Orientation: COVID-19 generated the need for changes in the higher education sector, sparking a shift to online approaches ultimately increasing workload. This study assessed the prevalence of burnout symptoms among academics at an online university in South Africa.Research purpose: Assessing prevalence and severity of burnout symptoms among academics and its impact on work engagement.Motivation for research: Academics are central to the teaching and learning processes at higher education institutions. Health and wellness has an impact on institutional functionality. As academic workloads increase, so does the likelihood of burnout, which can influence academic functioning.Research approach/design and method: Cross-sectional design.Main Findings: High levels of burnout within open, distance and e-learning (ODeL) academic staff member population is evident with 75% of staff experiencing high or very high burnout. High levels of burnout were concentrated among senior lecturers, with teaching experience and have at least a PhD. The regression coefficient for work engagement (B = –0.364, p ≤ 0.001) indicated that for each point increase in work engagement, there was a decrease in burnout of 0.364.Practical implications: High levels of burnout include job dissatisfaction, reduced quality of work, and increased absenteeism. Addressing burnout contributes to retaining experienced staff, improved job satisfaction and quality output. This paper highlights the impact of teaching transitions on the academic workforce, contributing towards wellness interventions aiding burnout recovery.Contribution/value-add: This paper highlights the impact of teaching transitions on the academic workforce within South Africa, contributing towards wellness interventions aiding the recovery from burnout.

This article explores the experiences of Master’s programme coordinators in Research Psychology with the purpose of gaining an understanding of the planning and implementation of programmes that are directed at training Research Psychology students. The practical significance of the study was to investigate the course curricula of Research Psychology programmes within the South African context to grasp an understanding of the course structure and the challenges that accompany curriculum development. This article aims to elaborate on underlying tensions and considerations that programme coordinators encounter in structuring and implementing training for Master’s programmes that lead to registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Six of the eight programmes that lead to registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa were included in this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The reflections by the programme coordinators showed a shared pedagogical philosophy of active learning in which students are expected to take ownership of their learning and to participate actively in shaping and constructing the learning process. Reflections on the Research Psychology programmes revealed seven broad content areas concerned with the development of curricula in Research Psychology, namely applied research, ethics, foundational concepts and skills, language and report writing, and project management and micro-skills development within qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. Programme coordinators also expressed the tensions inherent in attempts to establish neutral ground between the demands of the discipline and the demands of the employers.

Orientation: Workplace testing is seen as a viable method in monitoring alcohol intoxication in the workplace. This article explored lived experiences of random and scheduled alcohol breathalyser testing to gain insights into meaning and understanding of the phenomenon under study.Research purpose: Random and scheduled testing are preferred techniques of assessing intoxication in the workplace. This article set to gain insights into whether behaviour can have an influence on the effectiveness of random and scheduled testing. The information can contribute to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of workplace testing and lays groundwork for future studies.Motivation for the study: Emergent data seem to suggest that the success of workplace testing in preventing alcohol and substance use in the workplace is indecisive.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative method was employed to collect data from eight alcohol-consuming individuals who performed jobs considered safety-sensitive through semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed through the application of an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).Main findings: Findings revealed incidents of alcohol intoxication within the workplace in spite of random and scheduled testing in place. There seems to be a disregard for rules that prohibit intoxication in the workplace. Money bribes seem to enable cheating on testing in the workplace. Behaviour undercuts the goal of an alcohol-free workplace.Practical implications: Behaviour stemming from on-site intoxication and cheating on alcohol tests hinders on the goal of attaining an alcohol-free workplace.Contribution/value-add: The analysis of behaviour could contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the efficacy of workplace testing.

The academic field of distance education is a relatively new and dynamic field. The measure of an academic field lies in the richness and depth of its published research. The University of South Africa is the oldest open distance learning higher education institute in the world. Owing to its status internationally as the leader of distance education, it is prudent to analyse and reflect on the research outputs published by South African academics, particularly regarding the levels of research. This paper follows from the research published by Roberts, which analysed South African distance learning research levels and sublevels from articles published between 2011 and 2015. This is a longitudinal study that analyses and compares the research trends for the five-year periods from 2010 to 2014 and 2015 to 2019. The data were obtained from the Scopus and SABINET databases, using the same search criteria employed by Roberts. The levels of research publications were analysed according to the open distance learning research framework of Zawacki-Richter and are presented through descriptive statistics. The results indicate that although the number of published open distance learning research articles has more than doubled, the research levels have not shown any significant change.

Orientation: An alcohol breathalyser test is one of various methods of assessing alcohol consumption behaviour of workers in the workplace. Its awareness can yield insights on behavioural change of alcohol-consuming individuals in safety-sensitive settings when being aware of alcohol breathalyser testing.Research purpose: A breathalyser test provides an efficient means of measuring blood alcohol concentration within seconds of an employee blowing into the device. The purpose of this research was to examine awareness of breathalyser testing to capture meaning that can offer insights on behaviour under research.Motivation for research: The research was prompted by a quest to gain understanding of thought processes (motivation to control behaviour) when alcohol is involved. By focusing on awareness, it was possible to interpret behaviour. The research is a basis for future studies and can contribute to discussions related to alcohol testing in the workplace.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative approach was followed to gain insights into the topic under research. Eight alcohol-consuming individuals who performed jobs considered high-risk consented to participate in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The data were analysed through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).Main findings: The findings revealed excessive alcohol consumption and intoxication in spite of awareness of breathalyser testing. Individuals prone to external inducements were more likely to abuse alcohol. Behaviour therefore tends to be unstable and impulsive when alcohol is involved.Practical implications: Reporting for work after excessive drinking of alcohol is not an indication of total soberness. Individuals may physically be present in the workplace without making any contribution to work processes because of effects of alcohol.Contribution/value-add: The research highlights behavioural insights that can contribute to studies related to locus of control and control over alcohol in relation to testing to workplace testing.