Teaching and Learning Centre, University of Fort Hare

Special points of interest

HEQC COMMENDS TLC

The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) conducted an institutional audit of the University of Fort Hare from 5 to 9 May 2008 in line with its policy to promote quality management in higher education institutions in South Africa. Nineteen criteria were used to evaluate the planning and quality management of the institution to support teaching and learning, research and community engagement. At the end of the audit period, the chairperson provided the university management with a verbal audit report. The Teaching and Learn-ing Centre (TLC) was commended in the report for

the extent of the support it provided, the range of its programmes and the commitment of its staff. The complete draft audit report is expected to be shared with the Vice Chancellor within seven months of the audit. The draft audit report will pro-vide substance to the verbal report and will con-tain commendations as well as recommendations. The university will respond to the draft audit report before the report is finalised and the university will be expected to develop and implement a plan to address areas in its quality management systems that need attention.

Back: Luvuyo Mkonqo, Siyabong Jebe, Willie Xazela, Vuyisile NkonkiSecond Back: Linda Scheckle, Clever Ndebele, Nombulelo Jonas, Seki Matshaya, Bongani Fana, Alanna Collins, Melanie Skead, Renee Coetzee

Second Front: Jacques van Heerden, Christine WoodsFront: Siyanda Ntlabathil, Lindie Nxikwe, Maggie Kikunga, Esrina Madamombe, Newman Wadesango, Linda Claasen, Patricia Muhuro

ThalaLolwazi Chumisa

COMPUTER LITERAC Y FOR THE UNEMPLOYED: HAW & INGLIS AND UFH

Haw & Inglis Construction Company has funded Computer Literacy training for 120 unemployed youth from the Alice region, as part of their corporate social investment and as a way of ploughing back into the Alice community. The e-Learning Unit has been conducting this training. Training began in February 2008 and will end in September 2008. The majority of the trainees are matriculants, who are unable to find jobs and access to tertiary education.

The Learners are assisting each other in a practical session.

NEW STAFF MEMBERS IN THE TLC

Ms Linda Scheckle

(LAU Campus Coordinator East London)

Linda spent her childhood in the Tsolo district of the Transkei. She matriculated from Umtata High School and then attended UPE (now NMMU) where she majored in Xhosa and English. Subsequently, she taught for a year at Framesby High School in Port Elizabeth before going to Rhodes University for her NHED. Linda taught in Fort Beaufort for a year before joining the Dale College staff in 1975. She spent eight years there, during which time she completed her B.A. Honours and registered for an M.A. in African Languages.When Linda’s family relocated to East London, she joined the Hudson Park High School staff and completed her MA degree during the following year. In her twenty-one years at Hudson, she taught Xhosa, English, Arts and Culture, Mathematical Literacy, Home Economics and more recently, Consumer Studies. Linda reflects on her discovery that being an educator requires versatility and the ability to equip learners with knowledge, skills and values. The Learning Advancement Unit is privileged to have secured the services of such an experienced and committed teacher. In Linda’s own words: “I am committed to reaching as many students as possible so that they can feel that they have benefitted from using the Teaching & Learning Centre. When I have settled into my role, I’d like to further my studies”.

Learning Advancement Unit:

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Ms Esrina Madamombe

(PASS Consultant Alice Campus)

Esrina’s career objective is to play a role in policy formulation and implementation as well as to participate in programmes related to teaching and learning English Literature and Language. She is presently studying toward a PhD and graduated with a Master of Arts Degree in English Studies and Comparative Literature from the University of Fort Hare in 2008. Esrina attained her Bachelor of Arts Honors Degree in English at the University of Zimbabwe in 2005. Over a period of five years, Esrina has gained valuable knowledge in designing and monitoring the quality of teaching material and supply patterns in various institutions where English studies are the focus of attention. She views her appointment as PASS Consultant in the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) as an opportunity to participate in the development of strategies and processes related to student academic development. Esrina reflects on the importance of finding her “academic identity” in the process of completing her thesis. Ironically, it was her personal experience of hope and disillusionment that ultimately motivated her to formulate the topic for her research: “Hope and Disillusionment: A Post-Colonial Critique of Selected South African and Zimbabwean Short Stories”. She relates: “I value people, and it is the humanness that people share, called ubuntu in South Africa and chivanhu in Zimbabwe, that the reader sees in my study”. The value of a safe, non-threatening learning space is reflected in Esrina’s experience of participating in a diverse discussion group constituted by post-graduate students from various HE Institutions. She challenges the Fort Hare academic community to create such “active learning and sharing environments” for students and sees increased communication and confidence among students as potential benefits. As PASS Consultant, Esrina hopes to establish such an environment in the TLC and invites post-graduate students and academic staff to approach her in this regard. Esrina reaches an interesting conclusion on post-graduate research: “one should become more directly involved in the pre-writing process”. She recommends that more time should be spent on discussion before embarking on the writing process. This allows for the development of a “sense of authority”, ultimately facilitating “the transition from reading to writing”. Finally, the writing process and experience become part of the writer’s identity.

