APPENDIX A
APPOINTMENT AS CONSULTANT: UWC: IOI-SA & BCB
Consultant company name: / UWC: IOI-SA & BCBConsultant contact name & details: / Dr Richard Knight
Project/contract title: / Development and offering of an honours level course in Ecological Informatics as the theoretical part of the NISL Programme for DST
Client details: / Water, Environment and Forestry Science and Technology, CSIR
Pretoria
Client project/contract reference no: / JT032
Effective Date: / 1 January 2004
Termination Date: / 31 March 2006
Fee: / R861 000 (Inclusive of VAT)
DELIVERY SCHEDULE
Task no. / Title / description
of services/functions / Deliverable / Product / Delivery / Due date / Amount
(Rands)
1 / Content development (7 Modules) / Course content framework and templates as per guideline / As per schedule
(Appendix A1) / R140 000
2 / Attendance of KEWL course for Lecturers at UWC (7 Lecturers) / Completion of training Course / As per schedule
(Appendix A1) / R140 000
3 / Offering the Course including registration of Learners at UWC for two years (R70 000 per year for 10 Learners) / Registration completed
Lecturing by UWC Lecturers / June 2004
June 2005 / R70 000
R70 000
4 / Course coordination and administration / Assistance to all Lecturers during content development phase
Overseeing the academic part of the programme / 2003/04
2004/05
2005/06 / R56 000
R200 000
R185 000
TOTAL AMOUNT/FEE / R861 000
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Payment / Amount
(Rands, Including VAT) / Invoice due on approval of deliverable/product
(Date)
1 / R56 000 (Year 1) / March 2004
2 / R168 000 (30% upfront, Year2) / May 2004
3 / R224 000 (40% second payment, Year 2) / November 2004
4 / R168 000 (30% balance, Year 2) / March 2005
5 / R74 000 (upfront payment, Year 3) / May 2005
6 / R100 000 (second payment, Year 3 / November 2005
7 / R71 000 (balance, Year 3) / March 2006
TOTAL / R861 000 / -
The consultant shall provide the CSIR with invoice/s for work conducted in terms of this project. The invoices should be numbered, and provide the following details:
-Full name and address of the contractor;
-Provisional tax number
-VAT registration number if registered (TAX invoice)
-Full name and address of the CSIR and relevant Business Unit details
-Project title
-Task number/s
-Period of work (e.g. from dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy)
-A distinction between professional fees and disbursements
Consultant please note: Consultants who have provided the CSIR with a SARS Tax Directive, should not indicate hours worked.
Page 1 of 14
(IOI-SA & BCB)
NISL Programme
Honours Course (Level 7)
in
Ecological Informatics
Proposal:
To guide and develop course content, and to present, coordinate and administrate the academic part of the course
Compiled by: Dr Richard Knight
UWC: IOI & BCB
Tel. +27 (21) 959 3940
Fax +27 (21) 959 2371
Mobile. +27 (82) 516 2831
For Attention:Laurie Barwell
Environmentek, CSIR
Tel. +27 (21) 888 2400
Fax +27 (21) 888 2648
Mobile. +27 (82) 462 2285
May 2004
Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
1.Introduction
1.2Background information
1.2What is Ecological Informatics?
