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13 August 2018
Proteas next goal for Khanyisa
Khanyisa Chawane is going places with her netball career. She finds inspiration from God and the people she surrounds herself with.
Netballer Khanyisa Chawane singles out friends, teammates and her Kovsie coach as the ones who have had the biggest hand in promoting her career.

“Coach Burta de Kock has had an impact on me as a player and person. She took me in, groomed me and taught me the ins and outs of becoming the player I am today,” Chawane says.

They picked me up when I was down

“Maryka Holtzhausen (Free State teammate) has played quite a role in my career as a teammate and mentor. Tiisetso Mashele is a very good friend who has always been there to lend a helping hand during the tough times and remind me where my strength comes from. Then there’s Khomotso Mamburu and Sikholiwe Mdletshe who’ve become more than teammates. They understand me and always manage to pick me up when I’m down and there’s never a dull moment when they are around.”

At the age of 22 Chawane is making huge strides on the netball court.

Crowned player of the tournament

Hardly a month after she was named Player of the Tournament of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League, her performances at the National Championship mid-July earned her the Player of the Tournament once more. She is the first player to receive these accolades at both these tournaments in the same year. 

“The people I surround myself with keep me motivated in every aspect of my life. The grace of God upon my life is what inspires me to keep going. 

“I would love to represent the Proteas at the Quad Series and Diamond Challenge later this year and also to win the Varsity Netball Series,” Chawane says about future goals.  

 

Video production: Barend Nagel

News Archive

Project aims to boost science pass rate
2009-01-19

 
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
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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