Maggie Muhandji KikungaMy name is Maggie Muhandji Kikunga. I am employed as facilitator in the e-Learning Unit. My job involves teaching, conducting practicals, invigilating, coaching, marking assignments, tests and exam papers and attending student’s queries. The course that I conduct is called Computer Literacy and it involves the basic concepts of IT, Windows Fundamentals, MS-Word, Ms-Excel, Ms-Access, Ms-PowerPoint and Internet.

I love my job because I am gaining more knowledge and confidence each and every day and it has also become very easy for me to deal with students from different backgrounds in assisting them with their difficulties. When I am at home not at work, I love

Teaching Development Unit:

Clever Ndebele

Manager: Teaching Development Unit

Clever was born in the Plumtree District of Zimbabwe. He attended George Silundika High School and in 1985 enrolled for teacher training with the United College of Education and was awarded the Certificate in Education by the University of Zimbabwe in 1988.

Clever was appointed acting school head in Tsholotsho District in 1990, a position he held until 1996 when he was promoted to the post of substantive deputy school head. 1999 saw his elevation to the post of substantive school head. While a school head he continued with his academic career on a part-time basis and was awarded the Bachelor of Education Degree in Educational Administration, Planning and Policy Studies by the University of Zimbabwe. He then enrolled with Zimbabwe Open University in 1999 and was awarded the Master Education Degree in Educational Administration, Planning and Policy

Studies in January 2002. Thereafter he joined the Zimbabwe Open University as a part-time tutor and in 2004 enrolled for a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Education at the University Of Fort Hare. In 2005 he was appointed part-time tutor in the Faculty of Education

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and in 2006 he joined the Teaching and Learning Centre as teaching Development Consultant and was appointed Manager of the Teaching Development Unit in 2008. His vision is to impact positively on academic staff through the provision of individual and or departmental consultations, workshops and through formal Teaching Development Programmes.

Ms Patricia Muhuro

Evaluation Assistant and ICT Facilitator

Patricia joined the University of Fort Hare Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) in 2007 as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Facilitator, after having worked in the IT field in Zimbabwe as an ICT educator, IT consultant and Database Administrator since 1999.

Her role includes sharing with the Fort Hare academic community on how ICT may be harnessed to improve teaching and learning. She facilitates workshops on how to administer different forms of assessment, including use of the TLC electronic database called the Evaluation Assistant.

Her vision is to see the Fort Hare academic community reflecting on their teaching practices through reflection of self, peer and student evaluations.

eLearning Unit:

Renee Coetzee

Manager: eLearning Unit

Perhaps unexpectedly for someone in this position, my passion is not technology, but rather people. A glance at my CV would reveal an extremely varied educational background, ranging across Archaeology, Clinical Psychology, International Relations and Hypermedia. I am fascinated by how people think, interact and learn and how the use of technologies can influence these processes. Over the last ten years I have devoted my work to addressing challenges experienced by lecturers and students in Higher Education. This taught me that technology is just a tool and the usefulness of a tool is limited by the skill and creativity of the people who use it. So I feel my mission as Manager of eLearning is to enhance the skills and encourage the creativity of the UFH community in the application of technology to our teaching and learning context. This is an amazing opportunity and I truly looking forward to the challenge.

