NUST Centres and Institutes

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The cost of land registration: A case study of cost efficiency in Namibia.
(Taylor & Francis, 2003) De Vries, Walter; Lewis, Joe; Georgiadou, Y.
In the light of the global discussion on reducing public and private expenditure on cadastral processes and services, this article reviews the transaction costs of land registration, based on data gathered in Namibia. The data show a large differentiation in the types of costs incurred in the process, as well as various levels of cost recovery. In addition, the degree to which delays in the operational registration processes influence the total cost to land developers and landowners is reviewed.
Optical remote sensing in support of eutrophication monitoring in the southern North Sea.
(European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL)., 2004) De Cauwer, Vera; Ruddick, Kevin; Park, Young-Je; Nechad, Bouchra; Kyramarios, Michael
Spring mean and maximum chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations are main factors to determine the eutrophication status of the Belgian waters as agreed within OSPAR in 2002. Other important assessment parameters to measure the degree of nutrient enrichment - the amounts of inorganic phosphate and nitrogen in winter - appeared to be above thresholds for most measurements performed in the period 1974-2002. As the standard in situ monitoring programme does not give a clear picture of the temporal and spatial distribution of chl a, it is logical to complement these measurements with optical remote sensing. However, chlorophyll concentrations derived from sensors such as SeaWiFS are unreliable in the Case 2 waters of this region because of high particulate and dissolved yellow substance absorption. Another important limitation of ocean colour sensors is the amount of useful images due to cloud cover. The combination of data from different ocean colour sensors in order to enable a better temporal coverage might be hampered by the different chlorophyll retrieval algorithms used. This study compares different global chl a algorithms (MODIS, SeaWiFS, MERIS) as well as a turbid water algorithm for the Southern North Sea. This is done by running the different algorithms on in situ reflectance spectra collected at 107 stations in the period 2001-2002 over the Southern North Sea and comparing them with in situ chl a concentrations, as well as by running the algorithms on a MERIS image of the 29th of July 2002. Based on this validation the accuracy of these products and their suitability for eutrophication monitoring in the Southern North Sea are assessed.
Evaluating the quality of student support services at the University of Namibia's Centre for External Studies.
(Namibian Open Learning Network Trust (NOLNet)., 2005) Möwes, Delvaline
Distance education and open and flexible learning policies have done much to extend accessibility to higher education throughout Namibia. However, open and distance learning is not just a move away from learning in the classroom. It is a complete paradigm shift and when delivering learning materials outside the classroom, across any distance, it is important that technologies and techniques support students. Against this background, this paper reports on a research project concerned with various issues related to student support services in the University of Namibia’s distance education system. Evaluation and student opinion are important sources of information needed to identify strengths and weaknesses in a support system, and areas where improvements need to be made. This paper specifically summarises recent data on the evaluation of student support services provided to distance education students at the northern campus of the University of Namibia. The results of the study have provided evidence that adult distance education students expect and indeed value the provision of student support services. Specifically, students in this study placed the greatest importance on student support services related to getting started with their studies, for example orientation sessions about available student support services; contact and communication with tutors and fellow students by means of vacation schools, face-to-face tutorials on Saturdays at regional centres and support through tutor-marked assignments and study groups. The research further found that students expected specific guidance and support from tutors within a largely directive framework. From student data, their expectations, analysis and review of different teaching and learning models in distance education, and extrapolating from personal experience, the author suggests a model of support services for distance education students. The paper concludes with recommendations and implications for institutional policy and the crucial role of management in the establishment of an effective student support model to facilitate open and distance learning.
The role of open and distance learning in institutional transformation: The NUST experience.
