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21 May 2019 | Story Igno van Niekerk | Photo Stephen Collett
Digital storytelling
Collaborating for the common good are from left: Willem Ellis, Karen Venter, Dr Deidre van Rooyen, Prof Hendri Kroukamp, Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, and Dr Johan van Zyl.
Prof Hendri Kroukamp, Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences quoted the Cat Stevens song I can’t keep it in, to capture the excitement surrounding the opening of a Digital Storytelling Lab on the Bloemfontein Campus on 10 May 2019.

After months of hard work by Dr Deidre van Rooyen, Willem Ellis, Karen Venter, as well as the staff of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Centre for Development Support, the Common Good First lab was completed just in time for the launch attended by about 50 delegates from other South African universities, as well as private and public institutions.

Stories meet technology

In a message, from Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs, and Community Engagement, informed the audience that the launch heralded the joining of the old world of stories with the new world of digital technology. Julie Adair, Director of Digital Collaboration at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, welcomed the UFS as a partner to this international social innovation collaborative project in a video message. 

Dr Van Rooyen, the project manager for the UFS, explained how she got involved in the Common Good First project, what the benefits of digital storytelling are, as well as what opportunities the lab creates for cooperation between role players involved in social innovation projects. 

Why the Common Good First lab?

The purpose of the lab is to create a digital network to identify, showcase and connect social innovation projects in South Africa to one another and to universities around the world for research, student engagement and learning and teaching. The lab has been fitted with state-of-the-art equipment for recording and digitising the stories that result from social innovation projects.

In a live Skype session with Dr Il-Haam Petersen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and some of the recent successes of the digital stories in Philippi in the Western Cape were shared.

Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, UFS Director Community Engagement did the final honours by cutting the ribbon, declaring the lab open, and sharing the dream that the work done in this lab will contribute to positive relationships and cooperation between the university and the community, in making not only the university, but the country and the world a better place.


News Archive

Thirteen Scholarships for Science and Mathematics learners awarded
2011-02-15

The Thirteen Scholarship winners are seen here with: Back: Mr Cobus van Breda (Project Manager, School for Continuing Education, far left), Prof. Jonathan Jansen (Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, Second from the right), Prof Dennis Francis (Dean of the Faculty of Education, on the right), Middle: Ms Elizna Prinsloo (School for Continuing Education, left) and Ms. Pearl Nhlane (SANRAL, right).
- Photo: Stephen Collet

Thirteen learners from the University of the Free State (UFS)’s School for Continuing Education (SCE) were successful in their applications for school scholarships at SANRAL (South African National Roads Agency). This represents more than a third of the successful applications countrywide.

The SCE’s ICT Laboratory aims to enable and encourage more learners to enter into science related studies and careers. To achieve this, 180 selected learners from Grade 10, 11 and 12 are exposed to activities at the ICT Laboratory every year. “It is an attempt not only to foster a positive attitude towards Mathematics and Science amongst learners, but also to raise their knowledge and skills levels through e-Education in Science and Mathematics,” says Mr Cobus van Breda, Project Manager of the programme.
 
As part of the programme, learners have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship at the sponsor, namely SANRAL (South African National Roads Agency). The scholarship not only covers all school and hostel fees for the particular year, but also includes stationary as well as school and sports outfits of the learner.
 
At a recent information session for successful learners and their parents held at the UFS, Ms Pearl Nhlane of SANRAL congratulated the learners and said that “SANRAL is recognising the hard work of the learners by investing in them”. Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, in turn thanked SANRAL for their initiative and told the learners “that one has to take the gap when one gets the opportunity”, indicating to the learners that the scholarship can be seen as such an opportunity, since it can possibly pave the way to study benefits in future.  

 

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