Universities South Africa
Communities of Practice News
What universities owe their staff and students in an AI-driven world
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant prospect in higher education; it is already reshaping how students learn, how academics teach, and how both are...
South African Universities Prepare Graduates, But Weak Tracking Obscures the Results
South African higher education institutions have strong employability practices. Still, a national tracking system is needed so that fragmented graduate tracking can show whether these...
From the classroom to the constitution: three scholars on putting African languages to work
If Professor Leketi Makalela's keynote set out why South African universities need to teach through African languages, the three conversation starters that followed at the...
Professor Leketi Makalela on language, identity and curriculum transformation
Curriculum transformation without language is cosmetic. That was the argument at the centre of the keynote address Professor Leketi Makalela gave to the Community of...
Showing it can be done: a UCT booklet and the practice CoPAL exist to share
Progress in the teaching of African languages is discussed far more often than it is documented in a form that others can use. That is...
An early-career scientist is chasing a breakthrough in African medicine
It begins in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital, a place surrounded by mountains and memory. Mr Carlos da Silva grew up watching the world change from the...
Senior scholars acknowledge the AECRS programme’s utility, and call for urgent other reforms to address systemic challenges
Senior academics and research leaders have called for deeper reform in South Africa’s higher education system to strengthen postgraduate pathways and improve research leadership. These...
Collaboration is advocated as the preferred strategy for strengthening SA’s pipeline of future scholars and researchers
Universities South Africa (USAf) convened national higher-education leaders, academics and policymakers in Johannesburg during late November to strengthen the pipeline of early-career researchers. The meeting...
Mentorship models must evolve to support academic success
Senior academics and research programme leads have urged South Africa’s universities to rethink mentorship structures and prioritise models that recognise the social, psychological and professional...
Everything Researchers need to know about Open Access publishing: A discussion
The USAf Community of Practice for Postgraduate Education and Scholarship (CoP PGES) webinar on 30 October 2025, titled Everything Researchers Need to Know About Publishing...
What researchers need to know about Open Access publishing, but are afraid to ask
On 30 October 2025, leading voices in scholarly publishing, research funding, and open scholarship practice enlightened southern African scholars on Everything researchers need to know...
After a strong start, the DELT CoP successfully concludes 2025
In 2025, the Digital Education Learning and Teaching Community of Practice (DELT CoP) flourished, ending the year with a strong sense of achievement. Having been...
CoPAL Meeting on 13 November 2025
On 13 November 2025, the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) met at the University of the Western Cape...
Enhancing teacher education through PrimTEd
Interventions aimed at improving teacher education and development in South Africa – particularly concerning the teaching of languages and mathematics – are beginning to pay...
The AI challenges facing African languages
While artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer a wealth of opportunities in the integration of indigenous languages, they also raise questions about inaccuracy, ethical concerns and...
Misconceptions surrounding exams standardisation
The standardisation of external examination results is an internationally acceptable process that takes place in every country under the control and management of its various...
CoPAL meeting of 26 June 2025
The second CoPAL meeting for the year, held online on 26 June 2025, became a platform for rich information-sharing among key scholars in languages and linguistics....
Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines in South Africa for Learning and Teaching
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have become common on South African campuses, but their rapid uptake has necessitated responses concerning governance, training and assessment...
A discussion from a LUNCH & LEARN webinar on Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines
The panel presentations at the LUNCH & LEARN webinar of 22 May, titled “Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines in South Africa for Learning and Teaching,”...
Senior academics’ insights shared at the postgraduates and AI workshop
Universities and AI are such a hot topic, generating so many differing views and queries that a recent webinar on it triggered a stream of...
Open student engagement about AI would be more beneficial than policing them on its use – a senior Rhodes University scholar advises
Professor Sioux McKenna, a professor of Higher Education Research at Rhodes University, recently led an online workshop titled Future-Proofing Postgraduate Education in the Age of...
Emerging researchers and scholars encouraged to use available support tools for success – USAf CEO
"We cannot claim to have covered all the bases concerning the support and empowerment of early career researchers and academics, but we are getting there,"...
