ECS1601/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024

Economics 1B (Macroeconomics I)
ECS1601

Year module

Department of Economics

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to this module’s website, ECS
1601-24-Y, on myUnisa, as well as your group website.
This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS

Page
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 4
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Purpose of the module .................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ............................................................................................ 5
4 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS ...................................................................................... 6
4.1 Lecturers ......................................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 7
4.3 University ........................................................................................................................................ 7
5 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 7
5.1 Prescribed book .............................................................................................................................. 7
5.2 Recommended book(s) .................................................................................................................. 8
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ..................................................................................................... 8
5.4 Library services and resources ....................................................................................................... 8
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ............................................................................................... 10
7 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 11
8. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................... 12
9 ASSESSMENTS ........................................................................................................................... 12
9.1 Assessment criteria ...................................................................................................................... 12
9.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 15
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................. 15
9.4 Submission of assessments ......................................................................................................... 16
9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions ......................................................................................... 17
9.5 The assessments .......................................................................................................................... 18
9.6 Examination .................................................................................................................................. 19
9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring ....................................................................................................................... 19
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .......................................................................................................... 20
10.1 Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................................... 20
10.2 Cheating ....................................................................................................................................... 20
10.3 More information about plagiarism................................................................................................ 20
11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES ................................................................................... 21
12 IN CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 21
13 ADDENDUM ................................................................................................................................. 22

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13.1 What does studying fully online entail? ......................................................................................... 22

13.2 myUnisa tools ............................................................................................................................... 22
13.3 E-tutors ......................................................................................................................................... 23
13.4 Changed from semester to year module....................................................................................... 23

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Dear Student

1. INTRODUCTION

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.

Our comprehensive curricula encapsulate a range of offerings, from strictly vocational to
strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa’s “openness” and its distance e-
learning character result in many students registering at Unisa who may not have had an
opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our CODeL character means that our programmes
are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students ranging from the under-
prepared but with potential, to the sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery, ranging from
blended learning (online and on paper) to fully online. As a default position, all postgraduate
programmes are offered fully online with no printed study materials, while many
undergraduate programmes are offered through a blended mode of delivery, where printed
study materials are augmented with online teaching and learning via the learner management
system, myUnisa. In some instances, undergraduate programmes are offered fully online as
well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the
University. Unisa’s commitment to serve humanity and shape futures, combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, ensure that Unisa’s graduates have
distinctive graduate qualities. Our students
• are independent, resilient, responsible, and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and
serve in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global
communities
• have a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges, and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts
• have the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews
• know how to apply their discipline-specific knowledge competently, ethically, and
creatively to solve real-life problems

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• have an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future
potential.

This module is offered fully online (all information is available via the internet), and
we use myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used to
administer, document and deliver educational material to you and support
engagement with you. Information on the tools that will be available to you to engage
with your lecturers and fellow students to support your learning will also be
communicated via myUnisa and email.

You are encouraged to log on to the module site (ECS 1601-24-Y) on myUnisa regularly, that is,
at least twice per week. Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to
study and complete the learning activities for this module. Visit the website for ECS 1601 on
myUnisa frequently. The website for your module is ECS 1601-24-Y.

We wish you every success with your studies!

2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose of the module
The purpose of Economics 1B (Macroeconomics I) is to introduce you to fundamental
macroeconomic theory. This module will expose you to various macroeconomic variables that
explain the functioning of the economy. This is essential knowledge for those of you who intend
following a career (academic or otherwise) in economic analysis, or who wish to understand the
functioning of a macroeconomic system.

2.2 Outcomes
After you have studied this module, you should be able to
• explain the functioning of the economy, and
• assess the performance of the economy.
You will find detailed learning outcomes at the beginning of each learning unit in your study
guide.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation

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includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies into the curriculum. All of these will be phased in at both the programme and
module levels, and as a result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching and
learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is
conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your
studies at Unisa in a responsive way, within the framework of transformation.

4 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturers
We are available to assist you with any enquiries relating to the prescribed content of ECS1601.
If you have enquiries about administrative matters, however, please contact the relevant
administrative department.

