The Rhodes University Centre for Higher Education, Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL) national project on postgraduate supervision received a major boost when it recently accepted a grant of 1 million euros from the Dutch agency NUFFIC.
Professor Chrissie Boughey, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Rhodes and project leader for the collaborative project on the development of postgraduate supervision, said the funding will be used to develop a course on supervision and roll this out at South African universities, particularly those with low PhD graduation rates.
The project brings together partners from four South African Universities - Rhodes, Stellenbosch, UCT and Fort Hare - and a consortium from the Netherlands involving the Vrije University of Amsterdam, the African Studies Centre in Leiden and the Institute for Social Studies of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. The Dutch consortium will also work with SANTRUST of South Africa.
Rhodes will pilot the course although the main focus of the project is on rolling the course out to universities with low doctoral enrolments and graduations. The national call for increases in postgraduate numbers cannot be met without building supervision capacity in the sector, said Prof Boughey.
According to Prof Boughey, CHERTL supports the Rhodes academic staff in providing first class teaching and learning experiences for students of all levels, and is thus well placed to assist in this project.
CHERTL staff members have offered short courses at other universities in order to enhance the teaching capabilities of academics. In addition, the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education has been offered over two years in 'block' format to staff from other universities, enabling them to complete the course at Rhodes.
The Centre also hosts a new PhD programme in Higher Education Studies, with a special focus on Learning and Teaching. Numbers in this programme have risen to 33 with more seeking admission.
Photo: Professor Chrissie Boughey, Dean of Teaching and Learning
By Sarah-Jane Bradfield
Photo by: Sophie Smith