The academics of the North-West University (NWU) have a well-deserved reputation for expertise, hard work and dedication. This is again evident in two lecturers being selected for the prestigious South African Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) Fellowship Programme.
Dr Misheck Dube of the School of Psychosocial Health and Dr Cornelia Schreck of the School of Human Movement Sciences, both from the Faculty of Health Sciences, have done the NWU proud. They join the ranks of respected academics from all South African universities and their NWU peers who have participated in the TAU Fellowship Programme through the years.
They say they feel honoured to have been selected for the 2022/23 TAU Fellowship Programme. Dr Dube and Dr Schreck will participate in the fourth cycle of the programme, which starts in July this year. They will have the opportunity to learn from the best researchers and lecturers in South Africa how to advance teaching practices and also share their own expertise.
Dr Dube says the TAU Fellowship Programme seeks to advance socially fair scholarly teaching and learning. “The programme presents an excellent opportunity and platform to reimagine and advance scholarly teaching and learning that is relevant.”
He believes it effectively contributes to the transformation of the higher-education sector and will enable him to be a change agent and leader through his educational-design research project.
“The higher-education setting or context is changing, especially with challenges emerging due to, for example, the Covid-19 pandemic and other global stresses such as unemployment, massification (taking education to a mass audience) and the need to align the curriculum to 21st-century demands.
Dr Schreck echoes that being selected as a TAU fellow is a great way to start the new year. “I have been a lecturer in the recreation programme at the NWU for the past fourteen years. During this time, I have not only developed my knowledge and experience of teaching in higher education, but have developed a passion for teaching my students.”
“Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is the research focus area on which I build my career. I believe being part of the TAU Fellowship Programme will not only provide me with the new knowledge, skills and networks but also with the opportunity to further the scholarship of teaching and learning at the NWU and act as a key role-player within the field.”
More about the TAU Fellowship Programme
The TAU Fellowship Programme seeks to contribute towards the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education in South Africa by supporting the development of academics across institutions and disciplines as scholars, leaders and mentors in their fields.
It also enhances the status and stature of teaching and popularises the understanding of teaching excellence in varied institutional and discipline-specific settings.
TAU fellows are expected to conduct a seminar or workshop on teaching at their own institution and report on this during one of four contact sessions. They will also work with members of their TAU regional group and, with the support of the TAU, work on an individual project for the duration of the programme.
Their projects must respond to a teaching and learning challenge that each participant identifies in their own institutional environment.
To learn more about the TAU Fellowship Programme, visit https://taufellowships.org.za
Dr Cornelia Schreck
Dr Misheck Dube