2.Level of Qualification
3.Purpose
4.Structure
4.1NQF - Outcomes-based
4.2Duration
4.3Component types
4.4Programme Evaluation
4.5Programme structure
4.6Programme delivery
4.7Programme Intensity
4.8Cross-cutting outcomes of the Programme
4.9Exit Level Outcomes of the Programme
5.Project Methodology
6.Project Scope and Projection Conditions
7.Workplan Implementation
8.Use of Material for Training
Glossary of Terms
ARC – Agricultural Research Council
Arc-IMS – ESRI Arc web-based product Internet Mapping Server
ASP – Active Server Pages
BCB - Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
CSIR - Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
DEAT – Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
DoA – Department of Agriculture
DWAF – Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
EIP - Ecological Informatics Practices
ESRI – Environmental Systems Resource Institute
GIS – Geographic Information System
GISP – Global Invasive Species Progamme
ICS - Information and Communication Services
IOI-SA - International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa
JSP – Java Server Pages
KEWL - Knowledge Environment for Web-based Learning
NISL - National Information Society Learnerships
NQF - National Qualifications Framework
PoE – Portfolio of Evidence
SANP – South African National Parks
SQL – Structured Query Language
UWC - University of the Western Cape
WCNCB – Western CapeNature Conservation Board
Page - 1
NISF-EIIOI&BCB Proposal
1.Introduction
1.2Background information
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has identified a National Information Society Learnerships (NISL) programme (DST, 2003a) with the stated purpose of facilitating:
An improvement in public sector decision-making through the development of IT-based analytical competencies (July 2003)
Funded through a Grant Transfer from DST (DST, 2003b) and coordinated by the CSIR’s Innovation, Leadership and Learning Academy (CiLLA), CSIR Environmentek will develop a registered Learnership for DST that will develop an increased pool of suitably qualified scientists for possible employment at DWAF, DEAT, NDA, ARC, NRF, DST and the CSIR.
Mainly using the KEWL distance learning facility, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) will be contracted by the CSIR to coordinate and facilitate the academic part of the project, resulting in the Learners obtaining an Honours Degree in Ecological Informatics over two years.
Once registered, the Learnership will make provision for unemployed graduates to complete a 24-month training period that would include both academic and practical components. The focus of the programme would be on equipping the graduates with the skills to use technology as well as their scientific training to organise, analyse and report on structured data. The practical sessions would be completed at Government Departments, CSIR and ARC and bodies such as SA-ISIS, SABIF and SAEON.
The objectives of the Learnership are to:
- Allow Learners to graduate with a Learnership Qualification in Ecological Informatics. This means that the graduates will have the capacity to do information analysis through the application of competencies to extract and analyse data and prepare useful reports.
- Provide experience and a start to career paths for unemployed graduates.
- Develop skills for future application.
- Develop a user community for digital information products.
- Enhance government department performance by facilitating access to new competencies
The development and testing programme will be implemented over a period of 27 months, where 10 Learners will assist in the piloting stage.
An application for registration of the Learnership will be submitted to SAQA and the Department of Labour (DoL) during 2004.
To be funded separately, this will allow a second intake of 50 Learners to start the course in late 2004 or early 2005, followed by a third intake of another 50 Learners at a later stage.
1.2What is Ecological Informatics?
“Ecological Informatics is defined as interdisciplinary framework promoting the use of advanced computational technology for the elucidation of principles of information processing at and between all levels of complexity of ecosystems - from genes to ecological networks -, and aiding transparent decision-making in relation to important issues in ecology such as sustainability, biodiversity and global warming.“
International Society for Ecological Informatics
2.Level of Qualification
This learning material is to form part of the Learnership programme for the Level 7 (Honours Degree) in Ecological Informatics Practice (EIP).
The material is to be linked to an outcomes based qualification. The Fundamental, Core and Elective components will assist the Learner, in developing evidence of competence for completion of the degree.
3.Purpose
The Level 7 certificate in Ecological Informatics Practice has, as its purpose statement:
’A learner who has achieved this qualification will have achieved a basic competence in gathering data, mining databases, organising, analysing and assessing data and using information to produce useful reports in support of decision-making within the field of Biological Resource Management.’
4.Structure
4.1NQF - Outcomes-based
The NQF requires that all training programmes for Learnerships are presented in the new outcomes-based approach. The approach to training and assessment of Learners is radically different from the old system as it is the evidence of your understanding and application of the skills of these modules, which is important, not merely the process of completing the activities.
4.2Duration
This Level 7 certificate in Ecological Informatics Practice will run full time for two years.
