Central University Of Technology Research Articles

An Ensemble Approach to Short-Term Wind Speed Predictions Using Stochastic Methods, Wavelets and Gradient Boosting Decision Trees

Considering that wind power is proportional to the cube of the wind speed variable, which is highly random, complex power grid management tasks have arisen as a result. Wind speed prediction in the short term is crucial for load dispatch planning and load increment/decrement decisions. The chaotic intermittency of speed is often characterised by inherent linear and nonlinear patterns, as well as nonstationary behaviour; thus, it is generally difficult to predict it accurately and efficiently using a single linear or nonlinear model. In this study, wavelet transform (WT), autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), extreme gradient boosting trees (XGBoost), and support vector regression (SVR) are combined to predict high-resolution short-term wind speeds obtained from three Southern African Universities Radiometric Network (SAURAN) stations: Richtersveld (RVD); Central University of Technology (CUT); and University of Pretoria (UPR). This hybrid model is termed WT-ARIMA-XGBoost-SVR. In the proposed hybrid, the ARIMA component is employed to capture linearity, while XGBoost captures nonlinearity using the wavelet decomposed subseries from the residuals as input features. Finally, the SVR model reconciles linear and nonlinear predictions. We evaluated the WT-ARIMA-XGBoost-SVR’s efficacy against ARIMA and two other hybrid models that substitute XGBoost with a light gradient boosting machine (LGB) component to form a WT-ARIMA-LGB-SVR hybrid model and a stochastic gradient boosting machine (SGB) to form a WT-ARIMA-SGB-SVR hybrid model. Based on mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), and prediction interval normalised average width (PINAW), the proposed hybrid model provided more accurate and reliable predictions with less uncertainty for all three datasets. This study is critical for improving wind speed prediction reliability to ensure the development of effective wind power management strategies.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE THAT SURVEYED DENTAL ASSISTANTS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL MEASURES WITHIN SOUTH AFRICAN ORAL HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

Objective: In-depth research was conducted to find a suitable tool for measuring the knowledge, attitude, and practice of infection prevention and control (IPC) among dental assistants within oral healthcare facilities (OHCFs) in South Africa. However, the results were unsatisfactory, indicating the need to develop and validate a unique questionnaire for this purpose. This article explains the process followed to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to survey knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) in Health Sciences. Methods: To develop and validate a questionnaire, the researcher conducted a literature review to understand the process involved. The initial version of the questionnaire was then drafted. In order to assess its reliability and validity, both objective and subjective evaluations were conducted. A total of 25 individuals formed part of the respective review panels, including five academics, two infection prevention and control experts, five dentists, seven oral hygienists, and six dental assistants from public and private OHCFs. These individuals performed the subjective evaluations of the draft questionnaire. The draft questionnaire was then administered to a group of 60 dental students from the Central University of Technology (CUT). The data obtained from this group enabled the researcher to perform further objective evaluations by applying statistical measures using a Microsoft Excel programme. The reliability of items in the Knowledge domain was determined by the Kuder Richardson (KR20) test, with Cronbach’s alpha applied to items within the Attitude and Practice domains. A conservative approach to the interrater agreement (IRA) assessed the overall reliability. A panel of reviewers determined the face validity. Content validity was determined by the average congruency percentage (ACP), item content validity (I-CVI) and scale content validity (S-CVI). Results: The final questionnaire addressed seven IPC themes and encompassed 188 items. The tests to determine the instrument’s reliability yielded satisfactory results. The KR-20 score ranged between 0.94 and 0.65. The Cronbach’s alpha for items probing Attitude ranged between 0.99 and 0.86, and Cronbach’s alpha for items investigating IPC practices ranged between 0.97 and 0.69. The alternative approach to the IRA yielded 91%, and the conservative approach was 74%. Similarly, the tests to determine the validity of the questionnaire also yielded satisfactory results, with an ACP of 94%, above 90% I-CVI for readability, clarity, and feasibility and the S-CVI of 74%. Conclusion: The results of the reliability and validity tests confirmed that the questionnaire is suitable to measure the IPC knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental assistants.

