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New Way to learn a language
Spearheading the digital expansion of the conversational Sesotho course is IDEAS Lab Director, Johann Möller (middle). With him are from the left: Prof Pule Phindane, CUT; Dr Brenton Fredericks, CUT; Bahedile Letlala, UFS Department of African Languages; and Dr Elias Malete, UFS Department of African Languages.

For many years now, the UFS has been offering a one-year course in conversational Sesotho for staff members; this can then be followed up with the one-year course in advanced conversational Sesotho. The conversational Sesotho for students in the Faculty of Education was introduced in 2018 at the UFS.

The Central University of Technology (CUT) needed a conversational course for its first-year students and approached the Department of African Languages for the development of such a course. Living as we do in a multilingual country; this additional language skill opens doors and often hearts as well.


Using instructional design principles

However, the need was identified by both CUT and UFS to present this crucial information in a way that would be more appealing to digital natives as well as to those less familiar with technology. The Department of African Languages on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, together with relevant departments from the CUT, approached the IDEAS Lab located on the UFS South Campus, since they already have a reputation for being a specialist on broadcasting and repackaging curricular content for digital presentations. The IDEAS Lab provided technical advice and built the multimedia programme, which will help the user to hear and practice phrases in Sesotho, using instructional design principles. The course will be available to both staff and students belonging to the two universities.

Room for growth

Johann Möller, Director of the IDEAS Lab, says this pilot programme will give both institutions the opportunity to test the use of multimedia for language acquisition. He adds, “Language is extremely complex, and we would like to expand this learning aid in the future.” In fact, the original design has room for growth built into it.

To keep things simple for the user and the building team, it was decided to start out with only four potential everyday scenarios where a staff member would like to speak Sesotho: Firstly, how to greet other persons from different genders; secondly, potential scenarios one might encounter in the university environment itself; thirdly, how to deal with situations at a hospital; and finally, how to use one’s language skills at a filling station.

Pronunciation is key

Each scenario contains three to four conversations that the learner can revise, along with images and audio that illustrate the situation and assist with correct pronunciation. The system does not allow the user to progress unless they have listened to the pronunciations of the sample sentences or phrases.

Further reading material and vocabulary lists are also provided, with the result that people who are using the programme can learn at their own pace. The authoring software Articulate Storyline was used to build the individual scenarios and each conversation or lesson within it. The lessons are also not dependent on an internet connection; they can be downloaded onto a flash memory drive and used offline.

News Archive

Help to rural women to become entrepreneurs
2006-10-24

Some of the guests who attended the ceremony were, from the left: Mr Donray Malabie (Head of the Alexander Forbes Community Trust), Ms Jemina Mokgosi (one of the ladies from Tabane Village who is participating in the Women in Agriculture project), Dr Limakatso Moorosi (Head: Veterinary Services, Free State Department of Agriculture), Prof Johan Greyling (Head: UFS Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences) and Ms Khoboso Lehloenya (coordinator of the project from UFS Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences). Photo: Leonie Bolleurs\

Alexander Forbes and UFS help rural women to become entrepreneurs
 
Today, the Alexander Forbes Community Trust and the University of the Free State (UFS) joined forces to create an enabling environment for rural women to become players in the private sector.

Three years ago the UFS set up a unique small-scale household egg production project called Women in Agriculture in Thaba ‘Nchu as a pilot project. The project was officially launched today by Mr Donray Malabie, Head of the Alexander Forbes Community Trust.

The aim of the Women in Agriculture Project is to create jobs, provide food security and to help develop rural women into entrepreneurs. A total of 25 women based in Tabane Village in Thaba ‘Nchu are the beneficiaries of the project.

“This is the first project in the Free State the Alexander Forbes Community Trust is involved with.  The project would help rural women acquire the skills they need to run their own egg-production business from their homes,” said Mr Malabie. 

“The ongoing debate on the shortage of skills ignores the fact that people with little or no education at all also need training. This project is special to the Trust as it provides for the creation of sustainable jobs, food security and the transfer of much needed skills all at once, particularly at this level,” he said.

Every woman in the group started with two small mobile cages that housed 12 hens each. The units are low in cost, and made of commercially available welded mesh and a metal frame. Now, each woman has four cages with 48 hens. The group manages to collectively produce 750 eggs daily.

The eggs are currently sold to local businesses, including spaza shops and the women are using the income generated to look after their families and to further develop their business.

The Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS identified the project and did the initial research into the feasibility of setting up such a project.

“A demonstration and training unit has been established at the Lengau Agricultural Development Centre and the women attended a short practical training course. Subsidies are provided for feeding, together with all the material and the lay hens necessary for the start of the business,” said Ms Khoboso Lehloenya, coordinator of the project from the Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS. 

“The advantage in using lay hens is that they are resistant to diseases and the women will not need electric heating systems for the egg production,” said Ms Lehloenya. 

According to Ms Lehloenya, the women are already benefiting from their egg production businesses.  “Some of them have used the profit to buy school uniforms and tracksuits for their children and others are now able to make a monthly contribution to their household expenses,” said Ms Lehloenya. 
“In South Africa, possibly due to cultural reasons and circumstances, most black people prefer to eat older and tougher chickens, compared to younger soft commercially available broiler chickens. This preference creates a further advantage for the women. At the end of their production cycle, old hens can be sold for a higher price than point-of-lay or young hens. This brings in further money to pay for more hens,” said Ms Lehloenya.

The Alexander Forbes Trust contributed R191 000 towards the project aimed at expanding it to benefit 15 more women.

“We are in the process of recruiting an additional 15 women in Thaba ‘Nchu who will be trained by the Lengau Agricultural Development Centre in order to replicate the model and extend its reach”, said Ms Lehloenya.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl@mail.uovs.ac.za
20 October 2006

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