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27 August 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Student Toolkit
The First Edition of the UFS Student Toolkit is now available on Blackboard.

Download the toolkit here

A common question first-time entering first-year students often ask themselves when they come to university, is: ‘How will I deal with the pressure?’

The University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Student Counselling and Development (SCD) – with the vision to promote, enable, and optimise students’ self-direction – has launched the first edition of the Student Toolkit on Friday, 23 August 2019.

The toolkit, which is now available on Blackboard, is intended to assist students in dealing and coping with challenges they face in their personal lives during their period of study at the UFS.

Students will be exposed to a variety of topics, pressing issues, and phenomena that they will encounter on a daily basis in their lives, such as academic and personal challenges, time management, procrastination, goal setting, anxiety, effective studying, stress management, mindful meditation, self-love, loneliness, relationships, sexual orientation, family frustrations, overthinking, death, and suicide. 

Present at the launch was the UFS Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs, and Community Engagement, Prof Puleng LenkaBula; the UFS Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Pura Mgolombane; the UFS Director for Student Counselling and Development, Melissa Barnaschone; Counselling Psychologist and compiler of the UFS Student Toolkit: Lize van den Bergh.

In addition, BCom Marketing honours student and poet, Thuthukani Ndlovu, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Next Chapter, Tshepang Mahlatsi, three students who have benefitted from SDC services, delegates from the department, and other affiliated students were all in attendance. 

For more information about the Student Toolkit, contact the Department of Student Counselling and Development at scd@ufs.ac.za or call +27 51 401 2853.


News Archive

New book recommends “rethinking of university readiness”
2015-06-01

A young man draws himself standing behind a brick wall in darkness, striving in vain to reach success and sunshine on the other side. This drawing aptly illustrates the focus of Dr Merridy Wilson-Strydom’s book University Access and Success: Capabilities, diversity and social justice.

Using the capabilities approach, Dr Wilson-Strydom considers the individual wellbeing and quality of life of students as central metrics for understanding access and success. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research, including focus groups, written reflections and drawings, interviews, and participatory workshops, she identifies seven key capabilities needed for a student to successfully transition to university life, namely:

  1. Practical reason
  2. Knowledge and imagination
  3. Learning disposition
  4. Social relations and social networks
  5. Respect, dignity and recognition
  6. Emotional health
  7. Language competence and confidence

At the launch of the book at the UFS recently, Prof Sandra Boni, from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain, said: “From a methodological perspective, this book is an excellent contribution in the educational research domain ... It brings a richness of data that allows the author to explore in a deeper way the personal characteristics and the social factors that influence the capability [of students] to participate. ... This book offers interesting avenues for action in the university realm.”

Dr Lis Lange, Vice-Rector: Academic at the UFS, said at the same event: “We will have to rethink what we are doing and how we are doing it. I would like to make it prescribed reading for all deans and HODs.”

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