Adding value to other people’s lives and appreciating life as it comes to motivate Shahieda Hendricks to source external funding for staff development and implementing internships at CPUT to support the national skills development strategy.

Hendricks joined CPUT in 2013 as Manager: Learning and Development in the Division with a wealth of experience gained during her years as a lecturer, social auxiliary worker, coach, mediator, education training and development practitioner, assessor, and board member of the National Skills Authority.

“Appreciate what you have, count your blessings, value family and friends, see the best in others and be non-judgemental,” she says modestly.

During the last seven years, she has sourced external funding for staff development, especially staffers who want to complete their matric and Adult Education and Training. Hendricks was instrumental in the rolling out of training for mediators and coaches and saw to it that fora for the respective functions were established.

She is also Deputy Chair of the HERS-SA Board, an organisation which aims to contribute to the career advancement and leadership development of women in the Higher Education (HE) sector “by advocating for and contributing to their development via carefully crafted leadership development programmes”.

“HERS-SA is ready to expand on what it has achieved in the last 19 years,” she says. “Thus far, we have trained more than 1 200 women through the HERS-SA Academy and are now looking at the possibility of implementing mentorship programmes and continuous learning opportunities, both online and at universities across South Africa, and exposing young, HE staff to HERS-SA leadership development opportunities at an earlier stage in their careers.”

Hendricks advises young women to always strive to be the best they can be, take advantage of all opportunities, and step out of their comfort zone. “No matter what obstacles you faced growing up, with discipline and a positive attitude, you can create the life of your dreams.”

She urges them to cultivate a network of trusted mentors and colleagues as others can give one the best insight into oneself and one’s own limitations. “We must have the courage to ask for help and to request feedback to expand our vision of what's possible.”

She encourages them to learn from the challenges and experiences in their lives as well as to embrace growth and change.

*For the duration of Women’s Month, we will be profiling several high profile CPUT women whose achievements and activities help us to become One SMART CPUT.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The UK Minister of State for Lifelong Learning Further and Higher Education, Mr Bill Rammel visited the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in December to announce the official launch of the Tabeisa Design 4 Life Africa project for South Africa.

The Technical and Business Education Initiative in South Africa (Tabeisa) has already delivered a successful pilot project with the ‘Design4Life Ghana’ competition resulting in ‘Designs 2 Sell’. This project was funded by the UK Department for Education and Skills.

It invited designers in Ghana and the UK to produce both textile and dress designs incorporating traditional Ghanaian Batik, creating a range of dresses to be made by Ghanaian fair trade groups.

The ‘Design4Life Ghana’ competition and the winning fashion designs were showcased and winners announced as the opening item of the Ethical Fashion Show, Paris, in October 2006.The project benefited from the input of a high calibrejudging panel, including leading high street buyers.

Design4Life Africa will build on the experience and success of Design4Life Ghana and will expand the programme both within Ghana, South Africa and the UK. It will build capacity within institutions to link skilled artisans and entrepreneurs in Ghana and South Africa with design flair, marketing understanding and to create products clearly ‘Designed 2 Sell’.

There will be an emphasis on involving South African retailers in the judging panels so that the competition remains focussed on producing designs that have real commercial potential, Designs produced through the competition will be donated to and manufactured by Tabeisa supported small businesses/cooperatives, offering a route to assistance with product design, an area where grassroots businesses are often lacking.

Design4Life Africa will deliver a fashion and textiles design competition across South Africa, Ghana and the UK.

The competition will be open to both existing designers as well as students. It will be strongly promoted at the seven African and English partner institutions namely the CPUT, Tshwane University of Technology, Walter Sisulu University for Science and Technology, Durban University of Technology, Coventry University and the University of Greenwich in the UK and the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana.

Design4llife Africa will be a two-stage competition. The first stage will be two national competitions, namely Design4life Ghana and Design4life South Africa. Following the announcement of the shortlisted designs for each national competition, an international fashion show will be held bringing all the shortlisted designs and their designers together for the selection of a final overall winner.

There is the potential for winning designs to be showcased again as part of the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris.

Written by CPUT News
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The profile of Community Engagement in Higher Education as a scholarly activity was lifted at a recent symposium which was held at the Bellville Campus.

The SAHECEF comprises of 23 representatives from all South African universities.

The presenters reported on a variety of topics including analysis of multi-stakeholder partnerships and student experiences in diverse fields of study through participatory research processes.

NRF’s Dr Andrew Kaniki said the foundation’s funding of community engagement activities is a competitive instrument which provides space for research that contributes to knowledge production and processes.

Kaniki discussed various grants offered by the foundation to community engagement projects.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY: Delegates to the Talloires Leaders’ Conference listen to Fareed Ismail, Mechanical Engineering lecturer, explain the various aspects of the aquaponics project

The symposium was part of a series of daily events hosted by the Centre for Community Engagement and WIL.

The centre also hosted the Talloires Leaders’ Conference and delegates visited the Service-Learning Multidisciplinary projects.  

