ECS1500/101/0/2025

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2025

Introduction to Economics
ECS1500

Year Module

Department of Economics

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module. Please
register on myUnisa and make sure that you regularly access the ECS1500-25-
Y webpage on myModules on myUnisa. Also, activate your myLife e-mail
account.

BARCODE

CONTENTS
 Page

1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 4
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ..................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Purpose........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Outcomes..................................................................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION .......................................................................................... 5
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS .................................................................................. 5
4.1 Lecturer(s).................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department .................................................................................................................................. 7
4.3 University ..................................................................................................................................... 7
5 RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................. 8
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ....................................................................................................................... 8
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................ 8
5.3 myUnisa ....................................................................................................................................... 8
5.4 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 9
5.5 Library services and resources……………………………………………………………………………9

5.6 Study groups ...............................................................................................................................10

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ..............................................................................................10
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme .............................................................................11
6.2 Using Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to apply for module credit within a qualification. ........12
7 STUDY PLAN .............................................................................................................................12
8 PRACTICAL WORK ...................................................................................................................14
9 ASSESSMENT ...........................................................................................................................14
9.1 Assessment criteria .....................................................................................................................14
9.2 Assessment plan .........................................................................................................................15
9.3 Assessment/assignment due dates .............................................................................................15
9.4 Submission of assessments/assignments ...................................................................................15
9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions .......................................................................................16
9.5 The assessments/assignments ...................................................................................................17
9.6 The examination..........................................................................................................................17
9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring ..................................................................................................................17
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .........................................................................................................18
10.1 Plagiarism ...................................................................................................................................18
10.2 Cheating......................................................................................................................................18
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ......................................................19
11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES ..................................................................................19
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12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 19

13 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 19

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 1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
We are pleased to welcome you to this Economics module and hope that you will find it both
interesting and rewarding. We shall do our best to make your study of the module successful, but
you are the only one who can ensure your success. You will be well on your way to success if you
start studying early in the year and resolve to do all activities and assignments properly.
Distance education is tough on a student. It requires a great deal of self-discipline, sacrifice, and
hard work, but it can be done. Start early and work consistently throughout the year. We expect
you to spend at least four (4) hours per week on this course. Work through the learning units and
answer all the questions in the learning activities. You will receive feedback in different formats.
Use the feedback to identify the sections of the study material you have not mastered yet, revise
this work, and then try to do the learning activities again. Do the practice assessments and submit
all your assessments on time. Tell your family, friends, and other students what you have learned
in this course. Read the financial news and try to connect what you are learning to what you read.
Discuss economics events with your fellow students, your colleagues, and your friends. In this way,
what you have read will become part of your frame of reference, and you will remember it forever.

This module is a year module. This is to give you adequate time to master the study material, use
the feedback you receive, revise study material if required, and in this way really master the content
of the module.
Before you start, please visit the First-Year Experience (FYE) Massive Open Online Course
(MOOC) to prepare yourself for studying at Unisa: go to the following link
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/First%E2%80%93year-experience-at-Unisa/FYE-
MOOC-101 (see section 6.1 for more information).

We wish you every success with your studies!

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

2.1 Purpose

The reasons for studying this module can be summarised as follows:

• Qualifying students will have an informed understanding of the economic problem of scarcity
in societies and will be able to explain how this problem is addressed in various economic
systems.
• Students will be able to explain the role and relationship between different economic
participants and will be able to use graphs, equations, and tables to represent and illustrate
relevant economic theories.
• Students will be able to use key concepts, such as demand and supply analysis and
elasticity, to analyse microeconomic problems.
• Students will be able to broadly appraise the South African economy in terms of
macroeconomic objectives and propose and analyse policy measures that can be used to
attain such objectives.
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In this introductory course to Economics, we try to give you a better understanding of the economic
environment in which we as South Africans must earn our living. It is important to note that the
economic system in South Africa may best be described as a “mixed market economy”. It is an
environment in which your success or failure to earn a decent living is largely dependent on
your own efforts. Although the government of South Africa is involved in the economy in various
ways, the driving force behind economic actions remains the market mechanism. The forces of
demand and supply essentially drive this mechanism. Through these forces and the price signals
they send out, market players make decisions on who to employ, what to produce, how much to
spend and on what to spend.
It is therefore important that you gain a thorough understanding of the market mechanism,
demand and supply, and the overall economic environment in South Africa in order to gain a
comprehensive picture of how the economy works. Towards the end of the module, this picture will
become clearer and more logical.
2.2 Outcomes

