The Academic Development Centre (ADC) on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng hosted the fourth annual Teaching and Learning Seminar on Higher Education on 1 and 2 June 2017 at the Mmabatho Palms hotel and resort.

The theme of the seminar was The Learning Carnival: Celebrating Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The seminar was aimed at a multidisciplinary audience, including academic and support staff members who were exposed to new and innovative practices that will enhance their contribution toward the student clientele on campus which will grow the institution as a result.

“The Teaching and Learning seminar is a platform that not only seeks to generate new ideas and teaching practices, but also give recognition to academics that make a notable impact in the lives of students,” said Prof Lumkile Lalendle, the campus vice-rector for teaching, learning and quality assurance.

Over the two-day period, leading academics from different areas of expertise gave presentations on enhancing conventional teaching and learning methods in classrooms to benefit students more.

On the first day of the seminar, Dr Amanda Hlengwa delivered the keynote address – Curriculum Renewal: Resuscitating the Epicenter of Teaching and Learning. Dr Hlengwa is the former executive chairperson of HELTASA and senior lecturer at the Centre for Higher Education, Research, Teaching and Learning at Rhodes University.

On the second and final day of the seminar, the keynote address, (De) constructing Online Learning: Salvation, Stigma and/or Snake Oil, was delivered by Prof P Prinsloo, a research professor in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the college of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of South Africa.

The Institutional Teaching and Excellence Awards (ITEA) which aim to give recognition to excellence in the provision of teaching and learning, were also mentioned during the seminar. These awards identify and encourage innovative and outstanding teaching, publicise contributions that lecturers make to student learning to show appreciation of lecturers’ commitment and dedication to student success, and encourage academics to develop in the field of teaching and learning.