One mobility grant – lots of spin-off benefits
Dr Tapiwa Madimu, Senior Lecturer in History Department
During the first week of April 2025, I visited Netherlands on a research exchange trip coordinated by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies and generously funded by EU Erasmus+. This was my first trip to the Netherlands, and it was highly successful. I conducted fruitful meetings with Prof. Wesley Mwatwara from the Art and Culture, History, and Antiquity department at Vrije University. We discussed and developed ideas for our collaborative project on unregulated mining.
I also had a chance to give guest lectures in his World History module where I spoke about settler farmer-miner contestations and land grabbing in early colonial Zimbabwe. This was a wonderful experience indeed. Prof Mwatwara then came to Makhanda in June 2025, also on an EU Erasmus+ funded research visit where we continued with our collaborative work.
While in the Netherlands I also visited Prof. Jan Bart Gewald at the African Studies Centre at Leiden University. We discussed several matters of mutual (research) interest, and he invited me to give a paper at a conference that he was organizing, which was eventually held in Kimberley, South Africa in June 2025. This conference enabled me to meet important people in the field of unregulated mining. I also visited the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences where I had a meeting with Professor Tabona Shoko.
Besides these academic engagements, I also had a chance to explore Amsterdam and enjoyed the beauty of the city, the excellent cuisine, as well as the culture.
Exploring the world of imagery
Dr Alette Schoon and Prof Anthea Garman of the School of Journalism and Media Studies undertook their first visit to Vrije Universiteit as part of the Erasmus+ grant for staff mobility managed by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at Rhodes University this year.
The programme allowed them to connect not only with colleagues in Journalism and Media Studies, but also to pursue meetings and discussions with those teaching and researching in digital humanities and in environmental issues.
The visit enabled rich exchanges on research methods, digital media studies, and post-human perspectives. They attended lectures on digital imagery and explored connections between artificial intelligence and environmental issues. VU colleagues expressed interest in participating in Rhodes journalism's winter schools on digital media methods.
They also visited the Digital Methods Initiative at UVA and Utrecht University's Digital Humanities Centre, exploring potential research collaborations in practice-based methodologies and future studies. Schoon noted that the visit revealed new possibilities for combining creative and digital methods in transdisciplinary research collaborations.
Selfie on the streets of Amsterdam. From left to right: Dr Alette Schoon and Prof Anthea Garman
Sharing knowledge, shaping practice in Higher Education through staff exchange
Associate Prof. Jo-Anne Vorster, Dr Nicola Pallitt and Neil Kramm from the Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning at Rhodes University visited enjoyed an Erasmus+ staff mobility exchange in June 2025. The programme fosters cross-cultural dialogue and enables academics to share innovative teaching methodologies.
The delegation met with Bhutanese colleagues from Royal University of Bhutan, Royal Thimphu College and JSW School of Law, colleagues from Kenya, and colleagues at host institution, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. VU colleagues organized talks and networking opportunities focused on international cooperation and AI literacy programmes.
CHERTL colleagues connected with Dutch peers to discuss staff development opportunities, educational technologies and online design. Prof. Vorster and Mr Kramm visited TU Delft to learn about their blended learning infrastructure and workshop delivery. They also met with Amsterdam-based software company Feedback Fruits to explore developments in lecture onboarding and GenAI tools for Higher Education.
Discussions with VU colleagues Silvester Draaijer and Rob Hartog proved fruitful, as they shared innovative projects using chatbots and scenario-based learning. Dr Pallitt noted: "We were inspired by the VU's Teaching and Learning Centre's approach to supporting lecturers. We want to design our blended learning case study similar to the VU one." CHERLTL colleagues gained valuable insights on leveraging technology and online pedagogies to enhance teaching and learning at Rhodes University.
Full Circle: How Dutch Friendships Shaped Educational Partnerships
Dr Anneliese Maritz
Friendships and academic connections in the Netherlands profoundly shaped my PhD journey and influenced early childhood education in a multilingual preschool in Makhanda. I presented my research at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, participated in multilingual research workshops, and visited preschools where I observed play-based learning approaches that inspired new directions for South African early childhood education. There is immense value of international collaboration and how global partnerships can spark local innovation. I am deeply grateful for the connections, insights, and inspiration that continue to shape my vision for inclusive, strengths-based education.
Discussions for future international collaborative work. From left to right: Dr Anneliese Maritz, Dr Marjolein Dobber (Associate Professor) & Dr Marina Iliás.