They gained in-depth knowledge from the leaders of the following projects;

Aquaponics project and the River Cleaning Model, Sustainable Housing project, Informal Trader Project,  Flamingo Crescent and Brink projects, Training of fish sellers and fish processing project and Environmental awareness campaign: Upcycling project.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

The findings of a CPUT academic’s doctoral research will contribute towards the making of policies aimed at reducing the dropout rate of first-year students.

The findings can be utilised to inform practical strategies and policies to empower first-year students to deal productively and progressively with peer pressure in the higher education (HE) sector.

The dissertation titled: First-Year Students’ Experiences of Peer Groups and Peer Pressure in the Residences of a South African University penned by Vuyokazi Mntuyedwa, an Academic Literacy lecturer in the Fundani’s Student Learning Unit, saw her graduate with the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology at the University of the Western Cape in December 2020.

The participants in the research were female, male and mixed gender students who reside at university residences. The findings revealed that the first-year students joined different groups and encountered both positive and negative experiences.

Positive experiences were observed in relation to academic performance and sense of belonging. The negative experiences included peers influencing others to adopt antisocial behaviour, experiencing undue materialistic pressure, and depending on others for making decisions. It was also found that academic success depended on students’ interconnectedness, sense of belonging, peer support and recognition.

“As it is stipulated in the findings, some of the students join academic groups in order to get support, acquire good marks and learn more from their peer groups,” explains Mntuyedwa. “Contrary to that, other students changed their behavior after joining the group, for instance, they start drinking alcohol and take drugs.”

She says student leadership participation was one of the motivating factors for some of the participants to join some peer groups as they want to also participate in decision-making processes in the university and boost their self-esteem. The former student leader adds that first-year students join co-curricular activities for social integration and participation in the rugby Varsity Cup.

“My dissertation will help the first-year students to gain better knowledge about the phenomenon of ‘peer pressure’ in [the] higher education sector,” argues Mtuyedwa. “The dissertation is highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of peer pressure and how the participants managed to overcome their experiences of peer pressure.”

The dissertation also makes some recommendations that assist first year students when entering university for the first time as it gives a clear picture of students’ transition from high school to university.

“I want to negotiate the implementation of a First-Year Experience course in all institutions of HE so that all the first-year students who will be registered in future can benefit from the recommendations of the study. I want to plan the topics for that course as someone who will be teaching [it] and has a good understanding of the valuable topics.”                  

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A group of CPUT academics are among the authors of a recently released report on digital readiness and using visual methods in Higher Education.

The report offers an overview of the teaching skills needed to face digital readiness during the pandemic, offering details about the pedagogical approach and methodologies to use, focusing on visual methods.

It is based on research from June to December 2021 within FutureAbility - Digital and transversal skills for online teachers, a two-year European-funded project under the Erasmus Plus Strategic Partnership. FutureAbility is a Strategic Partnership of nine organisations.

Assoc Prof Eunice Ivala, Director: Centre for Innovative Educational Technology (CIET), is the project leader representing CPUT. Dr SisandaNkoala, Senior Lecturer in the Media Department, is the project administrator. The other team members are Assoc Prof Candice Livingston, Head of the Department: Research and Postgraduate Studies; Assoc Prof Virimai Mugobo, Head of the Department: Retail Business Management; Rifqah Abrahams, Lecturer in the Media Department; Cheri Hugo, Lecturer in the Department of Design and Eran Tahor, Lecturer in Department of Film. Assoc Prof Daniela Gachago from the University of Cape Town is working on the project as a consultant.

“The project has three phases. The first phase was generating a report on the perspectives and experiences of educators who teach visual communication courses and use visual methods. This was based on a desktop study, focus group discussions and a survey of around 300 participants. The project's second phase, currently underway, is to create open education resources in online courses to address some of the gaps identified in phase one regarding the skills needed to teach online. The third phase, set for 2023, will be to roll out the courses and get participant feedback,” said Nkoala.

She said one of the key findings was that most respondents argued that the key challenges they faced teaching visual communication and using visual methods were a lack of student motivation, various technical problems and digital literacy.

Furthermore, the study found that online teaching exclusively harms courses and research that rely primarily on practices, as with visual communication-based courses. Online education and learning diminish the quality of interactions. As such, blended forms of teaching are foreseen as the most optimal approach in future by many professionals and students.

The project's next phase, which started in February 2022, is to develop courses to address these gaps and upskill lecturers to teach visual arts-related subjects and use visual methods online more effectively.

Nkoala said that in the short term, one of the key outputs from the study would be the development of online, open-access, multilingual courses that educators can take to upskill themselves on how to teach visual arts subjects and other subjects using visual methods in an online context.

The courses are being developed based on a literature review, focus group discussion and surveys with participants across the partner countries.

