After the Party - 17 August

So, this morning we had the long anticipated "Dean meets faculty" meeting.
It was TREMENDOUSly encouraging to have to many people attend.
It supports my initial gut-feel that the Faculty Staff are HIGHLY MOTIVATED and DEDICATED people. I also know that they are curious. (Unless some were just there for the food - which was good - even including Sushi!!!)
What was great was the response afterwards. Once again, there are three distinct reactions.
a. The cynics, who say, well, he'll soon learn that it just doesn't work that way here.
b. The silent majority who say, ok, so let's see what happens.
c. The enthusiasts who say - this is just the sort of push we need.
Ok, so the encouraging thing was that the cynics qualified their cynicism by adding - "but at least he is going to give it a try.
And, the silent majority is definitely positive about it.
Then, of course, I love the enthusiasts. They are good for the ego. BUT it was Matti Tedre who pointed out to me that there is NO relationship between enthusiasm and effort. Some enthusiasts use their enthusiasm to get the job done. Other enthusiasts feel terribly envigorated dream up huge schemes, and then get scared by the size of their own thoughts and do nothing.
So, my reaction to all this - I am sticking to my guns. I am continuing with a phased approach. I will think big - but I will start small.
It was such a good morning.

The department of Film and Video made a recording of the whole thing, and we'll put that on a DVD so that you can hold me to my promises (ha ha ha - unless I edit out the promises)

I was going to upload the PowerPoint here, but, alas I don't seem to be able to get Blogger to do that. So, here is a bulleted list version of the whole thing.


Informatics and Design: Towards an integrated future…
By Prof Johannes Cronjé

The Brief
•Your views pertaining to the challenges affecting or likely to affect the future operations of the Faculty
•Your plans for the Faculty
•Approach to maintaining and improving the teaching and research effort of the Faculty, and
•Approach to academic and administrative leadership and management
The Execution
•Use the ADDIE model that most designers know, and
•Combine it with Kaplan & Norton’s “Balanced Scorecard”
•Consider my own potential contribution
•Suggest a way forward

The ADDIE model of design and development
The balanced scorecard
•A tool for decision-making

The balanced scorecard
The design scorecard
Vision and Mission
•To be at the heart of Technology Education and Innovation in Africa
•Our mission is to develop and sustain an empowering environment where, through teaching, learning, research and scholarship our students and staff, in partnership with the community and industry, are able to create and apply knowledge that contributes to development.


Financial perspective
•To succeed financially how should we appear to our shareholders?
•Goal:
–Grow
–Sustain
–Harvest
•Question: Who are our shareholders?
Answer: Those who pay us
•Government subsidy on enrolments
•Student fees
•Government subsidy on research outputs
•Funds generated by continuing education
•Grants and donations
The design scorecard
Analysis (SWOT)
•Strength: Unique combination of art and science
•Weakness: Uneasy fit of different backgrounds, multiple campuses
•Opportunities: The rise of the creative class
•Threats: Michaelis, Stellenbosch, Independent colleges, e.g. Hugenot, Intec; Potential loss of focus through institutional drift
The design scorecard
Internal perspective
•To satisfy our shareholders and customers, what processes must we excel at?

Internal business processes
•Customer need identified
•Innovation process
•Operations process
•Post-sale service process
•Customer need satisfied
Identify customer need
•Short-term needs: Short courses, internally adjustable curricula, conferences, syllabi
•Long term needs: Sustainability, Masters’ and Doctoral studies, long-term development research
Innovation
•Combining resources
•New ways of teaching and learning
•Integrating research, teaching and supervision (the cascade system)
•Design and development research as a way of integrating art and science
Operations (teaching, research and community service)
•Constructionist teaching makes students researchers
•Web-based teaching and learning to integrate art and technology
•Emphasis on local relevance and international application
•International guest lecturers and researchers
•Development research as integrative factor between community needs and academic activity
The design scorecard
Design
•Remove the unnecessary
•Emphasize the unique
Design
•Iterative design – do what we are already doing but do it better
•Collaborative design – do things together to get different perspectives
•Participant design – share roles and responsibilities
•Community involvement in design projects
Learning and growth
•Employee capabilites
•Information system capabilities
•Motivation, empowerment & alignment
•Organisational learning
•Designing effective teams
Employee capabilities
•Training staff to operate in an improved model for teaching and learning in a technology-rich environment, with more emphasis on students learning by doing
•Capacitating staff to do independent research, in teams and to write research grant proposals
•Concentrating on reducing individualist behaviour that comes with the pressure of a radical change in the workplace
Information system capabilities
•“Grow your own corn” by designing IT systems to enable cooperation and management
•Optimise use of existing University infrastructure for better teaching, learning and communication
•Use free social software to enable international cooperation

