Engaged Teaching and Learning (Service Learning - Credit-bearing) Award

B Ramahlele, director of Engaged Scholarship; E Lombard, Lecturer Communication Science, and K Venter, Head of Service Learning Division

Elbie Lombard and Dr Mthobeli Ngcongo in the category of Engaged Teaching and Learning, within the Faculty of The Humanities at the University of the Free State. As a team, they co-present the capstone Community Communication Service-Learning (KOM344) module in the Department of Communication Science. Lombard originally developed the module and presented it for the first time in 2010. Dr Mthobeli came on board in 2016. This module aims to develop the community through participation in public speaking. Through student-to-learner engagement and mentorship, learners are taught to write and deliver persuasive speeches. Annually, this initiative culminates in a celebratory ceremony where learners present their speeches and receive a certificate for participation. The relevance of this service-learning initiative is evidenced by positive student, community, and partner feedback, as well as a throughput rate of 99%.

Engaged Scholarship Award Ceremony

Engaged Teaching and Learning (Service Learning - Credit-bearing) Award

B Ramahlele, director of Engaged Scholarship; M Esau; Social Work Lecturer; K Venter; head of service learning division.

Merlene Esau is a service learning lecturer at the Department of Social Work and part of the Portfolio Committee: Faculty of Humanities for more than 10 years thus one of the experts in the field of service-learning. Merlene’s love for developing communities has become evident in the students that she produces where they as part of their training has to address a diverse range of social issues. As lecturer, she guides and supports students to apply theory into practice. Working from an Asset-based Community Development Approach as theoretical framework students are taught to involve communities in their own development efforts contributing to them becoming empowered and taking ownership thereof. Merlene’s students have won the Service Learning Prize in the Faculty as many as four times.

Through Merlene’s involvement in communities, she was also able to form many partnerships. She is also doing a lot of work in previously disadvantaged communities.