“The courses are being developed using design thinking principles which CPUT introduced to the partners. In particular, CPUT introduced the learning design through workshops based on our expertise as an institution in learning design. It is envisaged that any university can use the courses to train lecturers in this regard. The great thing about the nature of the courses being developed is that they are not solely for teaching visual arts courses but can also be used in any discipline which uses visual teaching methods,” she said.

Click here to read the report.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo recently hosted Dr Moncef Meddeb and Vincent Perrier, a delegation from the Embassy of France in South Africa, at the Cape Town Hotel School.

Nhlapo said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen CPUT’s current collaboration partnerships with the French, “taking the lessons learnt from the successful F’SATI (French South African Institute of Technology) and expanding to the North and West of France”.  The Vice-Chancellor said: “We want to strengthen staff and student exchanges… How CPUT will participate in the one-week in-person event in France dedicated to promoting the South African higher education and research landscapes.”

The Embassy of France in South Africa is organising the efforts with all French and South African stakeholders to arrange a one-week in-person event in France devoted to advancing the South African higher education and research landscapes between all involved Higher Education Institutions in France.  “The participation of the South African universities is key for a successful week and to achieve the objective of expanding the bilateral scientific and academic cooperation. All South African universities are invited to express their interests and participate in this week-long event in France, to be held between 27 June 2022 and 2 July 2022,” the French Embassy statement read.

The event will include presentations and discussions to showcase the South African academic landscape and current partnerships and “discuss the existing instruments and some relevant ideas and avenues for future partnerships. All French Higher Education Institutions are invited to attend and contribute to the discussions”.

During the event at the hotel school, Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Bongani Ncube and Prof Oscar Philander gave presentations and gave an overview of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Meanwhile, Prof Joseph Kioko, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, with Prof Jessy Van Wyk, Dr Sune Henning, and Prof Maretha Opperman, provided presentations and an overview of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Reflecting on the outcomes of the event, Nhlapo said: “It was an excellent meeting with great ideas and possibilities being that of including Applied Sciences (Agrifood Technology Station, Chocolate making etc) and Water Research, especially the newly acquired Research Chair by Dr Ncube from Engineering,” he continued.

“As we normally say, ‘collaborate or collapse, we believe in collapsing the boundaries to collaboration’. It means increasing our footprint in France and consolidating the successful partnership we already have with the French. It also means strengthening and monitoring our current programme with the French.”

After a closed meeting, Nhlapo also revealed some of his agreements with the delegation: "We agreed on several initiatives to strengthen and sustain our relations. We agreed on staff and student exchanges. We also agreed with them assisting us in our recruitment drive for a Research Chair in Nano-Satellite”.

Nhlapo also revealed that the University aims to expand the hotel school, “They [French] are also known for the art of French Gastronomy”. “Ferrandi, at the heart of Paris, is known worldwide in culinary arts and hospitality management. It is, therefore, our intention to strengthen this area for our Hotel School.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

Internationalisation has become an entrenched feature in higher education, where students and staff exchange opportunities, collaborative online learning, and collaborative qualification offerings have become the norm.

As such, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS) recently hosted a three-day International Week at Granger Bay and Bellville campuses. The event was attended by the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Directorate, national and international academic, industry partners, and government representatives, both in person and online.

The industry partners included: ABSA, Sea Harvest and the South African Institute for Government Auditors. The government officials were from the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial government. Speaking at the event, Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning: FBMS, Prof Desiree Scholtz, said the benefits of these endeavours are unparalleled in creating life-long learning experiences. Scholtz said the operative word “here being ‘experience’ since the experience of being abroad is a life-long encounter”.

“Internationalisation opens new vistas of thinking, knowing, and doing that no theoretical learning can offer. The CPUT, and more importantly here, the FBMS has a growing number of partnerships in the Euro Zone, BRICS countries, Africa, and Canada with additional agreements being signed on a regular basis,” she noted.

Scholtz said the value assigned to internationalisation endeavours extends beyond developing academic prowess. “While the exchange of learning, teaching and curriculum is important to advance the academic agenda, we have found that personal engagement results in long-standing partnerships between departments and our faculty,” she said.

During the proceedings, delegates were given a slot to present an overview of their institutions. This started with the hosts, followed by other institutions such as the University of the Western Cape, the Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal, the University of South Africa, and many more.

Reflecting on the conference, the organising committee chair, Andiswa Mrasi, said the FBMS Hybrid International Week is an annual event hosted by the FMBS.

Mrasi said the event's primary purpose is to create a platform where practitioners in the field of international education engage on important topics to enhance this discipline and share best practices. Mrasi, who is also a manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects: FBMS, said: “This year, which marked the second Hybrid FBMS International Week was once again a resounding success. We were particularly pleased to witness the participation of local institutions.”

One of the event's highlights was the participation of local and international institutions, and the workshop on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), presented by Dr Pieter Steenkamp from the Marketing Department and Simon Kavanagh from Kaospilot, Denmark.

“We are encouraged to see the growth in engagements pertaining to Internationalisation,” said Mrasi.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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