Aligning ict4d with the community engagement goals of universities in south africa1

Jane, an academic staff member of a university based in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, had been involved in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) research for many years. Jane wanted to apply for academic promotion to an Associate Professor position at her institution. In order to be promoted to an Associate Professor level, Jane was required to demonstrate a certain level of competency (Exhibit 1) in three core activities of South African universities, namely teaching and learning, research and community engagement. She was confident about her ability to meet the promotion criteria with respect to her teaching and research activities. However, she was uncertain about the degree to which her activities satisfied the criteria for community engagement.