The nautilus shell has become an important icon for me. On one level it is a natural expression of the Golden Ratio, which describes the human conception of beauty, harmony and ideal proportion. On another level, it is a symbol of continuous improvement and growth. These are all things towards which I strive in my work.When I’m not trying to change the world, you’ll probably find me playing with my dog at the Gonubie estuary.

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Luvuyo Mkonqo

eLearning Consultant

I obtained my BSc Honors in Computer Science at the University of Fort Hare. My development as an educator started when I was appointed as a student tutor for the BSc first years in the Computer Science Department. My passion for equipping under-developed students with computer skills started when I was employed as an intern under the Co-operative Education Services Unit at Fort Hare. This is where I got to learn, grow and gain confidence in how to deal with student needs, how to behave in the work place. I take off my hat for my mentor (Ms Siyanda Ntlabathi) who was always there to listen, support and guide me.

I joined the Teaching and Learning Centre this year as an ICT Facilitator and was later appointed as an e-Learning consultant. My challenging position in the TLC has given me a great opportunity to further develop my competencies, capabilities, skills, education and experience. I hope to be an integral part in equipping Fort Hare students, staff and the broader community with ICT skills.

Bongani Fana

ICT Facilitator

I obtained a Bachelor of Science (Honours in Computer) at Fort Hare University 2006. It was during my Honours year that I realized that my hobby (computers) was taking up most of my time. I started to work as a Student Assistant for the Department of Computer Science in 2006. At this point I realized that my true passion was educating students on how to use computers. I then joined the eLearning Unit in the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) on the Alice Campus, as an ICT Facilitator in January 2007.My work in the eLearning Unit (eLU) includes facilitation of computer literacy courses to both students and academic staff. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require assistance on bfana@ufh.ac.za, or (040) 6022385.

Back: Maggie Kikunga, Patricia Muhuro, Luvuyo Mkonqo, Renee Coetzee, Clever NdebeleFront: Linda Scheckle, Seki Matshaya, Esrina Madamombe, Newman Wadesango

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WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR STUDENTS? During 2008 the Learning Advancement Unit has confirmed its commitment to developing quality-driven academic support programmes for the UFH community. This commitment is reflected in the feedback received from student staff.

Larry Grobbelaar (Placement and Access Test Student Assistant) reports that the PAT programme continues to cross borders in its search for expansion:

“Since its inception, the PAT has developed at an alarming rate, going from a ‘nice to have’ to becoming an integral part of the admissions process at UFH. In July 2007 a revised PAT proposal was accepted by Senate with the result that all prospective students for the 2009 intake are now obliged to write the Placement and Access Test to gain access to the University. Increased staffing has supported further development of the programme in its ongoing challenge to crossing boundaries and breaking down barriers to testing”.

Larry highlights various benefits of the PAT programme for Faculty staff:

and

curriculum development.

The next round of testing for the 2009 student intake commences on the 28th of June 2008, accommodating both national and international applicants and reflecting the drive for increased and equitable access to tertiary study.

In keeping with the adopted developmental approach to learning advancement, the Peer Assisted Student Services (PASS) programme and the incorporated Writing Centre, have been established in response to the need for supportive language and writing development among Fort Hare students. Edgar Samkange and Joni van Heerden (Student Assistants) are excited about the addition of a new program: that of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). They comment: “CALL is a programme that seeks to identify students who encounter language barriers across different areas and contexts of the university”. Essentially, this programme aims to “assist students with their language development needs” and to support the acquisition of academic literacy in a tertiary environment.

Rumbidzai Chidoori (PASS Mentor) reflects on her 2-year stint as Language and Writing Consultant (LWC) on the Alice

campus. This experience enabled her to enter an essay for the People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) Women’s Writing Competition and to subsequently be voted the top entry in the Personal Category. Apart from receiving a monetary award, Rumbidzai has gained confidence in her writing and oral skills in English as a direct outflow of her LWC experience. On a personal level, she summarises her experience as “a pleasure” which encourages her to spend most of her time in the PASS venue mentoring her peers and enhancing her leadership and coaching skills. Her goal is to “act as role model for her peers”.

