Bsc Informatics (Cape Town)

marco79

marco79

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My son is interested in applying for Bsc Informatics for next year 2020.

Which institutions of study in would be recommended in Cape Town?

Would it be recommended to study this course at Unisa if you are fresh out of school? And is this course at Unisa only distance learning?
 
bchip said:
UNISA is unfortunately last in the SA rankings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankings_of_universities_in_South_Africa

University of Cape Town on the other hand is ranked quite high.
Click to expand...

Look at how these rankings were calculated. Its not a reflection of the quality of the tuition.

From your link:
  • Percentage of headcount enrolment in science, engineering and technology
  • Masters and doctoral enrolments
  • Student to staff ratios
  • Permanent staff with doctoral degrees
  • Private and government income
  • Student fee income

The output variables were:
  • Student success rates
  • Graduation rates
  • Weighted research output units per permanent staff member

Just the student to staff ratio of a massive distance learning institution like UNISA would be much different to a traditional university where students attend lectures. Most people at UNISA would be undergraduate, which speaks to point nr 2. Many people drop out of UNISA due to the fact that distance learning is more difficult - many people do distance learning while still working full time
 
vic777 said:
Look at how these rankings were calculated. Its not a reflection of the quality of the tuition.
Click to expand...

Your referencing to the wrong part.
These factors relate to the Higher Education Report

2010 Centre for Higher Education Transformation report[edit]
A 2010 report by Centre for Higher Education Transformation identified 3 different university clusters in South Africa, grouped according to function. The input variables used to group universities were:
  • Percentage of headcount enrolment in science, engineering and technology
  • ...

The "THE" report is based on the following according to this site:
https://www.timeshighereducation.co...gth/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Higher_Education_World_University_Rankings


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vic777 said:
Look at how these rankings were calculated. Its not a reflection of the quality of the tuition.
Click to expand...

Do you have any suggestions of a university ranking that assess student teachings better?

#also curious to know
 
UCT would definitely be the best, but for undergraduate education, UNISA is quite OK as a fall back. It may even be possible to transfer to UCT at a later point in the degree, or for Honours, etc.
 
Transferring in the middle of a degree between universities is a bunfight. No matter how "portable" they say their modules are, they all shaft you on credits when you try move
 
Another question about studying full time at UNISA. How is the course content taught to the students? Are there any face time? Or any tutors available? Specifically in Parow/Cape Town?
 
marco79 said:
Another question about studying full time at UNISA. How is the course content taught to the students? Are there any face time? Or any tutors available? Specifically in Parow/Cape Town?
Click to expand...

Studying the Bsc Informatics at UNISA.

Theres no face time. Its all distance learning. I think there might be some tutorial classes at the Parow campus for accounting or something, but I havent attended any.

There is an online platform called MyUnisa that everything takes place through. For each subject there is a space for the main subject where the lecturer operates, and then a tutorial space where tutors operate. You can ask questions on both spaces. Depending on the subject, the lecturer and tutors can either be super helpful, or useless. Its a bit hit and miss.

There is a massive UNISA thread here where you can ask UNISA specific questions.
 
bchip said:
Do you have any suggestions of a university ranking that assess student teachings better?

#also curious to know
Click to expand...

Did you study at UNISA?

The fact that no other University has any issues accepting UNISA undergraduates for further study should tell you there is no problem with UNISA BSc degrees. Secondly, the fact that many people find employment overseas with UNISA degrees (myself included, I have one degree from UP, my other degree is from UNISA) should also show that the overseas perception of UNISA degrees is not problematic. Lastly, UNISA degrees are SAQA accredited and have the same NQF level as any other BSc degree.

Most of the professors when I did computer science at UNISA were from other universities. For example, our AI lecturer had a PhD from UP. Having attended both a traditional "face to face" university like UP as well as UNISA means I could compare my experience between the two. Yes, anecdotal, but I can tell you the standard at UNISA for BSc was quite high. I cannot comment on other faculties.

A distance learning university cannot be compared directly to a university where you attend lectures. The amount of students "attending" the university, for example, is vastly different. UNISA has a higher churn rate, something I've already explained.

We are talking about an undergraduate qualification here, not a post-graduate qualification. If you can't attend, or can't afford UCT, or prefer to work and study at the same time, UNISA is fine
 
bchip said:
Your referencing to the wrong part.
These factors relate to the Higher Education Report

2010 Centre for Higher Education Transformation report[edit]
A 2010 report by Centre for Higher Education Transformation identified 3 different university clusters in South Africa, grouped according to function. The input variables used to group universities were:
  • Percentage of headcount enrolment in science, engineering and technology
  • ...

The "THE" report is based on the following according to this site:
https://www.timeshighereducation.co...gth/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Higher_Education_World_University_Rankings

...
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. We are talking about an undergraduate qualification here. Any ranking that uses the amount of students as one of the inputs will always rank "face to face" universities higher than distance learning universities
 
marco79 said:
Another question about studying full time at UNISA. How is the course content taught to the students? Are there any face time? Or any tutors available? Specifically in Parow/Cape Town?
Click to expand...

Most of the lecturers would be at the Florida campus.
 
People look down on UNISA, but in the workplaces those from the so called highly rated Universities are playing second fiddle to guys from UNISA when it comes to competence. UNISA has the highest CTA pass rate in SA for those following CA(Chartered Accountant) route. So its all about how well your head is wired not the quality of infrastructure or how rich an institution is. Remember a star can shine anywhere.
 
vic777 said:
Most of the professors when I did computer science at UNISA were from other universities. For example, our AI lecturer had a PhD from UP. Having attended both a tradition . ...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback.
Interesting to hear different experiences of everyone.

I can only rely on these rankings as I'm unsure where else to get information on this.
 
There is an online platform called MyUnisa that everything takes place through. For each subject there is a space for the main subject where the lecturer operates, and then a tutorial space where tutors operate. You can ask questions on both spaces. Depending on the subject, the lecturer and tutors can either be super helpful, or useless. Its a bit hit and miss.
Click to expand...

They also got some good forums, they do seem to have gotten their act together with helping the students. You do need a student group of some sort as well, you need a few people who are studying the same degree and you need to make really good friends with them and go on a journey together, sounds a bit daft but if you go the UNISA route don't make yourself a hermit.
 
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