(Namibian Open Learning Network Trust (NOLNet)., 2005) Möwes, Delvaline
Open learning through distance education has come to be accepted as a well-recognised mode of education and training relevant to, and necessary for meeting the emerging demands of the Namibian society. Areas until now unreached by the conventional education system are gradually being taken care of by the open learning system in Namibia. This paper reports on the changed nature of the role of universities in developing countries. Specifically, the author argues that the NUST, while remaining a university of academic excellence and creative thought, was prepared to transform its conventional role of transferring knowledge to the number of students it could accommodate in classrooms. The NUST, through its Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning, has become within the short period of ten years an institution that seeks to provide knowledge and academic expertise to a much wider community than could be reached through on-campus teaching. The NUST can now, through distance learning techniques and open learning philosophies, reach out to the whole community in which it serves. This required not only new initiatives and approaches to teaching and delivering degrees, but also an acceptance that the most sophisticated concepts can be taught in formats that off-campus students can understand. The NUST transformed into a truly dual-mode university, recognising the equal importance of open and lifelong learning programmes to the more conventional programmes of full-time on-campus studies and research. Through its Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning the NUST indicates that open and distance learning has the ability to provide a rich learning environment in a flexible, effective and interactive manner, provided careful design and implementation approaches are adopted. This paper specifically examines the recent initiatives and the major design and implementation strategies at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning. The author concludes that the Centre’s initiatives have clearly proven that there can be little doubt that instructional design and provision of sound administrative and academic support can effectively meet the training needs of off-campus students and is at the centre of quality distance education.
Building Namibia for competitiveness through Open and Distance Learning: A critical review.
(Namibian Open Learning Network Trust (NOLNet)., 2005) Asemota, O. O.
Throughout human history, learning has been a continuous process acquired through the three methods of education, training and development. Traditionally, formal learning has been restricted to the classroom setting. But, as the society develops, a paradigm shift occurs in the system of impacting knowledge to people. In the older system, people move towards the classroom to acquire knowledge, but now education is brought to the people wherever they are and in whatever circumstances they may be. Every society is always confronted with one form of competition or another, and except countries develop their peoples through education and human capital formation, their economies stagnate. Consequently, the quality and quantity of all educational opportunities accessible to its citizenry determine their levels of industrialisation and human development indices. From the foregoing, the paper attempts to examine the history of the formal school system, open and distance learning vis-à-vis the primary, secondary and tertiary educational settings, in Namibia. More specifically, the paper will assess the strategies adopted by government in making education available to all, through open and distance learning and to further recommend ways on how open and distance learning could be managed for competitive advantage and optimum benefits.
Assessing potential to produce final ocean colour maps of Namibia`s marine environment: Final report for BCLME/UNOPS PCU/POLYTECH/05/01 MODIS.
(Benguela Curent Large Marine Ecosystem Programme (BCLME)., 2006) De Cauwer, Vera
Seaborne measurements of near infrared water-leaving reflectance: The similarity spectrum for turbid waters.
(American Society of Luminology and Oceanography, 2006) Ruddick, Kevin; De Cauwer, Vera; Park, Young-Je; Moore, Gerald
Theory and seaborne measurements are presented for the near infrared (NIR: 700–900 nm) water-leaving reflectance in turbid waters. According to theory, the shape of the NIR spectrum is determined largely by pure water absorption and is thus almost invariant. A ‘‘similarity’’ NIR reflectance spectrum is defined by normalization at 780 nm. This spectrum is calculated from seaborne reflectance measurements and is compared with that derived from laboratory water absorption measurements. Factors influencing the shape of the similarity spectrum are analyzed theoretically and by radiative transfer simulations. These simulations show that the similarity spectrum is valid for waters ranging from moderately turbid (e.g., water-leaving reflectance at 780 nm of order 1024 or total suspended matter concentration of order 0.3 g m23) to extremely turbid (e.g., reflectance at 780 nm of order 1021 or total suspended matter of order 200 g m23). Measurement uncertainties are analyzed, and the air-sea interface correction is shown to be critical for low reflectances. Applications of the NIR similarity spectrum to atmospheric correction of ocean color data and to the quality control of seaborne, airborne, and spaceborne reflectance measurements in turbid waters are outlined.
Instructional design challenges within the NUST.
