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One-room magic: UFS' immersive classrooms redefine learning

29 August 2025 | Story Igno van Niekerk | Photo Stephen Collett

The university is transforming education across its Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa, and South campuses with its pioneering one-room spaces, mirrored across all three locations to deliver cutting-edge, immersive learning. Research for these innovative spaces began in 2023, sparked by a photo from the University of Leuven in Belgium, which the university identified as showcasing Leuven’s advanced classroom setup. Prof Philippe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, leveraging a connection there, led a team to explore this technology globally, collaborating with Canada’s X2O OneRoom to make the UFS the first in South Africa – and one of (as far as we know) two in Africa, alongside Kenya – to offer such immersive classrooms.

Unlike Zoom or Blackboard, where online students were often overlooked as small icons, one-room spaces ensure that everyone feels included. Designed for postgraduate training and PhD interactions, these rooms accommodate up to 40 in-person and 40 online participants, with large video camera feeds on screens, reminiscent of the TV programme Small Talk, where children’s faces lined the wall for engagement. Directional audio and personal cameras create a sensory experience, with sound coming from the speaker’s direction and eye contact feeling natural. Angelique Carson-Porter from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics shared her excitement about a postgraduate session led by Prof Aletta Olivier, Lecturer in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies: “It feels like you’re right there, even from Pretoria or Ghana. You see everyone, interact, and never miss a beat.”

Gavin Coetzer at ICT Services, a key project leader, highlighted how lecturers struggled with older platforms’ limitations, often only addressing online questions at the end, disrupting the flow. The UFS’ one-room spaces, implemented in the UFS Business School, the Clinical Skills Unit, South Campus teacher training, and Qwaqwa, solve this with breakout sessions and global conference support. While other universities rely on Teams, the UFS’ user-friendly tech, with around 24 screens and ceiling microphones, allows lecturers to focus on teaching.

Staying ahead of tech trends is challenging, but the university is excelling, making education inclusive, engaging, and truly global.

News Archive

Lecturer publishes a book in New York

2008-12-01

Prof. Pieter Verster (left) hands over a copy of his new book to Prof. Francois Tolmie, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the UFS.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

What should the church seek to accomplish in missionary work? This question is asked by Prof. Pieter Verster, head of the Department of Missiology at the University of the Free State (UFS), in his new book “A Theology of Christian Mission: What should the Church Seek to Accomplish”. The book was published in New York by The Edwin Mellen Press: Lewiston, Queenston, Lampeter. The Biblical foundation of missionary work is thoroughly analysed. It also gives information on missionary work in Africa among Muslims and among poor people. In the foreword Prof. Bram van de Beek, writes “…this book exceeds the boundaries of classical dogmatics: it shows that faith without conversion is empty…” Prof. Van de Beek was formerly dean of the Faculty of Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Prof. Verster holds a doctorate in Missiology as well as in Dogmatics.

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