof. Marks was part of a team assembled by the Deputy Mayor, Belinda Scott, to safeguard the homeless during lockdown. The Urban Futures Centre (UFC) managed a medical and psychosocial team to oversee withdrawals in the homeless safe spaces. Within two of these safe spaces the UFC, together with public health NGO, Advanced Access and Delivery established and managed a withdrawal management programme for those residents who were in moderate to severe withdrawal from heroin.
 

The programme involved the use of an opioid substitute called Methadone, which is used globally for treating heroin use disorders. Within a very short period of time, a dramatic improvement in the quality of life of the beneficiaries of the programme became evident. They began to take care of their personal hygiene. Those on chronic medications were reinitiated and became adherent. Most reconnected in some way with their families and significant others. They took up the opportunity for psycho-social intervention as a way of resolving the underlying problems which had resulted in drug use. Carte Blanche did an insert on this programme showcasing Durban as the most caring city during full lockdown in regard to the homeless population grouping. DUT was featured as a lead actor in this responsive intervention. With the support of the Municipality and the Ministry of Social Development, the Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre, located in Greyville was launched on the 28^th of October 2020 to provide permanent opioid substitution therapy (OST), amongst its other facilities. Presently roughly 200 people receive daily treatment and around 500 homeless and low-income people with a drug use disorder have accessed services at Bellhaven. The UFC@DUT aims to expand these services with ongoing financial and in-kind support from the private sector, non-government organisations, and government.

Best Student Video: Take Two

Presenter:        Tendai Chiwanda (Masters student)

Department:     DUT Writing Centre

Title:     Applicability of Graphic Facilitation for Ideation in Tertiary Institutions in South Africa

LINKS TO THE RECORDINGS

• DAY 1:   PANEL DISCUSSION (“The Role of Data in the World of 2030 and Beyond”)

                             https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8ea3b43a-d617-473a-be55-84fcb9229620

• DAY 2:   STEWARDSHIP

                             https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/923f69f9-8983-4d67-9a31-36740579cd06

•  DAY 3:   SYSTEMS & PROCESSES

                              https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/ff67476e-228f-417c-addb-76a0593554f5

• DAY 3:   SUSTAINABILITY

                            https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/31045028-f0e0-474b-9f07-caaa58eb38d1

• DAY 4:   SOCIETY

                             https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/b286e3a8-aabf-4278-ab68-0274cac341c0

• DAY 5:   PANEL DISCUSSION (“Using Data to Transform DUT”)

                             https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/2ce1cdc9-e1c0-44a9-b4da-cbfd3ef5cf08

Registration deadline for all presenters: 28^th October 2020

Click here Say it in Six to register for Say it in Six

Click here Take Two to register for Take Two.

Submission of Say it in Six presentations (Optional): 30^th October

Submit your presentation here Say it in Six Repository

Submission of “Take Two” videos: 30^th October

Submit your video here Take Two Repository

General Enquiries:

Please contact planningoffice@dut.ac.za

Say it in Six

Please address enquiries regarding content and presentation based on division/department to which you report:

DVC – P&O:  Ashton Maherry (ashtonm@dut.ac.za)

CFO: Ashton Maherry (ashtonm@dut.ac.za)

Registrar: Ashton Maherry (ashtonm@dut.ac.za)

DVC – Teaching & Learning including Faculties: Koo Parker (koo@dut.ac.za)

DVC – RIE: Koo Parker (koo@dut.ac.za)

Director – Midlands: Koo Parker (koo@dut.ac.za)

Take Two

Please address all enquiries to Mandla Lukubeni (mandlal@dut.ac.za)