Applicability of Theoretical and Practical Entrepreneurial Training and Development Programs for Start-ups

The main aim of the study is to find the gap between expectations and perceptions of entrepreneurial students regarding the service quality of the Entrepreneurial Development Program (EDP) they are enrolled at the idea-GYM, Central University of Technology in the Free State Province, South Africa. Expectations of a customer or a student refer to the beliefs about a service delivered by a company or institution as a standard or reference point against which the performance of the service received afterwards is judged. Knowing what the customer or student expects is a very important departure point in overall service delivery process. Customer perceived value is all about the quality service received and the satisfaction levels around the received service. Satisfaction is generally the broader concept, while service quality is focused specifically on the service delivery dimensions. A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect the data from the EDP students on the program of 2021 and 2022. Students completed the questionnaire on expectations before they started with the EDP program and then after the last session of the program, they completed the perception questionnaire. The results indicated that there were differences between the expectations and perceptions of the students related specifically to empathy and tangible dimensions of service quality. There were some significant differences between the expectations and perceptions of the students towards the service quality of the EDP which in most cases the perceptions were higher than what they expected beforehand from the program. Research limitations: The data was only collected from the current students attending the EDP program in 2021 and 2022. Moreover, the study focused only on the EDP program and the content within the program. The research methodology of this study is based on a pre-evaluation (expectations of the EDP program) and a post-evaluation (perceptions of the EDP program) after they were done with the content of the program.

Outsmarting COVID-19 through rapid 3D printing and flipped learning in fixed prosthodontics

This paper describes the transformation of pre-Covid 19 educational practices in Fixed Prosthodontics at the School of Dentistry, University of Pretoria. The sudden need for social distancing limited access to the main preclinical skills laboratory, which was overcome by 3D-printed phantom heads that were rapidly produced by the Central University of Technology. This allowed preclinical training to continue in clinical spaces. The educational philosophy also had to be adjusted because contact time became limited. The traditional lecturer-centered approach followed (lectures, notes, demonstrations, practicals and log books) was transformed to a student-centered approach through the production of high quality audio-visual material that allowed students to prepare for practicals in advance. These materials provided learner support at chairside on computer screens and mobile devices and facilitated self-directed learning. Students were formatively assessed using a chairside computer system with the aim of developing competence. This short communication also discusses the lessons learnt from this innovative project and the change in educational philosophy.

Emergency LMS Training During COVID-19 at an African University of Technology

After the #FeesMustFall strikes that have been haunting South African universities since 2015, Instructional Designers felt pretty confident that they can drive their institutions through any dilemma. Along came the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic and they realised they have been playing in the kiddie pool all along. On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown level 5 to start on 26 March 2020 (Department of Health, 2020). Three days head start for a three-week lockdown (which was eventually extended till the time of writing) was a logistical nightmare for even the most technology driven universities. All staff were sent home with only enough time to grab their office plants and laptops and no idea how they were going to move forward. The issue with staff and students all working from home is that the lecturers working at the Central University of Technology (CUT), being primarily a face-to-face delivery university, was completely unprepared for moving their traditional and blended approaches to completely online. In their study, Mogeni, Ondigi and Mufo (2020) found that most of the investigated teachers were not empowered enough to deliver instruction fully online and either needed to be retrained, receive further specialised training or be trained completely from scratch. A lack of confidence in the delivery mode of instruction will cause even the most knowledgeable subject spcialist to fail in their task. At the CUT lecturers needed a way of quickly acquiring the necessary skills to deliver their content and assessments on the institution Learning Management System (LMS). The aim of this paper is to measure participant perspectives of an emergency intervention to facilitate the process of online delivery skills acquisition quickly and online. To ensure relevant results a systematic process of designing an intervention and recording participant perspectives is necessary. This extended abstract will take a look at the methods used to drive the paper, briefly discuss the results and findings, and lastly explore the implications and significance of the research for the use of higher education institutions for emergency LMS training. Keywords: LMS training; e-Learning; Online Instruction; Instructional Design