Hazel Makowa (SIL and Mentor) echoes Rumbidzai’s sentiments when she reflects on the essence of motivational leadership: “many ‘would-be’ motivational leaders think that their job is done when the tree has been shaken and the new directions set. But this is only the beginning of the journey. Challenging, encouraging, motivating and helping people to overcome obstacles, persevering month in, month out, insisting that standards are met, relentlessly focusing on improvement: these are the blood, sweat and tears of motivational leadership”.

The Fort Hare Supplemental Instruction (SI) programme aims to assist students with mastering traditionally difficult course content as well as with developing effective learning skills. Phiwe Ndinisa, Student Assistant and SI Leader on the East London campus since 2007, reflects on the change he has undergone: “What I thought I would be doing and what I do as an SI Leader is very different. I now view what I do as more of a privilege rather than just the job it is deemed to be”. His positive sentiments on an active learning model are echoed by those of Jimmy Samalenge, SI Coordinator on the Alice campus: “we believe that when students are involved in their own learning, they do not only acquire knowledge but understanding” as suggested in the ancient Chinese proverb

Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.

Both Phiwe and Jimmy feel strongly about the positive effects of active learning they have observed and experienced through SI. This model allows students to think critically rather than merely reproducing subject content transmitted to them while simultaneously acquiring the ability to source information through participation, involvement and research. Such involvement changes learners’ understanding of the learning process as well as their identity and learning styles. Jimmy challenges the academic community to conduct their own surveys on the

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effectiveness of the SI programme in promoting increased academic performance. He believes that the positive results will encourage academics and students to want to participate in this dynamic programme.

In reflecting on his experience as returning SI Leader, Denmark Mutize describes how the SI programme has impacted not only on how the students in his sessions learn, but also on his own understanding of the learning process: “students do more than simply listen ... such as discovering, processing and applying information”. At first, the students’ response was that they needed someone to tell them what to think and how to approach their learning. Systematically, resistance declined and attendance of his sessions increased since students realised that they are responsible for their own learning. On his part, Denmark realised that students are not “empty vessels” but are able to actively involve themselves in their own learning given a supportive environment. In conclusion, what can we learn from our students? The reflections and experiences outlined above indicate that models of instruction and learning in Higher Education need to be more sensitive to student needs within a constantly-changing environment. Such needs point toward a learning environment that supports:

abilities

from each other in a supportive environment

pass the exams

specifically a focus on process rather than only product and outcome and

enable students to become leaders and innovative individuals.

Dr Melanie Skead (Manager: Learning Advancement Unit)

Our students in action (Esrina, Andrew and Rochelle)

LAU staff at the TLC Retreat (Esrina, Linda, Melanie and Alanna)

Active learning & team work among UFH students

Dr Melanie Skead with East London facilitators Orientation peer facilitators East London

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MINUTETAKING AND BUSINESS WRITING COURSE

Ms Hazel Farrer from Siyanqoba Seminars facilitated the in-house training on minute taking and business writing on the 4 and 5 February 2008 which was organized by Committee Section. Linda and Lindie, two of the TLC Secretaries, attended.There were two key areas of the training namely, minute-taking and business writing. The minutes and meetings section was well prepared and presented by the facilitator and highlighted a few key issues which were informative, such as:

the definition of a meeting who should attend a meeting why is the meeting being held what are the objectives of the meeting when does the meeting start and when will it be finished how will the meeting proceed

The role of Secretary before, during and after meeting was also discussed.

The effective business writing part of the course focused on writing skills and issues, such as, why we write, the communication and management process, and objectives of writing where you watch the tone, order of text, accuracy and punctuation.

I am pleased that we attended the training. It was exciting and very encouraging for us, as Secretaries, to attend office-related courses that will give us a chance to apply what we’ve learned.

Ms Linda ClaasenTLC Secretary (East London Campus)

MY PGDHET EXPERIENCE

Teaching is a “hard job” -- according to one survey as many as 60% of novice teachers quit within the first 3-5 years. Most Law teachers have next to no training as educators so they use trial and error methods, usually based on the approaches of their favourite teachers when they were in Law School, often with dramatic and disastrous consequences. The PGDHET can be a life– and career-saver, even if only by getting one to know that

a place where one is able articulate and reflect in a coherent fashion on one’s community of practice, hopefully leading to coherent practice instead of a rather disgraceful and often debilitating muddling through.

