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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

Kovsies ready for national "sêr" competition

2010-09-02

The Veritas men show their talent during our campus’s recent sêr competition.
Photo: Provided

A group of talented Kovsies, each with a smile, are busy packing their cases. After winning our annual “sêr” competition, the “sêr” groups of the Sonnedou and Veritas Residences are getting ready to represent the University of the Free State (UFS) at the National “Sêr” Competition, which is taking place at Stellenbosch University (US) this year.

After months of intensive rehearsals, tension and excitement, the two city hostels are getting ready to compete against other South African universities for the trophies for the best women’s and men’s “sêr” group.

This competition, which is taking place on 4 September, is a major event on the cultural calendar. Although our representatives are from city residences, they have worked as hard, if not harder, than the resident students.

Sonnedou also participated last year, when the competition took place at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The group then came second and they are ready to bring home the first prize this year. Their repertoire include, amongst others, “Nkosi Sikeleli i'Afrika” and “Kinders van die Wind” by Koos du Plessis.

According to Herman Naudé, head student of Veritas and second tenor in the “sêr” group, the group is very excited about their participation in the competition. With songs like “Lief vir alles hier” by André Schwarts and “Sweet child O’ mine” by the group Guns ‘n Roses, they plan to fulfil the expectations of their fans and the adjudicators. “I really think we have a good chance to win this year,” says Herman. –Lize du Plessis

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