The main outcomes of this module are as follows: After completing this module, the student will be
able to
• apply basic concepts and principles in the economic environment

• apply the standard economic method of demand and supply analysis to explain the
functioning of market economies and price determination

• analyse macroeconomic objectives in the South African economic context and illustrate
how economic indicators are used to measure macroeconomic performance

• appraise the roles and contributions of the government sector, the financial sector, and the
foreign sector in the economic performance of the country, and analyse the effect of
changes in these sectors

More detailed module outcomes can be found at the beginning of each learning unit in the study
guide.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter that places curriculum transformation high on the teaching
and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation 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. All of these are being phased in at both programme and module
levels. 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, responsively and within the framework of
transformation.

4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

Your lecturers for this course are as follows:

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 • Ms Cecilia Van Zyl

• Ms Palesa Mpofu

• Ms Lineo Sekokoi

• Mr Ramilane Mohlakoane

• Ms Keaobaka Matjiwa

The lecturers allocated to this module may change. We will inform you about such a change on
myUnisa.
As your lecturers, we are responsible for compiling the study material, setting up assessment tests
(assignments and examinations), and evaluating your performance in these tests. We are also
responsible for overseeing your e-tutors.
We will mainly make use of myUnisa to communicate with you. Please check the announcement
tab on the ECS1500-25-Y webpage regularly for communication from us. We shall send out an
announcement at the beginning of every week in the study programme to inform you of the activities
for that week. These announcements will also be sent to your mylife email address.
If we want to communicate with you individually, an email will be sent to your mylife email address.
Please make sure you check this email address regularly for communication from the university.
The easiest way to communicate with your lecturers is on the ECS1500 Forum for General
Enquiries on the ECS1500-25-Y webpage. Questions on the content of the different learning units
can be asked on the forums for Questions on the Learning Units that you can find at the end of
each learning unit.
You may also contact us during weekdays between 08:00 and 16:00 as follows:

• By e-mail

Although we give the e-mail addresses of the lecturers here, please note that the lecturers
for this module may still change. We will provide the latest contact details on myUnisa.
o Ms CJ van Zyl – vzylcj@unisa.ac.za

o Ms Lineo Sekokoi – sekokvl@unisa.ac.za

o Ms Palesa Mpofu – mpofup@unisa.ac.za

o Mr Ramilane Mohlakoane – mohlar@unisa.ac.za

o Ms Keaobaka Matjiwa – matjiko@unisa.ac.za

• By telephone

o Ms CJ van Zyl – 012 433 4635

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o Ms Lineo Sekokoi – 011 670 9523

o Ms Palesa Mpofu – 012 433 4676

o Mr Ramilane Mohlakoane – 012 433 4802

o Ms Keaobaka Matjiwa – 012 337 6009

o If we are not available, contact the administrative manager at 012 433 4727.