4.3Component types
The NQF requires that training programmes have fundamental, core and elective components, the fundamental components should be the re-enforcement of skills Learners already have, the core are mandatory components whereas the electives are a selected components from a choice of subject areas. Fundamental components will get re-enforced with core and elective components.
4.4Programme Evaluation
The Ecological Informatics Practice will account for a total of 120 credits per year for two years (total = 240 credits).
4.5Programme structure
The Ecological Informatics Practice Learnership is divided into taught and practical internship components which are virtually equal with respect to time investments from the Learners and run concurrently with each other. The taught component will be “managed” by the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology (BCB) in association with the International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa Office (IOI-SA) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The practical internship will run at various government and environmental agencies, but principally CSIR, DEAT, DoA, DWAF and/or SANP.
4.6Programme delivery
The taught component will be developed as an on-line resource using the University of the Western Cape’s KEWL Open Source Course Content and Management System. Each course will include various assignments and will have a class tutor to manage learner queries and grade assignments.
4.7Programme Intensity
The taught component constitutes 120 credits which translate into 1200 notional hours of work spread over two years. The time frame for this programme is notional, meaning that this is the average “concentrated” time expected to take to cover the components of this programme. Learners who are doing the programme will have the opportunity to study at their own pace but will be required to complete individual modules within a specific time table. Learners will study the course modules and provide evidence of learning through submitting of assignments and course participation and formal testing. Certain modules will require contact sessions and this instruction is included within the notional hours. The hours spent in preparing assignments, reading, reflection, designing and testing new approaches, are all part of the notional time allocated to achieving the credits of the qualification.
4.8Cross-cutting outcomes of the Programme
These outcomes apply throughout the programme and include:
- Communicate effectively
- Work in teams
- Organise and self management
- Collect, analyse, organise and evaluate data and information
- Use science and technology
- Identify and solve problems
- Understand the world as a set of related interacting systems.
4.9Exit Level Outcomes of the Programme
By the end of the programme learners will be able to:
- have an understanding of a range of issues and management challenges associated with sustainable development and in particular relating to specific areas within the mandates of DWAF, DEAT and DoA;
- have an understanding of the underlying ecological processes and know what information is required to address the particular management question;
- be able to organise and interpret data to achieve the required information;
- be able to select and test the required data; and
- be able to observe, measure and capture appropriate data to achieve the desired objective.
- be able to use a Geographical Information System (GIS) and to be able to prepare GIS data and analyze environmental scenarios using GIS and geostatistical and image processing techniques
5.Project Methodology
Task 1:Content development of 7 Modules
T1.1Develop the course framework and template to guide the course development
A template will need to be developed for each core component based on the specimen template (Figure 1). Once developed, they need to be submitted (by CSIR Cillla) to SAQA and appropriate SETA for certification. The specimen template (Table 1) provides some of the options that should be considered in developing the curriculum. Each organization who will be responsible for developing and delivering each course will be required to initially develop the template which needs to be submitted by the beginning of June 2004.
Table 1: Template for developing each Module in the National Information Society Learnership – Ecological Informatics
Module NameObjective(s)
Specific Outcomes
Cross-cutting Outcomes /
- Communicate effectively
- Work in teams
- Organise and manage yourself
- Collect, analyse, organise and evaluate data and information
- Understand the world as a set of related interacting systems.
Course Development Responsibility
Online Course Status
Course Presenter/ Tutor
Course Delivery – notional hour breakdown / KEWL - Self guided (X Hrs)
Classroom - Lecture/Pracs (X Hrs)
Sourcing Material from Libraries/Internet ( X Hrs)
Prep. of material for Assignments/Essays/Projects (X Hrs)
Participation on Discussion Forums (X Hrs)
Course Evaluation –
*Externally evaluated / Assignments (%)
Participation in discussion forum (%)
Class Participation (%)
Essays (%)
*Formal and informal outcome based assessment
Course Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) / Assignments
Participation in discussion forum
Class Participation
Essays
Mini-projects
Course External Quality Assurance / Other tertiary Institution / specific organization
Industry / specific organization
Government Department / specific organization
Non- Government Department / specific organization
Course Credits / 10
In addition other templates will need to be developed to guide the development of each course. These templates will be based on word documents with predefined style sheets and tables for completion by the courseware developers. This will ensure that the material is easily translated into suitable on-line material complete with objectives questions and illustrations together with further reading. The responsibility for developing this will be the BCB department.
