Arthur James Swart

Central University of Technology | CUT · Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering

Renewable energy systems have become commonplace around the be, especially as many countries encounter load shedding, where power is switched off periodically to specific neighborhoods within a city. Keeping the lights on at night during load shedding can help to reduce crime and improve security for a household. This can be achieved by using a sma...

In South Africa, lightning is responsible for millions of deaths, which is significantly more than the global average. In particular, Bloemfontein (a large city in the Free State Province of South Africa) is classified as having a high susceptibility to direct lightning strikes, making it a focal point for imposing lightning education and protectio...

The Williamson’s self-rating scale for self-directed learning (SRSSL) questionnaire is applied to determine which learning strategies first-year African engineering students have adopted at the start of a problem based learning module that is designed to promote self-directed learning (SDL). This approach can help academics to better identify “who”...

A researcher's reputation is influenced by the quantity and quality of his or her publications. A record of these publications is usually kept by an academic in a resume or on an online platform, such as LinkedIn, Google Scholar or Research Gate. The purpose of this article is to contrast the major metrics of Google Scholar with that of Research Ga...

Problem-based learning is an active student-centred approach, which requires engineering students to work together in solving real-world problems. This study aims to review the incorporation of cooperative learning principles in an introductory first-year engineering course that aimed to develop students’ group skills while working on problem-based...

Growing climate change awareness incentivizes establishment and implementation of efficient alternative food production methodologies such as aquaponics, with potentially high yield versus reduced footprint, urban implementation and local food security and employment. Viably maintaining such systems during freezing winter climate necessitates therm...

The management of any process really requires sensing, transferring and recording of relevant data for analysis purposes so as to make an informed decision. In fact, smart manufacturing requires sufficient knowledge to be available to the decision-maker to ensure that any system runs efficiently and effectively, which may include an energy generati...

A photovoltaic (PV) module converts solar energy into electrical energy. In order to increase the output power of any PV module, several factors including tilt angle, orientation angle, load profile, environmental condition, latitude of the location site, and energy management techniques should be considered. It is essential to continuously deliver...

Assessment plays a major role in student learning. It needs to be provided on a regular basis and include the aspect of reflective practice to be really effective. The purpose of this article is to highlight the results of how an academic in Electrical Engineering effectively used Blackboard TM to foster student engagement and academic success thro...

Purpose Climate change strains scarce water resources and food production infrastructure, necessitating establishment of sound scientific basis for operation of sustainable alternative food production methodologies - such as aquaponics, which promises high yield versus small footprint. In a climate (such as in Bloemfontein, South Africa) including...

The output power from a stationary PV module tends to fluctuate throughout a day. This may be due to shading caused by clouds, contrails, trees, buildings and birds. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the impact of one pigeon dropping on the output power of a 10 W PV module that is located in a semi-arid region of South Africa. Data used in t...

The popularity of cost-effective, single-board computers (SBCs) and microcontrollers (e.g. ESP8266, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone … etc.) opened a large space for innovative projects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These devices stand out as full-fledged systems that support a variety of capabilities like several programming lang...

Condition monitoring involves collecting real-time data that can be transformed into meaningful graphs from which informed decisions can be made with regard to the maintenance, performance and sustainability of a system. An example of such a system is a PV system that should operate continuously over a specified period of time within a given enviro...

Monitoring of any kind requires consistency. Reliable and repeatable data must be obtained so as to ensure that any decision making process is well informed so as to prevent serious damage, loss or injury. Monitoring may also be used for quality assurance, where a specific technology is tested repeatedly to determine if its performance remains cons...

Objectives-This study compares the most affordable stepper motors currently available for suitability as the main component of the drive unit for the development of a cost-effective Follow-focus Control System for deployment in Higher Education in photography. Methodology-Applying a quantitative approach through a prototype design methodology the r...

The internet of things has resulted in the design and development of many electronic sensors that need to be integrated with various technologies. Engineering academics need ongoing training relating to this integration as they need to subsequently teach their students. This relates to continuous professional development. The purpose of this articl...

Due to global climate change as a result of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the world has changed its view when it comes to power generation. The focus is now more on natural and clean energy, such as solar PV systems. An effective solar PV system is not a simple system, as the sun is not a stationery object. The sun moves from eas...

Researchers need reliable and accurate recording instruments or systems to obtain specific data for their research. Customizable systems are not always commercially available or may be too costly. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative jig that can be used to automatically adjust a single PV module to different tilt angles throughout...

The presence of pigeons on PV modules can negatively affect the output power of a solar renewable energy system. The body of the pigeon itself (and especially the tail) may cause short periods of shading of individual cells, leading to the formation of hotspots. Bird excreta left by the pigeon may cause longer periods of shading, leading to an exte...

Energy monitoring is critical to ensure the sustainability of a renewable energy system. It further makes possible the introduction of energy conservation, reduction and optimization. To achieve this for an off-grid system, or for numerous research sites, requires the use of remote energy monitoring where various parameters may be visually reviewed...

