Universities in South Africa (SA) are facing several challenges due to the influx of students with diverse backgrounds entering the first year. One of such challenges is the use of technologies for teaching and learning. Institutions in the rural areas are flooded with first year students characterized as under-prepared, educationally underprivileged and had little or no access to computer usage prior to their enrolment. These qualities impedes their transition into the computer-based learning system and other technologies that supports teaching and learning. Moreover, the students are not given the needed assistance when enrolled. Orientation programme that would have been a leverage is only informative and not supportive in nature. Thus, an effective solution requires orientation programme to be supportive. It should involve assessing students’ profile during their first year registration to provide them with the needed assistance in terms of technologies usage. This paper conducted a pilot survey over a sample of first year entering students in the University of Venda (UNIVEN). The objective was to assess students in terms of technology-related uses, expectations, experiences, skill levels and training needs. Data collected were analyzed and the results show students’ have not used computers or had experience on technologies for teaching and learning in their previous schools. Additionally, students are only technologically identified with their mobile phones. The study proposed a new programme called First Experience Computer Literacy (FECOL) to facilitate students’ transition into the computer-based learning of the university.

Computer programming (CP) course offered in universities is difficult coupled with insufficient infrastructures and teaching staff. In spite of these, several undergraduate Computer Science (CS) students are increasingly acquiring programming skills and developing commercial applications even without attending formal programming classes. However, software intended for use other than by the developer requires teamwork, the use of software engineering methodologies and quality. What is not known about these undergraduate students is how their programming is learnt or applications developed. This is important in the light of software dependability and cost of failures today. Therefore, this paper investigates how undergraduate CS students learn programming and their software engineering knowledge. The purpose is to gain insights into how knowledge is gained and applied. To accomplish this, the paper conducted a survey utilizing questionnaire and interview on undergraduate students of CS in the University of Venda (UNIVEN). The data collected were analyzed and results quantitatively and qualitatively presented. The results showed that many CS students learned programming via the Internet reusable code, applied development methodology and are aware of software quality during development.