WEEK 0

“READ FIRST”
WELCOME AND ORIENTATION

Dear Student
Welcome to this online honours module in Research Methodology! We trust that you will find this an
enriching learning experience and that the skills and knowledge that you gain in
completing this module successfully will prove valuable to you – not only as a postgraduate
student but also in your future career.

Administrative information for this module as well as your lecturers’ names and contact
details are provided in the Administrative Information document uploaded under Official
study Material on myUnisa.

Being an online module, it means that, except for the copy of the prescribed book
that you should buy, all other study material will be made available online on the
myUnisa site for this module. We strongly advise you to take some time early on to
download all the material that you will need for your studies so that you will have access
to all the material whether you are able to work online or not. To assist you with this, we
provide zipped documents for the relevant content parts – see the Zipped Documents
folder under the Additional Resources on myUnisa. For this online module, all assessments
will also be submitted on myUnisa.

As a postgraduate student, you are required to learn about research, and you should be
able to apply your knowledge practically. This module is aimed at providing you with a
broad overview and understanding of the research process and different approaches
and methods used. It is also intended to alert you to the ethical, technical and general
scientific considerations that need to be attended to when conducting research.

There is another module in your specific subject field that is linked to this module, namely
a research proposal module/research project module. These modules form a unit in that
they create the theoretical base of understanding and present the opportunity for
subject-specific practical application – thereby enhancing your research knowledge, skills
and abilities (see Figure A).

1
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

Figure A. Research-related modules at Honours level

This module counts 12 credits towards your overall degree and therefore entails 120 notional
hours of learning at Honours level. It will be quite challenging, and you will need to work
hard to master concepts and content that may or may not be familiar to you. While the
requirements for this module are strict and will challenge you to work hardto improve
your research knowledge and practical skills, support will be provided to help you to
master its content and at the same time help you gain more than just another
steppingstone towards a higher qualification. We hope that the successful completion
of this module will improve your practical skills, knowledge and abilities, increase your
employability and allow you to add value in whatever career or work environment you may
find yourself.

For this module, we will provide a framework to guide you through the work in a structured
way so that you will cover the required academic content and practical application that
are relevant for this subject in the 15 weeks available in a semester.
◼ 120 notional hours (extra hours may be needed by students who don’t meet the entry
requirements in terms of assumed knowledge, and these will be additional hours over
and above the notional hours indicated)
◼ 15 weeks (14 weeks to cover the content and 1 additional week for revision)
◼ 8 hours per week – for example
 1 hour per day Monday to Friday plus 3 hours on Saturday or
 1.5 hours per day Monday to Thursday and 2 hours on Saturday
 Any combination of study sessions that add up to the required 8 hours per week

iMPORTANT NOTiCE: When we refer to the 120 notional hours, we are assuming that
students have the pre-requisite skills and knowledge that they should have mastered
at school and at undergraduate level. Students who are under-prepared will need to put
in additional hours over and above the required 120 notional hours to ensure that they
master the required academic and practical work required in this module. However, we
believe that such extra time spent to master the content will be a good investment in your
own future.

2
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00
The prescribed book for this module
Bekwa, N., Grobler, S., Olivier, B., Sadiki, M., & Van Niekerk, A. (2019). Economic and
management research for HMEMS80 (Unisa custom edition). Harlow, Essex: Pearson
Education Limited. (iSBN: 9781787267992).
An online version (eBook) of the prescribed book (iSBN: 9781787268005) can also be
purchased. You can access the eBookby purchasing an access code
from either Van Schaik Bookshops or on the Pearson eStore
(https://shop.pearson.co.za/). Once you have acode, you can set up a
VitalSource eReader account (if you do not haveone) at the following
URL: https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/user/registration.
You can then follow the steps on the website to claim yourcode so you
can download the eBook. Please obtain a copy of the abovebook as soon
as you can so that you will be ready to follow the activitiesand tasks
for this module.
Although this book is slightly slanted towards social science research,
the general research process that it covers is applicable for quantitative and qualitative
research in general. In our explanations and examples we will use generic examples that are
applicable to students in various departments in the College of Economic and Management
Sciences (CEMS) at Unisa. During this time, you will be required towork in various ways – by
reading, performing activities, completing multiple-choice questions (MCQs), providing
qualitative feedback, etc. To draw your attention to the specific task, wemake use of icons.
Below is a list of the icons that will be used for this module:

icons for HMEMS80

What is expected of you when you see
Description icon used
63

this icon
61 62

Prescribed
64
Study or work through a section or pages
compilation by from the prescribed book.
the HMEMS80
team. PRESCRiBED BOOK
Bekwa, N., Grobler, S., Olivier, B., Sadiki, M.,
& Van Niekerk, A. (2019). Economic and
management research for HMEMS80
(Unisa custom edition). Harlow, Essex:
Pearson Education Limited.