Personally my greatest gain from participating in the PGDHET is the fact that I now have a personal view of what curriculum ought to be as informed by an increased awareness of my own philosophy of education (initially I did not even know that I had one) and therefore my understanding of teaching and learning. This is encapsulated in the following excerpt from my submission on Curriculum Development as part of the PGD.

The definition I have come to embrace, as informed by my personal philosophy of education, would be that, ‘Curriculum is the totality of learning experiences provided to and by students through the attainment of skills and knowledge which leads to the interrogation of authority and the search for complex views of human situations.’ This definition stems from my embracing of an emancipatory and social constructivist perspective of learning and, I would assert, it is one that is consonant with an understanding of curriculum as praxis. This in turn is informed by my understanding of legal education, in particular, as being geared towards facilitating the development and nurturing of critical thinkers equipped to contribute towards the achievement of social justice (as espoused in the Law Faculty’s Vision and Mission) through, inter alia, embracing critical and liberating perspectives of the prevalent human rights agenda.

The second major gain was an increased understanding of the higher education milieu from an international, national and local perspective. This led me to articulate the following insights that have helped to make better sense of what might otherwise be a perplexing state of affairs:

Global competitiveness is seen as the Golden Fleece against which everything else obtains value and justification. The notion demands recognition of the fact that the programmes of nations and sub-nation entities right down to our personal lives, are shaped and influenced by social, political and economic events beyond our own sphere of activity to an unprecedented extent. However, globalization and locally contextualized and relevant agendas are often strange bedfellows, because internationalization seems to favour denationalization by undermining national sovereignty in

for institutions of higher learning. The prevailing issues in the higher education terrain today in the world in general and South Africa in particular have also created a range of challenges for institutions and faculties

Ms Linda Claasen Ms Lindiswa Nxikwe

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which include financial pressure, growth in technology, changing faculty roles, increased public scrutiny, changing demographics and competing values that require a paradigm shift entailing comprehensive transformation and not mere tinkering with existing systems, structures and practices.

This realization (captured above) helped me to be more gracious in dealing with the often exasperating political imperatives that affect my practice, the pressures from the many and varied stakeholders in legal education, the endless meetings, increased bureaucratic procedures, persistent cries for transformation, transparency, accountability… I could go on, but the bottom line is that the PGDHET helped me gain insights leading to a reflexive practice in ways that I otherwise would not have had but for my participation in it.

Mr Actor Katurura

Faculty of Law (East London Campus)

VC’S EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS

The purpose of the VC’s Excellence in Teaching Awards is to honour and recognise individuals who have achieved excellence as teachers. By recognising such individuals, the University demonstrates its commitment to teaching as a scholarly endeavour, emphasising the importance of outstanding teaching, and provides incentives for academic staff to pursue activities that enhance their abilities as teachers.

The Excellence in Teaching Awards will be based on a sustained record of a high standard of teaching based on evidence of continued outstanding contributions to the academic development of students or innovative techniques to enhance student learning using a variety of tools including courseware or technology. The awards will be based on evidence of teaching effectiveness and contributions to advance teaching

excellence at UFH.

Eligibility:

· Full-time academic staff who have taught regularly scheduled courses for at least six semesters are eligible to be nominated.

· Contracted staff who meet the above requirements are

· Number of years of experience is not a consideration except for the opportunity for development that this may have provided.

Two Awards:

One award to an Experienced Teacher (Senior Lecturer and

One award to a Developing Teacher (Junior Lecturer and Lecturer Level).

Each award is made up of:· An monetary amount of R15 000.00· A Teaching Excellence Medal awarded at Graduation.

Nomination Process:

An individual or group, including students, alumni, fellow academic staff, Deans, Heads of Schools, may initiate the nomination. The nominee is, however, ultimately responsible for compiling the nomination file, excluding the letters of recommendation which should be directly forwarded to the DVC’s office. The nomination file should include the following:

· Letter from primary nominator: The letter should identify, in some descriptive detail, the nominee’s particular contributions in teaching. If the nominator is chosen by the nominee as one of his/her three referees, this letter would then be considered as a refereed letter.

