Latest News Archive
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| 2022-04-29 |
More women needed in surgery, says country’s youngest and first female head of Vascular Surgery |
| 2022-04-29 |
More women needed in surgery, says country’s youngest and first female head of Vascular Surgery |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: UFS Centre for Human Rights’ hawk’s eye on water provision in the Gariep |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: UFS Centre for Human Rights’ hawk’s eye on water provision in the Gariep |
| 2022-04-28 |
Seminar on Open Science, 12 May 2022 |
| 2022-04-28 |
Seminar on Open Science, 12 May 2022 |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: Freedom and democracy still a dream for most African countries |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: Freedom and democracy still a dream for most African countries |
| 2022-04-26 |
Contested Science for Sustainable Agriculture |
| 2022-04-26 |
Contested Science for Sustainable Agriculture |
| 2022-04-26 |
Sisters share the stage during April graduation ceremonies |
| 2022-04-26 |
Sisters share the stage during April graduation ceremonies |
| 2022-04-26 |
Opinion: KwaZulu-Natal floods: Each one help one |
| 2022-04-26 |
Opinion: KwaZulu-Natal floods: Each one help one |
| 2022-04-26 |
Intellectual property is an important driver of human development and economic growth |
| 2022-04-26 |
Intellectual property is an important driver of human development and economic growth |
| 2022-04-25 |
Childhood friends celebrate first degrees together |
| 2022-04-25 |
Childhood friends celebrate first degrees together |
| 2022-04-25 |
Theranostics in the fight against cancer |
| 2022-04-25 |
Theranostics in the fight against cancer |
| 2022-04-25 |
Double celebration for Ntheri twins as they graduate cum laude |
| 2022-04-25 |
Double celebration for Ntheri twins as they graduate cum laude |
| 2022-04-25 |
Nicoleen Moorcroft - overcame brain surgery to earn her third degree |
| 2022-04-25 |
Nicoleen Moorcroft - overcame brain surgery to earn her third degree |
| 2022-04-23 |
Free State for Choice (FS4C) withdraws court application against UFS COVID-19 Vaccination Policy |
| 2022-04-23 |
Free State for Choice (FS4C) withdraws court application against UFS COVID-19 Vaccination Policy |
| 2022-04-22 |
Pursue genuine transformation, states Theology and Religion Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-22 |
Pursue genuine transformation, states Theology and Religion Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-22 |
Senate Medal recipient: ‘More students to enjoy learning Biblical Hebrew’ |
| 2022-04-22 |
Senate Medal recipient: ‘More students to enjoy learning Biblical Hebrew’ |
| 2022-04-21 |
LLB graduate Lizandré Mulder excels in law and athletics |
| 2022-04-21 |
LLB graduate Lizandré Mulder excels in law and athletics |
| 2022-04-21 |
‘Hard work never goes unnoticed’, says Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-21 |
‘Hard work never goes unnoticed’, says Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-21 |
Mathematics students bag top graduation awards |
| 2022-04-21 |
Mathematics students bag top graduation awards |
| 2022-04-21 |
A second PhD for Prof Innocent Chirisa, Dean at the University of Zimbabwe |
| 2022-04-21 |
A second PhD for Prof Innocent Chirisa, Dean at the University of Zimbabwe |
| 2022-04-21 |
Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together |
| 2022-04-21 |
Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together |
| 2022-04-20 |
Opinion: KZN floods expose significant socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities |
| 2022-04-20 |
Opinion: KZN floods expose significant socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities |
| 2022-04-20 |
Chris Vorster’s PhD pays homage to the impact of Egoli creator, Franz Marx |
| 2022-04-20 |
Chris Vorster’s PhD pays homage to the impact of Egoli creator, Franz Marx |
| 2022-04-14 |
UFS explores potential areas of collaboration with institutions in Kenya |
| 2022-04-14 |
UFS explores potential areas of collaboration with institutions in Kenya |
| 2022-04-14 |
Shimlas aim to entertain in home semi-final |
| 2022-04-14 |
Shimlas aim to entertain in home semi-final |
| 2022-04-14 |
Kovsie Dining offers South Campus community affordable, healthy food choices |
| 2022-04-14 |
Kovsie Dining offers South Campus community affordable, healthy food choices |
| 2022-04-12 |
Stagedoor Makes a Resounding In-Person Return to UFS Stages |
| 2022-04-12 |
Stagedoor Makes a Resounding In-Person Return to UFS Stages |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS Student Publishes Book on Love and Life in the African Context |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS Student Publishes Book on Love and Life in the African Context |
| 2022-04-12 |
Louzanne Coetzee sets the pace and makes history at Two Oceans |
| 2022-04-12 |
Louzanne Coetzee sets the pace and makes history at Two Oceans |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS position statement on xenophobia |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS position statement on xenophobia |
| 2022-04-07 |
UFS awards five honorary doctorates during April 2022 graduation ceremony |
| 2022-04-07 |
UFS awards five honorary doctorates during April 2022 graduation ceremony |