Who owns AI? Digital literacy, inequality, and the future of learning
Tools like ChatGPT have become a daily part of life for students and educators alike. But beneath the surface of convenience and efficiency lies a...
Digital literacies in the era of AI; A lively discussion
The rapid rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT has forced educators and policymakers to grapple with urgent questions: How should universities prepare students for...
Why it is beneficial to measure an applicant’s academic readiness for university
There is an expectation gap between high school and university life, which arises from differences in academic expectations and the level of independence required at university. First-year...
The challenges facing first-year mathematics students transitioning from high school
Transitioning from high school mathematics to university mathematics can be daunting for many first-year students, possibly leading to lower success rates. These gaps and the...
CoPAL contemplates driving a joint language conference with other associations
The Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) of Universities South Africa (USAf) is exploring the possibility of convening an...
Postgraduate study leaders from SA universities assemble to share ideas
The round-table layout at the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies was distinct from the typical straight-seat-rows format that people tend to expect...
National Plan targets versus sector realities — Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi highlights provocative tensions
At the recent Enabling Quality Postgraduate Education (EQPE) colloquium, Dr Nomakwezi “Kwezi” Mzilikazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Rhodes University, told...
Targeted PhD numbers raise many questions at a recent colloquium
Numbers are always a key focus in any discussion on postgraduate students: the currently enrolled numbers vs those to which the university sector aspires, within...
Happy students with well-being are more likely to graduate, says Professor Liesel Ebersöhn
The fruit bowl at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Study of Resilience is not incidental. It is an intentional part of the Centre’s...
AI may not do your literature review, but it will identify the gaps, says Dr Nompilo Tshuma
At the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies, Professor Sioux McKenna of Rhodes University interrupted keynote speaker Dr Nompilo Tshuma as she stood...
Research leaders develop an action plan for students and the sector’s well-being
One of the key features of the recent Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies colloquium was a two-hour breakaway session in which research leaders and organisational...
Universities’ on-going commitment to multilingualism
As South African public universities come to terms with the complexities of multilingualism, many are making notable inroads into implementing multilingual teaching on their campuses....
Sharing language resources for the benefit of all
Universities need to collaborate to meet the objectives of the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) of Universities South...
Universities urged to support the multilingualism study
Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) Chairperson, Professor Nobuhle Hlongwa, has urged public universities to support...
CoPAL meeting of 20 March 2025
On 20 March, the CoPAL hosted its first 2025 meeting online. Some forty (40) CoPAL members from nineteen (19) of the twenty-six (26) public universities...
Teacher training programmes must respond to South Africa’s national priorities
The quality of South Africa’s teacher training programmes came under scrutiny during a high-level discussion convened by the national Department of Basic Education with education...
Using Digital Art to teach Mathematics: a practical, fun, innovative way of teaching Mathematics
A novel initiative to empower township learners with algorithmic thinking and digital art – even traditional African fabric shweshwe is being used as a teaching...
Goodbyes in the TLM CoP as two office bearers vacate their seats for new incumbents
The extensive achievements of Universities South Africa’s (USAf) Teaching and Learning of Mathematics Community of Practice (TLM CoP) were named, and applauded, at the group’s...
Two new office bearers elected to lead Universities South Africa’s TLM CoP from 1 January 2025
At its last sitting for 2025, on 13 November, the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (TLM CoP) elected a new...
Early career academics talk about being mentored — what works and what could work better
When Dr Heike Lucht, a research assistant at the University of Pretoria, was paired with a mentor affiliated with Rhodes University (RU) through an online...
There are as many models of mentorship as there are mentors and mentees, says Professor Stephanie Burton
In the true spirit of a community of practice (CoP), which meets to share knowledge and information and support on common concerns, the recent meeting...
Effective mentoring can be about making people independent of any need for guidance
Mentoring does not have an end point - even if someone is on a specific mentoring programme with a cutoff date. “I hope when you...
North-West University’s sustainability programme aims to drive societal change
Plastic litter is a big no-no at North-West University (NWU). From banning plastic bottles on its three campuses in Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark, to prohibiting...
“A university cannot survive without water,” says Professor Kirsty Carden of UCT on Day Zero
“The availability of water of acceptable quality is one of our single greatest and most urgent development constraints. So we really do need to do...