· Letter of recommendation from one peer or colleague that provides information about the nominee’s commitment to teaching innovation, academic standards and general teaching reputation among colleagues and students.

· A second letter of recommendation will be solicited directly by the VC’s Excellence in Teaching Awards Panel, from a peer within the department and faculty of the nominee.

· The names and contact details of three referees. At least one of the referees should be an academic external to Fort Hare.

· Curriculum vitae of the nominee.

· A teaching portfolio:

· All nominees will be required to document the scope and quality of their teaching by preparing a teaching portfolio

Mr Actor Katurura was awarded the PGDHET cum laude in May 2008

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(see the TLC’s Brief Guide to the Development of a Teaching Portfolio).

· The teaching portfolio must include an analysis of a range of evaluations from students and actual evaluations as appendices.

· A recent peer review of the nominee’s teaching.

· Additional material may include but is not limited to:

Evidence of professional development activities undertaken

Evidence of activities under taken to assist colleagues with their teaching including seminars or professsional meetings

Evidence of student achievements.

· A letter of support from the Dean of the nominee’s Faculty will be solicited by the DVC.

If you would like to nominate a person for this award, please do so before the 18th August 2008 for the 2009 awards.

Prof Rod Bally (Acting DVC), Mr Jacques Mahler-Coetzee (Faculty of Law) recipient of the VC’s Excellence in Teaching: Developing Teacher Award and Dr Christine Woods (Director of Teaching and Learning Centre) at the Graduation Ceremony held at the Christian Centre in East London in May 2008.

RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING WORKSHOP

The Recognition of Prior Learning workshop offered by the Teaching Development Unit (TDU) of the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC), jointly funded by the SANTED II Sakha Ngethemba Project and the University, took place on the 26 May 2008.The RPL workshop targeted Faculty RPL Committees and sought to expose participants to the RPL intents and purposes, per-spectives and models for RPL assessment, variety of instruments used in the assessment of prior learning, RPL implementation challenges, UFH RPL policy and process map. The workshop also sought to help faculty RPL committee members to:

promote RPL practices in the faculties and departments; justify faculty’s/departments’ approach to RPL; develop criteria for the assessment of RPL candidates.

The programme was interactive and comprised of presentations, discussions and case studies which helped participants to bring knowledge and insights gained to bear on the cases provided.Attendees comprised of 20 participants from the faculties and 4 participants from the Teaching Development Unit of the TLC. A formal evaluation was conducted at the end of the programme and participants found the workshop to be ‘useful’ (100 %), and that ‘the topics covered supplied adequate information about RPL’ (90 %), ‘the outcomes identified at the beginning of the training were realised’ (90 %). On time allocated for the workshop 75 % found it sufficient for them to gain knowledge about RPL. The gen-eral satisfaction index regarding the training workshop was rated 81.3 %.

Here are some of the comments from the workshop participants:

‘…RPL is a crucial and sensitive issue, I will suggest that another training workshop be organised”.

‘The workshop enabled me to get a clearer picture of what RPL re-ally is’.

‘The workshop was good, most of the questions we had about RPL are being answered”.

Following the behest of the workshop attendees for attendance certificates, two certifi-cate sessions will be organised, one for Alice and another for East London.

Mr Vuyisile NkonkiConsultant: Teaching Development Unit

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ACADEMIC INDUC TION PROGRAMME, JANUARY 2008Sixteen new academic staff members attended the Induction Programme the 8th to the 11th January 2008. The first day was spent on the Main Campus and the remainder at Manderson Hotel in Stutterheim. What made this Induction group unique was that half of the inductees were senior staff members, including five professors

Biochemistry-Microbiology! This raised the question whether senior academics should be expected to attend the Induction Programme. On the final day, the participants were asked to comment (anonymously, in writing) on this issue. The ‘seniors’

‘juniors’ indicated that, although they may sometimes have been a bit intimidated by the more senior staff, their presence in group discussions proved to be invaluable, as they could ‘draw’ on years of experience of senior colleagues.

