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UFS on track to revolutionise student success and boost sustainability

14 August 2025 | Story Onthatile Tikoe and the Centre for Teaching and Learning | Photo Supplied

CTL — From the left: Dr Jenny Glennie (SAIDE), Gugu Khanye (Director: Student Success – UFS), Prof Matete Madiba (Deputy Vice-Chancellor – UWC), Prof Francois Strydom (UFS Siyaphumelela Lead), and Prof Nthabiseng Ogude (Siyaphumelela Institutional Coach) at the 2025 Siyaphumelela Conference. The group played a key role in advancing conversations around student success, collaboration, and innovation in higher education.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is advancing a transformative approach to student success that positions it to become a national leader in enhancing social mobility. This vision was underscored at the 2025 Siyaphumelela Conference, where the university shared details of its groundbreaking collaboration with the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University (GSU) in the United States.

Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director: Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), explained that the initiative builds on lessons from GSU’s remarkable achievements. “The success of Georgia State University has been truly inspiring,” he said. “The NISS approach, which focuses on using data to dismantle systemic barriers and improve graduation rates, has transformed outcomes for a predominantly low-income and diverse student body. By contextualising this data-driven model for our environment, the UFS is proud to be the first university on the African continent to implement it.”

Building on proven success

GSU’s success in eliminating equity gaps in retention and completion among different racial groups was achieved through a redesign of its support structures and processes. Drawing on its own established track record of narrowing equity gaps in success rates, the UFS aims to replicate these outcomes in a way that is tailored to its unique context.

At the conference, the UFS Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) launched a new national report on student engagement trends and presented papers on a range of topics. These included innovative strategies for improving performance in high-priority modules, the use of predictive analytics to provide proactive student support, and research into gender differences in academic performance and class attendance in a post-COVID world.

Prof Strydom also led an exploratory panel discussion on strengthening collaboration between universities, business, and philanthropy to drive large-scale student success initiatives. “By facilitating a deeper understanding between philanthropic organisations, businesses, and universities, we can develop innovative and impactful approaches to funding and student support,” he said.

Driving innovation and sustainability

The UFS’ contributions at the conference were further reinforced by institutional projects focused on the evidence-based integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into student learning and success. These initiatives reflect a clear commitment to transformation that is both research-led and data-driven.

Looking ahead, Prof Strydom emphasised the opportunity before the institution: “We have a unique opportunity to leverage the lessons learnt from our student success initiatives to guide further research, deploy technology in ways that optimise human connection, and help create responsible societal futures while contributing to the sustainability of our university.”

News Archive

#PeopleOfKovsies brimming with positivity

2016-12-26

Kovsies both young and old, whether they are currently studying or have already graduated, abound in positive energy. Striving to harness this positivity, the #PeopleOfKovsies campaign was born. Over the past three years, this campaign has garnered a collection of photographs and quotable quotes from visitors, staff, students, and alumni that showcases the feeling that only a Kovsie knows.

The process is simple: Staff photographers approach people on campus and ask whether they are willing to pose for a photo. How they do this is up to the individual’s favourite style: pouting, looking serious, pointing, or just smiling. Participants then also have the opportunity to share a brief message with the Kovsie community, whether it is just how they feel at that particular moment, what it means to them to be a Kovsie, or how they picture that indescribable Kovsie feeling. These photographs, along with their captions, are shared on our social media platforms, and, in some cases, used on campus billboards or in our publications.

Description: Retha Hill Tags: Retha Hill

“I loved being a Kovsie, because my fellow Kovsies were more than just friends they were like
FAMILY.” - Retha Hill

“I get to enrich my community through the diversity and exposure I received as a Kovsie.
To help uplift those who can’t do the same for themselves.” - Keamogetswe Nnyane

“The gateway that opened my mind to different ideas as well as giving me opportunities
through sport and academics I never would have experienced anywhere else.” - Byron Wegger

“They have succeeded in creating the conditions wherein students from disadvantaged
backgrounds can be brought to the starting line of a race that many are unaware is even
being run.”- Tamie Mbombo

“It means being an agent of change. Also equipping me with skills and exposure to be the
change I want to see in the world.” - Lerothodi Molete

"To be a Kovsie means being in a multi-racial learning institution and striving to be a great
leader in the future." - Lebogang Kotsi

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