Below are the names of your lecturers for this course and their contact details:

NAME E-MAIL TEL

Mr Ramilane Mohlakoane mohlar@unisa.ac.za 012 433 4802

Ms Luthando Makhaye makhal1@unisa.ac.za 012 433 4785
Ms Phindile Ngwenya ngwenpa@unisa.ac.za 012 337 6018
Mrs Vinolia Sekokoi sekokvl@unisa.ac.za 011 670 9523
Mr Claude Byneveldt Ebynevcf@unisa.ac.za 012 429 2193
Mr Sandile Khuzwayo khuzwsp@unisa.ac.za 012 429 4960

The lecturers assigned to this module may change – if that happens, we will provide updated
information on myUnisa.

If you have any administrative queries, you can contact the relevant administrative department
(see 4.3 below) or the following departmental staff members:

NAME E-MAIL TEL

Ms Elsie Mtsweni mtsweeb@unisa.ac.za 012 484 1270

Ms Nonceba Masinyana masinnp@unisa.ac.za 012 429 2129

You may contact us by e-mail and telephone between 08:00 and 15:30, Mondays to
Fridays, excluding public holidays.

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Please note that we expect Unisa staff and you, as students, to communicate in a courteous
manner with each other. In any communication with the university, always provide your student
number, the relevant module code (in this case ECS1601) and the reason for your
communication. If you write an e-mail or a letter, start with a proper salutation, for example,
“Dear Ms Mtsweni”. If you are uncertain about whom you are addressing, start with a neutral
greeting such as “Good day”. Indicate the purpose of your e-mail or letter very clearly. End your
e-mail appropriately, for example by writing “Yours sincerely”, “Respectfully”, or “Regards”.
When writing your name, you may use your first and last name, for example “Nontsikelelo
Ntwanambi”, or your title and surname, for example “Ms Ntwanambi”. This will ensure that we
know how you prefer to be addressed when we reply to you. As we are in the business of
education, we need to ensure that you become used to communicating in an appropriate way at
all times, as you would in business.

We will also communicate with you on myUnisa on the main ECS1601 website on myUnisa, and
you will receive announcements from us delivered to your myLife e-mail address. Make sure
you check your myLife e-mail inbox regularly.

4.2 Department
You can contact the Department of Economics using the following contact information:
Telephone number: 012 484 1270
E-mail: mtsweeb@unisa.ac.za

4.3 University
If you have administrative enquiries, contact the relevant administrative department.
The contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:,
at http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.
Please include your student number in all correspondence.

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book
The following book is prescribed for this module:
Mohr, P, Van Zyl, C & Pretorius, A. 2018. Understanding macroeconomics. 2nd edition.
Pretoria: Van Schaik.

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The prescribed book can be obtained from the university's official booksellers (see
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Books/Official-Booksellers for the list). If you have
difficulty locating the book at these booksellers, please contact your lecturers so that we can
investigate the situation.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended books for ECS1601.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

There are no electronic reserves for ECS1601.

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has created
numerous library guides, available from http://libguides.unisa.ac.za.

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Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance.

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library.
• For Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions.
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian (to submit a literature search request on your research
topic), visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Research-support.
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training.
• Lending services: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for postgraduate
students: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-
Postgraduates
• Support and services for students with disabilities:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-
special-needs
• Library technology support: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A-to-Z list of library databases: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• For technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-

help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature search service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
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 • Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies.

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.
If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:
• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (select option 07 for myModules)
• E-mail: mymodule22@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessments
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130.

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain your official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is
also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open
distance and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It
is a mega university, and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully
online learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support to help them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey, with as little difficulty and as few barriers as possible. This additional support is offered

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to you in the form of a specialised student support programme for students enrolling at Unisa for
the first time – Unisa's First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme. This programme is designed to
provide you with prompt and helpful information about the services that the institution offers and
shows you how you can access information. The following FYE services are currently offered:

FYE Website Email Support

www.unisa.ac.za/FYE fye@unisa.ac.za

FYE1500
Post
Registration myUnisa; Study
Referrals to Skills; Academic &
Orientation
Digital Literacies;
other support
etc
services i.e.
Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication
from the University, please check your myLife inbox regularly.

