Project initiated and lead by Prof. Francis Peterson.

Analysis primarily performed by the UFS Statisical Consultation Unit.

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

PCA Biplot

Size of dot represents position level in 2020.

Large departments are coloured individually, while small departments are grouped as ‘Other’.

The variables are:

TLRIESLAAbbreviationTeaching and LearningResearch and InnovationEngaged ScholarshipLeadership and AdministrationCategory
−8−6−4−202468−4−2024
Department 1Department 2OtherDepartment 3Department 4Department 5Department 6Department 7Department 8PC1 (74.8%)PC2 (11.7%)TLRIESLA

Under the assumption that nobody is overloaded in any particular area, able to maintain a work-life balance, and excluding clear outliers, we note that teaching, research, and engaged scholarship support each other, while leadership does not necessarily help nor hinder performance.

Principal components Weights

To find a position on this plot given a set of scores:

  1. Subtract the averages from the scores
  2. Multiply by the weights of principal component 1 (PC1)
  3. Add up the 4 numbers and find the result on the x axis
  4. Repeat for principal component 2 (PC2) and find the sum on the y axis
TLRIESLAAbrTeaching andLearningResearch andInnovationEngagedScholarshipLeadershipandAdministrationCategory6.4175.2765.2685.134Average0.3800.5320.5770.489PC1 0.085-0.384-0.403 0.827PC2