NWU rewards exceptional lecturers
The North-West University (NWU) celebrated the torchbearers of its teaching excellence during a virtual event. The best-of-the-best lecturers of 2020 were acknowledged for their work in taking teaching and learning to higher levels during the annual Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) ceremony, which was streamed online on 25 March.
The NWU is renowned for teaching excellence, having produced past winners of the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa: Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award – a showcase of the most esteemed and celebrated university teachers in South Africa. While continuously striving towards excellence in teaching and learning, the NWU was, in past years, ranked as one of the best-performing universities in South Africa with respect to teaching and learning.
At the NWU, academic members, as university teachers, are annually invited to showcase excellent teaching contributions by participating in the NWU TEAs.
Forty-six university teachers from all eight faculties and multidisciplinary fields received awards. The respective faculties received the following number of awards:
- Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences – four awards
- Faculty of Education – 16 awards
- Faculty of Engineering – two awards
- Faculty of Health Sciences – six awards
- Faculty of Humanities – three awards
- Faculty of Law – three awards
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences – nine awards
- Faculty of Theology – three awards
Two university teachers displayed exceptional levels of excellence in their teaching and learning contributions within their respective disciplines. Prof Roelof Burger and Dr Teresa Hattingh were awarded the Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award (DTEA), the highest institutional award bestowed on a university teacher.
Prof Roelof Burger is from the School of Environmental Sciences and Development in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. His expertise and exceptional teaching and learning contributions are in the fields of climatology, meteorology and remote sensing.
Dr Teresa Hattingh is a senior lecturer and programme manager in the School of Industrial Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering. Dr Hattingh’s teaching and learning contributions and involvement extend to a national and international footprint in emerging fields of industrial engineering education.
Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor, expressed his appreciation for the high calibre of university teachers at the NWU. He thanked all 2020 TEA winners for their exceptional contributions to the South African higher-education landscape.
Prof Linda du Plessis, vice-principal and vice-chancellor: Planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus Operations, congratulated all TEA winners and stated that awardees’ teaching contributions underpin the NWU’s reputation for quality, employability and responsiveness to market and national higher-education needs. She said that academics’ roles are not restricted to university halls and classrooms.
More about the NWU Teaching Excellence Awards
The NWU’s TEAs aim to acknowledge university teachers for their role, commitment, dedication and contributions to the quality and excellent teaching and learning within multidisciplinary fields and with respect to student success.
Awards were presented in three categories: (a) Emerging Teaching Excellence Award (ETEA), (b) Teaching Excellence Award (TEA), and (c) Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award (DTEA).
The NWU’s DTEA is the highest accolade awarded to university teachers. It honours exemplary teaching at the highest institutional level. DTEA nominees are nominated and recommended for the award after consideration of nominees’ portfolios by evaluation panels. Nominees’ portfolios are then submitted to an external evaluation panel, followed by (a) a presentation by the nominees and (b) an interview with the panel.
Each DTEA nominee is evaluated on their distinct contribution to teaching and learning within the institutional, national and international higher-education landscape.
The following criteria apply:
- Notable success in the scholarship of teaching;
- Innovative strategies employed in teaching and learning;
- Reflection on teaching and learning that presents the nominee’s development and progress over time within their teaching and learning context;
- An institutional, a national and an international teaching and learning presence;
- Nominees’ reflection on the student voice about trends in higher education; and
- Recognition of nominees’ faculty leadership contributions in terms of curriculum development in the faculty and beyond.
The 2020 NWU Teaching Excellence Award winners
Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award
- Prof Roelof Burger, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Teresa Hattingh, Faculty of Engineering
Teaching Excellence Award
- Dr Lettie Botha, Faculty of Education
- Dr Byron Bunt, Faculty of Education
- Prof Roelof Burger, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Ms Janet Chalmers, Faculty of Education
- Dr Dirk Cilliers, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Ms Wilma Coetzee, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Louw de Beer, Faculty of Education
- Dr Luiza de Sousa, Faculty of Education
- Prof Elmien du Plessis, Faculty of Law
- Dr Jean du Toit, Faculty of Humanities
- Dr Philip du Toit, Faculty of Theology
- Dr Ewie Erasmus, Faculty of Education
- Prof Fazel Freeks, Faculty of Theology
- Dr Allison Geduld, Faculty of Law
- Dr Teresa Hattingh, Faculty of Engineering
- Prof Marietjie Havenga, Faculty of Education
- Mr Werner Kaiser, Faculty of Engineering
- Prof Ankebé Kruger, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Leandi Lammertyn, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Dorothy Laubscher, Faculty of Education
- Dr Shani le Roux, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Ananka Loubser, Faculty of Humanities
- Dr Elma Marais, Faculty of Education
- Dr Rachel Mayimele, Faculty of Education
- Dr Deborah Mokgojwa, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
- Mr Cobus Oosthuizen, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Kelebogile Paadi, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
- Prof Rialet Pieters, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Prof Johan Potgieter, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Lynn Preston, Faculty of Education
- Dr Salome Romylos, Faculty of Education
- Dr Frances Siebert, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Lynndle Square, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Pieter Swarts, Faculty of Education
- Dr Sune van der Linde, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Annette van der Merwe, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Wanda van der Merwe, Faculty of Education
- Dr Corné van der Vyver, Faculty of Education
- Mr Abie van Oort, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr Germarie Viljoen, Faculty of Law
- Dr Elize Vos, Faculty of Education
- Dr Hannelie Yates, Faculty of Theology
- Prof Johan Zaaiman, Faculty of Humanities
Emerging Teaching Excellence Award
- Mr Kgosietsile Frenk Monnagaaratwe, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
- Mr Ruhann Steyn, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Dr Johannes-Hugo van Schalkwyk, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Recipients of the 2020 NWU Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award are Prof Roelof Burger and Dr Teresa Hattingh.