Ethics. Ethical principles and practices are extremely

important in research. We will use this icon
when we want to draw your attention to
important ethical aspects that need to be
considered.

68

3
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

What is expected of you when you see

Description icon used
71

this icon
69 70

How
72
Be aware that the topic / domain covered
74

something forms an essential link in the overall research

fits into process. Review the research process
the overall framework and ensure that you know how
research this aspects links to the overall process.
process.
73

Learning new
75
New material is presented for you to master.
77

content. Make sure that you understand the new

content and its application.

76

78 Practical skills. Practical skills that you will need to apply by

80

using a computer

79

81 Options. Consider different options and explain and

motivate the choices that you make

82

Graduateness
84
Specific exercises and tasks that will enhance
/ your employability in the job market
Employability.

85

4
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00

Activity. Activity to apply some of the content

practically and build your practical skills
base. This may include answering the weekly
multiple-choice questions (MCQs) or providing
the weekly qualitative feedback. It couldalso
be related to tasks such as obtaining
literature by doing a library search, working
with a dataset that we provide or using other
resources provided on Unisa’s student
88

website, namely myUnisa.

Warning. At times we may provide a warning where we
think you need to attend carefully to
information provided – to help ensure that
you optimise your chances of success in this
module.

91

Our project. This icon is used when we make reference

to our own example research project about
employability. We will use this project to
illustrate specific aspects that we cover in
the content each week so that you can see
how what you learn about is applied to an
actual project.
94

Take a break! You will work hard to master the content of

9

this module and from time to time you will

definitely deserve a break!! We will tell you
to take a break when you have completed
particularly challenging sections of the work!

97

Higher-level study (at Master’s and Doctorate level) requires independent research of
students and in the case of a doctoral student there is the additional requirement that
the student has to make a contribution to the subject field. As Honours students we
will lead you through the first steps on the path of research involvement. Through our
supportive and guided process we hope that you will gain understanding of and some
practical exposure to research and that your experiences in the completion of this module
will be positive, enriching and rewarding. Imagine a small child learning to ride a two-wheel
bicycle for the first time. Using ‘training wheels’ attached to the back wheel helps to give
extra balance - similar to that of a tricycle - and helps to train the child to keep good
balance. After a while, the training wheels can be taken off and in time the child can
confidently and expertly ride without further assistance. This is what we will try to do in

5
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

this module – to provide an environment in which you can try out your research skills while
being carefully guided. During the process of mastering these skills, you will become more
confident and eventually manage to work on your own!

Another example of how we see the process to be followed for this module – and one
that we will use actively throughout the remainder of the module content - is the idea of
forming an academic “bus” that you can join to help take you to reach the final destination.
We borrow the word “bus” from the world-renowned Comrades ultra-marathon. Some of
you may have heard about the “Comrades Bus” principle (see Box A below) where extremely
experienced Comrades marathon runners guide novice runners through their training
programmes and on the day of the big race. They guarantee that all those who “stay with
the bus” will get to the finish line in time to receive their Comrades medals. By following
the advice and guidance of more experienced individuals, the novice runner can learn and
gain experience while merely following easily achievable smaller steps of a larger process.

We would like to use this same image in terms of us guiding you through the steps of
the research process and writing of a research proposal. In this way we have tried to
break down what may feel like a daunting and very difficult task into smaller and more
easily achievable sub-steps towards reaching the larger goal. This is also why we require
your absolute commitment to study the allocated 8 hours for this module every week,
follow the guidelines and execute the steps exactly as we explain it to you over time. If
you do this, we guarantee that you will reach the end goal successfully. You will be more
knowledgeable, skilled and experienced in the steps and processes involved in planning,
conducting and reporting on the results of a research project.

