Dr Agnes Chigona, an academic in the Faculty of Education, says her recently awarded C2 Rating by the National Research Foundation recognizes her research work which impacts on the country and beyond its borders.

“It means I am recognised as an established researcher with some international recognition for the quality and impact of my research publications,” says Chigona.

Her research focuses on the adoption and integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) into curriculum delivery.

“The quality of the NRF rating places the Faculty of Education in the spotlight as such ratings attract both local and international collaborators.”

She adds that the ratings also increase the credibility of the faculty, hence boosting the confidence of the community it is serving.

Besides the local collaborations she has had over the past five years, Chigona is also enhancing her international collaborations where she is working on  comparative studies in order to expand the empirical remit of her research.

“I would like to approach issues of trans-national concern, such as ICT integration in teaching, through comparative international studies while bringing local evidence. I think such studies would be of great benefit to both local and international audiences.”

Chigona encourages other researchers to make sure they have a research focus and to increase their research publications.

“Those who have published widely need to be courageous to subject themselves to the NRF evaluation and rating process, the reviews from such a process are always beneficial to the researcher as they provide insights on how to enhance the quality and impact of the research focus.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CPUT researchers and the Directorate Research Development are reaping the rewards of their hard work with ten researchers recently obtaining a National Research Foundation (NRF) rating for the first time.

The researchers are:

• Dr Enas Ismail - Faculty of Applied Sciences - Y2 rating
• Prof Mangaka Matoetoe Applied Sciences - C2 rating
• Prof Felix Nchu - Faculty of Applied Sciences - C2 rating
• Dr Jonas Sagbo - Faculty of Applied Sciences - Y2 rating
• Prof Candice Livingston - Faculty of Education - C3 rating
• Dr Sweta Patnaik - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment - Y2 rating
• Dr Ayodele Periola- Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment - Y2 rating
• Dr Shanel Raghubeer - Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences - Y2 rating
• Prof LJ (Nic) Theo - Faculty of Informatics and Design - C3 rating
• Dr Joseph Adebayo - Faculty of Informatics and Design - C2 rating

In addition, four researchers improved their ratings.

They are:

• Prof Ayesha Jacobs - Faculty of Applied Sciences - C3 to C2
• Prof Victoria Jideani - Faculty of Applied Sciences - C3 to C2
• Prof Agnes Chigona - Faculty of Education - C2 to C1
• Prof Tunde Ojumu - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment - C3 to C2

According to the NRF, the ratings are allocated based on a researcher’s recent research outputs and impact as perceived by international peer reviewers. The rating of individuals is based primarily on the quality and impact of their research outputs over the past eight years, taking into consideration the evaluation made by local and international peers. It identifies researchers who count among the leaders in their fields of expertise and gives recognition to those who constantly produce high quality research outputs. Ratings that are awarded in the following categories:

• A – Leading international researchers.
• B – Internationally acclaimed researchers.
• C – Established researchers.
• P – Prestigious Awards.
• Y – Promising young researchers.

Prof Dina Burger, Director of the Directorate Research Development, said the Directorate was very proud of the NRF rated researchers and especially the number of NRF rated researchers as this reflects the contribution that CPUT continues to make in growing the next generation of research and industry leaders.

“CPUT, under my leadership since the end of 2016 as Director: Research Development, has grown its NRF rated researchers to where it stands today. Today, CPUT has the highest number of NRF rated researchers amongst universities of technology in South Africa. The growth in our NRF rated researcher cohort did not occur in the absence of a carefully considered strategy on the part of the Directorate Research Development,” she said.

“Our strategy is to grow the next generation of research and industry leaders through a career-focused approach with a specific focus on each researcher’s individual research career planning. This is accomplished through tailor-designed training courses, individual mentoring interventions and external specialist advice.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.