(Commonwealth of Learning., 2006) Frohlich, Georgina
Education in Namibia, since independence (1990), is underpinned by learner-centred and social constructivist learning theories. Within the NUST’s Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) efforts are being made to ensure that instructional material are in line with these learning theory principles. However, for varying reasons educationalists are struggling to implement these principles in practice. Additionally, in a world where technology is king and e-learning is rapidly becoming the norm in distance education circles, Namibia’s status as a developing country is limiting its ability to electronically interact with its students. As a consequence, Namibia is at a beginner stage for e-learning, and print-based materials are still the major medium of instruction. This paper outlines the need for COLL to rely on appropriately developed print-based instructional materials for learner support. Initial research has focused on investigating COLL’s instructional materials alignment with the education principles subscribed to in Namibia and on the perspectives of writers on the support they get as writers of distance education instructional materials. Analysis of the results will help develop strategies to improve print-based instructional materials, through the support of writers.
Mapping of the BCLME shoreline, shallow water & marine habitats: Physical mapping project.
(Benguela Environment Fisheries Interaction & Training Programme (BENEFIT), Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) Programme, 2007) De Cauwer, Vera
REEECAP Project 1.3 - Energy efficiency in the tourism sector in Namibia: EE competition 2007.
(2007) REEEI
The objective of this project is to enhance energy efficiency (EE) in the tourism sector of Namibia. This project aims at making as many tourism enterprises aware of the opportunities of more EE and to reward those who are already implementing EE measures in their lodges, farms, hotels, pensions and community based camp sites or tented camps.
Tourism, culture and development: Hopes, dreams and realities in East Indonesia.
(NUST of Namibia, Department of Communication., 2008) Nyakunu, Elias
Experiences of working with the COL electronic template.
(Commonwealth of Learning., 2008) Frohlich, Georgina
At PCF-4 2006 in Jamaica, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) launched an electronic template designed for the development of distance education instructional material. In this paper I discuss the experiences of working with the COL electronic template. These discussions mainly revolve around how the writers, who are often novices with the use of computers and writing of distance education instructional material, cope with the two tasks, and in the process develop professionally. This paper will outline the changes made within the template to suit the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) House Style Manual and how it has helped to improve the quality of instructional material. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the template within the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning with the hope that such information can be transferred as lessons learned to other open and distance learning institutions thinking about using such a tool.
National ODL policy development for Namibia.
(Commonwealth of Open Learning., 2008) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe; Möwes, Delvaline; Murangi, Heroldt; Beukes, Jerry; Bennett, Norah
Open and distance learning in Namibia: Country report submitted to the Advocacy Workshop on Distance Education and Open Learning, held in Mauritius from 10-11 April 2008.
(Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)., 2008) Möwes, Delvaline
Paper discusses how to implement ODL activities at both pre-tertiary and tertiary level in the Namibian public sector,four publicly-funded institutions provide ODL programmes: the Centre for External Studies at the University of Namibia (UNAM-CES), the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning at the NUST (PoN-COLL), the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) and the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED).
Determining how the faculty at the NUST are responding to the introduction of e-learning in the form of blended learning.
(NUST, Department of Communication., 2008) Kangandji, Leena
This study was conducted to guide the management at the NUST on how to address the challenges the institution faces with regard to the effective implementation of e-learning. The study focused on the reasons for the use and non-use of e-learning by faculty. The study also gave faculty the opportunity to state what they would need from the institution to incorporate e-learning in their courses. The results of this study show that faculty are in favour of using e-learning but need the management to recognize that using e-learning will change the current institutional framework. Workload implications for using e-learning, infrastructure, access to the technology, training, user and technical support are all areas that need to be addressed before faculty will be willing to fully embrace e-learning. The management needs to provide leadership, direction and support for the faculty while addressing their concerns in a positive manner.
Branding a destination in a political crisis: Re-learning, re-thinking and re-aligning strategies.
(NUST, Department of English Communication., 2009) Ndlovu, Joram; Nyakunu, Elias; Heath, Ernie T.