This is an introduction to LabVIEW with a number of exercises

This is an introduction to Arduino by considering basic components and sensors

Energy monitoring systems are being reported on more and more as consumers wish to determine the amount of energy produced and used by various renewable energy systems. Added to this is improving the overall systems’ efficiency and identifying any potential concerns. The purpose of the paper is to show the importance of correctly calibrating such e...

The gamification of education offers various advantages including increased engagement of students. Limited research is currently available that can shed light on the influence of various gamification elements in on-line learning environments on the engagement and continuance use intention of students. The objective of the study was therefore to in...

Educational technology has become ubiquitous and widespread in higher education across the globe. It has also penetrated academic development workshops to enhance participation by faculty staff members. The purpose of this article is to highlight the benefits of using an electronic responsive system (educational technology) in an academic developme...

Many undergraduate engineering students face a task that is critical to the success of their academic studies, being that of reading. It has been noted that, in general, South African students are not meeting the reading and writing levels of achievement that their peers in other countries are reaching. The purpose of this article is to reveal the...

Knowledge is built on the foundation of information which may be gathered from various sources, including from dissertations. Gathering information from postgraduate dissertations can highlight the differences between, and in, disciplines, with regard to specific variables. Moreover, it has been reported that African postgraduate students struggle...

Regularly reviewing classroom work is vital, if students are to understand, retain and apply information. A key component of such reviews includes classroom revision of course content. The purpose of this article is to highlight the positive impact of classroom revision on the pass rates of African engineering students enrolled for a first-year mod...

It is essential to repeat a test of a given construct in research in order to underpin knowledge, support validity and enable its application in other contexts. The purpose of this article is to present repetitive test results validating the optimum tilt angle of a stationary PV module that was installed in a semi-arid region of South Africa. An ex...

Data Analysis by Swart

Within higher education, student perceptions are beneficial in evaluating the nature and quality of educational interventions. One such intervention involves the use of academic audio feedback on the submitted assignments of distance learning students. This type of feedback may well enhance the educational experience of the students, irrelevant of...

Power engineering students need to register for and successfully complete a capstone module within the Baccalaureus Technologiae qualification in Electrical Engineering in South Africa. These students need to submit six different assignments over a period of 10 months, comprising a proposal, a progress report, a poster, a power point presentation,...

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 abl...

It is assumed that similar PV modules are expected to perform equally well under the same atmospheric conditions, especially with regard to their rated output power. However, this is not always the case due to a number of factors, which include cell degradation overtime and cell manufacturing. It has been reported that PV modules within arrays need...

Energy monitoring is vital to identifying ways of reducing energy consumption. This may lead to a reduction in the use of non-renewable energy sources (such as coal), increasing the lifespan of current energy storage systems (such as batteries) and reducing financial costs (such as electrical utility costs). Current commercial monitoring systems ma...

In this article it is argued that one of the aims of entrepreneurship education, among other things, is to reinforce the mind-sets or attitudes of young people so that they may become successful entrepreneurs. This may both help to solve the challenges experienced by job seekers and to discover or exploit opportunities available for the development...

Problem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. These three aspects are core to disassembly–assembly techniques used in higher education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning within a l...

Self-directed learning requires students to take ownership of their own learning, to become agents in the learning process, to engage in active learning and to enjoy the satisfaction of learning. This may be achieved in a project-based learning module, where students need to demonstrate a number of graduate attributes. However, it has been reported...

Learning outcomes are essential to any curriculum in education, where they need to be clear, observable and measurable. However, some academics structure learning outcomes in a way that does not promote student learning. The purpose of this article is to present the analyses of learning outcomes of an Electrical Engineering curriculum offered at a...

Reflective practice is defined as the ability of individuals to reflect systematically on actions in order to learn continuously. This is considered by many academics to be an excellent pedagogical approach, as deep learning, critical thinking and problem-solving is promoted. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact that regular online...

The changing structure of student populations or cohorts over decades’ produces changing academic achievements or results. This may be due to a number of factors, including the school education system, the political system and the sociocultural system. The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between student demographics and the academi...

Technical competence and problem solving skills are key graduate attributes that engineering students must develop, especially within a practical laboratory. A new specialized course in renewable energy was introduced at the beginning of 2014 at the Central University of Technology, with the main purpose of addressing this goal. The purpose of this...

Industry and accreditation bodies around the world require graduates to be able to demonstrate specific graduate attributes. Universities in this 21st century have responded to that call by embedding graduate attributes into their curricula. However, how can individual academics ensure that they are incorporating and assessing graduate attributes i...

Industrial Projects IV is a compulsory capstone module for students enrolled for the Baccalaureus Technologiae (BTech) in Electrical Engineering (Power) in South Africa. Power engineering students need to submit six different assignments during the course of a year, where three of these assignments are formative in nature. Students have the opportu...

Simulations designed in LabVIEW may be used in many engineering applications, including the design of stand-alone PV systems. The influence of full uniform shading, which included thin clouds and contrails, on the day to day performance of PV systems is often underestimated, and is not always accounted for in the design. The purpose of this paper i...

Partial shading of a PV module has received much attention over the past few years, as it results in uneven cell power generation, compromising a PV system performance. Full uniform shading of a PV module has not received as much attention. This article correlates the percentage of full uniform shading of a given PV module within a controlled envir...