Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
22 September 2021
|
Story Michelle Nöthling
|
Photo Supplied
Annemarie Le Roux.
“I love working with children.” This is one of the first things Annemarie le Roux mentions when asked to describe herself. This love for children propelled Annemarie into the field of education and she graduated in 2006 with a BEd in Foundation Phase at the UFS. Annemarie immediately immersed herself in the Deaf community, enriching the lives of children at the Thiboloha School for the Deaf in Qwaqwa and the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.
The academic world enticed Annemarie back to the University of the Free State (UFS) and she was appointed as a junior lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies in 2013. Going from strength to strength, Annemarie completed her master’s degree in SASL in 2019, and published an
article earlier this year that she co-wrote with Marga Stander. In this article, they found that SASL “has become an increasingly popular language that hearing university students want to learn as a second language” and subsequently explored different teaching methods used for this emerging group of interested students.
Although now firmly established in academia, Annemarie is still committed to the practical application of SASL. “I am closely involved in student and community engagement through the
SIGNALS Sign Language student association that helps empower the Deaf community and South African Sign Language.” She also interprets for the Deaf community whenever she gets an opportunity, as well as for Deaf students in class and meetings.
On the importance of Sign Language and the recognition of the Deaf community in South Africa, Annemarie believes it will open greater opportunities for development. “More people will be able to learn SASL, and it might even become a subject in school for hearing children.”
Unconditional accreditation for Architecture at the UFS
2008-08-20
|
 The Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State (UFS) is so far the only department of its kind in the country to obtain unconditional accreditation from the South African Council for the Architecture Profession (SACAP) for all three its programmes.
“SACAP has already visited seven out of a possible ten institutions in the country who present Architecture. Of these, only the UFS’s Department of Architecture has so far received unconditional accreditation. This is indeed an achievement for us,” said Prof. Jan Smit, Head of the Department.
According to Prof. Smit, the SACAP’s evaluation of all institutions who offer Architecture takes place every four years. During the accreditation process in 2004, the department also received unconditional accreditation for the two programmes it presented at that stage, namely the B.A.S. degree and the B.Arch. degree. Since then, the B.Arch. degree has fallen away and the qualifications the department now offers are the B.A.S. degree, B.A.S. (Hons.) and the M.Arch.(Prof.).
“The unconditional accreditation serves as proof that the qualifications obtained by our students are of value and that it enjoys local and international recognition. It is also an indication that our students’ training is up to standard,” said Prof. Smit.
The criteria students are evaluated on includes the facilities, degrees and courses presented, the standard of exam papers and assignments of a subject, the style of management and staff compilation. The panel of judges comprise of among others a representative from the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), who reports to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). “This is an indication of the high level on which the evaluation is being done,” said Prof. Smit.
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
20 August 2008
|
| |