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KovsieX
KovsieX offers a comprehensive digital experience through podcasts, video content, and social media. This initiative is set to transform the student experience, creating a strong sense of belonging and collaboration across campuses.

Optimising student experience while providing students with multimedia training using state-of-the-art equipment and aligning with Vision 130, KovsieX is set to become a great asset to the university, its students, and the community. 

This initiative, approved by the UFS Rectorate on 29 November 2023, combines various student media brands on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses (KovsieFM, Q-Lit, KovsieTV, KovsieCAST) into a unified brand consisting of three student-driven sub-departments. This includes audio (radio and podcasts), video (long and short form), and social media (including TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube). 

An all-digital approach 

Gerben van Niekerk, Head of Student Experience (KovsieX), explains: “This all-digital approach leverages digital radio, podcasts, and social media platforms to create a sense of belonging among students by reflecting on and leading student life across the campuses.” KovsieX has achieved remarkable success, reaching an audience of more than 1,2 million in the first semester alone, with multiple TikTok videos surpassing 100 000 views. 

“Recognising the evolving radio landscape, our approach integrates a comprehensive digital strategy to adapt to changing media consumption preferences and provide students with hands-on experience on emerging platforms, strengthening their market relevance. KovsieX (previously KovsieFM) moves away from traditional FM broadcasting and has enabled the students to cover a wider range of topics that affect the Kovsie community,” says Van Niekerk. He adds, “The essence of KovsieX can be summarised in our one-word slogan: IMAGINE.”  

KovsieX supports Vision 130, as it leverages emerging technologies to enrich academic and non-academic student experiences. Furthermore, it also provides students with the opportunity to gain on-the-job and leadership experience in the KovsieX executive committee (KovsieXco), comprising a small group of ‘dynamic and highly talented students’, with their first objective: to decide on a brand name and setting on KovsieX – with the ‘X’ referring to experience. 

A mobile app provides students with easier access to KovsieX’s content. This initiative is set to increase students’ experience even more, as possible partnerships are in the pipeline to deliver a year-long dialogue series on themes pertinent to students. “This initiative will engage students on key issues such as leadership, mental health, heritage, and anti-discrimination through a blend of digital content – including interviews, social media posts, and expert discussions – and live on-campus events.”  

State-of-the-art facilities 

The construction of the KovsieX Pod on the Bloemfontein Campus allows students to produce content in a state-of-the-art podcast and video studio with Apple Mac workstations and a meeting room. A similar space in the current Student Media Building on the Qwaqwa Campus, named the KovsieX Q-Pod, is on the cards, as is the integration of KovsieX across the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses. “KovsieX will be broadcast from two locations and will, therefore, allow students from both campuses to interact with one another live on air. Both radio studios will be rebuilt to allow students to stream directly on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok from both campuses simultaneously. This is made possible by cutting edge cloud-based software – popular in Europe – but KovsieX will be the first to leverage this technology in the country,” shares Van Niekerk.

News Archive

Construction at Qwaqwa Campus creates jobs for local community
2010-05-28

At the construction site hand-over ceremony are, from the left: Dr
Elias Malete, Dr Dipane Hlalele, Prof. WF van Zyl and Mr Derek Canavan
(Freelance Construction)
Photo: Thabo Kessah


Local labour is set to benefit from at least 20 job opportunities that will be created during the building of new facilities valued at R13,5 million for the Faculty of Education on the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

This was announced by Mr Derek Canavan, an architect from Freelance Construction, during the sod-turning ceremony held on the construction site recently.

The soon to be built facilities will include a 100-seater lecture hall, two 50-seater classrooms, an office block, ablution facilities, two separate laboratories for biology and science, as well as an IT laboratory with 70 work stations. All these facilities will be user-friendly to the disabled students.

Addressing a contingent of brains behind the project that included Mr Nico Janse van Rensburg, Manager of Physical Planning at the UFS, Dr Elias Malete, the Qwaqwa Campus Principal, said that this addition to the existing infrastructure would enable the campus to meet its enrolment and output challenges.

“These new facilities will no doubt increase the university’s academic and research capacity and will certainly help us respond positively to Minister Blade Nzimande’s call to institutions of higher learning to improve on scientific research. We are therefore pleased with this multi-million rand investment from the National Department of Education and the UFS,” he concluded.

Also attending was Dr Dipane Hlalele, Programme Head in the faculty, who was also pleased with the new facilities. “These facilities will help us to answer to our community’s needs of pre-school and foundation-phase teacher training which will be added to our study programme in January 2011. We will be introducing a new B.Ed. degree in Pre-school and Foundation phases and these facilities will help in the production of quality teachers for the benefit of our community,” he said.

The new building is expected to be ready for usage in June 2011.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (acting)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za  
27 May 2010
 

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