A “bus” is a group of runners who run at a specified pace with the intention of finishing
the race in a specified time. This group of runners are led by a “bus driver”, who in most
instances will carry a flag indicating the intended finish time of the bus. The bus
driver “calls the shots” so to speak, usually verbally, sometimes using a whistle to keep
the attention of his/her passengers. Basically, these busses function as follows: The
“driver” should be an experienced runner who has a very good idea of pacing and time
management. He/she will include some planned “recovery” walks into the pace.The
bigger busses are quite festive with the driver incorporating count downs and
motivational cries and songs. It is not uncommon to hear the chant “another one bites
the dust” as the bus passes one of the kilometre boards (distance markers). During the
planned walks, the bus driver usually has runners raising their arms and breathing
deeply. He/she will then count them down to start running again.

The Pros
◼ It’s worth joining a bus if you don’t really have a game plan. This way you have
someone else doing all the thinking for you.
◼ You should have a good chance of achieving a set goal if you can stick with the bus.
◼ Joining a bus on route may help you get back on track.

Do a search on Youtube for “Arrival of the 12-hour bus at Comrades 2022” (or any
other year) and see how such group support helps many novice runners to arrive at
the finish line in time to complete this long-distance race! We hope this will inspire
you to stay on our research module “bus” until you reach the finish line and pass
this module!

Box A. Description of the Comrades “Bus”

6
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00

Proceeding with the Comrades metaphor, the route for the total marathon is depicted
106

below. As with this race, completion of the research module may seem like an overwhelming
task to complete, but step by step and with guidance and support, we are sure that you will
do so – and do so successfully!!!!

Figure B. Comrades route profile map

The route above certainly looks very steep in places, but you also know that every year
tens of thousands of athletes successfully complete this ultra-marathon and deservedly
feel proud of their achievement at the end of this long journey. We trust that after
completing this module and going on to complete a module that follow after this one
(research proposal/project module), you will feel similarly and deservedly proud of your
academic and research achievements!

Figure C. Comrades route map

In the above route map you can see that the long route has been broken down into smaller
10

sections that are clearly marked. In the same way, we have broken down the content of
this module into smaller pieces that you will be guided to complete during the next 15
weeks. We named the first week “Week 0” as it does not yet start with any academic
content – it is rather a welcome and orientation phase. The content of the module is
covered in a structured and guided process over 14 weeks. A final portfolio assignment
has to be submitted immediately after you have completed the last week’s work. The
module then covers 15 weeks from the very beginning to the very end.

During this time you will be required each week to

◼ note where you are in the overall programme. For this purpose, a complete
module overview is provided in Table 1 (the extended form) which is available in the
Administrative Information document under official study matrial for this module.

7
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

(Note that a shorter summarised form of this same Table – Table 1 (short form)
is provided later in this document.) In Table 1 an indication is given of the content
that will be covered during a specific week, which material you will use (both from the
prescribed book as well as other resources that we prescribe), as well as the
assessments that are required each week. If you are already thinking about your
research project/proposal that you would like to complete in the other module (see
Figure A), you can use the last column (optional task or own project) in Table 1 to guide
you in thinking and planning this as we work through the research methodology in this
module. (In addition to using Table 1 to monitor your progress, you can also refer to
the Research Walk diagram in Figure 1 in Week 1 of the tutorial guide document);
◼ work through the relevant weekly topic guide. We advise you to work through the
topic guide as the first point of reference as we do not follow the chapters in Bekwa et
al. (2019) in their numerical sequence. Our weekly topic guide sections will introduce
you to the content of the week and guide you in how to use any of the other available
study material. Do not attempt to work through the prescribed book without working
through the weekly topic guide first;
◼ work through the relevant sections of the prescribed book for this module (as and
where we refer you to in the weekly topic guide);
◼ work through the additional resources (as and where we refer you to in the weekly
topic guide). These resources are material that will help you to learn more or apply
what you have learned during the week. It also includes templates, examples and
datasets that we make available to you for practical activities.
◼ provide written feedback on your learning experience in terms of the content of the
module and your personal learning experiences. You will be required to do this under
the self-assessments section on the myUnisa site.
◼ In addition, we have broken down further information required to complete the module
into small and manageable mini steps. A weekly step-by-step document (see Week 0
Resource 1 for this week’s document) is provided for each week of the module to
ensure that you gradually do what is required without feeling too overwhelmed by the
overall demands set by the particular week or the overall content of this module.You
can use this step-by-step document at the beginning of each week to see what the
week’s work will entail, and mark off what you have completed, or you can use it for
revision at the end of the week to make sure that you have covered and done
everything required for that particular week.