Higher Education has lost a legend in Human Resources management
Universities South Africa (USAf) deeply mourns the loss to premature death, of Dr Kgomotso Kasonkola, Senior Director: Human Resources (HR) at the University of the...
Human Resources Directors in Higher Education pay tribute to a departed beloved peer
The Universities South Africa Office has from Monday been showered with tributes and accolades as members of the Human Resources Directors’ (HRD) Forum acknowledged receipt...
The Carnegie Math Pathways project is key to advancing students’ quantitative skills for enhanced success in mathematical sciences
Persistent disparities in students’ mathematics performance highlight the need for a more cohesive and dynamic approach to teaching mathematics, remarked Professor Alfred Msomi, Acting Chair...
From vision to strategy: transforming postgraduate mathematics training through NGA(MaSS) Research Training Networks
“Innovative and collaborative strategies are essential in addressing the challenges in mathematics education,” Professor Alfred Msomi (right), Acting Chairperson of the Community of Practice for...
Advancing doctoral assessment strategies; the importance of standardisation and the viva voce mode of assessment
Assessment standards as applied in postgraduate (especially doctoral) research proposals, dissertations and written and oral examinations were the subject of discussion at a recent meeting...
Advancing African Languages in Education: Prospects and Progress for Teaching and Learning
The increased need to integrate African languages in South Africa's basic and higher education system to improve learner performance and foster inclusive teaching and learning environments...
Teacher competency and passion in mathematics are vital for nurturing mathematical talent and love in students
Appropriate levels of mathematics competency and passion in the subject can bring out the best in students, raising their competency in and love for the...
The Education Deans’ Forum expresses concern over funding crisis
The year 2024 is a difficult time to be a leader in higher education, considering diminishing government funding evident in the National Student Financial Aid...
USAf’s Education Deans’ Forum acquires new leadership
The inaugural meeting of the Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) on 6 March saw the deans electing new office bearers, recognising that the term of office...
SA universities are consolidating planning towards integrating African Languages in their core functions and in administration
The 3rd Vice-Chancellors' Language Policy Colloquium that takes place from 5-6 December 2023 will sharply focus on implementation practices, monitoring and evaluation of the Language...
USAf’s Teaching and Learning of Mathematics Community of Practice learns of an innovative use of AI to support learning
An artificially intelligent learning, tutoring and assessment programme, ALEKS – combined with the crafting of a student support system using National Benchmark Test (NBT) data...
AI is here to stay and academics need to embrace its use
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Academics should embrace the excitement around it and explore its potential and many possibilities while incorporating it into...
What follows the Joint Colloquium of Mathematicians, Linguists and Education Deans?
The Joint Colloquium on Multilingualism in the teaching and learning of Mathematics in Higher Education –Enhancing Success achieved its intended objectives with success, says the...
Mathematics teachers in the Venda region of Limpopo need to disclose the secret behind their high success rate
South Africa needs to study why TshiVenda communities produce an astronomical number of actuaries for this country, and why the Venda region of the Limpopo...
State funding for universities’ language initiatives could increase with compelling evidence of potentially bigger impact
The year 2023 marks the first year that the government has given more money to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) – an amount...
The changing profile of university students calls for a decolonial re-thinking of higher education, says Professor Emmanuel Mgqwashu
Despite all the financial and human resources pumped into higher education in South Africa, the depressing educational outcomes remain the same. Throughput, pass and dropout...
Teachers preferred adapting words from English rather than using coined terms in their first languages — a study revealed
Last week, Universities South Africa (USAf) held a Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing Success but framing mathematics education...
Learners run away from any career that requires mathematical competence, says Dr Mxiwoxolo Krexe
At the recent Joint Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing Success, Dr Mziwoxolo Krexe of theDepartment of Adult, Foundation Phase...
A framework for thinking about languages and literacies towards university mathematics curriculum for access and transformation
To make a case for a curriculum that encourages greater access and transformation, a mathematics education language development specialist used students’ talk about their experiences,...
Language is fundamental, but is not always the only enabler for university mathematics success
Results from research into engineering mathematics of students in the University of Cape Town’s Engineering Extended Programme showed that female students (58.6%) outperformed their male...
