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15 February 2018
Photo Anja Aucamp
House Veritas show up and show off
The first-years’ athletics evening had arrived. Students were more than eager to get off the ground with the activities as they poured into Pellies Park grouped in their specific residences. The stadium quickly filled and livened up as students sang and cheered in anticipation of the official races.
The event was graced by the likes of Anna Sofia Botha, also known as Tannie Ans, the coach of South African World and Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk.
DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport at the University of the Free State (UFS), and the official announcer for the night, said he was looking forward to witnessing the talent that was about to be unleashed.
“The athletics is one of the highlights on the calendar of the university for the year,” said Prinsloo.
According to him, a total of 15 newly recruited athletes who had won medals at South African junior competitions in 2017 had amalgamated with the UFS. Needless to say, it will be a year of victories.
It was a great success, with houses Vishuis and Sonnedou the overall team winners for the night. Veritas and Legatum were in second and third position in the men’s competition. Arista were placed second for the overall women’s competition, and Marjolein and Wag-'n-Bietjie came in third place. House Harmony, Imperium and Veritas won the spirit cup for the female, co-ed and male teams respectively.
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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