The University of the Free State (UFS) is one of the oldest, most respected higher education institutions in South Africa (SA). Founded in 1904 with six students, it is now a multi-campus institution, accommodating 40,000 students across seven faculties. The university is a research-led, student-centred, and regionally engaged institution that contributes to the development and production of globally competitive graduates and knowledge. The university has a clear vision as encapsulated in its Vision 130, and is consistently renewing and reimagining itself to ensure that it impactfully supports societal development.
Here, Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, reflects on the university’s vision for a more equitable, inclusive and progressive future for students and staff.
How are universities in South Africa evolving to meet the needs of students, staff and employers?
To remain relevant and create a positive impact at the local, national and global levels, higher education institutions in SA must embrace rapid and unprecedented changes, particularly in terms of technology.
It’s vital that institutions continue to evaluate themselves and adapt, to produce graduates that are sought after in a global workplace. That adaptability cuts across teaching and learning, our curriculum content and offering, our research areas and aims. But it also requires us to continually review systems and policies to enable agility and efficiency.
Transforming the curriculum remains one of the critical challenges facing South African education in general. We’ve made huge strides in working towards curriculum transformation—around 100 programmes and departments have been reviewed since 2016 at our institution alone.
Our aim is to have a decolonized curriculum that draws on locally relevant research and references global issues more comprehensively. We want to broaden opportunities, to include voices, developments and scholarships—both locally and globally—that may have been excluded in the past.
South Africa has numerous socio-economic challenges and vast discrepancies in its delivery of education. The provision of holistic support remains a vital priority for higher education institutions. At the UFS this ranges from taking care of students’ basic needs in terms of food security through our No Student Hungry bursary programme to developing groundbreaking multilingual pedagogic strategies through our Academy for Multilingualism.
Academic support includes tutorial programmes, academic advising, and academic language and literacy development. These initiatives have led to significantly improved success rates over the past decade.
We also have a strong emphasis on developing the careers of young academics, with focused initiatives for providing peer mentorship, to enable junior staff members to progress.
How can universities help to fill the skills gaps that exist within the workplace?
The workplace is constantly evolving. Higher education institutions must adapt to remain relevant and to deliver graduates who are employable and sought after. The UFS has Faculty Advisory Boards, with leaders and innovators from multiple industries that inform and advise us on the newest trends and practices. Our global alumni also give back to our institution by providing bursaries, internships and mentorship opportunities for our students.
Our Phahamisa Academy offers programmes that are tailor-made to address the professional, vocational and industry-specific needs of people, society and the labour market.
What challenges does the sector face in terms of digital learning requirements?
Limited access to the internet, especially in rural communities, remains a source for concern. Less than 40% of households across SA can access the internet reliably using cell phones or computers. High data prices, a lack of adequate bandwidth and storage, and limited access to electronic devices all contribute to the digital divide. An unreliable electricity infrastructure further compounds the problem.
Results from our own internal research, conducted in 2021, highlighted that the biggest challenges facing students include poor connectivity and not having appropriate devices for studying. Electricity problems, a lack of study space, and feeling disconnected from lecturers and peers are also key issues.
The same study, conducted among staff, revealed similar challenges around reliable devices and connectivity. It also highlighted the need for staff to have access to relevant training and development opportunities, as well as be encouraged to participate in activities that help to create a well-functioning blended teaching and learning environment.
How can universities innovate to differentiate themselves?
At the UFS we encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. While academic competence remains at the heart of our vision, aspects such as critical thinking, oral and written communication, ethical reasoning, entrepreneurial mindset, and digital skills are also key attributes.
The UFS Student Success Skills Module, a compulsory module for all students, supports students in successfully transitioning to higher education. It also develops entrepreneurship and employability skills.
For us, incorporating indigenous knowledge and internationalisation are important elements that facilitate innovation and, ultimately, differentiation. These two concepts underscore our commitment to producing research and developing curricula that are locally relevant and globally competitive. In our quest to deliver research that has social impact and real-world application, we not only embrace and expand indigenous knowledge systems but also encourage the widening of our researchers’ international networks.
How do you encourage students to choose the UFS?
We get involved in our students’ lives long before they set foot on our campus. Our Science-for-the-Future initiative features different school programmes, targeting not only gifted learners who excel in natural sciences but also teachers and parents in workshops where the mysteries of science and maths are unlocked.
Once students become part of the UFS family, we provide them with opportunities to engage in cultural, sporting and social activities, as well as to contribute to the creation of a welcoming and inclusive environment. Our character of caring and diversity translates into an outstanding university experience.
Our University Access Programme is also helping us to address the imbalances within the SA school system. Deserving school leavers with acceptable Admission Point (AP) scores get the opportunity to become part of a programme through which they can gain access to higher education. Upon completion of the programme, they can then move on to degree studies of their choice.
What role does technology play in your future strategy?
Technology has a critical role to play in the blended learning and teaching approach of the UFS. Virtual Learning Environment / Learning Management System (VLE/LMS) platforms, for example, are creating a flexible content delivery platform that allows for more affordable use of textbooks and institutionally developed materials, as well as open education resources (OERs) across a range of devices.
These platforms also need to support technologically enhanced pedagogical practices that are flexible and adaptable to the disruptions (socio-economic, political and technological) that characterize the 21st-century workplace and world.
We are also examining how assessments can be reconceptualized to integrate AI and how alternative assessments can be developed to help students develop critical thinking skills and graduate attributes.
This extended interview was conducted as part of the research for our whitepaper, ‘Harnessing Digitisation to Unlock Student Success in South Africa’. Read more from this series on our content hub or download the whitepaper to explore how universities can embrace digitisation to unlock student success.
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