TEACHING & LEARNING

Teaching and learning THE UP WAY has a dedicated focus on enhancing the capability of students as they undertake the university journey. Ongoing innovations in teaching and learning continue to strengthen support mechanisms for student success.

The University’s hybrid teaching and learning model offers students the best of both worlds – online and contact – and is designed to enable them to succeed at university and in life beyond university.

In 2022, the University launched Blackboard Ally to help build a more inclusive learning environment by helping students control course content with usability, accessibility and quality in mind. The Department of African Languages assisted with the Zulu translation, while Bb Ally is also available in Xhosa and will soon be available in Sepedi. In 2022, approximately 72% of the students used alternative formats provided by Bb Ally.

Blackboard Learn™ (branded as clickUP) ensures that students come to class prepared, complete pre-class assessments, engage in class, and consolidate their knowledge after class. Learning analytics’ early alerts help lecturers intervene in a timely manner and prevent possible future problems.

Blackboard Mobile lets student access their learning material across various devices. Students can thus access content from the BlackBoard (Bb) app, participate in discussions, participate in virtual Blackboard Collaborate classes, and view their grades.

ConnectYard , piloted in 2022 by the Department for Education Innovation, enables teaching staff to reach students on their devices using their preferred messaging channels: text, social media, or email. This eliminates the need for lecturers to access students’ phone numbers and allows them to manage groups outside clickUP.

Shaping resilient graduates

The University implements a multi-pronged strategy to enhance student success, the main driver of this strategy being the FLY@UP initiative.

FLY@UP uses various tools and tactics to help students graduate in minimum time. The FLY acronym, which stands for ‘The Finish Line is Yours’, is a tagline unique to UP and it serves as a reminder to students that they are responsible for ensuring they complete their studies in the minimum time.

• The Academic Orientation Programme provides comprehensive support to encourage the academic development and success of first-year students.

• Faculty Student Advisors (FSAs) provide a safety net service, advising and referring students for the support or intervention they may require.

• Online learning platforms ensure that students can attend a tutorial from wherever they may be, or log in to work through the recorded tutorial.

• The High Impact Modules (HIMs) project seeks to improve the success rate of modules that indicate a pass rate of below 75%, by providing targeted interventions.

International awards for technology in teaching

Two teams from UP’s Department for Education

Innovation won honours at the Anthology Catalyst Awards, where they were selected from a record 149 nominees from institutions in 22 countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia. The awards recognise educators who push the boundaries of what is possible when leveraging technology.

The Department also won an award in the Student Success category which measures solutions that have led to increased retention, increased completion, or improved outcomes.

The model assumes three phases in teaching and learning: (a) preparation before class, (b) engagement in class, and (c) consolidation after class. This teaching model places UP in the perfect position to develop the skills students need to function effectively in the 4IR. It encourages students to prepare independently for each class and engage and critically discuss issues in class.

UP combines the latest technologies to support this methodology, and to develop scalable, flexible, interactive, and active learning environments.

Cirrus Assessment cloud-based online computer-based testing (CBT), implemented in 2022, enables students to write a test on any hardware that possesses internet connection and a browser. The system operates across any browser-enabled device, which opens up the possibility of writing CBT tests on student laptops in an IT lab or lecture hall.

Watermark Course Evaluations & Surveys allows students to provide feedback on the effectiveness and quality of teaching. This helps lecturers continuously improve their teaching, learning, and assessment practices, as well as the general quality of the modules they teach.

• Peer advisors work closely with FSAs to answer questions around administrative processes such as degree planning and registration of modules.

We believe our multi-layered support systems play a significant role in student success. As an example, the overall module pass rate increased from 82.9% to 85.7% between 2018 and 2022. During the same period, the examination pass rate increased from 80.8% to 85.8%.

A survey also revealed that 97% of all employed graduates secured work within six months of completing their studies.

Pathway to resilience

Successfully obtaining a degree in minimum time is but one aspect of getting an education. UP takes a holistic and integrated approach to developing students so that they are prepared to grasp life’s opportunities while contributing meaningfully to the good of society.

Our pathway to resilience comprises development and support through curricular programmes as well as through extra- and co-curricular student life.