Motivation, Empowerment and Alignment
•Performance management systems easily turn into de-motivators (extrinsic, anticipated, tangible, delayed)
•Need to find intrinsic motivators (Challenge, curiosity, control, fantasy)
•Empowerment of staff by increased use of committees – particularly composed of junior staff and senior students
•Aligning individual and organisational goals. E.g. staff who research and publish more, are more promotable – thus organisation and individual benefit
Organisational learning
•Kurz and Snowden
•Cronjé
Designing effective teams
•Mutual goal
•Individual accountability
•Positive interdependence
The design scorecard
Development and implementation
•Phased approach rather than turnkey
•Done together with a continuous analysis
•Creating a positive corporate culture
•Encourage ownership (“We” rather than “You”)
•Finding and keeping enthusiasm
•Steering committee
•Consultants: Internal and External
•Deal with critics early before they poison the system
•Look for angels in the executive office
•Honesty is the best policy
http://members.aol.com/AllenWeb/ERP_PM.html




Customer perspective
Who are our customers?
•Government
•University management
•Students
•Parents
•Employers
•Community
Customer perspective
•Market share
•Customer acquisition
•Customer retention
•Customer satisfaction
•Customer profitability
Evaluation
•Institutional Audit
•Departmental evaluation
•Employee performance assessment
•Evaluation of learning
Institutional audit
•Huge additional workload on all staff
•Requires meticulous slave driver to lead
•Committee to ensure deep penetration
•Every scrap of paper counts
•Internal audit before external audit
•Close support and monitoring
•A huge learning experience
Departmental evaluation
•Primarily a learning experience
•Encourage brutal honesty
•Use as a networking and marketing opportunity
•Way for the Dean to get to know the faculty
Employee performance assessment
•Huge dilemma in terms of fairness, remuneration and motivation
•Really de-motivational for those who are almost good enough
•Faulty assumption: The level of utilisation of a worker is determined by his own potential. Reason: Dependency (Goldratt)
•Correct attitude: to ensure you are used where you fit best
•Result: the 4 T’s Tolerate, Train, Transfer, Terminate
Evaluation of learning
•More than just counting the passes
•Kirkpatrick
–Response
–Learning
–Behaviour
–Organisational impact
–Return on investment ... That will bring us back to…
The design scorecard
So what do I offer?
•Teaching
•Research
•Community service
•Management
Teaching – wide range of:
•Experience: high school, first-year “Technikon”, undergraduate, masters (100+), doctoral (30+)
•Subjects: language, writing, public speaking, business communication, organisational behaviour, computers in education, instructional design, practical teaching, visual design, end-user computing, multimedia production
•Methods: Face-to-face, daily, evenings, blocks; Web-based, Video, Broadcast
Teaching: Visiting professor
•University of Bergen, Norway: Educational Management
•University of Joensuu, Finland: Computer Science
•Addis Ababa University: Education
•Sudan University of Science and Technology: Education
Teaching – Awards & Achievements
•Winner of first UP award for Education Innovation
•Winner of University of Pretoria chancellors’s Medal in the category Teaching & Learning for 2004
•Four of my alumni are professors
•One alumna is the Head of UNISA library

Research
•26 publications in accredited journals
•3 Chapters in books
•Partner in jointly funded projects with
•University of Bergen
•University of Joensuu
•CSIR
•SITES


Community service
•Director: Cornwall Hill College
•Reviewer: 4 International, 3 National journals
•Founder member SANTEC network
•Continuing Education @ UP – short courses. Turnover in 2006 half a million
Management
•Administration
•Leadership
•Consulting
•Networking
Administration
•Co-ordinator M.Ed (CIE)
•Founding co-ordinator M.IT
•Co-ordinator – Doctoral programme in Computers in Education (PhEdUP)
Leadership
•De facto Head of section for Computer-integrated Education
•Head of Residence: Kiaat
•Chair: UP Residence Council
Networking
•Alumni, current or provisional students at just about every university in South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana
•International links with
–Addis Ababa University
–Sudan University of Science and Technology
–University of Bergen, Norway
–University of Joensuu, Finland
–University of Georgia, USA
–Florida State University, USA

Consulting – Clients include
•Anglo
•De Beers
•Deloitte
•Standard Bank
•Absa
•Eskom
•BHP Billiton
•PetroSA


Way forward: Theory of Constraints
The Goal – is “to make money” (Goldratt)
•Identify the constraint
•Decide how to exploit the constraint
•Subordinate all other processes to the above decision
•Elevate the constraint
•If the constraint moves as a result, go to step 1
•Don’t let inertia become the constraint

The Deliverable
•Your views pertaining to the challenges affecting or likely to affect the future operations of the Faculty – Balanced Scorecard
•Your plans for the Faculty – ADDIE
•Approach to maintaining and improving the teaching and research effort of the Faculty – TOC
•Approach to academic and administrative leadership and management – What I offer
So, let the future begin…
By Prof Johannes Cronje

For:
Professorial English 101
•Always do X. Never NEVER, ever do Y EVER in your life ever…
•It might just be a good idea to…
Analysis
•Strengths
•Weaknesses
•Opportunities
•Threats
Strengths
•Staff
•Students
•Facilities
•Diversity

Weaknesses
•Diversity
•Spread across two campuses
•Overlaps
•Understaffed
•Lack of research confidence & experience
•Perceived “Cinderella” faculty