Please don’t feel too overwhelmed when you see the overall programme (Table 1) and
12

Administrative Information document. Remember that we will be guiding you through

the material step by step and week by week. All the resources that students will need
to complete each week are available under additional resources on myUnisa, organised
according to the weekly schedule. We expect that many students who register for the
module may not have done any undergraduate research courses at all. Thus, we aim to
present the material in such a way that even students without any research background
should be able to complete the module and demonstrate their understanding and skills
mastered in a practical way at the end of the process.

8
 APPENDIX A: Table 1 (Revised)
HMEMS80 2023 - Module overview (short format)
*WEEK CONTENT {Research Proposal Headings} Textbook SELF-ASS (S/A)/ OUTPUT ADDITIONAL (optional)

0 Welcome and Orientation Obtain copy of the textbook Access myUnisa Consider options

1 Introduction Table of content Week 1 Baseline Questionnaire Choose relevant subject field

2 Overview of a research proposal Chapter 1 Week 2 (S/A): MCQs and Research Question
Qual. Feedback
3 {Title of a research proposal} Chapter 2 Week 3 (S/A): MCQs and Specific variables/ theme
Qual. Feedback

4 {Literature review}; {Problem statement} Chapter 3 Week 4 (S/A): MCQs and Source relevant literature
{Objectives of the research}; {Reference list} Qual. Feedback

5 {Research design} Chapter 6 ASSESSMENT 1: Applicable? Decide detail

Qualitative non-experimental RP MCQs & Lit REViEW

6 {Research design} Chapter 5 Week 6 (S/A): MCQs and Applicable? Decide detail
Quantitative – Part 1 (Non-exp, descr. & correl.) Qual. Feedback
9

7 {Research design} Chapter 7 Week 7 (S/A): MCQs and Applicable? Decide detail
Quantitative – Part 2 (Pre-, True- and Quasi Exp.) Chapter 12 Qual. Feedback
8 {Sample} {Ethical considerations} Chapter 9 Week 8 (S/A): MCQs and Size, method, motivation
Chapter 3 Qual. Feedback
9 {Data Collection} Chapters 8, 9 & 10 Week 9 (S/A): MCQs and Tools, techniques, tests (Rel., Val.)
Qualitative Qual. Feedback
10 {Data Collection} Chapter 8 & 10 ASSESSMENT 2: 50 X MCQs Type of data & analysis?
Quantitative
11 {Data analysis} Chapter 6 Week 11 (S/A): MCQs and Type of data & analysis?
Qualitative Qual. Feedback

HMEMS80/WEEK 00
12 {Data analysis} Chapters 4, 5 & 11 Week 12 (S/A): MCQs and Qual. Applicable? Explain & motivate
Quantitative Feedback
13 Application of a research proposal Chapter 13 Week 13 (S/A): MCQs and Write a research proposal
Qual. Feedback

14 Revision for completion of the Portfolio All chapters Week 14 Baseline Questionnaire Write a research proposal
Demonstrating knowledge & skills ASSESSMENT 3: PORTFOLIO
OF EVIDENCE (POE)
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

To guide you through the course content week by week as indicated in Table 1, we will also
make use of the figure below at the start of each new section to orientate you in terms
of where you are with regard to the overall module content and specifically with regard
to the research proposal writing process. For now, just take a brief look at the figure and
compare it with the information that was presented in Table 1 above.
114

For now just look at the overall

115 figure below to orientate yourself!!

116

117

118

119

120

14
Week 14

121

W
ee
k
12 28

122

123
Week 13

13
12 29

W
ee
125

Figure 1. Weekly progress guide

129 NOTE: This same figure is presented as Figure 1 in the content for Week 1 – The Research
Walk. When we use this figure to orientate you, we will not use the figure number
or the figure heading. Instead, we will highlight the particular section to indicate
where we are with regard to the overall content and process.

Self-assessments, Assignments and Examination

During the 15 weeks you will have the option to complete weekly self-assessments. There
are also two compulsory assignments and a Portfolio of Evidence. See Table 1 as well as
the detailed information on all assessment tasks for this module that is provided in Table
B which are both available in the Administrative Information document in the official
study material for this module.