T1.2Develop content for the Course modules
The selection of courses is based on what is available (including as KEWL or as an existing non-KEWL web-based product and what needs to be included to fulfil the content for the “focussing project”). Critical to the programme is to maintain a balance between Computational Skills (especially the GIS and Remote Sensing which is in high demand) and the content of environmental management and the need for people to fit into DEAT, DoE/ARC, CSIR, DWAF, SANP and various conservation-based departments (e.g. WCNCB). For the purposes of this programme we have taken a very “Ecosystem” based approach to the field of “Ecosystem Informatics”
Core Component
*C1 Research and Numeracy
*C2 GIS
*C3 Remote Sensing
*C4 Spatial Analysis
C5 Integrated Information Systems and Bayesian Nets
*C6 Conservation Biology
*C7 Invasive Species
C8 Resource Economics
*C9 Sustainable Livelihoods
C10 Integrated Environmental Management
C11 Report Writing which will include
Land Use Planning/Human Impacts
Efficiency New Resource Conversions (WQ)
Available stock & Degradation rate
*Are courses that will be undertaken by the Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department and International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa.
Elective Component
*E1 Integrated Coastal Area Management
E2 Riverine and Wetland Ecosystems
E3 Arid Ecosystems
* will be undertaken by the Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department and International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa.
Activities:As above
Deliverable:Templates and Guideline for each Module and Content Framework for 7 Modules as listed
Duration:As per schedule
Cost:R140 000 (Incl. VAT)
Task 2:Attendance of KEWL Course for Lecturers
All Lecturers will attend one of two KEWL training courses presented by UWC- ICS at UWC. The following is required of all Lecturers. The Course Coordinator should ensure that the UWC Lecturers:
- Prepare for the training course.
- Have available material (course content) to use in practice during the training.
- Ensure that UWC participants are aware that each day’s “homework” must be done before the following day.
- Ensure that UWC participants accept the need to actively take part in learning exercises, and follow up work via the KEWL course.
Activities: As above
Deliverable: Proficiency in KEWL system
Duration: 1 week when scheduled
Cost:R140 000 (Incl. VAT)
Task 3:Presentation of the course
The Learners will be registered at UWC to take the Level 7 Honours Degree in Ecological Informatics over two years. The degree course will start in June 2004 and follow the schedule (Appendix A1). The course fee of R14 000 per learner for the two years will fund the administration costs for two years and the UWC Lecturers for the 7 Modules that UWC is responsible for. Where possible the same presenters as the course developers will be used, however, this will not always be possible.
Activities: As above
Deliverable: Learners registered and course being offered.
Duration: Duration of course (two years)
Cost:R140 000 (Incl. VAT)
Task 4:Course coordination and administration of the academic part
A full time Course Coordinator and Administrator will be appointed to oversee the academic part of the programme as well as assist all lecturers during the content development phase.
Activities: As required to fulfill the task objective
Deliverable: Quarterly report to NISL Steering Committee
Duration: Duration of course (two years)
Cost:R441 000 (Incl. VAT)
6.Project Scope and Projection Conditions
In Scope / Out of Scope1)Identify various courseware developers for each module and develop sub-subcontracts for the seven agree modules: Research Numeracy, GIS, Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, Conservation Biology, Invasive Species, Sustainable Livelihoods, Integrated Coastal Management / Development of all Fundamental Courses, Integrated Information Systems and Bayesian Nets, Resource Economics, Integrated Environmental Management, Report Writing, Riverine and Wetland Ecosystems, Arid Ecosystems.
Set up each course in KEWL will include:
2)chapter and page organization
3)illustrations and animations where necessary.