| 2022-04-07 |
2022 Africa Week |
| 2022-04-07 |
2022 Africa Week |
| 2022-04-07 |
Shimlas stick to attacking style to secure semi-final spot |
| 2022-04-07 |
Shimlas stick to attacking style to secure semi-final spot |
| 2022-04-06 |
Urgent communication regarding payment of subsidies to NSFAS-funded UFS students |
| 2022-04-06 |
Urgent communication regarding payment of subsidies to NSFAS-funded UFS students |
| 2022-04-05 |
Preliminary finding indicates fire on UFS Qwaqwa Campus caused by arson |
| 2022-04-05 |
Preliminary finding indicates fire on UFS Qwaqwa Campus caused by arson |
| 2022-04-05 |
The UFS and partners calling on students to combat corruption in SA through writing competition |
| 2022-04-05 |
The UFS and partners calling on students to combat corruption in SA through writing competition |
| 2022-04-05 |
UFS wheat rust specialist contributes to paper in Nature Genetics |
| 2022-04-05 |
UFS wheat rust specialist contributes to paper in Nature Genetics |
| 2022-04-05 |
Food security dominant driver of plant pathology research in future |
| 2022-04-05 |
Food security dominant driver of plant pathology research in future |
| 2022-04-05 |
Celebrating Africa Month – call for contributions |
| 2022-04-05 |
Celebrating Africa Month – call for contributions |
| 2022-04-01 |
Dr Nicholas Pearce named Best Doctor of the Year in National Batho Pele Excellence Awards |
| 2022-04-01 |
Dr Nicholas Pearce named Best Doctor of the Year in National Batho Pele Excellence Awards |
| 2022-04-01 |
Celebrating more than a century of collaboration with universities in the US |
| 2022-04-01 |
Celebrating more than a century of collaboration with universities in the US |
Project aims to boost science pass rate
2009-01-19
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Attending the launch of the HP grant of about R1 million to the UFS are, from the left: Mr Leon Erasmus, Country Manager for HP Technology Services in South Africa, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Acting Rector of the UFS, and Mr Cobus van Breda, researcher at the UFS's Centre for Education Development and manager of the project.
Photo: Lacea Loader |
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The University of the Free State (UFS), in partnership with computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP), wants to boost the pass rate of its science students by using mobile technology.
The UFS is one of only 15 universities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and the only university in South Africa to receive a grant from HP to promote mobile technology for teaching in higher education valued at USD$ 100,000 (or about R1 million). Altogether 80 universities from 28 countries applied for the grant.
“Last year HP invited a number of selected universities to submit proposals in which they had to explain how they are going to utilise mobile technologies in the redesign of a course that is presented at the university. The proposal of the Centre for Education Development (CED) at the UFS entitled “Understanding Physics through data logging” was accepted,” says Mr Cobus van Breda, researcher at CED and manager of the project.
According to Mr van Breda, students who do not meet the entrance requirements for the three-year B.Sc. programme have to enroll for the four-year curriculum with the first year actually preparing them for the three-year curriculum.
In order to increase the success rate of these students, the project envisages to enhance their understanding of science principles by utilising the advantages of personal computer (PC) tablet technology and other information and communication technologies (ICT) to support effective teaching and learning methodology.
“By using PC tablet technology in collaboration with data-logging software, a personal response system, the internet and other interactive ICT applications, an environment different from a traditional teaching milieu is created. This will consequently result in a different approach to addressing students’ learning issues,” says Mr van Breda.
The pilot project was launched during the fourth term of 2008 when 130 first-year B.Sc. students (of the four-year curriculum) did the practical component of the physics section of the Concepts in General Science (CGS) module by conducting experiments in a computerised laboratory, using data-logging software amongst other technology applications. “The pilot project delivered good results and students found the interactive application very helpful,” says Mr van Breda.
”The unique feature of the latter is the fact that real-life data can be collected with electronic sensors and instantly presented as computer graphs. It can then be analysed and interpreted immediately, thus more time can be devoted to actual Science principles and phenomena and less time on time-consuming data processing,” says Mr van Breda.
The CGS module can be seen as a prerequisite for further studies in physics at university level and in this regard it is of essence to keep looking for new models of learning and teaching which can result in student success. This year the theoretical and practical component of the physics section of the CGS programme will be done in an integrated manner.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
16 January 2009
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