First-Year Students’ Views on Prescribed Book for Translation Practice: A Case Study of a South African University of Technology

Translation as a field of study is fairly new in South Africa because before 1994, the official languages were English and Afrikaans and everybody was expected to know and use those languages. Consequently, there is not much about translation practice that is written by South African authors. Following this, translation books from outside South Africa are generally used and prescribed, thus stifling inherent experiences, since little is written by the South Africans themselves. A total number of 46 language practice students participated in this quantitative study. This study explored challenges encountered by first year language practice students, when using their prescribed book, at the Central University of Technology, Welkom Campus. Results indicated that students were not benefitting maximally from using the prescribed book, which is by any standard an excellent book. The socio-cultural experiences of the students were missing, thus prevent students’ from mastering the subject content better. From the data collected, it is recommended, amongst other recommendations, that a bias towards books reflecting South African experiences be prioritized as well as also allowing students to participate in making book choices.

Preface

After successfully held for five times, the 2020 6th International Conference on Energy Materials and Environment Engineering (ICEMEE 2020) was held on April 24-26 via online platform due to the pandemic of COVID-19. ICEMEE 2020 was organized by AEIC Academic Exchange Information Centre and supported by Tainjin Academy of Environmental Science, Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College, Central University of Technology and the University of Nottingham. It was originally scheduled to be held in Tianjin City in China, but turned to online platform meeting due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, online ICEMEE 2020 provides a flexible way for holding a conference and enable more audience to join in this academic gathering. ICEMEE 2020 aims to disseminate the state-of-the-art advances to the experts and scholars in the field of Energy Materials and Environment Engineering all around the globe, and enhance the cooperation between China and other countries.List of Committee member, Honorary Chairs, Conference Chairs, Program Committees, Technical Committees, Organizing Committees, International Technical Program Committees are available in this pdf.

ENGAGING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN READING PROJECTS TO ENHANCE THEIR LEARNING

In Higher Education students encounter large reading materials which require them to be independent readers. Therefore, this makes reading an important academic activity at higher education institutions. Students in this sector engage with different texts and books in their academic years, primarily to acquire information and knowledge. However, they appear not to read other materials to gain insight and for pleasure. Engaging students in reading activities is of importance, hence, reading projects are essential to enhance their reading habits. The research was conducted at University of Technology, to investigate the role of reading projects at tertiary level regarding students learning and reading ability. The study used a qualitative method design to explore the students’ engagement in reading projects as to enhance their learning at the Central University of Technology, Free State. Focus group interviews were conducted with Reading Club members involved in reading projects. The findings of this study revealed that the reading projects made reading a shared pleasure, team effort and encouraged metacognitive focus upon learning. The study further provided insight into the role reading projects play in enhancing learning and promoting academic success.

Emerging response-abilities: a reflection on the 2019 SOTL in the South conference

The second biennial ‘SOTL in the South’ conference was held at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in October 2019. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) is gaining increasing traction in South African universities, and this conference was a collaboration between the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at CUT, and SOTL in the South. The theme of this conference was ‘Creating space for Southern narratives on Teaching and Learning’ and the keynote speakers were Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Joanne Vorster, Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Catherine Manathunga. In this piece I reflect on the conference and identify some of the narratives that emerged from it. I share some of the discussions by keynote speakers and presenters which help to expand discourses on the interconnectedness of decolonisation, and economic, social and environmental justice, and I explain why I look to ‘Southern SOTL’ for guidance in negotiating contradictions in my teaching and learning context. In this piece I consider the response-abilities of higher educators to contribute to these urgent matters.Key words: SOTL in the South, research in teaching and learning, global South, north-south, decolonisation, 4IR, fourth industrial revolution, response-abilityHow to cite this article:Cullinan Cook, S. 2020. Emerging response-abilities: a reflection on the 2019 SOTL in the South conference. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 4, n. 1, p. 69-85. April 2020. Available at: https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=135This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Innovation in small accommodation businesses: A comparative study of Zimbabwe and South Africa

Thesis (D. Tech. (Business Administration )) - Central University of Technology, Free State

Undergraduate students’ difficulties with motion of objects on horizontal and inclined surfaces

