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11 August 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo NONSINDISO QWABE
UFS LUE collab
Students and lecturers from the Faculty of Education, with Assistant Dean Dr Cias Tsotetsi.
In the midst of extraordinary challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, a silver lining in the crisis has been the opportunities for new global partnerships and learning from others to achieve collectively what would not be possible individually. 

Effective virtual collaboration is a valuable model to enhance the teaching practice approach for Education students. In a move towards building high-quality relationships crucial to supporting future educators, the Faculty of Education on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus has collaborated with the Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE) to facilitate teaching practice conversations between students from the two institutions. 

The collaboration culminated in a reflexive virtual seminar  in July between students from the UFS and LUE, which was held on campus for UFS students from the foundation, intermediate, and the senior and FET phases, and for students pursuing different phases of teaching at LUE.

A translocal approach to sharing preservice teachers’ experiences 

During the session, the teaching practice approaches of the two institutions were discussed, which then led to students sharing, reflecting, and comparing their experiences as pre-service teachers. Together, they unpacked the similarities and differences of their practical experiences in local schools, including the relationships with experienced teachers as mentors, and the psychological readiness for the world of teaching. Joining virtually, Prof Goetz Schwab, Head of the Institute of English at LUE, said it was interesting to learn that Education students share similar experiences that can make or break their passion and desire for teaching practice, regardless of their locality.

This was certainly the case with Ayanda Maseko, one of the students who participated in the seminar. Maseko is in the final year of his BEd Senior Phase and FET majoring in Business Studies and English. He said he was fascinated to learn about the similarities and huge contrasts in the world of teaching in Germany. “It came as a surprise to see that teaching is one and the same thing around the world, and it needs people who are consistent, and most importantly, who love the profession.”

Dr Robert Mukuna, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations and main collaborator at the UFS, said after various meetings with LUE, it felt good to celebrate the first implementation of the collaboration. “I am very proud of how our students engaged, and we were also able to learn from the experiences of our German counterparts. I am looking forward to a face-to-face exchange between the UFS and LUE, where students may visit schools in South Africa or Germany. This will allow us to better understand teaching practices in schools,” he said.

News Archive

Researchers international leaders in satellite tracking in the wildlife environment
2015-05-29

 

Ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention to Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Prof Nico Smit, from the same department. They are the first researchers in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. Recently, they have been joined by Hennie Butler from the Department of Zoology as well as Free State Nature Conservation to further this research.

“Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.

“It allows us to track animals day and night, while we monitor their movements remotely from the computer. These systems make possible the efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions and in near-to-real time. We can even communicate with the animals, calling up their positions or changing the tracking schedules.

“The satellite collar allows us to use the extremely accurate data to conduct research with the best technology available. The volume of data received allows us to publish the data in scientific journals and research-related articles.  

“Scientific institutions and the public sector have both shown great interest in satellite tracking, which opens up new ground for scientific research for this university. Data management can be done, using Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT) equipment where we can access our data personally, store it, and make visual presentations. The AWT system and software architecture provide the researcher with asset tracking, GPS location reports, geo-fencing, highly-detailed custom mapping, history reports and playback, polling on demand, history plotting on maps, and a range of reporting types and functions,” Francois said.

Data can be analysed to determine home range, dispersal, or habitat preference for any specific species.

Francois has been involved in multiple research projects over the last 12 years on wildlife species and domesticated animals, including the collaring of species such as Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, African Wild Dog, Hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Cattle, Kudu, Giraffe, and Black Rhino: “Giraffe definitely being the most challenging of all,” he said.

In 2010, he started working on his PhD, entitled The spatial ecology, habitat preferences and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa.

 

Since then, his work has resulted not only in more research work (supervising four Masters students) but also in a number of national and international projects. These include work in the:

  • Kalahari region (e.g. Khamab Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
  • Kuruman region (Collared 18 cattle to identify spatial patterns in relation to the qualities of vegetation and soil-types available. This project took place in collaboration with Born University in Germany)
  • Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate and Kolomella Iron Ore – ecological monitoring
  • A number of Free State nature reserves (e.g. Distribution of herbivores (kudu and giraffe) and predators (camera traps)

Francois is also involved with species breeding programmes and management (giraffe, buffalo, sable, roan, and rhino) in Korrannaberg, Rustenburg, Hertzogville, Douglas, and Bethlehem as well as animal and ecological monitoring in Kolomella and Beesthoek iron ore.

Besides the collaring of giraffes, Francois and his colleagues are involved in national projects, where they collect milk from lactating giraffes and DNA material, blood samples, and ecto/endo parasites from giraffes in Southern Africa.

With international projects, Francois is working to collect DNA material for the classification of the nine sub-species of giraffe in Africa. He is also involved in projects focusing on the spatial ecology and adaptation of giraffe in Uganda (Murchison Falls), and to save the last 30 giraffe in the DRC- Garamba National Park.

This project has attracted a good deal of international interest. In June 2014, a US film crew (freelancing for Discovery Channel) filmed a documentary on Francois’ research (trailer of documentary). Early in 2015, a second crew, filming for National Geographic, also visited Francois to document his work.

 

More information about Francois’ work is available at the GCF website. 

Read Francois Deacon's PhD abstract

Direct enquiries to news@ufs.ac.za.

 

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