• Personal visits

If you are in Pretoria, you are welcome to visit us at our offices. Make sure to contact us
beforehand to make an appointment. We are not in the office on the campus every day.
Please note that we expect Unisa personnel 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 ECS1500), and the reason for your communication.
If you write an e-mail or a letter, start with a proper salutation, for example, Dear Ms van Zyl. If you
are uncertain of whom you are addressing, start with a neutral greeting such as Good day. Indicate
the purpose of your e-mail or letter very clearly. Use a proper form of leave-taking, for example,
Yours sincerely, Respectfully, Regards etc. When writing your name, you may use your first and
last name, for example Celia van Zyl, or your title and surname, for example, Ms van Zyl. 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 always communicating
properly. Therefore, e-mails and letters that do not comply with these guidelines will not be
answered, even if they are sent from a cell phone.
All queries about the content of the study material should be directed to your e-tutors. You will
communicate with your e-tutors on the Discussions forum on the ECS1500 website. Please use
the appropriate Discussions forum, for example, if you have a question about the content of
Learning Unit 3, click on Learning Unit 3 in the Discussions forum, and then on Questions about
Learning Unit 3.
If you have administrative enquiries, contact the relevant administrative department. You can find
their contact details by visiting the following webpage:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries. We also provide the
e-mail addresses for some of these administrative departments in section 4.3.
4.2 Department

The telephone number for the Department of Economics in Pretoria is 012 433 4663. The email
address for the Department is ecs@unisa.ac.za.
4.3 University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module, consult
the following webpage: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-
enquiries. This page contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. who to write to for
different queries, important telephone and fax numbers and addresses).
In the table that follows, we provide the general toll-free telephone number for student enquiries,
as well as some important e-mail addresses for the departments that you might have to liaise with:

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 Department E-mail address
General toll-free number 0800 00 1870
myUnisa enquiries myUnisa-Help@unisa.ac.za
myLife e-mail enquiries myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za
Despatch (study material) despatch@unisa.ac.za
Assignments assign@unisa.ac.za
Finances finan@unisa.ac.za
Examinations exams@unisa.ac.za
Aegrotat examinations aegrotats@unisa.ac.za

Always have your student number at hand when you contact the University. If you have not
received an acceptable response after a week, resend the communication. If, after another week,
you have still not received an acceptable response, please contact one of us. When you contact
us, provide evidence of your previous communication.

Please include your student number in all correspondence.

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

There are no prescribed books for this module. All your study material is contained in your study
guide and additional resources will be supplied on myUnisa under Additional Resources.
5.2 Recommended book(s)

If you want to consult a textbook to find out more about a specific topic, you can use any introductory
textbook on economics. The following two are recommended:
Janse van Rensburg, J, McConnell, CR & Brue, SL. 2011. Economics: Southern African Edition.
Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.

Mohr, P & Associates. 2015 (or other editions). Economics for South African students. Pretoria:
Van Schaik.

Recommended books can be requested online, via the library catalogue.

5.3 myUnisa
The myUnisa learning management system is the Unisa online campus that will help you
communicate with your lecturers, with other students and with the administrative departments
of Unisa. Since this module is presented as a blended module, it is essential that you access
myUnisa on a regular basis. You will receive your study guide and TL101 in print, but the rest of
your study material is only available on myUnisa. This includes a discussion of the activities in

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your study guide, a discussion of the assignment questions, and other additional resources. You
can also submit your assignments on myUnisa.

To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main Unisa website, http://www.unisa.ac.za, and then
click on myUnisa. This should take you to the myUnisa website.
MyUnisa is your classroom where we shall provide study material and study activities and
communicate with you. You will also be able to communicate with us and with your fellow students.
We shall provide a document that you can use to navigate the ECS1500 webpage on myUnisa.

The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the myModules
2025 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are registered for. Click on the
ECS1500-25-Y tab in the menu to open the full module. Please make sure that you can see 10
learning units and assessments, as well as the following tabs:

• Start here

• IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR ECS1500

• Additional Resources

• Official study material

• Practice Assessments

• FAQs

• Announcements

• Multilingual economics dictionary

5.4 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

There are no e-reserves for this module.

5.5 Library services and resources

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

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, go to
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's Literature Search Request (on your research topic) service,

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 go to http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support
• For library training for undergraduate students, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training
• For Lending Services, go
to https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Lending-
services
• For Services for Postgraduate students, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• For Support and Services for students with disabilities, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-special-
needs
• For Library Technology Support, go to https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• For information on finding and using library resources and tools, go to
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• For an A–Z list of library databases, go to https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• 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
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

To view the Library orientation video - please click here: Unisa Library and Information Services
Video 1 1 (2).mp4

5.6 Study groups

We advise you to have contact with your fellow students. One way to do this is to form study groups.
We shall provide an opportunity to do this on myUnisa.

