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23 October 2023 | Story Daleen Meintjes | Photo SUPPLED
CTL Conference 2023
UFS staff took part in the panel presentation and panel discussion at the pre-conference workshop on graduate attributes and employability. From left to right: Lauren Oosthuizen, Gugu Khanye, Chrisna van Heerden, Prof Joel Mokhoathi, Lindi Heyns, Prof Francois Strydom, Dr Anke van der Merwe, Susan Lombaard, Dr Ekaete Benedict, Dr Martie Bloem and Dr Moeketsi Tlali.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted its annual Teaching and Learning Conference, bringing together educators, students, and thought leaders across the educational spectrum.

This year’s conference focused on reshaping the future of education, emphasising blending traditional teaching methods with innovative technologies to nurture essential graduate attributes through thoughtful, intentional assessment design.

The programme was spread over five days, from 11 to 15 September 2023, and was themed ‘Quality blended learning and teaching: Enhancing graduate attributes through assessment’. It kicked off with two pre-conference workshops: one on graduate attributes and employability, on 11 September, and one on alternative assessment, on 12 September.

The conference served as a platform for sharing ideas and strategies to elevate the quality of education, ultimately enriching students' learning experiences. Discussions revolved around creating adaptable, career-ready graduates capable of navigating an ever-evolving job market. 

Graduate attributes and employability

Cathy Sims, Executive Director of the South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA), emphasised the institution's importance in facilitating a seamless transition for students from academic institutions to the workforce. She also highlighted the need for collaboration between the institution and employers to ensure that students are equipped with necessary and scarce skills across various industries.

"Institutions must prioritise cultivating graduates with a well-rounded skill set, encompassing technical expertise and strong interpersonal abilities,” she said. “This can be achieved through thorough research and robust partnerships with employers. I admire the proactive approach taken by UFS in this regard, with [UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal] Prof Francis Petersen actively participating in numerous panel discussions. Events like the 2023 Investing in Mining Indaba exemplify the kind of conversations that address the skills gap head-on."

The panel presentation by lecturers from different faculties highlighted the work being done to promote graduate attributes at the UFS. During the panel discussion led by Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director at the UFS Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), lively discussions were held around bridging the gap between industry needs and higher education efforts, as well as practical ways to prepare students for the world of work.

Looking to the future

Attendees heard that the rapidly growing use of technology and applications like ChatGPT has led to a transformative shift in teaching and learning at educational institutions, helping to foster innovative and efficient ways to educate and empower students. However, Prof Johannes Cronjé, from the Department of Information Technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, expressed concerns regarding an overreliance on technology, which may lead to the removal of interpersonal skills and understanding of context. 

Following the keynote address by Prof Cronjé, Dr Peet van Aardt and Zonnike Coetzer from the CTL addressed ways to deal with ChatGPT in teaching academic literacy. The rest of the programme was dedicated to creative ways to use ChatGPT in assessment, presented by Dr Ina Gouws from the UFS’s Faculty of Humanities, and a practical session on redesigning a module by Dr Michael von Maltitz, from the UFS's Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

The two pre-conference days paved the way for the virtual conference, which took place from 13 to 15 September via Blackboard Collaborate. The keynote speakers for each of the conference days focused on the theme and provided much food for thought. 

On the first conference day, Prof Jillian Kenzie of Indiana University, USA, provided a fresh perspective on how assessment can be used to assure student learning and success. Dr Muki Moeng of Nelson Mandela University started the second day with a discussion on graduate attributes. She highlighted that the higher education sector is faced with worldwide challenges such as rapid technological changes, political turbulence, decolonisation of the curriculum, climate change, and more. Higher education should respond to these changes and reinvent itself while trying to stay true to what a university is “understood to be”, and how it should look in the contemporary world.

Prof Corlia Janse van Vuuren of the UFS’s Faculty of Health Sciences was the keynote speaker on the last day. She talked about the continued theory-practice gap and questions raised regarding the relevance of teaching and learning. “Universities might need to reflect on whether all stakeholders, specifically students, are moving towards the same goal concerning the development of graduate attributes,” she said.

During the conference UFS staff members also showcased the innovative and excellent work they are doing in learning and teaching: 53 papers were delivered in seven different categories over the three conference days. 