Research exploring alternatives to one-size-fits-all solutions to students’ Academic Literacy needs
Critical research is being done into improving curriculum responsiveness to enhance responding to students’ needs in both teaching and assessment. This is to move away...
Why meaning making is critical in multilingual mathematics classrooms
Professor Anthony Essien, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education and Interim Numeracy Chair, Wits School of Education used a rainfall chart to show his audience how...
Multilingual mathematics classrooms can enhance learner understanding, change attitudes towards mathematics and increase success
Africa is endowed with works of art available for classroom illustration of various mathematical concepts from elementary schooling, all the way to university instruction —...
Multilingual education provision is invaluable provided this model is appropriately resourced, says a higher education top executive
Learning environments allowing students to exchange mathematical ideas in their mother tongue enable learners to grasp complex concepts more naturally and deeply, thereby turning multilingualism...
Issues warranting priority attention in universities’ pursuit of multilingualism in mathematics teaching and learning
Each of the three communities of practice (CoPs) that jointly hosted last week’s Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing...
USAf’s three groups congregate at Stellenbosch University this Thursday to explore multilingual mathematics education in higher education
About 70 delegates representing all public universities in South Africa are expected to descend on Stellenbosch University this Thursday, 17 August, 2023. These are members...
An urgent need for more PhD and post-doctoral graduates emerges from Tracer Study
A comprehensive strategy to massively increase the number of PhD and post-doctoral graduates in South Africa, given the pivotal role they play in the country’s...
USAf’s three Communities of Practice to explore Multilingualism in the teaching and learning of mathematics at universities
August 17 is a very special day for Universities South Africa (USAf), the representative body of South Africa’s 26 public universities. It marks the gathering...
EDF’s further investigation into the Teacher Supply and Demand Study gains support from education stakeholders
In 2019, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) commissioned Stellenbosch University to carry out the Teacher Supply and Demand Study to understand the national landscape in...
An ICT Faculty discusses a technological solution-in-the-making for multilingual teaching at the Tshwane University of Technology
The best way to develop and intellectualise African languages in our universities is by using technology, says Professor Nobuhle Hlongwa, Chairperson of the Community of...
Universities SA’s Education Deans’ Forum is leading the formation of a continent-wide collaboration platform
Inadequate funding, inadequate teacher training and limited access to educational resources are among numerous challenges that Africa seems to be grappling with, concerning education systems. It...
Deans must be adequately resourced to perform their multi-faceted functions at universities
A good look at South Africa’s education budget raises questions about whether the State resources this sector adequately, while another glimpse into universities raises the question...
Universities South Africa celebrates the launch of two digital platforms for emerging scholars
The way South African universities have joined forces to help emerging scholars is of historical significance, says Dr Phethiwe Matutu, the chief executive officer of...
Some key pointers on signing up on Thuso Connect
Comment after comment at last week’s launch of Thuso Connect reinforced how this online mentoring platform for early career researchers is fulfilling a need in...
Accolades for the two new digital platforms that offer help to emerging researchers
A new digital platform that connects early researchers with experienced mentors has been compared to the online dating app, Tinder. “But instead of a...
Environmental sustainability cognisance and action is taking root in South Africa’s higher education system
If the Higher Education Sustainability Community of Practice (HESCoP) is to have its way, South Africa’s universities will, over time, integrate environmental sustainability principles into...
Collaboration across universities finds expression in a new Community of Practice on Sustainability
The official launch and inaugural general meeting of the Higher Education Sustainability Community of Practice (HESCoP) under the auspices of Universities South Africa (USAf) was...
Designing inclusive environments for people with disabilities is not optional for organisations
Millions of people are classified as disabled in South Africa. After years of advocacy over developing inclusive cultures in organisations, Dr Karen Smit, Head of...
High school learners underprepared for critical foundational university mathematics courses
There is a significant gap between high school and university mathematics for science and engineering students in South Africa with learners entering institutions of higher...
Mathematics teachers’ Work Integrated Learning in the context of 4IR
An initial idea of the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (TLM CoP) to gather empirical data for the purpose of...