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

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

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through Unisa.

If you need assistance concerning 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 by visiting https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

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Registered Unisa students receive a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account.

Please claim your e-mail account immediately after registering at Unisa by following this link:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/static/myunisa/Content/Announcements/Documents/Claim-myUnisa-
myLife-Nov-2017.pdf Note that it can take up to 24 hours for your account to be activated after
you have claimed it.

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

6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful and this is often true
for students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-learning institution
and is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega university and all its programmes are
offered through either blended learning or fully online learning. For these reasons, we offer first-time
students additional/extended support to help them navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey
seamlessly and with little difficulty and few barriers.

Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme has been specially designed to provide you with prompt
and helpful information about the services that the institution offers.

The following FYE services are currently available:

FYE Website Email Support

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

FYE1500
Post-
myUnisa; Study
Registration Referrals to Skills; Academic &
Orientation other support Digital Literacies;
services etc
e.g. Counselling;
Reading & Writing 11
workshops
 To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication from the
SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.

6.2 Using Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to apply for module credit within a
qualification.
Now that you are a registered student, you are advised to familiarise yourself with the learning outcomes of
the module or modules you have chosen. If you have been exposed to those learning outcomes for three
years or more – either through work experience or other involvement – you can apply to be exempted from
completing assignments and writing examinations. As part of your application for this exemption, you will
be required to compile a portfolio of evidence substantiating how your experience is equivalent to the
learning outcomes. The diagram below shows the steps involved in obtaining recognition of prior learning
(RPL) for module credit. For more information on the process, RPL fees, and the contact details of your
college RPL coordinator, visit the Unisa website: www.unisa.ac.za/rpl

7 STUDY PLAN
This module is a blended module. That means that some of the study material is made available
in print and on myUnisa, while other study material is only available on myUnisa. It is necessary
that you access the ECS1500 webpage on myUnisa on a regular basis during the year. We suggest
that you visit the webpage at least twice a week. The following overview indicates which study
material is available in print and which study material is only available on myUnisa:

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• The study guide containing the learning units: The study guide can be accessed in print or
on myUnisa. A PDF document similar to the printed version will be available on myUnisa,
while you will also be able to work through the learning units in an interactive manner on
myUnisa (start with the section called "Introduction and Welcome to ECS1500", and then
continue to work through the learning units in sequence).

• Tutorial Letter 101 (this tutorial letter): This contains your assignments and explains
administrative arrangements.

• A document that will guide you on how to use myUnisa for ECS1500 called Navigating the
ECS1500 webpage on myUnisa.

• The Study Programme for ECS1500 that you will find on myUnisa. This will guide you to
ensure that you allocate enough time to master the study material and that you will be able
to submit your assessment activities on time.

• The Assessment Plan for ECS1500 on myUnisa. This plan will provide information on
where you can find the assessment questions and how and when you should submit the
assessments.

• Other tutorial matter: This will become available on the main ECS1500 website on myUnisa.
If you prefer to study online, you will be able to work through each learning unit, including the
activities systematically on myUnisa. You will submit the activities on myUnisa and also receive
feedback there.
If you use the hard copy or PDF version of the study guide, approach each learning unit as follows:

• First, read the learning unit outcomes, which will help you focus on the important aspects and
issues in that unit. You can find them at the beginning of the study guide in the section,
"Specific learning themes for ECS1500". Have a look at the mind map at the beginning of
each learning unit, which will provide an overview of the learning unit. In addition, look at the
key concepts that you are expected to master in this learning unit.

• Work through each section of the learning unit. Make notes or summaries as you go along.

