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29 March 2022
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Story Teli Mothabeng
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Photo Supplied
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Philmon Bitso, Student Recruitment Officer, with the top-10 cohort of the class of 2021 Free State Star of Stars.
The Department of Student Recruitment Services at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted its annual Free State Star of Stars competition at the Amanzi Private Game Reserve during the first week of March. The event saw some of the brightest young minds in the Free State inducted as UFS first-year students into this year’s top-10 cohort for the competition. This marks the first Star of Stars event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This new cohort consists of a dynamic group of academically gifted students from Quintile 1-3 schools in the Free State who are currently enrolled for different UFS academic programmes, ranging from Medicine, Law, Education, and various Bachelor of Science courses. Many of these students had to overcome insurmountable challenges to perform as well as they did in their Grade 12 academic year and to become part of the top-10 cohort for the class of 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Student Recruitment Services was forced to take a different approach to celebrate these deserving students; consequently, a weekend-long induction camp was the substitute for the annual gala dinner.
Apply for the 2022 Free State Star of Stars competition
The UFS realised the need to establish a platform that recognises and celebrates the diverse and, in most instances, difficult circumstances that disadvantaged schools (Quintile 1-3) are facing. Consequently, the Star of Stars competition was developed and established in 2016. This competition provides disadvantaged Grade 12 learners from all districts in the Free State an opportunity to showcase their excellence, while motivating them to aspire to achieve more.
Centre for Teaching and Learning honours excellence and innovation
2015-11-27
The 2015 Excellence in Teaching and Learning nominees with CTL management and Dr Lis Lange
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Excellence and innovation. These were the qualities celebrated at the recent Excellence in Teaching and Learning Awards. Annually, the University of the Free State (UFS) Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) honours lecturers for their outstanding achievements in the classroom.
During the illustrious event, individual as well as group winners were announced in the category of the Vice Chancellor’s Award, as well as in several categories in the Innovation Awards. The winners of the Excellence in Teaching Awards were:
Vice-Chancellor’s Award
Individual
• Louise van den Berg (Faculty of Health Sciences)
Teaching team
• Salomien Boshoff and Naquita Fernandes (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
Innovation Awards
Engagement and Learning
• Lerato Sekonyela (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
• Rentia Engelbrecht, Jolandi Bezuidenhout, and Jamie-Lee Nortje (Faculty of the Humanities)
Curriculum Design
• Joyce Ras (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
• Adre le Roux and Frans Kruger (Faculty of Education)
Community Engagement
• Martin Oliver (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
• Ielse Seale and Karen Venter (Faculty of Health Sciences)
Assessment Practices
• Joyce Ras (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
• Salomien Boshoff (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)
The awards serve to celebrate excellence among the university’s academic staff, while showcasing current best practice, and inspiring innovation among lecturers.
In aid of this, CTL hosted a showcase following the award ceremony. Academic staff and the broader university community could look over the various entries for new insights and added inspiration. A series of workshops and activities explored themes such as professionalism, and lectureship, as well as various apps that can be used in higher education.