NWU academic receives a research medal from the education association

Prof Christo van der Westhuizen from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Self-Directed Learning (SDL) research unit has been awarded the Education Association of South Africa (EASA) Research Medal for 2020. 

This award is made to established…

NWU’s Kgotso is not giving up

At the age of 22, Kgotso Moroenyane has taken the lemons life has handed him and turned them into lemonade.

The BEd student majoring in mathematics and physical science has not let the two chronic illnesses he lives with stop him from working towards his dreams.

Study investigates the root of violence in schools

Teaching is often seen as a calling rather than a career. But that calling quickly turns into a nightmare when teachers are attacked by the very people they are trying to educate. Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports in the media of learners physically assaulting, stabbing and even shooting their teachers. Dr Michael…

Marlene’s undying fighting spirit

It’s exciting to be a university student, but it is also very challenging on so many levels: figuring out a career, managing your time, and, for Marlene Taylor, finding out that she has kidney stones.

The 23-year-old Marlene Taylor is from Vanderbijlpark and the youngest of three siblings. She enrolled for her BA degree in Language and…

Teachers without Borders inspire a new generation of scientists

The year 2020 will probably be remembered in history books for the Coronavirus and the Covid-19 pandemic that brought the entire world to a standstill. Suddenly many people learned about viruses, and how they differ from bacteria.

The unseen world of microbiology became part of our daily routines, with social distancing and sanitising…

Early childhood development rises from the (tr)ash

It is a fact that many children find themselves in barren school classes and playgrounds because their parents, educators and caregivers are often unaware of the importance of providing opportunities for purposeful play in the early years.

Fortunately, researchers from the North-West University (NWU) are joining forces with…

NWU academic tackles youth unemployment

As statistics for youth unemployment in South Africa continue to rise, a North-West University (NWU) academic is at the forefront of seeking solutions to the crisis.

Dr Celestin Mayombe from the School of Professional Studies in Education recently published a research paper titled: “Needs assessment for vocational skills training for…

Experiencing the distance.

Who could have guessed that distance education would be the compass of 2020! This is not only the alley for students and lecturers alike, but it opened up new horizons with unending possibilities and ongoing potential in the world of technological communication.

Covid-19 is the new buzz word, and within days the big C became the…

Teaching and learning go online as NWU takes education to people

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted teaching-learning activities in South Africa and across the globe. It also challenges how we think about education and assessment, in general.

“Disruptions are opportunities to reflect on assumptions made about teaching, learning and learners,” says Prof Robert Balfour, the North-…

Against all odds: not only surviving, but thriving!

Six years after sustaining life-altering injuries in a serious cycling accident, Chanell Meijer is ready to yet again define the odds. At the start of the 2020 academic year of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark, Chanell enrolled for a master’s degree in education. 

In 2015 Chanell, an alumna of the NWU, made…