7 STUDY PLAN
We encourage you to study in line with the proposed study programme right from the
beginning to the end of the semester. We drew up the study programme to help you work
through the module systematically, and we will also work according to it. The Study
Programme for ECS1601 is available for downloading from myUnisa under Additional
Resources.

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8. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
We apply continuous assessment in this module. Continuous assessment is the ongoing
periodical and systematic assessment and evaluation of students during the process of
learning, using a variety of assessment methods throughout the tuition period. It excludes a
single high-stakes summative assessment (i.e., a final exam) at the end of the academic period.
Therefore, no formal final examination is conducted, and the assignment marks alone will be
used to calculate your final mark. You will be assessed on the assignments you complete either
weekly or every two weeks, with all the assignment marks contributing towards the final mark.

You will have two opportunities to submit the multiple-choice questions (MCQ) assignments.
Once you submit the first assessment attempt, you will immediately receive the mark and be
able to view the questions you got right and/or wrong. If you are not happy with the mark you
achieved for your first attempt, you should revise the relevant sections of the study material and
make a second attempt, which will be available 24 hours after you have submitted the first
attempt. If you submit a second attempt:
o the average mark of the two attempts will be taken as your final mark, and
o you will receive a different set of questions on the second occasion.

9 ASSESSMENTS
It is important that you study the prescribed sections of the study material before attempting
the assignments.

The assignments are not supplied in this tutorial letter, and you will not receive a printed copy of
the assignments. Instead, the assignments are posted online as they become due, and they can
only be completed online on myUnisa.

Do not wait until the due date before completing your assignments on myUnisa, because then
you will not have time to make a second attempt, and the system might be very busy or down
for routine maintenance, which could affect the success of your submission.

9.1 Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for each learning outcome are provided below:

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Specific outcome Assessment criteria

1.1 Distinguish between households and
firms and show how their activities are
interrelated.
1.2 Illustrate the linkages between the
foreign sector, the financial sector, the
government sector, households and
firms using the circular-flow model of
income and spending.
1.3 Explain the interaction between financial
intermediaries and the other participants
in the economic cycle.
1.4 Discuss the main functions of the SA
Reserve Bank.
1.5 Discuss the factors affecting the quantity
• Explain the functioning of of money.
the economy as a whole, 1.6 Explain and illustrate the interaction
and the different sectors between the interest rate and the
that that make up the demand for money.
economy. 1.7 Explain and illustrate how equilibrium in
the money market is established.
1.8 Discuss the instruments of monetary
policy.
1.9 Explain the reasons why government is
involved in economic activity.
1.10 Explain how government spending is
financed.
1.11 Discuss the criteria for a good tax
system.
1.12 Explain and illustrate what is meant by
the term “tax incidence”.
1.13 Define and explain fiscal policy.
1.14 Explain why countries trade.
1.15 Explain with the aid of a diagram the

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 Specific outcome Assessment criteria
economic impact of an import tariff.
1.16 Discuss the arguments for and against
the use of trade barriers.
1.17 Discuss the subaccounts of the balance
of payments.
1.18 Explain the meaning and significance of
South Africa's gold and other foreign
reserves.
1.19 Explain and illustrate the exchange rate
between the United States dollar and the
South African rand.
1.20 Explain the effects of an appreciation or
depreciation of the rand against the
dollar.
1.21 Explain the standard macroeconomic
objectives.
1.22 Explain the various criteria, concepts and
techniques which are used to assess the
performance of the economy.
2.1 Explain the relationship between the three
central macroeconomic flows.
2.2 Derive the components of aggregate
• Explain the use of spending in a simple Keynesian model of
economic models to a closed economy without a government.
predict and illustrate how 2.3 Explain the multiplier and discuss the
changes in the effect of changes in autonomous
components of aggregate spending.
spending may influence 2.4 Explain and illustrate the impact of the
the goods market, government sector on aggregate
employment, production, spending, the multiplier and the
income and the price level. equilibrium level of income.
2.5 Explain and illustrate the impact of the
foreign sector on aggregate spending, the
multiplier and the equilibrium level of

