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CLTD Newsletter - Issue 04 - April 2011 - Page 6 of 8 WSU AND NETHERLANDS INSTITUTIONS PARTNERSHIPS CLTD STAFF SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES OF STUDYING IN NETHERLANDS Two CLTD staff members, Miss Sinazo Matyila and Mr Ntembeko Mkunyana,were selected to study for Masters degrees in the Netherlands under the WSU Nuffic Project. The two are studying towards a Master’s degree in Computing Science at Rijks Universiteit, Groningen. They share with us their experience... Greetings from the Netherlands by Sinazo Matyila and Ntembeko Mkunyana Upon our arrival in Groningen, Netherlands on 30th August 2010, a lot of things about this place struck us. Firstly, we noticed a peaceful environment where people respect and help one another. People here are humble and down to earth with a very simple life-style that makes everything simple for everyone. The simple lifestyle manifests itself in the simple mode of transport used by people across all social classes: the bicycle. In the student houses where we are staying, there are students from all over the world e.g. USA, China, Canada, Spain, France, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Kenya, Zimbabwe etc. We are being exposed to many cultures. There is an ESN Groningen programme designed for international students. The programme takes international students on tours within the Netherlands and outside countries at very affordable rates. This is good for networking. Sinazo and I have already networked with a lot of people within a short space of time. Academically, the system of education here is totally different from what we have in South Africa. We are trying our best to adapt to the system even though sometimes we experience a few challenges. So far, we are managing to grasp every concept taught in class. We have already done 3 courses i.e. Advanced Web Technologies, Software Maintenance and Evolution, and Software Architecture; and we are now waiting for the final results after a very hectic period of doing projects, assignments, and presentations in each of the courses mentioned above. The most challenging part is to find our home food. We cannot find maize meal or samp! We miss iMingqusho, iMiphokoqo or Uphuthu and other traditional meals that we have back at home. The staple food here is bread and cheese. We are still doing great and we will get used to all these things in no time. We are proud to say when we come back in 2012, we will for sure bring back our degrees and make our mark at WSU by conquering most of the challenges that affect learners as well as our departments. We will make CLTD, WSU, Eastern Cape, and South Africa proud. A word of appreciation to CLTD, in particular to our Director for his vision which gave birth to the Nuffic project which has taken us to great heights: not only physically but also academically and socially. ONELE REFLECTS ON THE NETHERLANDS MISSION......from p7 exposure to management and administration systems and procedures of Rijks University in Groningen (RUG). Some things that I learnt include project administration, Data management systems and project events coordination. As a result of my visit and interaction with RUG, I am in the process of developing a Procedure Manual for all administration staff within the Finance and Administration Unit. I also had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of Performance Management Review as a means of measuring individual competencies and skills and identifying the KPAs that an individual struggles with, identifying training needs and sending staff for training. 6
CLTD Newsletter - Issue 04 - April 2011 - Page 7 of 8 WSU AND NETHERLANDS INSTITUTIONS PARTNERSHIPS WSU SEPTEMBER 2010 MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS A WSU delegation comprising of Mr. Ferdie Gerber, Project coordinator, FSET, Mr. V. Dwayi, Project Director, CLTD and Ms O.Kewana, Project Administrator, CLTD, visited three Universities in the Netherlands in September 2010 as part of the Nuffic Project. The goal of the Nuffic Project (NPT) is to strengthen the capacity of staff and management at the CLTD and FSET and to develop and offer responsive academic programs through the use of ICT in education at WSU, with piloting having started in CLTD and FSET since 2008. The September 2010 Mission focused on three crucial areas namely: project management and administration, project planning 2011 and project termination 2011. Activities on planning included the project activity on leadership and management development and a visit to the Centre for Excellence in University Teaching at the University of Utrecht. Various committees of the Project met between the 13-16 September 2010 at RUG and Erasmus to look into different aspects of the NUFFIC project. Interesting resolutions emanating from these meetings include the following: • Fast-tracking and consolidation of project outputs and reviews of project for sustainability • Optimization of RUG participation at WSU e-learning week of 1-5 November 2010 and reviewing of various Mission reports • Cleaning up of raw data by the Throughput Study management team, including analysis and confirmation by 5 October 2010 • Consolidation of previous RUG interventions and support to WSU and the current professional development programmes as led by CPDU leading to professionalization of teaching in Higher Education • RISBO Consultants recommended a planning approach to be adopted for Curriculum review • A leadership development programme linked to VC’s Excellence Awards was put in place at University of Utrecht, Centre for Excellence in University teaching. Faculties and support units are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the goal and objectives of the WSU NUFFIC Project 2011 so as to identify opportunities for improving learning and teaching at WSU. ONELE REFLECTS ON THE NETHERLANDS MISSION On 10-19 September 2010, I accompanied Mr. V. Dwayi, and Mr F. Gerber, (Director FSET) on a Nuffic Mission to the Netherlands. The mission focused on leadership and management development. Specific activities included the ..p6 A PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE PROGRAMME IN THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING The Continuous Professional Development Unit (CPDU) is now offering a new credit-bearing teaching development programme. Aptly named the Professional Excellence Programme (PEP), this course targets newly-appointed WSU academic staff and those without a teaching qualification. The programme is aimed at inducting the targeted staff to the higher education sector as well as developing their teaching and assessment skills. The PEP is pitched at NQF Level 5 and three modules are offered in 2011, • Learning and Teaching in Higher Education • Assessment of Student Learning • Curriculum Development Each module carries 20 credits. The CPDU staff and Nuffic project partners from the Netherlands piloted the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE) module at the School of Engineering from the 17th-18th November 2010. The workshop was attended by lecturers from Civil and Electrical Engineering who are based in East London. A similar workshop will be conducted for Ibika staff members in the School of Engineering. The main objective of the LTHE modules is to assist lecturers to understand better the Higher Education context and in particular the WSU context, promote the use of learner-centred teaching strategies, and encourage lecturers to apply insights gained from learning theories, including constructive alignment in their own teaching. Key topics dealt with at the workshop included: contextual factors affecting teaching and learning in Higher Education; challenges faced by WSU learners and lecturers; the nature of learning; deep and surface approaches to learning; interactive teaching strategies; constructive alignment; and qualities of a good lecturer. These topics addressed some of the 7
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