Empowering the first year university student for success through personal development and the use of technology Anusha Govender Dept of Information Technology Email : Anushag@dut.ac.za  

Challenges in teaching and learning 2. Interventions in the Department of IT (ECP) 3. Personal Development 4. Use of Technology 5. Findings 6. Conclusion

1. Some of the challenges in teaching and learning Adjusting to university life Students do not have access to their own device (laptop or tablet) Learning takes place in compartments/silos

Interventions in the Department of IT Challenges Solutions Adjusting to university life FYSE Lack of resources (Laptop, Tablet Department provided a device for each student Learning takes place in compartments Make learning meaningful, relevant, integrated tasks

4. Personal Development Habit Description 1. Be Proactive You are the force for positive action in your life. You have to look at yourself and change actions that aren’t helpful 2. Begin with the end in mind Decide what your goals are or your destiny will be decided by others 3. Put first things first You have to do what’s important before doing less important things. Don’t procrastinate 4. Think Win-Win There doesn’t have to be a loser in a relationship. Aim to win for yourself while allowing others to win for themselves 5. Seek first to understand and then to be understood You have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Learn to listen to what others say before saying what you want 6. Synergize You can go further and faster with the help of others than you can go alone 7. Sharpen the saw Your mind and your body are both you. You have to take care of yourself physically to do your best mentally

Overview of Skills Development 1A Academic literacy, Numeracy 2 Groups (30 students) 5 Hearing-impaired students Research-based assignment Reflective journal Group work

4. Use of Technology Internet (Google) Microsoft Word and Excel BlackBoard Safe Assign Rubrics Self-Test Journal for reflection All IT Subjects in ECP – use Blackboard /Edmodo extensively

5. Findings thus far Student : Coping with University life – ability to manage stress Becoming responsible learners Maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle Ability to work in groups – personality clashes Increased level of confidence Improvement in writing skills – Reflective Journal Learning sign language Excitement for learning Academic (Work-in-progress): Reflect on your practice and continuously improve with confidence

6. Conclusion “We all have the potential to be better than we are “ Dalai Lama “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” Dr. Wayne Dyer