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02 August 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Red Square Upgrade artist impression
Eco-friendly measures will ensure better water management at the University of the Free State.
The first phase of an exciting environmentally focused project to upgrade Red Square between the Johannes Brill Building and the H van der Merwe Scholtz Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus is currently underway.

The project forms part of the water-wise and grey-water initiative of the University of the Free State (UFS) implemented in 2018 in response to climate change and drought conditions in the Free State, and to save water in alignment with global standards of environmental efficiency.

Out with the old, in with the new

Modern architecture will be used at Red Square to project the image of a campus that cares for the environment and believes in sustainable solutions. Phases 1, 2, and 4 of the upgrade will be dealt with during the current project. This will take approximately three months to complete, with the remaining phases to follow. 

The initiative also entails the upgrading of areas with crucial focal points that have a visible impact, such as the traffic circles at the George du Toit and Francois Retief buildings. Vegetation such as artificial grass, stones and drought-resistant plants will be the new signature look for these and other areas. 

Going green 
 
More than 100 indigenous trees will be planted as part of the initiative. This will ensure that all available water sources are used for consumption and for maintaining a healthy ecological footprint.
 
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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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