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Specific outcome Assessment criteria

income.
2.6 Use the Keynesian model to analyse the
effect of fiscal policy measures.
2.7 Use the Aggregate demand–Aggregate
supply model to analyse the effect of
monetary and fiscal policy measures.
2.8 Explain and illustrate the monetary
transmission mechanism.
2.9 Explain and illustrate the policy dilemma
in an open economy.
3.1 Identify and discuss the various types of
inflation.
3.2 Determine the various indices to
measure inflation.
3.3 Evaluate the effects of inflation on
different participants in the economy.
3.4 Differentiate between the causes of
• Assess and evaluate the
inflation.
inflation, unemployment
3.5 Discuss and illustrate the measures to
and economic growth in an
combat inflation.
economy.
3.6 Identify the types of unemployment.
3.7 Explain the cost of unemployment to the
economy.
3.8 Discuss appropriate policies to reduce
unemployment.
3.9 Define economic growth.
3.10 Discuss the sources of economic growth.

9.2 Assessment plan

The Assessment Plan for ECS1601 is available for downloading on myUnisa.

9.3 Assessment due dates

• The due dates for the assignments are not included in this tutorial letter.
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 • The due dates for the assignments will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing
page for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon
registration.
• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.
• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving
towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will be online. We
use myUnisa as our virtual campus.
• The myUnisa virtual campus offers students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.
• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the
myModules 2024 button on the myUnisa website to access the online sites for the
modules for which you are registered.
• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to
ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information for you.
• When you access your myModules site for the module/s for which you are registered,
you will see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message
you will see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple-choice assessments, others may be tests, written
assessments, or forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed in
the assessment shells available on the respective module platforms.
• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.
When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter

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(Tutorial Letter 101), and are made available online only. You must therefore access the
quiz online and complete it online, where the quiz has been created.
• It is not advisable to use a cellphone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cellphone find it
difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle
to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition,
cellphones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at
all possible, please do not use a cellphone for this type of assessment.
• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the module for which you are registered. Before you finalise the upload, double-
check that you have selected the correct file. Remember, no marks can be allocated for
incorrectly submitted assessments.

9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions

All assignments are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory, or elective.

• Elective assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
- The best of the required submissions will count.
• Mandatory assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
• Compulsory assignments
- If not submitted, the result on the student’s academic record will be absent.
• Optional assignments
- You are encouraged as a student to do optional assignment so that it may benefit your
learning.

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 I. Elective assignments

a. the student is given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to

submit, only the best result(-s), the number of which is specified in advance, will
contribute towards the year mark.
b. elective assignments must also be grouped into an elective group.
c. for the student to select which assignment to submit, the elective assignments must
be grouped together. For such an elective group, relevant information must be
provided to the student, such as how many of the assignments must be submitted
and how many of the assignment marks should be combined into the year mark.
d. The selection criteria define how marks received for assignments in an elective group
are to be combined into the year mark. Three different criteria may be used for
calculating the year mark:
• The best mark should be used, or
• If the student submits fewer than the required number of assignments per group or
no assignment in a group, a mark of 0% will be used.
• 0% is awarded to all non-submitted or unmarked assessments. A best mark is
then calculated from all items.

II. Mandatory assignments

a. contribute to the year mark.
b. If a student fails to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded and the year
mark is calculated accordingly. The student will therefore forfeit the marks attached to
this assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.

III. Compulsory Assessment

a. when not submitted, the student will fail a Continuous Assessment module but will be
shown as absent from the examination in the case of other modules.

IV. Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional assignment so

that it may benefit your learning.

9.5 The assessments

No assignments are included in this tutorial letter. The assignments and due dates will be
made available to you on the website for this module on myModules on myUnisa. We envisage
that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.
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9.6 Examination
There is NO formal final examination for this module. Your assignment marks will be used to
calculate your final mark.

An example of how your final mark for this module will be calculated is available for
downloading on myUnisa.

9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring
Since 2020 Unisa has been conducting all its assessments online. Given the stringent
requirements of professional bodies and the increased solicitation of Unisa's students by third
parties to unlawfully assist them with the completion of assessments and examinations, the
University is obliged to assure its assessment integrity through the utilisation of various
proctoring tools, such as Turnitin, Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools
will authenticate each student's identity and flag suspicious behaviour to assure the credibility of
the student's responses during assessments. The description below is for your benefit, as you
may encounter any or all of these in your registered modules:

Turnitin is plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students' submissions
against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic fraud and ghost
writing. Students are expected to submit typed responses for utilisation of the Turnitin software.
The Moodle Proctoring tool is facial recognition software that authenticates students' identity
during their quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student's mobile or laptop
camera. You must ensure that your camera is activated in your browser settings prior to your
assessments.

