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Unombuzo? Tloho o tlo botsa adviser ya hao

23 July 2024 | Story Teboho Mositi | Photo Yonela Vimba

Academic Advising Office 2024 — Bongumusa Zwane, one of the academic advisers, giving advice to students.

The Academic Advising Office in the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) on the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus hosted an Academic Advising activation under the theme: Unombuzo? Tloho o tlo botsa adviser ya hao for undergraduate students on 12 July 2024 in preparation for the second semester.

The event was aimed at assisting students to reach their full potential and strive for academic success. It marked the starting point for students to prepare for the second semester of their academic year in stride.

Increase student use of academic advising services

CTL aims to advance evidence-based innovation that promotes excellence in learning and teaching for student access with success.

The objective of the activation was to increase the visibility of academic advising on the Qwaqwa Campus. The goal was also to increase students’ use of the various general academic advising services. The Advising Office noticed that not many students attended general advising sessions in the last semester, which inspired the activation as well as the introduction of the newly appointed transition advisers.

The Advising Office urges students to attend time management and study strategy sessions. The office also assists students in collaboration with the faculties, Student Counselling and Development, residences, the No Student Hungry office, Career Services, and other stakeholders at the university.

Success of the event

The event was a great success, as 120 students showed up and had the opportunity to speak face to face to the advisers. Alongside the advisers, a curriculum adviser from the Faculty of The Humanities, representatives from University Estates, the CTL office, and Transition Development and Success were in attendance.

The advising team was able to introduce advising to students, listen to their concerns, and provide short general advising opportunities. Students were treated to some goodies at the event and were given a chance to enter a competition through a survey, which will result in four lucky students winning exciting prizes. Students had a great time, taking pictures, videos, and dancing to the music at the venue.

If students missed this opportunity, there will be more opportunities to meet the team through advising pop-ups:

• 26 July 2024 – Dining Hall

• 2 August 2024 – UFS Taxi Rank

• 16 August – Outside Fulufhelo Residence

• 13 September – Notice boards near the Intsika Building

Where to find your advisers

• Intsika Building, Ground Floor, Offices: 0030, 0043, 0044

• Email address: AdvisingQQ@ufs.ac.za

The activation’s objectives were to

• increase the visibility of academic advising on campus;

• increase student use of academic advising services;

• make students aware of the services offered by Academic Advising; and

• share different ways with students to connect with the advising team and how to set up appointments with their advisers.

News Archive

PSP allows Dr Thom Wium to develop as an academic

2016-12-26

For Dr Matildie Thom Wium, the
rewarding part of teaching is “the
moments of synergy with a group of
students” and when she senses that she
could, for instance, help them to better
understand a music selection.
Photo: Sonia Small

Being part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Scholars Programme (PSP) has opened doors for Dr Matildie Thom Wium. She is able to better plan her research, and the overseas trips she has to undertake for this helps to develop her skills.

The senior lecturer in the Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Free State (UFS) says these are some of the advantages the PSP holds for her.

She attended two international conferences this year – in London in January, and in New York in August. Furthermore, she is working on musical analysis with Prof Timothy Jackson at the University of North Texas, US from 12 September 2016 to 31 December 2016. Prof Jackson is a research professor and was one of her PhD promoters.

Conferences contribute to her vision
“I think the PSP is a fantastic initiative,” says Dr Thom Wium, whose husband Daniël Wium is a lecturer in Astrophysics at the UFS. She says the reseach support from the PSP is amazing. “In addition, the writing retreats offered by the PSP help to set time aside during the busy semester to work on articles.”

“I think the PSP is a fantastic initiative.”

The conference in London was on operatic practice in the 19th century. In the US, Dr Thom Wium, who has been working at the UFS since 2007, also participated in a panel discussion on this topic. “It means a lot for my vision as an academic to participate in conferences where I have the opportunity to meet and exchange thoughts with the people whose work I read and cite.”

Involvement in SA equally important
However, she believes that it is equally important to stay involved locally. At the conference of the South African Society for Research in Music, which was hosted by the OSM from 25 to 27 August 2016, she presented a paper on composer Arnold van Wyk and performed a song cycle by him. She did research on Van Wyk for her PhD.

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