Public Administration

This Public Administration course is designed to assist you in developing a theoretical understanding of the role of organisational bureaucracy, public sector decision making, and the influence thereof. By the end of this course, you should be able to analyse employee performance management and wellness, intergovernmental relations, ethics and values, and wrap up with being able to identify and analyse the impact of e-government and m-government. You will also gain insight into the structure and function of the South African public sector, providing you with a holistic view of the public service.

This course was developed by Ashleigh Edden in conjunction with Professor Robert Cameron. Ashleigh Edden is currently completing her PhD in Public Administration at the University of Cape Town. She has extensive knowledge of constitutional, legal and institutional arrangements governing the South African public sector through her work with the Justice Alliance of South Africa (JASA) and the Helen Suzman Foundation. Her passion is found working with people, research and policy that promote liberal constitutional democracy and sustainable socio-economic growth.

Robert Cameron is a Professor of Public Administration in the Department of Political Studies, University of Cape Town. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Global Cities Institute, University of Toronto. He has published over 90 journal articles and book chapters on public administration, public service reform and local government. He has also written a number of policy reports on Public Administration and Management topics for both local and international organisations.

BASIC REQUIREMENTSTo successfully access and complete this course, you will be required to have a registered email account, access to a computer/laptop/tablet and stable internet connection. You will be required to be familiar with using a computer as you may need to be able to read and download documents in Adobe PDF Reader, view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTSOur online short learning programmes may require additional software applications. These additional software applications requirements will be communicated to you in this information pack and/or on the website course page. UNi4 Online does not provide any additional software applications required for online short learning programmes.

Please note: Google, YouTube and Vimeo may be used in our online course delivery. If any of these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficult in accessing our course content.

Our online short learning programmes are broken into self-paced manageable modules designed to be interactive and engaging:

• The programme is available to be viewed on smart devices and includes mobile, tablets and personal computers.
• Relevant case studies, articles and recommended reading are part of supplementary resources available.
• Apply and evaluate what you have learned in each module with the self-grading quizzes and assignment submissions.
• View a range of introductory course videos by your Subject Matter Expert.
• Scheduled live webinars are included with the Online Academic Tutor.
• Network, collaborate and interact with your fellow participants and Online Academic Tutor via the discussion forum.

Upon successful completion of this online short learning programme, you will be awarded with a UNi4 Online Certificate of Completion.

Your dedicated Online Academic Tutor (OAT) will provide you with necessary guidance, offer advice and answer questions on course content, to help you achieve academic success.

• MODULE 0 | Orientation Week 1
• MODULE 1 | Understanding Public Administration Week 2
• MODULE 2 | The Bureaucracy Week 3
• MODULE 3 | Public Sector Decision Making Week 4
• MODULE 4 | Human Resources and Performance Management Week 5

• MODULE 5 | Public Sector Motivation Week 6
• MODULE 6 | Intergovernmental Relations Week 7
• MODULE 7 | Ethics and Values Week 8
• MODULE 8 | E-Government and M-Government Week 9
• MODULE 9 | Wrap-up Week 10