10
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00

Weekly self-assessments

The weekly self-assessments can be completed online on myUnisa under the self-
assessments on the HMEMS80 myUnisa site. Some of the content of these self-
assessments will also be included in your Portfolio of Evidence (the summative assessment
for this module – in other words the ‘examination’), so keep a copy for yourself as you
proceed to complete these self-assessments throughout the semester. Preview copies
of the self-assessment questions are provided as additional resources in the particular
week that covers that part of the module content. You can use the preview document
of the self-assessment to prepare your answers before completing the self-assessment
online on myUnisa. You should keep copies of your self-assessment for inclusion in the
Portfolio of Evidence. (Note that in the weeks when your assignments are due there
will be no self-assessments – see Table 1 earlier in this document as well as in the
Administrative Information document in the official study material.)

• Compulsory assignments
You will also have to complete the following compulsory assignments:

Assignment 01:
136 This is a written assignment that consists of a literature review for a
given research topic, as well as MCQs that will assess your
understanding of the basic research process. Instructions on how to
complete the first assignment, as well as the answer sheet (template)
that should be used for completing the assignment, are available in
the folder named Assignments under the Additional Resources tool on
the myUnisa website.

Assignment 02: This assignment consists of MCQs covering the content of the module
138

that you have worked through.

• Portfolio of evidence

The portfolio of evidence (POE) is the final summative assessment for this module. The
POE will consist of reflections of your learning journey and writing a research proposal
on a given topic.

The assessment due dates will be made available to you on myUnisa module site.

11
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

The template that you will use for completing the Portfolio of Evidence as well as
instructions for completion of the portfolio of evidence and the Assessment Sheet –
which will be used to mark your Portfolio – is uploaded under the additional resources in
the folder named Portfolio of Evidence for you to preview. This gives you an idea of what
will be expected of you in the Portfolio examination. Final instructions on how to complete
the portfolio and the chosen topic research questions to use for the Portfolio research
proposal will be provided to you later in the semester. A myUnisa announcement will be
sent to all registered students when this information is uploaded. For now, you can already
start populating your Portfolio template by saving your weekly self-assessments for later
inclusion of some parts of the self-assessment in the Portfolio.

Also work through the Table 2 (HMEMS80 2023 Assessment Orientation/Appendix B) in

14 4

the Administrative Information document. It provides detailed information on the self-

assessment, assignments and Portfolio of Evidence, as well as how they count towards the
year mark and the final mark for this module.

Table 3
Summary of how overall marks for this module will be calculated

Assignment % of year mark Mark total % of final mark

ASSIGNMENT 01 50% 100 15%
Written
ASSIGNMENT 02 50% 100 15%
MCQs
PORTFOLIO OF
EVIDENCE
1. Structure and Presentation 5
2.1 Reflection on Assignment 01 5 70%
2.2 Reflection on Assignment 02 5
2.3 3 x weekly self-reflections 15
2.4 Reflection on the value of research 5
3. Research proposal 45
FiNAL MARK 100%

The table above provides a summary of the mark allocation for this module:

◼ A year mark will count 30% of the final mark and a portfolio examination will count the
other 70% of the final mark.
◼ The two assignments will count 30% of the final mark. Each of the two assignments
respectively counts half of the year mark (each contributing 15%). Assignment 01
consists of 10 MCQs and a literature review exercise and Assignment 02 consists
of 50 MCQs only. You will use a template file to complete Assignment 01 and should
submit it online as PDF format document assignment via myUnisa. Assignment 02 will
be submitted online as a MCQ assignment via myUnisa.

12
 APPENDIX B: Table 2 (Revised)
ASSESSMENTS ORIENTATION FOR HMEMS80 2023
ASSESSMENT CONTENT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS DUE DATE PERCENTAGE OF FINAL MARK
WEEKLY SELF- 10 Multiple choice questions on the content Not compulsory: Can be used for self-evaluation. To be No specific due date. Do not count any marks in this module
ASSESSMENTS covered during the week. submitted under the self-assessments on the myUnisa site for Can be completed in
this module. own time.
Qualitative self-reflection questions on the To be submitted under the self-assessments on the myUnisa See the due date for 15 of the 70 percentage points for the
content and learning. site for this module. the Portfolio of Portfolio of Evidence contribute towards
AND evidence (Assignment the final mark out of 100.
A sample of the self-reflection of any three weeks (of your 03 below).
choice) to be submitted as part of the Portfolio of Evidence.
Assignment 01 Written assignment including a literature review COMPULSORY 15% of the final mark
for a given topic and questions relating to the To be submitted before or on the due date in order to qualify Check the module site (50% of the year mark)
basic research process. Use the template file for submitting the Portfolio of evidence. for due dates
provided in the folder named ‘Assignments’ under AND
additional resources on the myUnisa site for this To be submitted for your year mark.
module to complete the Assignment.
Submit as Assignment 01 using the Assignment submission tool
on myUnisa.