• Once you are sure that you have mastered the content in a specific section, try to answer the
questions in the "Learning activity". At the end of the week allocated to this learning unit in
the proposed study programme (see next section), we will post a pdf version of the answers
to the questions in the learning activities on myUnisa. Evaluate your answers to make sure
you have answered the questions correctly. If your answers were not correct, go back to the
learning material and try to identify the reason for your mistake.

• If there is a learning activity that refers you to the Discussion Forum, you can access this by
going to your ECS1500 webpage on myUnisa. On the Monday after the week allocated to a
particular learning unit, your e-tutor will provide feedback on that particular activity.

• We have made PowerPoint slides and videos using these slides to assist with certain
sections of the study material. These were added after the study guide was written, so there
is no reference to them in the hard copy of the study guide. The slides and videos are available
according to learning units, so please use these when working through these units. We
explain concepts that students usually find difficult to understand.

• If you do not understand certain questions or parts of the learning material, it is time to seek
help. Ask for help from your fellow students on myUnisa or in your study groups. If this does
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 not solve your problems, consult your lecturers and e-tutors by asking on the relevant
discussion forum, or by sending an e-mail to one of your lecturers. It is your responsibility to
make sure you understand all the study material.
To help you work through this module regularly and systematically, we shall provide a study
programme. It is critical that you start working as soon as possible and continue working
regularly and systematically throughout the semester.

8 PRACTICAL WORK
There are no practical sessions for this module.

9 ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for each learning outcome are provided below:

Specific outcome Assessment criteria

1.1 The basic economic problem is identified and the
ways in which different economic systems provide
solutions are explained.
1.2 The main factors of production in a market economy
are identified and described.
Apply basic concepts and principles
1 in the economic environment.
1.3 The role of each component of the circular-flow
model of the economy is described.
1.4 Relevant relationships used in economic theory are
interpreted and illustrated by means of graphs,
tables and equations.

2.1 Demand, supply and the determination of market

equilibrium are explained, applied and illustrated.
Apply the standard economic method
2.2 The implications of changes in demand and supply
of demand and supply analysis to
2 explain the functioning of market
are identified and illustrated.
2.3 The nature, implications and results of elasticity are
economies and price determination.
identified and illustrated.

3.1 The macroeconomic objectives of economic policy

Analyse macroeconomic objectives
are analysed with regard to their importance in a
in the South African economic
3 developing economy.
context and illustrate how economic
3.2. Selected economic indicators are calculated and
indicators are used to measure
interpreted.
macroeconomic performance.
The role and contribution of the 4.1 The role of the government sectors in the economy
government sector, the financial is examined and the effect of fiscal policy on the
sector and the foreign sector in the economy is explained.
4 economic performance of the country 4.2 The role of the financial sector in the economy is
are appraised and the effect of examined and the effect of monetary policy on the
changes in these sectors is analysed. economy is explained.
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Specific outcome Assessment criteria

4.3. The reasons for foreign trade and the extent of
foreign trade undertaken by South Africans are
examined.
4.4 The determination of the exchange rate is analysed
and illustrated and the effect of changes in the
exchange rate is predicted.
4.5 The effect of foreign trade on the domestic economy
is analysed.

9.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit three assessments.

• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made available
to you via the myModules site for your module.
• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available on the
myModules site for this module.
• To gain admission to the examination, you will be required to submit the first assessment
(Assessment 01). This is explained in the Assessment Plan for ECS1500 that is available
in the folder IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR ECS1500 on the ECS1500-25-Y webpage.

9.3 Assessment/assignment due dates

• There are no assessment/assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assessment/assignment due dates 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/assignments.

9.4 Submission of assessments/assignments

• 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 take place online.
We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer 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.

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 • The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the myModules
2025 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are registered for. Click on
the ECS1500-25-Y tab in the menu to open the full module. Please make sure that you can
see all assessments.

• 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 to be shared with you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, 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. There are 8
assessments. Assessment 1 is a multiple-choice assessment to assist you to understand
all the administrative arrangements. Assessments 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are multiple-choice
assessments that will study how well you have achieved the learning outcomes, while
assessment 4 is a written assessment.