4)posting of assignments and resources for downloading
5)maintenance of the discussion board and its moderation
6)management of marks / Any modifications to the CODE of KEWL to provide new functionality.
Delivered courses such the training in GIS, Remote Sensing and Spatial analysis will be through the use of industry standard ESRI Arc 8.3 plus Spatial Analyst, 3-D Analyst, Image Analyst and Geostatistical Analyst. Remote-Sensing will be undertaken using IDRISI. If training is done in Cape Town it will be provided by the BCB department including access to the above software. / The cost for ESRI software are prohibitive for the average user, but are the government standards for environmental management– costs for hiring suitable facilities and transport and subsistence of trainers outside Cape Town are additional to this budget. Our ESRI licenses are not transferable from UWC to other Institutions and are academic versions used for educational activities only. Learners will need to complete these assignments using legal facilities and licences as provided by the developers Licensing agreements. For Gauteng Learners a 10 seat computer lab with the full suit of ARC GIS and extensions needs to be identified for hiring.
Courses will be hosted for the stipulated three year period (June 2004 to April 2007). / Maintenance of course material and provision of tutoring services beyond April 2006 without extension of the contract.
All of the course content in KEWL will be modified where errors and typos are identified during the period Jan 2004 to April 2006. IOI-SA / BCB will, however, report any problems with KEWL to ICS via the helpdesk but does not take responsibility for fixing the bugs nor for maintaining backups of information stored within KEWL. / The maintenance of KEWL as an environment for education delivery and management is the responsibility of ICS and a contract to cover these will need to be prepared by ICS.
KEWL makes provision for course material to be downloaded to the local PC for use off-line. Learners are encouraged to use this facility. / IOI-SA / BCB will not provide hard copies of course content for learners which can be downloaded from KEWL.
Content put into KEWL is often done within “Open Content” standards. This could allow free distribution of course material for non-commercial use. / Copyright of material will usually reside with the authors as per original documents. IOI-SA and BCB will not be responsible for providing the final permission to use content to users other than those directly registered with the EIP programme.
IOI-SA and BCB will provide feedback to learners through tutors who will be appointed for the duration of the course. Effectively course tutors will only be paid to render assistance of an educational nature during the course allocation slots. Feedback will usually be via the website itself or email to the learner. Feedback will be restricted to normal working hours and typically within 24 hours. Feedback for assignments handed in on time will be within a period of 1 week unless a large proportion of the assignments were not handed in on time. / Feedback to learners with respect to individual course is only guaranteed for the allocated time that the course is presented. Learners who fail to submit assignments will need to re-submit work during the next presentation of the course.
Course material/resources will either be provided electronically via KEWL or references will be provided and library details/url where these can be accessed. Where necessary “course readers” will be supplied. Learners will have the option to print out all material or resources put onto KEWL / Printing of additional resource material such as workbooks will be paid by learners, costed at 18c per page plus binding costs.
IOI-SA / BCB will ensure that courses are externally evaluated in line with UWC practise. / Queries about final marks, re-assessments and the issuing of certificates must be addressed to UWC administration.
Once course content has been agreed between the various partners only minor modifications to improve accuracy or comprehension will be undertaken. / A major change to a syllabus once agreed upon will be costed at R200 per hour developer’s time and R100 per hour for KEWL implementation (including any new artwork).
In developing the course material, the final responsibility for maintenance of the quality assurance resides with UWC. While feedback from various stakeholders will be usefully incorporated, IOI-SA and BCB reserve the rights to moderate information and remove comments on discussion boards etc that can potentially offend or be libellous. UWC and IOI-SA / BCB has strict adherence to the provisions of the new “information act”. / Users of KEWL and UWC internet resources do so within the new provisions of the new “information act. Unauthorized attempt to access restricted areas, alter content, or to gain control of UWC servers will be reported to UWC ICS and BCB-IOI-SA cannot be held responsible for any damage to the web portal..
7.Workplan Implementation