Contested election results or coups de dat have triggered political violence that has swept across a number of African countries, negatively affecting their tourism destinations. Thus, a political crisis can cause a significant disaster since it has the potential of impacting negatively the smooth operations of the tourism industry. This paper discusses the prospects of branding destinations and the opportunities thereof. Destination branding literature reveals that every destination should include crisis management strategies in its tourism planning processes, management activities and destination marketing programmes. The paper concurs that destination branding should be married with crisis management strategies in order to turn a crisis into a profitable opportunity. However, in the prevailing fragile, economic and political conditions the traditional notion of positioning a destination is no longer effective. Destination Marketing Organisations need to position their destinations in such a way that, despite uncertain conditions, they can exploit the scarce windows of opportunities. The paper proposes that in this ever increasing non-linear world, it is only the non-linear strategies that can create new tourism wealth. The paper concludes that though destination branding is an essential tool for positioning a destination, in order to be effective, Destination Marketing Organisations need to re-learn the destination strategy process, re-align their strategies and decisions.
Green labelling, eco-certification and fair trade: Threats and opportunities for Namibia.
(NUST, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Institute (REEEI)., 2009) Ndhlukula, Kudakwashe; Du Plessis, Pierre; Montgomery, Sharon (Ed.)
Labels serve the purpose of allowing consumers to make comparisons and informed choices from among products and or services in a category. Environmental labels focus primarily on consumption rather than production of goods. Organic labels specify a particular production method without necessarily requiring proof of environmental improvement. Ecolabels communicate the environmental impacts over the life cycle of the product – “from cradle to grave”
Review of electricity policy planning in Namibia.
(NUST, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Institute (REEEI)., 2009) Ndhlukula, Kudakwashe
Namibia’s White Paper on Energy Policy of 1998 is focussed on meeting seven energy goals; security of supply, social upliftment, effective governance, investment and growth, economic competitiveness, economic efficiency and sustainability. The same policy document states that the promotion of the use of renewable energy would be driven through the establishment of adequate institutional and planning framework, the development of human resources, public awareness and suitable financing systems. In an effort to meet these goals, a number of projects and programmes were initiated, implemented and facilitated by the Government and through partnerships with developmental organisations and the private sector.
Are urban land tenure regulations in Namibia the solution or the problem?
(Taylor & Francis, 2009) De Vries, Walter; Lewis, Joe
Land tenure in Namibia is regulated by a variety of Acts, some of which date back to as far as 1937, and some of which are yet to be approved by Cabinet. This variety of Acts makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of land administration as a whole, and the appropriateness of coercive instruments with regards to urban land tenure in particular. In this article we evaluate how urban land tenure regularization practices are conducted in Namibia, and to compare new formal procedures, designed to address problems of efficiency and efficacy, to older existing procedures, supposedly not efficient or effective. This evaluation uses a theoretical framework of (Pritchett and Woolcock, 2004) , which deals with public service delivery and transaction-intensive services. Applying this framework for a comparative analysis of 5 different land subdivision practices – each relying on a different land-related act - we conclude that the degree of regulation and regularization is perhaps not so much a solution for urban land tenure problems but perhaps more of a problem in itself.
Emerging trends of higher education in developing countries.
(University "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" Iasi, 2010) Ravinder, Rena
Quality in Higher Education has become a primary agenda of the countries worldwide. In the context marked by expansion of higher education and globalization of economic activities, education has become a national concern in developing countries with an international dimension. To cope with this changing context, developing countries have been pressurized to ensure and assure quality of higher education at a nationally comparable and internationally acceptable standard. It is generally acknowledged that globalization has created tremendous impacts on higher education in this first decade of twenty-first century. Externally, there have been unprecedented changes both at global and national context. The benefits of globalisation accrue to the countries with highly skilled human capital and it is a curse for the developing countries in frica, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean without such specialised human capital. This paper delves the recent trends of higher education in developing countries. It addresses the various challenges of higher education in the developing countries in the context of 21st century. Besides, the paper examines the response of higher education to globalization in developing countries and discusses the major challenges that the globalization brought to higher education.

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