CoPAL has pressing issues to deal with in 2023
With the 2nd Vice-Chancellors’ Colloquium on language practices now achieved, real work begins for Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning...
The incalculable progress made by CoPAL as the language issue is now firmly centre stage
When Professor Langa Khumalo ends his term as the Chairperson of the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) this...
Why universities need to start sharing language resources
Even though universities thrive on competition, they need to stop competing in every single innovation. If, say Rhodes University is doing something about developing isiXhosa,...
The complexities surrounding multilingualism in South African universities
Just what are the challenges and complexities facing South African universities when it comes to the implementation of the new Language Policy Framework for Public...
Dedicated infrastructure, resources, and collaboration, must drive multilingualism implementation at universities
Stakeholder engagement, dedicated infrastructure, collaboration between universities and partnerships with other entities are key to furthering the implementation of multilingualism in public universities. ...
“Lift the language and you lift the people” – an esteemed professor borrows from DF Malan
When 80-year-old white-haired Professor Kwesi Kwaah Prah made his way to the podium dressed in the Kente cloth of his birth country, Ghana, a ripple...
The VCs’ Language Colloquium 2022 provided universities an opportunity to collaborate like never before
Language is not just a means of communication but the very fabric of peoples’ cultures and religions. This was emphasised by all speakers at the...
Universities can share language resources, notwithstanding their ongoing pursuit of a competitive edge
It was time to stop talking and start implementing. This was the view of speakers at the second Vice-Chancellors’ (VC) Consultative Colloquium on the revised...
2nd Vice-Chancellors’ Consultative Colloquium on the revised Language Policy Framework begins today
Public universities’ executive leadership and other stakeholders will descend on the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) Senate Hall in Hatfield this afternoon for a start to...
UCT’s Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng advocates for compulsory basic language courses at universities
“To ensure implementation of multilingualism at South African universities, we should not start with learning in an African language. First, we need every university student...
Are universities complying with the revised Language Policy Framework, or are they really committed to multilingualism?
The stage has been set for universities to uplift the status of previously marginalised African languages. South Africa has revised the Language Policy for Public...
UFS students corroborate the value of multilingualism and translanguaging in teaching
In the build up to the 2nd Vice-Chancellors’ Language Colloquium on the revised Language Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions, students from the University of...
The use of IsiZulu in teaching is helping UKZN students excel academically
Some institutions have begun to witness positive results from incorporating South Africa’s indigenous languages in teaching and learning. One such institution is the University of...
SA’s indigenous languages must all be fully developed and featured in digital resources – a UP professor says
South Africa has 11 official languages but we may be moving into a world of monolingualism, especially when it comes to finding information online, says...
The Linguistic Revolution at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is one of the country’s pioneers in developing a language policy, a process that started in 2004 and culminated in...
The role of PanSALB in upholding multilingualism in SA’s society
In order to effectively elevate the status of South Africa’s indigenous languages, they have to be transformed into, and used as, languages of learning —...
From theory to implementation – the tools needed to make the Language Policy Framework workable
Promoting South Africa’s indigenous languages at universities as required by the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions is not only about teaching and...
We cannot afford not to embrace and implement multilingualism says Professor Madadzhe
Studying African languages in institutions of higher education does not mean abandoning English. It simply recognises languages as an integral part of humanity, as communication...
SA universities are reimagining postgraduate supervision in diverse ways
The student-supervisor relationship at universities is changing. It is no longer bound to the model where the post-graduate is the apprentice of the supervisor. Now...
Postgraduate supervisory models practised at CPUT and UCT
Speaking at the recent meeting of Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s) Community of Practice (CoP) for Postgraduate Education and Scholarship (PGES), Professor Dina Burger, Director: Research...
The strides that the University of Mpumalanga is making towards multilingualism
The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) recently introduced a Master’s degree in siSwati language and literature, following the offering of a Bachelor of Arts Honours in...
Implementing multilingualism can cost millions but the benefits outweigh the challenges—Stellenbosch University
Professor Deresh Ramjugernath of Stellenbosch University (SU) just provided a taste of what can be expected at the forthcoming 2nd Vice Chancellors’ Language Colloquium. Primarily...