First Year Experience (FYE) Programme: Assists firstyear students to deal with challenges and issues they face during their first academic year.

Disability Unit (DU): Helps with the added challenges experienced by people with disabilities as they adapt to the new university environment.

Student Counselling Unit (SCU): Provides readily accessible counselling services through virtual or face-toface consultations. Information is shared through a range of media and channels including podcasts, posters, the SCU-B chatbot and social media.

Student Health Services: Provide comprehensive primary healthcare and health promotion programmes to all registered students.

Academic success is intertwined with developing future leaders and responsible citizens who contribute towards building an equitable society that respects human rights and pursues social justice. Two such leadership programmes are:

• UP Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Democracy School for Young Leaders – open to all UP students in leadership positions where they engage on issues of human rights, social justice, civic participation and civic responsibility.

• Girls for Girls (G4G) programme – an international mentorship and leadership initiative originating from Harvard – helps young women to develop the courage, vision, and skills for public leadership.

Student success and awards

We take pride in producing graduates who are socially conscious, active citizens who address societal issues and positively impact our communities. We realise that beyond the boundaries of knowledge production lies the responsibility to apply our knowledge and skills to the benefit of all.

A small sample of student accolades is reflected below:

• A team of six students from the Faculty of Law came third at the 29th annual International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition. The UP Moot Society team’s ranking is not only UP Law’s strongest showing in the competition since it started participating in 2021 but also the furthest a university on the African continent has made it overall.

• A group of students from the UP Plasma Research Unit scored a second-place finish during the International Conference on Sustainable Development 2022, aimed at finding multidisciplinary solutions to climate-related problems. UP’s ‘Team Tujenge’ had been developing ideas for a small-scale, solar-powered water purification system using plasma technology since the beginning of 2022.

UP Cares

Student well-being was top of mind in 2022 as the Student Counselling Unit (SCU)expanded its hybrid service offerings.

• Faculty members were offered “psychological first aid” training sessions.

• A BounceUP podcast project was launched, providing relevant mental health content on topics such as “What is Mental Health and Mental Illness”, “Understanding Resilience” and “Romantic Relationships and Gaslighting” to a wider student audience. The podcasts were published on Spotify, the TuksFM platforms and the SCU website.

• A visit by TOP Dogs provided animal-assisted therapy sessions ahead of examinations. Research indicates that human-animal interaction has a relaxing and stressreducing effect on people and the TOP Dogs visits received an overwhelming response from students and staff who filled the lawns on campus in their numbers.

UP graduate Mia Gerber received a Master’s in Computer Science with distinction after completing her degree in a year and a half following her return to academia. The machine-learning techniques that she developed as part of her research make artificial intelligence more accessible and can also be applied to areas relevant to the United Nation’s SGDs, disease diagnosis, spam detection and sentiment analysis.

Snappy help

The Student Nutrition and Progress Programme (SNAPP) addresses the issue of student hunger. In 2022, the programme received a generous donation as part of the Tiger Brands’ Plates4Days Programme.

Top Teachers

UP’s Academic Achievers Awards celebrate and honour academic achievers and researchers. Teaching Excellence awards went to:

Group award

- Prof Tania Hanekom (below left) from the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Individual award

- Dr Caren Combrinck (below right) from the Department of Architecture.

1 255 students helped

2 505 food parcels distributed

3.3% increase in grades of students

Teaching excellence

Maintaining high levels of quality and excellence is, to a significant extent, dependent on the knowledge and skills, talent and commitment of our academic, professional and support staff.

Just one of the indicators of our quality staff is UP’s ranking among the world’s top universities to study 20 subjects (up from 18 in 2021) in the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject. UP was ranked in four broad subject areas: Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences; Life Sciences and Medicine; and Engineering and Technology. A notable accomplishment is UP’s Mineral and Mining Engineering ranked at position 33 (48 in 2021), which is among the top 50 worldwide.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 by subject has ranked UP 60th in the world for law. This confirms that UP’s Faculty of Law has remained the leading law faculty on the African continent for five consecutive years.

A further measure of our research strength is the 613 NRF-rated researchers in 2022 (2021: 592). We had 15 A-rated researchers and 106 B-rated researchers. We not only benefit from the gravitas of our internationally recognised A-rated researchers, but are pleased that our pipeline of talent is constantly replenished by our P-rated researchers (under 35 years of age) and Y-rated researchers (under 40 years of age).

