Spurred on by the awareness that there is little active engagement with the regional learning centres, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) has instituted a programme to the regions to be responsive to the needs of these stakeholders.
In previous years some CAES departments made special efforts to visit the regions to meet with students and staff. Such visits are important as they serve as a platform that allows discussion of academic matters that affect the students and proactively identify areas for improvement of service delivery. The college therefore become conscious of areas of concern as raised by academics, support staff and student bodies.
In the new programme, visits will establish collaboration with the stakeholders including staff and students to develop effective linkages with the college. The main objective is to enhance student support and cultivate working relationships with the regional staff as well as to develop an implementation plan in line with Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) and objectives of the 2016–2020 Unisa Institutional Plan, to support them efficiently and effectively.
Under the leadership of the College Deputy Executive Dean, Professor Mxolisi Modise, the team consists of the Teaching and Learning Manager, Acting Tutors Coordinator, College Information Officer, and Marketing and Communication Specialist.
The first visit was to the Western Cape Region during the student orientation and careers fair, followed by the KwaZulu-Natal Region, and, lastly, from 24 to 25 May in the Polokwane Regional Office, where the National Students Representative accompanied the college.
The engagements involved the undergraduate students, then postgraduate, and the regional staff were addressed in Cape Town and Durban.
*Submitted by Poppie Khoza
Publish date: 2017-06-07 00:00:00.0