Assignment 02 Multiple-choice questions relating to the content COMPULSORY 15% of the final mark
of the module covered thus far. To be submitted before or on the due date to count towards Check the module site (50% of the year mark)
13

your year mark. for due dates

Submit this assignment as Assignment 02 using the Assignment

submission tool on myUnisa (follow the on-screen instructions
for completing the multiple-choice questions).
Assignment 03 Portfolio of Evidence – consisting of reflections EXAMINATION 70% of the final mark for the module
(Portfolio of on learning and writing a research proposal on a Check the module site
Evidence - given topic. May only be submitted if Assignment 01 was submitted before for due dates
counting as the or on the due date.
examination for Use the template file provided in the folder
this module) named ‘Portfolio of Evidence’ under the Submit your Portfolio of Evidence file as Assignment 03 using
Additional Resources on the myUnisa site for this the Assignment submission tool on myUnisa.

HMEMS80/WEEK 00
module to prepare your own portfolio file for
submission.
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

148 Activity 1
Use the framework provided in Table 1 (short form or extended form)
to schedule the required times in your personal diary according to
the weekly schedule provided. You should allow 8 hours per week over
15 weeks that will be required to complete the work for this module.
Block these times as ‘non-negotiable’ in your diary and communicate
to others that these times will be set aside for study purposes only.

We will visit the myUnisa module site weekly to upload relevant content (for example
changing the welcome page each week) and we will also note the content of discussion
forums and guide students as and where required about once a week. Students who
wish to work according to their own schedule are welcome to do so. Except for the final
portfolio task which will be uploaded later, all study material and assessment documents
will be available throughout the study time for the particular semester. Self-assessments
can be completed online on myUnisa at any time throughout the semester. Feedback
on Assignments 01 and 02 will be provided after the closing dates of the assignments.
Students can work at their own pace but the ASSiGNMENT DATES ARE FiXED AND
NON-NEGOTiABLE (see due dates for the assignments provided on the module site).

Since this is a general research methodology module, it will not be possible for us to focus
on all the specific techniques that are most often used in the different departments and
subject fields that form part of the College for Economic and Management Sciences
(CEMS). However, we trust that with the general knowledge and understanding gained in
working through this module, you will later on manage more easily to master the specific
approaches, techniques and methods that you will need for your own research in your
specific subject domain. After completing this module, students will also be required to
complete a Research Proposal module/Project module (see Figure A, p. 2).

For the sake of interest, the table below indicates the different Honours degrees offered
in CEMS. In line with new requirements of the Department of Education which took effect
as from 2012, students at Honours level are required to complete at least 30 of the 120
credits of the Honours qualification in research (research proposal/research project).
These credits exclude the training in research methodology, which for CEMS will be
additional to the research proposal/project module (more information will be presented in
the tutorial guide section for Week 1).

14
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00

Table 4
Summary of Honours degrees in the College of Economic and Management Sciences
(CEMS) at Unisa
Degree description
HONS BA (ECONOMICS)
HONS BA (IN & ORG PSY)
HONS BA (PUBLIC ADMIN)
HONS BADMIN (ACCOUNTING)
HONS BADMIN (AUDITING)
HONS BADMIN (ECONOMICS)
HONS BADMIN (IND & ORG PSY)
HONS BADMIN (LOGISTICS)
HONS BADMIN (PUBLIC ADMIN)
HONS BADMIN (TRANSPORT EC.)
HONS BADMIN (BUS. MNGMT.)
HONS BCOMM (ACCOUNTING)
HONS BCOM (AUDITING)
HONS BCOM (BUS. MANAGEMENT)
HONS BCOM (ECONOMICS)
HONS BCOM (FINAN MOD)
HONS BCOM (IND & ORG PSY)
HONS BCOM (LOGISTICS)
HONS BCOM (OPER. RES.)
HONS BCOM (PUBLIC ADMIN)
HONS BCOM (QUANT MANGT)
HONS BCOM (TRANSPORT ECON)
HONS BCOMPT
HONS BSC (FINAN. MOD)
HONS BSC (OP. RESEARCH)