The purpose of this study was to investigate the conceptual knowledge of the motion of two objects on an inclined and/or horizontal surface, in undergraduate physics students at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), Bloemfontein campus. The study was conducted with 103 introductory to physics students in B.Ed. (FET) Natural Science programme in the faculty of Humanities as respondents. A pre-test was administered to test and investigate the students’ existing knowledge and was based on the concept of problem-solving. The results indicated that the majority (more than 80%) of students had major difficulties with where and how to start in order to solve the problems. They lacked basic knowledge of free-body diagram and vector analysis, as a result, they could not apply or deduce equations to solve. A follow-up remedial intervention was conducted to clear up the confusion and to assist them to acquire necessary and basic skills and knowledge of vector analysis, viz., free-body diagram, finding vertical and horizontal components of vectors, equilibrium conditions as well application of Newton’s Second law of motion. With this skill, they were introduced to deriving equations to calculate the acceleration of the objects and the tension of the wire connecting them (mathematical skills). A post-test was administered and the results indicated a great improvement (more than 70%) in the vector analysis and mathematical application of vectors in problem solving. Follow-up interviews indicated deficiencies and confusion from their previous learning, although some students (about 30% of the 70%) indicated that they need to be taught the concept first before the test. Their reasoning was they forgot the concept.

Qualification of Customised Medical Implants Produced by Ti6Al4V(ELI) Additive Manufacturing

Although many cases of medical implants produced through additive manufacturing (AM) in Ti6Al4V have been reported in literature, most of these processes had not been qualified. To enable certification and commercialisation of medical implants and devices an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system was successfully implemented in the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) at the Central University of Technology, Free State in South Africa. This certification covers qualification of both design, development and production of patient specific custom made titanium implants, as well as preoperative models, jigs and cutting guides in nylon by means of AM and supports commercialisation. With this quality management system as framework for ensuring the reliability and repeatability of the AM performed at the CRPM, the generation of data to validate the individual processes in the AM process chain was pursued. Sufficient research data has been produced and published to prove that medical implants produced through AM can fully comply with the international standards for material, physical, chemical and mechanical properties. In this paper the research performed towards the qualification of AM of Ti6Al4V medical implants is discussed. Examples are given of internationally leading work on utilising these implants in maxillofacial and orthopaedic surgeries.

Adoption of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning at a university

The study was a cross-sectional exploratory survey to determine lecturers’ and students’ use of the core e-learning site, e-Thuto, at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). The goal was to determine the adoption of electronic learning via information and communication technologies (ICTs) towards the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning. Yet, research cites several resource and skills challenges hindering ICT adoption in teaching and learning in developing economies that remain unaddressed. Data were collected from 10 lecturers in the Department of Communication Sciences at the CUT and 90 undergraduate students from all the four CUT faculties in order to correlate lecturers’ and students’ perspectives. Therefore, a structured interview schedule was used. Data were analysed using the emic and etic approaches where the respondents’ categorisation of behaviour, correlated with conceptual categories from literature, was regarded as the reality in the study context. The findings indicate a limited adoption of e-Thuto in teaching and learning due to several impediments. The policy implications point towards a more systematic integration of ICTs into the curriculum.

Assessing Senior Engineering Student’s Ability to Identify Graduate Attributes

Universities around the world are responding to industry and accreditation body requests by embedding graduate attributes into their curricula. The Central University of Technology in South Africa has followed suit by stipulating 10 graduate attributes that academics need to cover in their curricula. It is important that engineering students be able to identify and understand these graduate attributes, as they need to demonstrate them through their entire educational career. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate which graduate attributes senior engineering students can easily identify based on their understanding of the definition. A questionnaire was used as the data-collection instrument in a descriptive case study. Senior engineering students could easily identify 8 of the 10 graduate attributes that has a word that can be linked to the definition. The graduate attribute “communication” was identified by 92% of the students while 66% identified “entrepreneurship”. However, the majority of students struggled to identify two graduate attributes, which are numeracy (6% identified it) and technical and conceptual competence (40% identified it). A possible reason for this could be that there are no words in the definition that may be linked to the name of the attribute. It is therefore recommended that all graduate attributes be defined is such a way that a synonym or antonym of the attribute be used in the actual definition. This may assist students to better identify and understand vital graduate attributes that they need to acquire before entering Industry.

UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN THE LEARNING OF KINEMATICS USING A BLENDED APPROACH

Undergraduate students’ understanding of physics concepts plays a significant role in the students’ interest in the subject and its content. Kinematics as an introductory concept at first year level can be used to stimulate and develop students’ interest in the subject. Undergraduate will have more ambition to pursue careers in physics or to be competent in the subject knowledge in their different study fields. The study was conducted with 1 st year B. Ed (SP and FET) Natural Science specialization students at Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) in Bloemfontein. The study investigated how blended learning enhance 1 st year physics students teachers’ conceptual understanding of 1-D Kinematics . Physics Education Research (PER) groups emphasized the significance of "active engagement" of students with the concepts to be fully comprehended or known. An open-ended question paper on kinematics from high school exam was administered as a pre-test to introductory physics students. The results showed that more than 70 % of the students could not remember and or recall what they did in high school. A mixed feeling of opinions was obtained and somehow majority of them were even discouraged from this research pre-test and wanted to drop out if that’s what is expected of them at university. The researcher had to allay their fears and they were put into an intervention programme through blended learning to gain their self-confidence. A follow-up questionnaire was administered to them and the results indicated an improved performance and competence of over 85% due to understanding the concept than learning to pass.

Promoting sustainable development implementation in higher education

PurposeThis study aims to review the zeal exhibited by universities in South Africa towards aligning institutional mandates of teaching, learning, research and community engagement to the sustainable development (SD) agenda. The implementation of the SD agenda across higher education institutions (HEIs) continues to draw attention from the wider society. This is because HEIs are increasingly being looked up to for leadership in this regard. However, although several studies are quick to identify various factors which have driven the adoption of sustainable practices in HEIs, the paucity of studies seeking to identify the drivers for SD implementation remains glaring. This is particularly so in developing countries like South Africa.Design/methodology/approachTo confirm the exploratory data from desktop study on public university engagement with sustainability in South Africa, a single case study was conducted in the Central University of Technology (CUT). The single case study design adopted semi-structured interviews and document reviews as data collection techniques. Purposive snowballing sampling technique was strictly adhered to in the selection of interviewees. Interviewees were selected on the basis of their roles in the implementation of the CUT’s sustainability agenda.FindingsData emanating from these interviews were analysed thematically using qualitative content analysis. Although a plethora of drivers were identified, there appeared to be a consensus between most of the interviewees that the quest for cost reduction remained the most significant driver for the viable implementation of the sustainability agenda at CUT.Research limitations/implicationsIt is expected that findings from this study would provide a platform for the development of effective implementation strategies in South African HEIs. Also, the findings contribute to filing the extant gap observed concerning implementation and drivers for engendering SD implementation in HEIs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region.Practical implicationsBy highlighting the drivers for SD implementation, this study contributes to the development of a more receptive social ontology among various stakeholders in an HEI towards the agenda, particularly within the SSA context where there is low level of awareness and buy-in by these stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study makes an original contribution to the research base of SD in HEIs and implementation.

Technology-Enhanced Knowledge Management Framework for Retaining Research Knowledge among University Academics

Given the challenge of retaining the research knowledge of an aging, experienced professoriate at South African Universities of Technology, institutions with a nascent tradition of scholarly research, this paper explores the feasibility of a technology-enhanced knowledge management framework for generating, sharing and retaining tacit research knowledge to leverage research outputs at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, South Africa. Since digital trails of established-novice researcher interactions are left behind whenever they interact in online platforms, an examination of such interactions can provide insights into the sharing and transferring of tacit research knowledge from senior researchers to novices. This theoretical study draws on Nonaka and Takeuchi’s Theory of Organisational Knowledge Creation, an emerging technology platform, SharePoint, mainstream literature and the authors’ reflective experiences to develop a technology-enhanced knowledge management model. The paper argues that tacit knowledge can be assimilated from a comprehensive examination of the knowledge production interactions between senior academics and novices enabled by low threshold technology and collaborative sharing of content. This study’s insights are relevant to Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) struggling to create a sustainable culture of scholarly research and grow a new generation of competent researchers amid the attrition of senior academics and the prevalence of systemic blockages in knowledge transfer processes.

