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12 May 2021 | Story Ilze Bakkes
The COVID-19 outbreak in South Africa and the subsequent national lockdown severely impacted the usual physical open day mass-marketing tactic. At the same time, it provided an opportunity for the Department of Student Recruitment Services (SRS) to be super creative and agile in promoting the UFS offerings to the target audiences. 

Once a year, the UFS invites prospective learners and parents to visit our campuses for a taste of campus life. But for many interested students, especially those living remotely or abroad, a site visit is not always practical. Furthermore, the 2021 open days on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses were again cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Virtual Open Day proved that breaking from the traditional recruitment tactics and moving into the virtual domain was not only bold and innovative, but also offered more engagement and communication opportunities with prospective students. Building on the insights and success of COVID-19 response engagements, the Department of Student Recruitment Services has once again developed an immersive virtual experience for prospective students. 

Ilze Bakkes, Chief Officer: Integrated Marketing and Innovation from the Department of Student Recruitment Services, says: “We listened to the needs and wants of our prospective students and staff. Therefore, the 2021 Virtual Expo will have undergraduate, postgraduate, and international student recruitment foci, offering more and relevant information in a visual, multi-layered, and digital way.” Information is presented through videos, photos, downloadable PDF brochures, and links to marketing material and the online application platform. 

A challenge during the physical open day is the lack of time to engage with faculties or that not all the information could be obtained. The Virtual Expo is live now click here and can be visited until 30 September 2021, when applications to study undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2022 close. The Virtual Expo offers a professional, easy-to-navigate and hassle-free digital experience of the academic, social, and cultural life at the UFS on all three campuses – in the convenience of the visitor’s own space and time. Subtexts for videos enable differently abled visitors to enjoy the content, and data-sensitive visitors can download the PDF versions of videos. 

Applications to study in 2022 are already open. To apply, click here (link to online application). For important closing dates, download the UFS Undergraduate Prospectus

For information on the Virtual Expo, contact Ilze Bakkes at +27 51 401 9028 or bakkese@ufs.ac.za.

News Archive

Special Edition of the Journal for New Generation Sciences launched at UFS
2016-10-26

Description: Journal for New Generation Sciences launched Tags: Journal for New Generation Sciences launched

Participants of the round-table discussion
at the launch of the Journal for New Generation
Sciences during the UFS Faculty of Education
colloquium which took place on 20 October 2016.
Photo: Oteng Mpete

The Journal for New Generation Sciences Special Edition was launched on 20 October 2016, at the Albert Wessels Auditorium, during the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Education colloquium on the field of technological higher education and its contribution to the knowledge society.

Partnerships and knowledge production
Prof Laetus Lategan, Dean of Research and Innovation at the Central University of Technology (CUT), led the launch. “Higher education is not only about producing knowledge but it is also about fostering new relationships,” said Prof Lategan referring to CUT’s collaboration with the UFS Faculty of Education.

“Empowering people is important for capacity building, offering novice writers the opportunity to learn and a way to enhance their academic writing,” said Prof Lategan.

The Journal for New Generation Sciences is an accredited research publication in which scholars, internal and external to the institution, may publish. It accommodates national and international publications and showcases the university’s commitment to applied research.

Growing in leaps and bounds
According to Dr Somarie Holtzhausen, from the Faculty of Education’s School of Higher Education Studies, all papers are peer-reviewed by at least two experts. An editorial review also secures the quality of the paper. In 2014, when the journal was established, 30 contributions were submitted, although only 25 were successfully published.

“We turn down content not because it is not good, but unfortunately because it does not speak to the heart of the journal,” said Prof Lategan. With 60 peer reviewers, the journal’s contributors are assured that at least two peer reviewers will assess their article.

The Journal for New Generation Sciences supports both high-quality scholarly work of established researchers, and capacity building among new researchers.

During the round-table discussion various contributors to the journal spoke about their research and involvement in the publication of the journal.

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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