Our sincere thanks to all the participants, inductees and pre-senters, for making this event a signal success. We also want to express our gratitude for the monies made available from the University’s budget (for accommodation and caterings costs) and the funding provided by the SANTED II Sakha Ngethemba project (for stationery, printing, travelling and other incidental expenses).

Finally it is noteworthy that the presence of the deans and the address by the Vice-Chancellor at the opening proved to be of very high significance to all participants.

Prof Jacques van Heerden

Consultant: Teaching Development Unit

FAREWELL TIPPY AND HAPPYRETIREMENT!It is with great sadness that we bade farewell to Tippy McKellar at the end of March 2008 when she retired. Tippy was one of the ‘original’ members of the newly established Teaching and Learning Centre, when the Rhodes East London Campus was incorporated into the University of Fort Hare in 2004. She joined Rhodes University in 1998 as a writing respondent when the Writing Centre was established and ran the Writing Centre for a number of years before switching to the professional development of academic staff. Tippy is ‘one of a kind’. Thorough in her work and sensitive to other people, she navigated the world of academics and students, diligently and professionally. Tippy was highly respected and loved by her colleagues, peers and students, as well as academics who participated in the PGDHET. Jacques Mahler-Coetzee, one of Tippy’s PGDHET ‘successes’ wrote and recited the following limerick at her farewell lunch:

A limerick (sort of …)

I met a fond soul in the PGDHETWho nurtured my passion for pedagogyOn the back of a bike she spends her free timeThis wild dame has a name, its Tippy!

Piaget, Maslow and their croniesExposed in ‘isms’ and ‘osophies’The Portfolio at last, and the Dip framed ‘neath glassThank heaven it done, let’s cry ‘Yippee’!

We’ll look out for the back of your jacketAnd know well that we’ll never forgetYour guts and your smile, your twinkly blue eyesAs you ride off into the sunset!

Dear Tippy, we love you, that is trueAnd praise we heap upon youYour spirit will thrive through all of our livesSafe journeys, sweet friend, adieu!

Not many people know that Tippy and her husband, David, are keen bikers who spend many a weekend or holiday travelling around the country dressed in ‘leathers and boots’ and giving their trusted ‘Harley’ a good ‘burn’. They are hoping to continue to tour the country and abroad during their retirement ‘in the saddle’. Tippy had one ‘quirk’ for which she was affectionately called “McGuyver”. She carried a huge “McGyver” handbag containing all manner of gadgets and ‘just in case’ accessories. She could be relied on to provide a stocking if a fan belt broke, a bottle opener in the middle of nowhere, a needle and thread and plasters etc. You name it, Tippy kept it in her bag! We miss you Tippy and wish you and David, a happy and fun-filled retirement!

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TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTREVision

The vision of the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) is to foster teaching and learning excellence to enable students and

staff to derive the greatest possible benefit from the academic environment at the University of Fort Hare.

Mission StatementThe mission of the TLC is to ensure ongoing development towards teaching and learning excellence through critically

reflective practice and professional development of academic staff as well as student academic development.

CONTACT USALICE CAMPUS : PRIVATE BAG X1314 ALICE 5700

TEL: 040 602 2240 / 040 602 2532 FAX: 040 653 2622

EAST LONDON CAMPUS : P.O. BOX 7426 EAST LONDON 5200TEL: 043 704 7026 FAX: 043 704 7126

WWW.UFH.AC.ZA/CENTRES/TLC

Mr Siyabonga JebeLivingstone Hall ~ Alice Campus

Mrs Lindie NxikweHenderson Hall ~ Alice Campus

Mrs Linda ClaasenOffice B13 ~ East London Campus

Letters to the Editor … should be sent to cwoods@ufh.ac.za

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THALA LOLWA ZI CHUMISA?Thala – Centre

Lolwazi – Knowledge or learning

The Teaching and Learning Centre was established in 2004 at UFH to support academics and students in pursuit of learning and

teaching excellence. The title of the newsletter “Thala Lolwazi Chumisa” embodies what the TLC hopes to achieve at UFH – a

vibrant node where knowledge and innovative teaching and learning is nourished and encouraged to grow. It is hoped that the

newsletter will not only be a source of information but also that it will stimulate debate and discussion amongst academic and

administrative staff, and students. Contributions from all UFH stakeholders are very welcome!