Opportunities
•Co-operation with industry – THRIPP
•International research cooperation: Finland, Holland, Sweden, Germany
•Co-ordinated Masters’ and Doctoral programmes
•Establishment of a community of scholars
Threats
•Cherry-picking by private providers
•Industry don’t know what we do
•Industry don’t know what we are worth
Design
•The goal is “To grow research capacity”
•Constraints identified:
–Time (Too many contact hours)
–Space (Not enough room for larger classes and other “batch processing”)
How to exploit the constraint
•Administration
•Teaching
•Supervision
•Research
•Community service
Administration
•Advance planning
•Streamlined processes
•Assistants
•Class captains
•Faculty manager
Teaching
•Lecturers are responsible for student learning.
•Students are responsible for making the most of the opportunities provided by the lecturers.
(Diana Laurillard – Rethinking University Teaching)
Teaching by improved…
•Strategies
•Techniques
•Technology
Improved strategies
•Set the exam first and then ensure that students are equipped to pass it.
•At the end of the year, reflect upon what worked and what didn’t.
•Consider: Batch processing, Team teaching, Subject integration, Internships
Improved techniques
•Peer tutoring
•Ask three then ask me
•Firms
•Big group, small group
•Rotated workstations (hot desks)
Improved technology
•WebCT
–24X7
–Testing to teach
–Communication
–Record keeping
–Student tracking
•SMS
•DVD
•PDA
•Podcasting
•Web 2.0 – Mxit, Facebook, Linked-in, Del.ici.ous, Blogger
•Teaching and learning committee
Supervision
•Cascading supervision
•A community of scholars
•Graduate committee (Subset of research committee)
Research
•Core function of a university.
•Yes, but…
–I was hired to teach…
–My field is not a research field…
–Nobody knows what research should be done at a university of technology – nobody knows what a university of technology is…
•Homo sapiens non urinat in ventum.
Technology research – A taxonomy
•How do we teach this technique?
•How do we improve this technique?
•What are the philosophies that underpin this technique?
Research philosophy
•Socially responsible research
•Pasteur’s quadrant
•Actor network theory
Research methodology
•Design research
Oberholzer’s Design Research Study
Oberholzer continued
Research strategy
•Establishment of a research development unit
•One-stop research stop
•Research professor
•Research editor
•Research teams
•Research networks
Community service
•In support of mainstream academic processes
•Use excess capacity
•Integrated with research
•Not charity:
–Opportunity for external sponsorship
–Recruitment tool
•Winter school
Putting it all together
•Plans for the Faculty, plans for you
•Save time by reducing overlaps
•Four special interest groups:
–ICT design
–Environmental design
–Media design
–Artifact design
Develop a strong central core
•Central theme: Design
•Commonalities – not a common first year, but common modules throughout
•Think “Farm School”
Your job
•Find a research question
•Develop a research passion
•Form creative partnerships
•Develop a career of scholarship
•Live your CV – Register it on NRF online
•Streamline your teaching and admin
Making time for research
•All courses on WebCT
•Schedule a research day
•Use your recess:
–Lie in the sun and tan
–Do private consulting
–Research and publish
My job
•To create an environment in which you can do your job.
•Thus, I work for you.
What I hope to do
•Create stronger HOD positions to bring decision-making power closer to you.
•Develop admin processes and policies in association with the new Faculty Manager.
•Create a winter school to allow you to make your own research money.
•Stimulate industry partnerships.
•Develop international partnerships and invite international visiting scholars and adjunct professors.
•Create opportunities for you to be trained – if you don’t train them, you can’t blame them.
•Develop an incentive system – tangible and intangible.
•Increase transparency.
•Focus our energy to create a community of scholars.
And finally
•Have enormous fun!

The beginning of the second month

On 1 August I signed an offer to purchase an old, rambling house in Newlands. So now we are committed. The kids can cycle to school, and it is ON the highway to work. Of course it is still a whole adaptation to realise that I cant just stroll over to the office if I forget something. Now, once you hit the highway, you must persevere.
I had a number of interesting meetings. Firstly there was a Dean's meeting. I find it a really nice, reassuring place. Once again, I am new, but still, I feel welcomed, and accepted. Then there was the Executive Committee of the Senate. Here's where the BIG GUNS are represented. I felt more than a little out of my depth, but the Vice Chancellor was very kind, and even explained to me the things that I was supposed to explain to the meeting. My instructions from Colin were to "Just sit there and act stupid". I promise you I did not have to act at all. I came over quite stupid enough. THEN, the exciting one was the Faculty executive. The energy is astounding. We did not get through half the agenda, even though Colin, who took the Chair, tried his level best to keep the thing brief and to the point. We will have to consider how we make that meeting more meaningful, though.
Last night there was the launch of the Environmental Resource Centre. It was highly exciting, and I can see that the departments of Multimedia, Film & Video, Photography and Journalism could have an absolute field day working in that centre. I took lots of business cards, and will soon be getting some stuff off the ground.
More importantly is that, there, I met just about the whole of the research section, and discovered that the University already had in place many of the things that I wanted to create. THUS, all we have to do is harness them. I have asked Juana to schedule a meeting to get the research initiative up to speed.
The really nice thing is that we are all very much looking forward.