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Recognising stellar excellence in curriculum support

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On 14 July 2023, the Unisa Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning’s (DTSFL’s) Directorate of Curriculum Development and Transformation (DCDT) hosted an intensive workshop that focused on operational planning and mid-year review operations. The workshop was followed by the excellence awards that recognised academics for their outstanding contributions and outputs in ensuring that the department excels in its work.

Back, from left: Wilna Dreyer, Dr Antonia Makina, Estelle van Rensburg, Dr Salosh Govender and Dr Anneke Venter
Front, from left: Prof Meahabo Magano, Acting Executive Director: Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning; Dr Devan Govender, Director: Directorate of Curriculum Development and Transformation; and Dr Petro Kotzé, Deputy Director: Directorate of Curriculum Development and Transformation

The awards were given in the following categories:

  • Administrative support: Wilna Dreyer was recognised for her outstanding administrative support to the director, deputy directors and other DCDT staff members.
  • Research output: Dr Antonia Makina was recognised for producing the most research outputs and earning a DHET (Department of Higher Education and Training) subsidy.
  • Continuous professional learning: Estelle van Rensburg was recognised for her excellence and innovation in supporting the implementation of the FTA (Framework for a Team Approach) in quality-enhanced study material design and ongoing training of both internal and external stakeholders of the university, with the outcome of excellence in continuous professional learning
  • Curriculum design and development: Dr Anneke Venter was recognised for her contributions in the categories for college and/or institutional awards for excelling in tuition.
  • Academic citizenship: Dr Salosh Govender was recognised for her outstanding contributions in promoting positive and collegial behaviour within the directorate and across colleges, and for her excellence and innovation in institutional, academic, research and community development citizenship through activities that go beyond regular curriculum development and research.


Supporting students through developing academics

Govender says that she is very grateful for her academic citizenship recognition, stating that this award is going to motivate her to keep pushing further. "For this recognition," she explains, "I have been supporting academics in many colleges, especially in continuous assessment and in uploading modules on the module site."

"This," she adds, "has helped academics integrate their professional standards and to transform their curriculum so that it remains relevant and responsive." In addition, Govender has developed MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) which she says can be accessed by any academic from any university to help in the transformation of curriculums. She further remarks that her passion lies in student support, especially on their approach towards different types of assessments.

In conclusion, Govender says that providing lecturers with the right tools will increase students’ success rates.

Dr Salosh Govender

Prof Meahabo Magano, Acting Executive Director: Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL)

Prof Meahabo Magano, Acting Executive Director of DTSFL, described the workshop as a review of how the DCDT is faring in 2023, and to recognise excellence in various categories to encourage the professional staff to excel more. She states: "When you recognise your team, they can do more, and today’s event wants to look at the newly revised FTA as the colleges are developing their modules, which took the great part of the day." Magano further states that the academics will be going to colleges to assist academics with the development and design of modules in preparation for the second semester, "and on what to put emphasis on in the teaching and learning strategy part". 

Magano, who joined the directorate last year, says she wrote the facilitation manual for the university’s academics so that they may all be in a teaching mode. She further explains: "If we do not teach our students well, they are likely to fall victim to bogus tutors. When an academic is trained to facilitate on how to teach, she or he is likely to find it easy to disseminate information from study guides to the student. So, that is the 'e' in ODeL."  

The directorate has embarked on the facilitation of module design with different Unisa colleges to construct how students disseminate information through their interaction with their modules and lecturers.

#Unisa150

* By Godfrey Madibane, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement

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Publish date: 2023/07/21

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