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21 June 2023 | Story Amanda Tongha | Photo Samkelo Fetile
Enhancing students’ linguistic abilities
Language teaching professionals from Southern Africa attended a two-day symposium on foreign language acquisition practice on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Language teaching professionals from across Southern Africa recently gathered at the University of the Free State (UFS) to discuss the need for benchmarking and standardising teaching and assessment practices. 

With the aim of empowering lecturers and researchers responsible for language acquisition and delivering competent students to ensure their employability globally, the educators addressed the challenges of language acquisition in the region. It was the first time that educators from different language disciplines, including Dutch, German, French, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Sesotho, and Sign Language, met to discuss standardisation and best practices in teaching and assessment.

The symposium, which was hosted on the Bloemfontein Campus on 8 and 9 June 2023, brought together educators from the UFS, North-West University, University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Pretoria, Rhodes University, University of South Africa, Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Limpopo, and Sol Plaatje University. They were joined by participants from the University of Namibia and the National University of Lesotho, providing a regional perspective. 

Standardising language acquisition in Southern Africa 

Prof Angelique van Niekerk, Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French, says the meeting marked a movement towards delivering competent students in order to increase their employability in languages such as Dutch, German, French, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Sesotho, and Sign Language. 

“It is probably the first time that the different language disciplines and colleagues from disciplines involved in language acquisition in Southern Africa have met to discuss the need for benchmarking and standardising.” 

“The symposium was not on multilingualism per se, but as language scholars, we support multilingualism. Social cohesion is affected positively if people and their culture and language are accepted and thus used.”

Talking about the need for a reference framework for benchmarking languages, Dr Michelle Joubert, Subject Specialist in the UFS Centre for Teaching and Learning, told delegates in her keynote address that a coordinated system provides a basis for the mutual recognition of language qualifications. 

“Our aim is to develop a framework of standards for indigenous and foreign languages to reflect the political and social realities of a multilingual and multicultural South Africa, which aims to form a single South African education, employment, and residential space for its citizens.”

In another keynote address, Dr Carina Grobler, Subject Chair and Lecturer in French at the North-West University, highlighted effective assessment tools to enhance students’ ability to learn additional languages. 

Prof Van Niekerk says many new initiatives, such as the sharing of resources on centralised platforms, were some of the gains following the symposium; a follow-up event is planned for 2024. 

News Archive

Academic Reboot Pack 2.0: aid to successfully complete 2016 academic year
2016-10-28

Description: Academic Reboot Pack  Tags: Academic Reboot Pack  

The University of the Free State (UFS) is committed to completing the academic year in the interest of our students who want to complete their studies, as well as the country which desperately needs graduates to grow the economy.

The UFS has developed a strategy to rescue the academic year, which will allow students to continue with their learning and achieve outstanding assessments (assignments, tests, and exams), whether they are on or off campus.

As part of this strategy, the UFS has developed the Academic Reboot Pack 1 and now Academic Reboot Pack 2.0. The aim of Reboot Pack 2.0 is aimed at providing students with practical steps on how to:
-          Get information on what they need to do,
-          Access online material – and where appropriate – printed material in the most cost-effective way,
-          Prepare effectively for academic assessments (tests, assignments, and exams),
-          Manage their time,
-          Manage stress and where they can get support.

Academic Reboot Pack 2.0
 
Academic Reboot Pack 1.0


If students have any question or queries regarding the Academic Reboot Pack, they can send an email to: advising@ufs.ac.za

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