• 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 (Tutorial Letter 101)
and are only made available online. You must therefore access the quiz online and complete
it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop computer,
tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone 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, cell phones are more
vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all possible, please do
not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• 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 modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double check that
you have selected the correct file for upload. 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
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- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.

• Optional assignments – You are encouraged, as a student, to do optional
assignments in order to benefit your learning.

I. Elective assignments
a. The student is given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to submit
and only the best result/s, the number of which is specified in advance, will contribute
towards the year mark.
b. Elective assignments must 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 (such as how many
of the assignments must be submitted and how many of the assignment marks should
be combined into the year mark) will be supplied to you.
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 the qualifying items submitted.

II. Mandatory assessments/assignments

a. Mandatory assessments/assignments 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
such an assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.
III. Optional assessments assignments – You are encouraged, as a student, to do optional
assessments/assignments in order to benefit your learning.

9.5 The assessments/assignments

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete 3 assessments for this module. Details on the
assessments are included in the Assessment Plan for ECS1500 which you can find in the
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR ECS1500 folder on the ECS1500-25-Y webpage on myUnisa.

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates will be
made available to you in the Assessment plan for ECS1500. We envisage that the due dates will
be available to you upon registration.

9.6 The examination

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made available to you
online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your lecturer
and e-tutors (where relevant), as well as for communication from the University.

9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring

Since 2020, Unisa has conducted all its assessments online. Given the stringent requirements
imposed by professional bodies, as well as increased solicitation of Unisa’s students by third parties
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to unlawfully assist them with the completion of assignments and examinations, the University is
obliged to assure the integrity of its assessment integrity by using various proctoring tools: Turnitin,
Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools authenticate the student’s identity and
flag suspicious behaviour to assure the credibility of their 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
ghostwriting. Students are expected to submit typed responses when using the Turnitin software.

The Moodle Proctoring tool is facial recognition software that authenticates students’ identities
during their Quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student’s mobile or laptop camera.
Students must ensure that their cameras are activated in their browser settings prior to starting
their assessments.

The Invigilator is a mobile application-based service that verifies the identity of an assessment
participant. The Invigilator app detects student dishonesty-by-proxy and ensures that the
assessment participant is the student registered for the module concerned. This invigilation tool
requires students to download the app from the Google Play Store (Android devices), the Huawei
AppGallery (Huawei devices) or the Apple App Store (Apple devices) on their camera-enabled
mobile devices prior to their assessment.

The IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and provides
for both manual and automated facial verification. It can record and review a student’s assessment
session and it flags suspicious behaviour by the student for review by an academic administrator.
The IRIS software requires installation on students’ webcam-enabled laptop devices.

Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious or dishonest behaviour arising from the
invigilation and proctoring reports will be referred to the disciplinary office for formal proceedings.

Please note:

Students must refer to their module assessment information on their myModule sites to determine
which proctoring or invigilation tool will be used 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 form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging that source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
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• 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. (This matter is addressed in the examination
guidelines.)
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

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 if you need additional time
for assignments/assessments, you are invited to contact Mrs. VL Sekokoi at sekokvl@unisa.ac.za
to discuss the assistance that you need.

12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You can also visit the FAQs tab on the ECS1500 webpage on myUnisa. You may find answers
there to many of the issues you may be experiencing problems with.

13 IN CLOSING
We refer you to the myUnisa website for ECS1500 again. As this is a blended module (which
means that some study material is available in print while some learning activities and study
material are only made available on myUnisa), it is very important that you visit the ECS1500
webpage on myUnisa on a regular basis. The ECS1500 webpage is really your online classroom
where you will engage with your study material, your lecturers and your fellow students.

We hope that you will enjoy this module and we wish you every success in your studies.

Kind regards

Mrs. Vinolia Lineo Sekokoi

Module Leader: ECS1500

©
Unisa 2025

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