Kirstin Krauss

University of South Africa | unisa · School of Computing

Retraction Watch maintains a "running list" of retracted papers on Covid-19 related research. By the end of September 2020, thirty-three retracted Covid-19 papers were listed. We analysed these retracted papers, focusing specifically on how they have been cited by review papers, and subsequently how they have penetrated and potentially distorted pu...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Development Informatics Association Conference, IDIA 2018, held in Tshwane, South Africa, in August 2018. The 20 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 61 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on ICT adoption and impact; mo...

While the predominant and officially stated purpose of social media platforms, such as Facebook, is to facilitate online engagement with friends, family, and other users, it does so ‘at a cost’. A more subtle and hidden agenda embedded in these platforms is to constantly monitor and gather data about users with the intent to capitalize. In this pap...

This case study analyzes the availability and uses of teaching techniques and computing technologies in Grades 10, 11, and 12 Computer Applications Technology classes in a remote town in South Africa. The technologies and techniques trialed show promise of usefulness in being more engaging to student interest than the prior method. Human factors is...

The range and use of educational technologies in the South African higher education context has grown exponentially over the last decade. This seems to have been accompanied by an over optimistic and ‘romantic’ view of educational technology as an effective tool in overcoming teaching and learning challenges. This article explores and reflects on t...

In this paper I reflect on the community entry phases of doing a critical ethnography in a traditional Zulu community in a deep rural part of South Africa. I present my reflections in the form of confessional narratives on community entry and on how an Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project was introduced in the commun...

In this chapter I attempt to do two things. In the first two sections I present my philosophical position with regard to my supervision practices. Here I argue, drawing from Gee’s (2008) critical work on Discourse as a way of being, that the PhD journey is essentially about socialising into a particular Discourse of knowledge production. Thereafter...

The problem with many ICT4D projects and policy designed for African developmental contexts is that there is a tendency towards deterministic assumptions in that arguments and implementation guidelines are often presented a-contextually. The reality is, however, that ICT4D discourses and practice in the African context often imply cross-cultural wo...

This case study analyzes the availability and uses of teaching techniques and computing technologies in Grades 10, 11, and 12 Computer Applications Technology classes in a remote town in South Africa. The technologies and techniques trialed showed promise of usefulness in being more engaging to student interest than those presently used. The techno...

Remote sites in South Africa can be characterized by a lack of inter-city transport, lack of societal infrastructure, and minimal computing resources and access to them. As a result, Kindergarten-12th Grade (K-12) education has not used many features of educational technology that require significant bandwidth. This case study analyzes the availabi...

In this paper we put forward a basis for a debate on adequate and self-reflexive sensemaking in ICT4D social situations. To portray the idea (our value judgement) that everyone (researchers and research participants) needs development, self-reflexivity and practical immersion are discussed as concepts that should form part of ICT4D social inquiry....

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are often used to assess learning in undergraduate courses with large numbers of students, since among other benefits they reduce otherwise heavy marking loads for lecturers and ensure grading consistency. However, MCQs are often perceived by academics as promoting superficial learning based on memorization of facts...

In the South African higher education context, teaching and learning practices remain biased towards a white, middle-class, elite, and English speaking worldview. Moreover, research on teaching and learning, has a historically tendency to consider students as decontextualized and deculturalized beings, basing explanations of student success predomi...

In this paper I reflect on the community entry phases of doing critical ethnography in a traditional Zulu community in a deep rural part of South Africa. I present my reflections in the form of a confessional account on community entry and on how an ICT4D project was introduced in the community. The primary research question that guided my engageme...

This paper sets out to study the views of key stakeholders on the issue of cloud information security within institutions of Higher Education. A specific focus is on understanding trust and the adoption of cloud computing in context of the unique operational requirements of South African universities. Contributions are made on both a methodological...

M-PESA (a mobile banking service in Kenya) was initially introduced as a person-to-person money transfer service. Its users have, however, extensively utilized M-PESA for purposes other than person-to-person transfers. In response to that, M-PESA included additional features to address new needs in the market. M-PESA, therefore, evolved differently...

In this paper, the author reflects on the value of using key concepts from Bourdieu’s critical lineage at the grassroots-level of research practice. The author writes from a position of being ethnographically immersed in an ICT4D project in a traditional Zulu community in a deep rural part of South Africa, where he studied worldview collisions and...

The purpose of this paper is to understand and learn from the collisions between the underlying assumptions embedded in UNESCO's ICT Competency Standards for Teachers policy framework and the realities that face a deep rural Afrocentric community in South Africa. These collisions ultimately are about the manifestation of a deeper issue, namely coll...

In this paper the authors contend that if the outsider-researcher involved in Information and Communication Technology for Development research really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community, emancipation has to take place on both sides of the “development divide”. Emancipatory research...

The research reported here evolved from the researcher’s ethnographic immersion in an ICT for Development (ICT4D) project in a deep rural part of South Africa. During ethnographic immersion, three key issues emerged from fieldwork. Firstly, the researcher realised his limited understanding of the worldview of research participants. Secondly, he rea...

This paper argues the importance of critical reflexivity in emancipatory Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) work. By drawing from ethnographic encounters in a traditional rural community in South Africa, the author demonstrates how reflexivity became central to understanding that which underpinned collisions and conflicts...

In this paper, the author contends that if the outsider-researcher involved in Information and Communication Technology for Development really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community, social transformation will have to occur on both sides of the “development divide.” This statement impl...

This chapter elevates the need to enhance global understanding of how the e-business and e-commerce artifact is unfolding in developing countries in Africa. As markets become saturated in the developed world, companies are diversifying by considering online sales opportunities in developing countries. For instance, conservative estimates of Interne...

Purpose – Information literacy (IL) training for teachers in developing communities, e.g. rural areas or townships in developing countries, is expected to pose special challenges in terms of sustainability, contextualisation, life‐long learning and empowerment. Little has been reported on such training in developing countries. Based on the authors'...

Information literacy and skills in Internet searching are important for teachers. There exists a large body of literature on information literacy in schools and universities and there are many guidelines and standards on information literacy. Little has, however, been published on information literacy training for teachers per se. Even less has bee...

In this paper, the authors contend that if the outsider-researcher involved in ICT for development really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community according to local understanding, assumptions, needs and realities, that emancipation will have to occur on both sides of the "development di...

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to transform the ways in which municipalities provide services and interact with businesses, citizens and the public sector. This research looks specifically at the extent to which the uMngeni Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal utilises emerging ICT in its endeavour to provide inf...

This paper reviews the current state of literature on visual aesthetics for the web. This was done by referring to recent contributions of authors in the area of visual aesthetics. Specific focus areas included: authors' perception of the importance of visual aesthetics; how visual aesthetics affect communication; and guidelines and suggestions on...

In this paper, the authors contend that if the outsider-researcher involved in ICT for development really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community according to local understanding, assumptions, needs and realities, that emancipation will have to occur on both sides of the "development di...

The purpose of this paper is to understand and learn from the collisions between the underlying assumptions embedded in UNESCO's ICT Competency Standards for Teachers policy framework and the realities that face a deep rural Afrocentric community in South Africa. A critical theoretical underpinning is put forward which also constitutes the departin...