Attention: Current UKZN Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students
You are invited to participate in a PhD research study entitled:
Understanding Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching in South African Higher Education
This study is being conducted by Nompumelelo Mazibuko, a PhD Candidate at the Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management, under the supervision of Dr Shirley Lloyd (Email: Shirleylloyd41@gmail.com).
The purpose of this research is to explore students' experiences and perceptions of Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) and to develop a contextually relevant framework that supports the fair, equitable and effective use of student feedback in South African higher education.
Who may participate?
You are eligible to participate if you are:
- A current undergraduate or postgraduate student registered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal;
- Have completed one or more Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET); and
- Are willing to participate in an online focus group discussion.
Students from all faculties, academic disciplines, levels of study and demographic backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
What does participation involve?
Participants will take part in one online focus group discussion via Microsoft Teams.
Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2026 (subject to participant availability)
Time: 14h00–15h30 (SAST)
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
Participation is entirely voluntary. Before participating, you will receive a Participant Information Sheet and an Informed Consent Form explaining the study and your rights as a participant.
Confidentiality
The discussion will be audio-recorded only with participants' consent. All information will be treated confidentially and no participant will be identified in any reports, publications or presentations arising from this study. As this is a focus group discussion, participants will also be requested to respect the confidentiality of information shared during the discussion.
Research Ethics
This study has received ethical approval from the Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management. Gatekeeper permission has been granted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The following documents are attached to this notice:
- Participant Recruitment Advertisement
- Participant Information Sheet
- Informed Consent Form
- Ethics Clearance Letter
- UKZN Gatekeeper Approval
Interested in participating?
Please contact the researcher directly:
Nompumelelo Mazibuko
PhD Candidate
Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management
Nompumelelo.Mazibuko@wits.ac.za