Academics offer solutions for the challenges encountered during Mathematics Teaching Practice
South Africa’s public universities face shared challenges regarding Teaching Practice (TP) and giving students the best possible experience. These include lack of communication, supervision and...
Mathematics Teacher Practice during the 4th Industrial Revolution
Teaching Practice (TP) is a vital component of teacher education and training because it provides student teachers with an opportunity to gain experience in the...
The importance of ICTs in Teacher Education
It is vital that teachers – including students pursuing teaching careers – are digitally literate and understand the enormous benefits of using ICTs (information and...
New office bearers elected to lead USAf’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages
Professor Nobuhle Hlongwa (left), Dean of the School of Arts in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is the new Chairperson...
How universities are transforming their language policies and why this is critical
Language has the power to change higher education in this country and lead to better social cohesion. This is the message from Professor Langa Khumalo,...
Emerging researchers in South Africa are about to get a big boost
Two new online platforms in higher education look set to change the face of early career researchers in South Africa. Inspired by the Sesotho word...
Universities express their support for new digital frameworks for emerging scholars
Dr Robin Drennan, Director of Research Development at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), expressed his appreciation for the work being done, after Dr Leandra...
First-year mathematics students need intensive support to improve their experience, an on-going study has shown
Intensive support, small groups and repeated exposure to information are some of the interventions needed to improve first-year mathematics students’ experience. These, and other findings...
Imagining the Mathematical Science Landscape of 2040
What will the mathematical science landscape look like in 2040? Who will teach, what will be taught and how it will be taught? ...
Whose responsibility is it to inform students they don’t meet the doctoral standard?
Professor Andrew Leitch’s presentation on the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE’s) Doctoral Degrees National Report generated considerable discussion when he presented some of its key...
Putting the focus on the quality of South Africa’s doctoral qualifications
Are South African doctoral programmes educating the thinkers we need as a country? Professor Andrew Leitch (right), Emeritus Professor and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research,...
USAf’s new Community of Practice for Postgraduate Education and Scholarship has been hard at work
With just over three months in existence since its inaugural meeting on 31 March, Universities South Africa’s newly founded Community of Practice for Postgraduate Education...
DHET concerns regarding students still in the pipeline for phased-out ITE programmes
At the second meeting of Universities South Africa’s Education Deans’ Forum (EDF, recently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) was invited to address...
The state of language policies at public institutions
As universities enter the second half of 2022, they are ramping up efforts to accelerate progress toward implementing the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher...
Challenges confronting the teaching of African languages at South Africa’s universities require dedicated attention
The possibility of a shortage of supply of African languages teachers across South Africa’s education landscape by 2030 became a subject of fierce debate among members...
Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages remains determined to achieve more in 2022
Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) has put together an elaborate plan of action aiming to realise...
Projects that explore experience of first year mathematics students unpacked
Early findings of two research projects being undertaken to improve the teaching and learning experience of first year students in mathematics, have exposed problem areas...
Measures that can be taken to improve first year students’ mathematics experience
First year mathematics students are often in much need of guidance and support. That is why student experience was the focus of the Diagnostic Mathematics Information...
A collaborative project aimed at improving first year mathematics students’ experience
The facilitation of engaged participation and not just the acquisition of knowledge is the aim of the Community of Practice on the Teaching and Learning...
A project that will benefit academics, institutions and students unpacked at Mathematics CoP
A moment of thoughts and prayers was dedicated to KwaZulu Natal communities and colleagues at the first meeting for the year, of the Community of...
Can 4IR and Decolonisation ideologies co-exist and be of mutual benefit in higher education?
The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) could potentially submerge the bellowing of decolonisation in higher education by previously marginalised groups, especially considering the...
Higher Education in the melting pot: Emerging discourses of the 4IR and Decolonisation
Out of the deliberations of a September 2019 colloquium of the Education Deans Forum, where the deans explored the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its...
HEDSA appeals to vice-chancellors to prioritise the disability policy framework to enable its implementation
Disability units appear to be the only structures within universities that take the Strategic Policy Framework on Disability for the Post-School Education and Training System seriously. Ms...
