Unisa Western Cape hosts dynamic first-year information sessions

Amidst buzzing anticipation and eager faces, the Unisa Western Cape Region recently hosted enlightening first-year information sessions at the Cape Town Campus and George Regional Centre, respectively. The events were tailored to provide first-time registered students with pertinent information relating to all the services offered to them by the campus and regional centre.

Michelle Frauendorf addresses a cohort of first-year students

The event at the Cape Town campus commenced with a warm welcome from Acting Regional Director, Michelle Frauendorf. Frauendorf stressed how important diligence is when pursuing studies at Unisa. She urged students to know themselves, and to remain optimistic and resilient regardless of the challenges life presents as “none of us are exempt from barriers that life throws at us”. At the George Regional Centre, the Centre Coordinator, Tando Ntsanga, welcomed students from George and surrounding areas in the Southern Cape.

Representatives from various departments including Facilitation of Learning, Counselling, the library, Student Administration and Funding, ARCSWiD and the ADOVH took students who were present at the event as well as those online, through the various services and interventions offered to them as registered Unisa students.

One of the focal points of the session was academic guidance – from understanding course requirements to accessing online library resources. Students were introduced to the tools necessary to navigate their academic journey at Unisa as a CODel institution successfully.

Students networking after the information session

The Student Counselling section shared insights on the importance of managing stress and seeking assistance when needed. Students were assured that the university was committed to not only nurturing academic achievement, but also for students to attain personal fulfilment and well-being. The Facilitation of Learning staff introduced students to regional support services including online and digital learning skills. The key emphasis was also on introducing students in rural and peri-urban communities to the e-support communication channels to facilitate their ODeL journey at Unisa. Student funding officers addressed funding as a common concern of students, and demystified the student funding and finance processes, especially those concerning NSFAS.

As the sessions drew to a close, students were given the opportunity to network with each other, and to exchange contact information to enable them to form their own successful learning communities. At the Cape Town Campus, representatives from Press Reader, Van Schaik, the Municipal library, and Virgin Active were also present, with special offers for registered students.

* Submitted by Vicky-Lee Lee Shew, Acting Communication and Marketing Manager, and Adele Blacker, Regional Academic Coordinator, Western Cape Region