On-campus mine surveying practicals: their contribution in training mining engineering students in an open distance learning context

摘要

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the only South African university offering mine surveying by open distance learning (ODL). Initially intended to service mining engineering practitioners in search of formal training, the university has seen a growing enrolment of private students. Because this cohort of students has had little contact with the mining environment, there is a need to supplement the theoretical training by ODL with practical sessions on campus.In order to investigate this concern, historical data pertaining to the performance of students over the last five years was collected. Six mine surveying modules forming part of the national diplomas in Mining Engineering and in Mine Surveying offered at UNISA were considered: Mine Survey II and III, Mine Valuation II and III (Mine Surveyors subjects), and Mine Survey and Valuation II and III (Mine Engineering subjects).A roster was then designed for mine surveying practicals for implementation over one year, with students' attendance being optional. The students who accepted the invitation were monitored for the duration of the research.From the initial findings, a noticeable improvement in pass rate was observed for students who attended the practical sessions compared with those who did not. This can be regarded as an incentive to make the mine surveying practicals compulsory in future while integrating them with the current learning and assessment. One consequence of this would be the training of well-rounded technicians with sought-after skills for the South African mining industry.