Online activities and support for this module

15 5

156 We will follow an online learning approach in this module.

◼ Benefits of online participation

Students have direct access to resources and a forum that also provides
contact with lecturers and fellow students. In this way you can more
directly state your own views, share experiences and receive quick and
ongoing feedback from lecturers regarding the learning tasks for this
module. As students you will become part of a learning community and
will also develop and improve a number of skills, including the following:

15
HMEMS80/WEEK 00

 Technological skills – using the Internet and the online campus, how to access
resources electronically, how to use e-mails, and how to attach files electronically;
 Communication skills – expressing your thoughts in written form and writing in an
academic manner;
 Critical thinking and problem-solving skills – substantiating your viewpoints and
supporting them with research;
 Lifelong learning – becoming an independent lifelong learner by managing your time
in such a way that you regularly participate in discussion forums;
 Reflective thinking and self-evaluation skills – many online activities will ask you to
reflect on your learning, what you are studying and researching and to share this
with others in the course.

◼ What you can expect from your lecturers

For this module, we will be using the online discussion forum for academic purposes.
There are other pages on the Unisa website where you can ask questions relating to
administration – however, this is not what the online discussion forum is for! Note that
discussion forums do not represent personal communication with your lecturers,
such as emails or letters. This means that lecturers will not be answering each and
every message with a personal reply. Online discussion forums are more like class
discussions in a face-to-face classroom, where the lecturer may ask a question, but
several students can answer. The lecturer then comments at the end, or if there is a
problem, etc.

In this module, there are usually large numbers of registered students. This means
that a lot of activity may take place in the discussion forums. Your lecturers will
be reading your postings, but we will only put our comments online once a week or
so. You must therefore not be worried if you do not hear from us on a daily basis.
However, we will be monitoring the discussions on a weekly basis.

◼ Purpose of the online discussion forum in this module

The discussion forum provides you with opportunities where you can
 discuss and clarify critical issues in the subject area;
 share experiences and ideas with peers and lecturers;
 solve problems collaboratively;
 debate topical issues;
 raise critical questions about the topic under discussion, and
 introduce the most recent developments in the subject area.

◼ Online resources

157 Activity 2
Login to myUnisa (http://my.unisa.ac.za) using your student number. Go
158

to the module site and read the introductory welcome message on the
home page. Also go to additional resources and see how the information
has been structured under the different weeks. Preview the content
in some of the folders. Familiarise yourself with the rest of the tools
used on the site (like the self-assessments) and browse through your
schedule for the first few weeks ahead.

16
 HMEMS80/WEEK 00

You have to activate your unisa official mylife email address and check it regularly as
this is the only official correspondence avenue for this online module for returning your
assignments and for sending announcements.

You may also want to log into the Unisa Library site and view some of available resources
there. In Week 4 you will be asked to focus on obtaining relevant literature for a research
topic – see the additional resources listed for Week 4.

iMPORTANT NOTE
Please download all the course material to your computer or to a flash drive that
162

you can use in future. in this way you can continue with your studies even if you
cannot access the myUnisa system. No study material is sent via post with the
exclusion of the tutorial letter 101.

The different types of documents have been grouped together and saved in separate
zipped files to make downloading easier.

These zipped files are uploaded in a separate folder named Zipped Documents in the
Additional Resources folder on myUnisa.

Information on the staff involved with the HMEMS80 module is provided in the
166

Administrative Information document uploaded under Official study material.

Lecturers in the HMEMS80 team will take turns to monitor discussion forums (about once
167

a week) and to respond to HMEMS80 course contact emails (daily).

To contact the HMEMS80 lecturers, please use the course contact email on the
myUnisa site for the module.

HMEMS80-24-S1@unisa.ac.za for semester 1 of 2024 or

69

HMEMS80-24-S2@unisa.ac.za for semester 2 of 2024

70

iNDiCATE iN THE HEADiNG OF YOUR EMAiL WHETHER YOUR

iNQUiRY iS AN ACADEMiC OR AN ADMiNiSTRATiVE ONE.

Good luck with your journey! Remember that we are there to support and guide you
throughout the entire process; thus you have free access to various resources that can
assist you to make a success of this adventure.

We truly hope that you will enjoy doing this module and that it will be a positive and
rewarding experience for all involved.

The HMEMS80 team

17