UP continues to have a high proportion of academic staff with a doctorate (70.9% in 2022). This far exceeds the 48% of all permanent instructional/research staff with doctorates at public universities in South Africa as reported by HEMIS data (Higher Education Management Information System).

Awards and Appointments

Our staff also attracted local and international recognition in 2022 and we feature selected achievements here:

Prof Mike Wingfield of the UP Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) was awarded the annual Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award for his research into disease-causing fungi.

Prof Nigel Bennett , in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, was awarded the prestigious JFW Herschel Medal by the Royal Society of South Africa. The medal is the Society’s highest honour and has been sparingly given over the years.

Prof Marietjie Venter , Head of the Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Programme at the Centre for Viral Zoonoses in the Department of Medical Virology, was selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to chair the prestigious Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO).

Prof Jerry Pillay , Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, was elected General Secretary of the global faith-based organisation, the World Council of Churches (WCC). The WCC is a fellowship of churches consisting of more than 354 denominations.

Attorney Lithalethemba Stwayi from the Centre for Child Law was selected to participate in the merit-based 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a flagship programme of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) run by the United States Government.

Prof Gareth Bath , Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, was awarded the Global Animal Welfare Award by the World Veterinary Association.

Outside the classroom

After 750 days of operating under the national lockdown, we had many reasons to celebrate the return to normality.

UP Museums held the official launch of the Mapungubwe Archive in partnership with the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Another high point was the final location of the muchanticipated female figure of the Rain Goddess by Willem de Sanderes Hendrikz. This magnificent bronze sculpture now stands proudly outside the Old Merensky Building and was a generous long-term donation made by Nedbank Limited.

In September, UP hosted the hugely successful annual Principal’s Concert after a two-year hiatus. The concert was held on the Aula Lawn of the Hatfield Campus under the theme ‘Ukuthula: Celebration of peace’, a symbol of unity in the University community’s collective struggle to make the world a better place for all.

Sporting highlights

If the University of Pretoria had been considered Africa’s sporting powerhouse in previous years, its athletes took centre-stage in the world in 2022. Some highlights of their international achievements are listed below .

Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Just when we thought that TuksSport could not improve on its Olympic success of 2021, our athletes went on to excel at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, winning 11 of the 27 South African medals and contributing 40% of the medal tally. Tuks swimmers were responsible for seven of the 11 medals won during the Games.

Swimming: Eighteen-year-old Tuks swimmer Pieter Coetzé won five gold, two silver, and three bronze medals in backstroke events at the Mare Nostrum Swim Series in Europe. A definite highlight was beating the former Olympic gold medallist, Michael Anderson (USA), in the 50m backstroke.

Archery: Tuks’s archers made a near clean sweep during the African Championships hosted by UP, winning no fewer than five gold medals.

Women’s Sevens rugby: Eight Tuks players were selected to play for the Springbok Women’s Sevens team. They were in action at the Commonwealth Games, the World Cup Tournament and a World Qualifier Tournament.

Athletics: Tuks athletes won three gold, seven silver and three bronze medals during the Africa Championship held in Mauritius.

Varsity Sports: On the local front, TuksHockey made history when their women’s and men’s teams clinched Varsity Tournament titles within hours of each other. This was the first time this has happened in the history of Varsity Sports (see winning teams alongside).

Thanks to TuksHockey’s heroics, UP won four of the eight completed Varsity Tournaments. In addition to the two hockey tournaments, the Tuks rugby team won the Varsity Cup Tournament, and the Tuks under-20 rugby team was the Varsity Young Guns Champions.

Sportswoman of the Year: Michaela Whitebooi

Michaela Whitebooi’s refusal to curb her dreams is why she was named the Tuks Sportswoman of the Year. During the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she won gold in the judo under-48kg category, the first South African female judoka to win gold at a major international competition.

Sportsman of the Year: Jovan van Vuuren

Our Sportsman of the Year, Jovan van Vuuren, certainly set the bar high in 2022. His breakthrough moment was winning a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It is only the third time since 1994 that a South African long jumper has medalled at the Commonwealth Games.