News Archive

UFS to investigate implementation of quality-monitoring system for SA food industry
2006-02-07

Some of the guests who attended the workshop were from the left Prof James du Preez (Chairperson: Department of Biotechnology at the UFS); Prof Lodewyk Kock (Head: South African Fryer Oil Initiative (SAFOI) at the UFS)); Mrs Ina Wilken (Chairperson: South African National Consumer Union (SANCU)); Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS) and Mr Joe Hanekom (Managing Director of Agri Inspec).
Photo: Stephen Collet
 

UFS to investigate implementation of quality-monitoring system for SA food industry

The University of the Free State (UFS) will be investigating the implementation of a quality-monitoring service for the South African food industry. 

This was decided during a workshop to discuss the external quality monitoring in the edible oil industry of South Africa, which was recently held at the UFS.

Major role players in the fast-food sector like Nando's, Spur, Captain
Dorego's, King Pie Holdings, Black Steer Holdings, etc and various oil
distributors like Felda Bridge Africa, Refill Oils, PSS Oils and Ilanga Oils attended
the workshop. Also present was Mrs Ina Wilken, Chairperson of the South African National Consumer Union (SANCU) and key-note speaker of this workshop. She represented the consumer.  

These role players all pledged their support to the implementation of this quality- monitoring system for the whole food industry. 

The decision to implement this system follows the various malpractices reported in the press and on TV concerning food adulteration (eg the recent Sudan Red Scare), misrepresentation (eg olive oil scandal exposed in 2001) and the misuse of edible frying oils by the fast-food sector. 

“One of the basic rights of consumers is the right to safe food. Consumers must be protected against foods and food production processes which are hazardous to their health. Sufficient guarantee of the safety of all food products and food production processes should be implemented. It does not help to have adequate food standards and legislation and there is no manpower to do the necessary investigation or monitoring,” said Mrs Wilken.

The South African Fryer Oil Initiative (SAFOI), under the auspices of the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, currently monitors edible oils in the food industry and makes a seal of quality available to food distributors.

“Last week’s decision to implement the quality-monitoring system implies that we will now be involving also other departments in the UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences who are involved in various aspects of the food chain in an endeavor to implement this quality monitoring system,” said Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS and one of the main speakers at the workshop.

Prof van Schalkwyk said that the main aim of such a system will be to improve the competitiveness of the South African food industry.  “It is clear that the role players attending the workshop are serious about consumer service and that they agree that fraudulent practice should be monitored and corrected as far as possible.  Although some of the food outlets have the capacity to monitor the quality of their food, it may not seem to the consumer that this is an objective process.  The proposed external monitoring system would counteract this perception amongst consumers,” said Prof van Schalkwyk.

The workshop was also attended by representatives from SAFOI and Agri Inspec, a forensic investigation company collaborating with inter-state and government structures to combat fraud and international trade irregularities.

Agri Inspec has been working closely with SAFOI for a number of years to test the content of edible oils and fats.  “Extensive monitoring and control actions have been executed in the edible oil industry during the past four years to ensure that the content and labeling of oil products are correct.  Four years ago almost 90% of the samples taken indicated that the content differed from what is indicated on the label.  This has changed and the test results currently show that 90% of the products tested are in order. However, to maintain this quality standard, it is necessary that quality monitoring and educational campaigns are continuously performed,” said Mr Joe Hanekom, Managing Director of Agri Inspec. 

“The seal of quality presented by SAFOI should also be extended to include all the smaller oil containers used by households,” Mrs Wilken said.

The SAFOI seal of quality is currently displayed mainly on some oil brands packed in bigger 20 liter containers, which include sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil etc which are used by restaurants and fast food outlets.  “Any oil type is eligible to display the seal when meeting certain standards of authenticity.  In order to display the seal, the distributor must send a sample of each oil batch they receive from the manufacturer to SAFOI for testing for authenticity, ie that the container’s content matches the oil type described on the label. This is again double checked by Agri Inspec, which also draws samples countrywide from these certified brands from the end-user (restaurant or fast food outlets). If in breach, the seal must be removed from the faulty containers,” said Prof Lodewyk Kock, Head of SAFOI.

“It should however be taken into account that oils without a seal of quality from the UFS can still be of high quality and authentic. Other external laboratories equipped to perform effective authenticity tests may also be used in this respect,” said Prof Kock.

“It is also important to realise that any oil type of quality such as sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil etc can be used with great success in well controlled frying processes,” he said.

Further discussions will also be held with the Department of Health, the SA National Consumer Union and Agri Inspec to determine priority areas and to develop the most effective low-cost monitoring system.

More information on the UFS oil seal of quality and oil use can be obtained at www.uovs.ac.za/myoilguide

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
6 February 2006

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