Eminent scholars laud USAf’s newest CoP as an excellent platform for strengthening SA’s postgraduate scholarship
The newly formed Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice on Postgraduate Education and Scholarship (CoP PGES) held its inaugural meeting online on 31 March. It...
Postgraduate education and scholarship is not an easy ride
Discussions that ensued at the inaugural meeting of Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice on Postgraduate Education and Scholarship (CoP PGES) on 31 March, between...
USAf’s new Community of Practice on Postgraduate Education and Scholarship takes off today
A meeting set for today — Thursday, 31 March, will see a new community of practice beginning to shine a spotlight on South Africa’s public...
DBE seeks to strengthen collaboration with universities to achieve a more effective basic education system
During their first sitting for the year in February 2022, education deans from public universities heard pleas of senior officials from the Department of Basic...
How language scholars and activists are keeping multilingualism on universities’ transformation agenda
South African universities are required to start implementing the government’s Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutionsfrom this year – a measure that aims...
SA universities claim to be multilingual yet have monolingual websites; a recent language symposium heard
With South Africa’s new Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions set to enhance the role and status of marginalised languages scheduled to kickstart...
Public universities’ poor performance on gender transformation targets must be penalised – two leaders suggest
The hearings that the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has conducted in the last ten years in the university sector indicate that the absence of...
A different approach to gender transformation could yield more favourable results, Dr Thandi Mgwebi suggests
The university sector should consider selling the benefits of transformation rather than force or impose change. Dr Thandi Mgwebi (left), Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and...
During Women’s Month 2021, USAf’s TMF and HERS-SA examine burning gender issues within Higher Education
August 2021 marks the beginning of a second round of a collaboration commemorating Women’s Month, between Universities South Africa’s Transformation Managers’ Forum (TMF) and Higher...
ETDP SETA wishes to cement ties with USAf for continuing benefit to universities.
The Education, Training and Development Practice Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) has confirmed to the Skills Development Facilitators (SDF) Forum that they...
The learnership programme for insourced security personnel at universities is lauded a success
The first cohort of trainees drawn from universities’ security officers who were absorbed into universities as part of a sector-wide insourcing initiative completed their learnerships...
USAf’s Education Deans’ Forum made 2020 count, amidst challenges
Deans of Education from South Africa’s 26 public universities used the last meeting of the Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) for 2020 to reflect on this...
The conversation at the Round Table on African languages and 4IR suggested new ways of thinking
Should South African universities focus only on their own African languages? What is happening about the digitisation of indigenous language literature? Is interdisciplinarity essential for...
We will lose our identity if African languages are left behind in the world of technology
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is regarded as the era when things become smaller and faster. However, the smaller part is debatable because when it comes...
Data is the new commodity in our digital world
Dr Karen Calteaux, from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has never forgotten a comment a Google speech technologist made at a conference...
A UP academic is leading cutting-edge research to increase the availability of African languages online
If you have ever thought “there are hardly any African languages on the internet”, Dr Vukosi Marivate’s presentation at a recent USAf Round Table not...
A meeting on decolonisation of pedagogy raises fierce debates among academics
A robust engagement around pedagogy in higher education institutions ensued on Friday, 30 October 2020, during the Transformation Managers' Forum (TMF) webinar. The session titled:...
How USAf is working towards bringing prominence to African languages in cyberspace
When COVID-19 struck and communication went largely online, Prof Mbulungeni Madiba soon realised how inadequate African languages are in the digital arena. Read more> ...
Hunting down the elephant in the room: transformation and institutional culture
"The best way to stop a conversation about institutional culture is to attempt to get a shared definition of it." -- Prof André Keet The...
Technical Mathematics dominates discussions at USAf’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
The Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (TLM CoP) held the first of its quarterly meetings for 2019, at the University...
USAf’s CoPAL pays tribute to the late Prof Gregory Kamwendo
On 22 May, 2018, a highly-esteemed sociolinguistics academic, Professor Gregory Kamwendo, was shot dead outside his Empangeni home in KwaZulu Natal. At their 14 June meeting...
The Mathematics Teaching & Learning CoP gets off to a busy start
The newly-established Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics came to a consensus on 31 August, that that there is a mismatch...