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17 February 2022 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)
Dr Engela van Staden
Dr Engela van Staden, Vice Rector: Academic

The University of the Free State (UFS) has finalised the first part of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) Institutional Audit (IA), submitting its Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (SER) and Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) to the higher education quality assurance body. 

According to Dr Engela van Staden, Vice-Rector: Academic, the second part of the institutional audit will involve the participation of relevant stakeholders in a site visit to the institution. During the visit, scheduled between 9 and 13 May 2022, an external panel of experts will systematically assess the submitted SER and requisite documents by asking inquisitive questions to interviewees who will be participating in this process.  

“The focus will be on the quality of programme offerings with a view to improving student success in all spheres of the student walk – from registration to graduation. To this end, the university’s Integrated Quality Management Framework (IQMF) will be assessed in order to provide evidence that quality assurance is ingrained in the core functions of the UFS, i.e., student success; quality of teaching and research; and engaged scholarship.”

Dr Van Staden says by re-introducing the SER, the university will embark on a stakeholder engagement plan, engaging with staff in faculties, service units, directorates, centres, departments, or schools, to keep them informed and prepared for a productive contribution to the Institutional Audit process. 

- The CHE is an independent statutory body established in terms of the provisions of the Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997, as amended. It advises the Minister responsible for Higher Education and Training and is the national authority for quality assurance and promotion in higher education.

News Archive

Theatre, photography, literature, and lectures: TFR Studies to showcase their success
2016-11-29

The end of the year usually introduces a mood of reflection on what was and what could have been. For Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation (TFR) Studies at the University of the Free State, the past year recalls a flourish of achievements worth celebrating.

Therefore, TFR Studies held an end-of-year event to showcase the successes of 2016. This comprised lectures from leading researchers in social sciences and housing rights, the release of three new books, a theatre production, and a photo exhibition.

Description: TFR Studies to showcase their success Tags: TFR Studies to showcase their success

Lectures
Prof Anthony Collins – a leading scholar in identity and culture – will speak about violence in contemporary South Africa. Prof Collins, who holds a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has extensive knowledge in the interdisciplinary area of critical social sciences and won two national awards for teaching and learning.

In addition, housing rights activist Faeza Meyer will share her experiences of forced eviction and violence in Kapteinsklip, Western Cape. She will also talk about the process of documenting these experiences and working together with feminist historian Koni Benson.

New books
Breathe in the smell of fresh ink as Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk, Dr Kim Wale, and PhD candidate Naleli Morojele introduce their books to the public. Themes of violence and gender – pertinent to South Africa – thread through each of these books in unique ways.

Theatre
The award-winning play, AVU – directed and produced by Michelle Hoffman who is a master’s student at TFR – will be performed. The story dances between the blurry lines of reality and fantasy, between Boer and Bantu.

Photo exhibition
Lerato Machetela, a PhD candidate with TFR, has featured as one of SA’s Heroes for her work among the youth of Jagersfontein. Through an innovative method, Machetela is employing an arts-based approach to research through PhotoVoice. The result: a photo exhibition by the youth of Jagersfontein – and a rare opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a child.

 

Photo: Jagersfontein Diamonds in the Rough gumboots group, production still of AVU, and Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela with the PhotoVoice exhibit.

 

 

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