The Invigilator mobile application-based service verifies the identity of an assessment

participant. The Invigilator mobile application detects student dishonesty by proxy and ensures
that the participant is the registered student. Students have to download the app from the Play
Store or App Store (Google, Huawei and Apple) on to their (camera-enabled) mobile devices
prior to their assessment.

IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during the assessment and provides
for both manual and automated facial verification. It has the ability to record and review a
student's assessment session. It flags suspicious behaviour by the student for review by an

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academic administrator. IRIS software has to be installed on students' laptop devices that are
enabled with a webcam.

Students who are identified and flagged for suspected dishonest behaviour by the invigilation
and proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for formal proceedings.

Please note:
Students must refer to their module’s site to determine which proctoring or invigilation tool will
be utilised for their formative and summative assessments.

10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a serious form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic
dishonesty:
• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information

10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another
student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, contrary to examination guidelines.
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating)

10.3 More information about plagiarism

For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules.

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11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.

If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact Mr Ramilane Mohlakoane at mohlar@unisa.ac.za to
discuss the assistance that you need.

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Remember that you are most welcome to contact us, your lecturers, if you are experiencing
problems with the content of this tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.

We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material, and we hope
that you will complete the module successfully.

Your ECS1601 Lecturers

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13 ADDENDUM

13.1 What does studying fully online entail?

The implications of studying fully online at Unisa are the following:
• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed
to be delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assignments must be submitted online on myUnisa. In other words, you
may not post your assignments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All communication between you and the university happens online. Lecturers
will communicate with you via e-mail and SMS, and use the Announcements, the
Discussion Forums and the Questions and Answers tools. You can also use all of
these platforms to ask questions and contact your lecturers.

13.2 myUnisa tools

The main tool that we will use on the myUnisa platform is the Lessons tool, which allows us to
supply you with the content and the assessments of your module. At times we will ask you to
join discussions with fellow students and complete activities and assessments before continuing
with the module.

It is very important that you log on to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least
once a week to do the following:
• Check for new announcements. You can also set up your myLife e-mail account so
that you receive the announcement e-mails on your cellphone.
• Do the Discussion Forum activities. When you do the activities for each learning
unit, we want you to share your answers with the other students in your group. You
can read the instructions and even prepare your answers offline, but you will need to
go online to post your messages.
• Use the Online Assessment tool. This is where you will find your assignments, and
this is also where you must submit your assignments.
• Check under Additional Resources.
Under Additional Resources, you will find:
 The study guide (in PDF)
 The ECS1601 Assessment Plan
 The ECS1601 Study Programme
 Information on how to calculate your final mark

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 PowerPoint slides covering the various topics in each learning unit

 Video clips covering some topics

13.3 E-tutors
E-tutors have been appointed to assist you with any academic problem that you may encounter.
This academic support is provided on the ECS1601 module site under the Discussion
Forums. No face-to-face (F2F) tutor classes or online classes will be offered for this module.
Any changes to this arrangement will be communicated through announcements on myUnisa.
We hope that by giving you extra ways to study the material and carry out all the activities, we
will help you succeed in this online module. To get the most out of the module, you must go
online regularly to complete the activities and assignments on time.

13.4 Changed from semester to year module

Our experience with a continuous assessment framework has convinced us that it does result in
more effective learning and a higher pass rate. However, to really exploit the benefits of
continuous assessment, enough time must be available to provide feedback to students and,
importantly, students must have enough time to learn from the feedback and be given a chance
(second attempt at an assessment) to apply what they have learnt from the feedback.

We believe that this can be done by presenting the module over a year period, instead of a
semester. In 2022, we sought permission to transition ECS1601 into a year module, beginning
in 2024. This request was approved, and the module is now being presented within the year-
long module system.

©
Unisa 2024

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