Blog Archive

See all blog posts in our blog archive. Click on a headline to read the teaser.

RCCPII Wraps Up › Closing Out the RCCPII Capacity Development Initiative

In 15 months we reached 1,180 people from 74 organisations (including 25 out of 26 publicly funded universities). Read More ›

The Power of Online Meetings › RCCPII Collaborates Internationally to Create Awareness of Online Meetings

Throughout the time that RCCPII ran, we realised that a very large percentage of researchers, students, and support staff at South African Universities, is not using online meeting platforms regularly. We want to change that and help our colleagues grow the capacity to meet with anyone, from anywhere to learn, collaborate, teach and more. Read More ›

Carpentries Instructor Training › Feedback from the first Carpentries Instructor Training at the East Coast of South Africa

In March 2019, staff and students from UKZN, UNIZULU, MUT, UFH, Rhodes, and TENET participated in the sixth in-person Software and Data Carpentry Instructor Training in South Africa. Read More ›

Data Carpentry Workshop › First Carpentry Workshop at Sol Plaatjie University

From 18 to 20 March 2019 academics and students from one of the youngest South African Universities, had the privilege to participate in a Data Carpentry workshop at SPU. Read More ›

Identity Management & Federation › RCCPII and SAFIRE to Host Identity Management & Federation Workshop

In recent years, the ability to access shared resources, data, and services has become a hot topic for organisations involved in tertiary education and research. Proper identity management practices and strategies lie at the heart of federation. RCCPII and SAFIRE are hosting a workshop in March to further develop competency at universities and other institutions and to help establish a community of practice around these topics. Read More ›

Carpentries Instructor Training › Instructor Training Goes to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal

From 18 - 20 March 2019 researchers, postgraduate students, IT, and library staff will be able to learn how to teach programming during an in-person Carpentries Instructor Training workshop hosted at University of KwaZulu Natal. Read More ›

Blended Learning eConversation › Using Blended Learning Tools and Videos in University Teaching

In February we will hear from Elne van Niekerk (NWU) and Justin Pringle (UKZN) about blended learning tools and technologies they use or support in the tertiary teaching landscape. Read More ›

Digital & Computational Literacy Workshop › Data Carpentry workshops come to UNIZULU and WSU

In January 2019, staff and students at University of Zululand and at Walter Sisulu University learned about data organisation, data cleaning, analysis, manipulation, and visualisation through two Data Carpentry workshops partially funded through RCCPII. Read More ›

Digital & Computational Literacy › RCCPII & DUT Partner to Bring Carpentries to DUT Tech Week

In December 2018 RCCPII will partner with both DUT and UKZN to help build the regional Carpentries community and equip staff and students with critical digital and computational skills. Read More ›

Digital & Computational Literacy Workshops › UNIVEN Hosts Third Carpentries Workshop

The first Data Carpentry workshop at UNIVEN was funded by RCCPII in 2016. The workshop was such an overwhelming success that two learners became instructors and hosted a second workshop in 2017. This year, RCCPII once again worked with staff and students at UNIVEN to bring a workshop to Thohoyandou. Read More ›

Digital & Computational Literacy Workshop › SMU Staff and Students Learn Programming and Data Analysis

From 31 October - 2 November 2018, staff and students at Sefako Makghato Health Sciences University learned about data organisation, data cleaning, analysis, manipulation, and visualisation through a Data Carpentry workshop partially funded through RCCPII. Read More ›

eLearning › 3rd Blended Learning SIG Meeting Planned for November 2018

A year after the first meeting of the ASAUDIT Blended Learning SIG, RCCPII will host the third meeting in Johannesburg in November 2018. This event will build on activities and outcomes from previous meetings and will also include presentations from industry and academia. Read More ›

Mentorship › Next Round of Online Training Opens for Carpentry Instructors

Based on the positive feedback received after the previous round of online training for our Carpentry instructors, we decided to run another iteration of the Data Carpentry Ecology Workshop with R to help our instructors build confidence and competence to teach this workshop. Read More ›

Exploring Opportunities › RCCPII Road Trip to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal

In the first week of October, the RCCPII Capacity Development Programme will be visiting universities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal to explore new opportunities for collaboration and support. Read More ›

Building Bridges for Digital & Computational Literacy › CarpentryConnect JHB 2018

From 3 - 7 September 2018, lecturers, IT professionals, librarians, and others came together to grow their own digital and computational skills and to learn how to teach others. Read More ›

eLearning › ASAUDIT Blended Learning SIG Meeting Planned for June

In November 2017 the first meeting of the Blended Learning SIG established by members of ASAUDIT took place in Stellenbosch. In June 2018 the group plans to come together again to report back and explore further topics of relevance to blended learning and teaching technologies in higher education in South Africa. Read More ›

Mentorship › RCCPII and Task Force Pioneer New Mentorship Programme to Boost Instructors' Confidence and Competence

Over the past three years almost 100 researchers and students at South African universities received training as Carpentry instructors. Instructor training covers evidence-based best-practices of teaching and provides opportunities to practice and build teaching skills. Due to various reasons many of our trained instructors have not yet taught or have not yet completed their qualification. We set out to understand the causes for this and to implement some solutions. Read More ›

eConversation Series › RCCPII Launches eConversation Series

In 2017 the North-West University's eResearch Initiative ran a series of online conversations where students and staff could learn about and discuss trends in academia and research. The sessions were very popular and RCCPII decided to follow up by running one online eConversation per month to discuss topics relevant to support staff, researchers, lecturers and students at South African academic and research institutions. Read More ›

Carpentries Instructor Training › Feedback from the first Carpentry Instructor Training for 2018

From 21 to 23 February 2018 researchers, postgraduate students, IT, and library staff participated in the fourth in-person Software and Data Carpentry Instructor Training workshop in South Africa. Read More ›

Carpentries Instructor Training › First Carpentry Instructor Training for 2018

From 21 to 23 February 2018 researchers, postgraduate students, IT, and library staff will be able to learn how to teach programming at the fourth in-person Software and Data Carpentry Instructor Training workshop in South Africa. Read More ›