Technology-Enhanced Knowledge Management Framework for Retaining Research Knowledge among University Academics

Given the challenge of retaining the research knowledge of an aging, experienced professoriate at South African Universities of Technology, institutions with a nascent tradition of scholarly research, this paper explores the feasibility of a technology-enhanced knowledge management framework for generating, sharing and retaining tacit research knowledge to leverage research outputs at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, South Africa. Since digital trails of established-novice researcher interactions are left behind whenever they interact in online platforms, an examination of such interactions can provide insights into the sharing and transferring of tacit research knowledge from senior researchers to novices. This theoretical study draws on Nonaka and Takeuchi’s Theory of Organisational Knowledge Creation, an emerging technology platform, SharePoint, mainstream literature and the authors’ reflective experiences to develop a technology-enhanced knowledge management model. The paper argues that tacit knowledge can be assimilated from a comprehensive examination of the knowledge production interactions between senior academics and novices enabled by low threshold technology and collaborative sharing of content. This study’s insights are relevant to Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) struggling to create a sustainable culture of scholarly research and grow a new generation of competent researchers amid the attrition of senior academics and the prevalence of systemic blockages in knowledge transfer processes.

Selection criteria for a radiography programme in South Africa: Predictors for academic success in the first year of study

Background: Selection criteria used to admit students to a radiography programme at the Central University of Technology (CUT) included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire.Aims and objectives: The aim of the study was to identify which selection criteria were predictors of academic success in the first year of study. As a four year Bachelor's degree in Radiography (480 credits) was to replace the three year National Diploma (NDip) in Radiography (360 credits), selection criteria would come under review.Design and method: Data from 130 students were gathered in a retrospective quantitative study. Data were edited, categorised and summarised. A statistical analysis was undertaken to identify which selection criteria predicted academic success in the first year of study.Results: Statistics showed that the matriculation Admission Points Score (National Senior Certificate/NCS APS) and core matriculation subject results in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and English were adequate predictors for first-year academic success, and the subjects Life Sciences for the NSC and Biology for the Senior Certificate (SC), showed strong predictive values for first-year academic success. According to the statistical analysis, the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire did not contribute any significant information which could predict academic success.Conclusion: Matriculation marks and NSC APS were adequate predictors for academic success, with a focus on Life Sciences or Biology marks as the strongest predictor. The usefulness of the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire could be questioned, and a recommendation was made to replace these tests with alternative student selection methods.

Selection criteria for a radiography programme in South Africa: Predictors for academic success in the first year of study

BackgroundSelection criteria used to admit students to a radiography programme at the Central University of Technology (CUT) included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire. Aims and objectivesThe aim of the study was to identify which selection criteria were predictors of academic success in the first year of study. As a four year Bachelor's degree in Radiography (480 credits) was to replace the three year National Diploma (NDip) in Radiography (360 credits), selection criteria would come under review. Design and methodData from 130 students were gathered in a retrospective quantitative study. Data were edited, categorised and summarised. A statistical analysis was undertaken to identify which selection criteria predicted academic success in the first year of study. ResultsStatistics showed that the matriculation Admission Points Score (National Senior Certificate/NCS APS) and core matriculation subject results in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and English were adequate predictors for first-year academic success, and the subjects Life Sciences for the NSC and Biology for the Senior Certificate (SC), showed strong predictive values for first-year academic success. According to the statistical analysis, the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire did not contribute any significant information which could predict academic success. ConclusionMatriculation marks and NSC APS were adequate predictors for academic success, with a focus on Life Sciences or Biology marks as the strongest predictor. The usefulness of the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire could be questioned, and a recommendation was made to replace these tests with alternative student selection methods.