‘Writing about scientific research well is an art.’, says Dr Mathilde van der Merwe. She is a lecturer in CHED’s Language Development Group and works closely with the Writing and Numeracy centres to collaborate with quantitative disciplines in designing writing interventions for postgraduate students. Read more ...

The Centre for Open Learning in conjunction with the Multilingualism Education Project and Confucius Institute is offering four language learning courses in May and June 2013. Providing the public with a selection of languages these courses aim to promote multilingualism. The focus is on oral language for essential social and commercial communication, with some exposure to written language as well as the basic rules of grammar required for language construction.

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Learning a new language as an adult is one of the riskiest spaces one can enter, says Associate Professor Sue Shay, deputy dean at UCT's Centre for Higher Education and Development (CHED). At the recent 'graduation' of the newest group of staff and students to have completed the Masithethe isiXhosa course, Shay noted that although it is risky, there are many benefits for adults keen to acquire a new language. Read more ...

Looking for something to sink your teeth into as the summer holiday winds down? How about a thrilling three-lecture course analysing "The Monsters We Deserve: Vampires in Selected Literature And Film"? Read more ...

CHED is offering the short course 'Navigating Research Literacies' in February 2013 which is aimed at people wishing to enter postgraduate level studies.

The week-long course is designed to orient prospective postgraduates to writing-related concepts and skills essential to becoming a confident researcher.

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The Masithethe isiXhosa course has become a useful resource for UCT staff and students, particularly for those coming from outside Cape Town. Offered by the Multilingualism Education Project (MEP) in the Centre for Higher Education Development, the course aims to teach basic conversational isiXhosa skills to staff and students. The programme has graduated more than 1,000 participants since its inception in 2006. Read more ...

Our very own Halloween trendCETters. If you couldn't get hold of staff at the Centre for Educational Technology around tea time on the 31^st October it was because they celebrated Halloween at one of their regular trendCETter events. Read more ...

Who said university studies can't be hands-on? Certainly not those behind the short course Service, Citizenship and Social Justice, part of the UCT Global Citizenship: Leading for Social Justice Programme run through the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED), sponsored by UCT and now in its third year. Read more ...

Glenn Holtzmann, PhD candidate and Dean's Distinguished Teaching Fellow at University of Pennsylvania. Read more ...

Brad Brockman Head: Youth and Community, Equal Education. Where does Brad Brokman, our 2007 MMUF cohort find himself today. Read more ...

One of our first MMUF Cohorts, Dr Sindiso Mnisi-Weeks is the winner in the Emerging Researchers category of the 2012. Read more ...

As the South African Olympic team returned home with a record medal haul, UCT's Liam Baker has claimed his own pioneering slice of Olympiad glory. Read more ...

His "excellent" results - achieved against all odds - kind of speak for themselves. But there was a lot more said of teacher Phuti Ramarope when the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) presented him with this year's Stella Clark Teacher's Award on 13 July. Read more ...

"Another idea worth spreading: Why education should be open in all sorts of ways and what to watch out for...." hear what Associate Professor Laura Czerniewicz has to say.... Read more ...

This video is Open UCT's entry to a global competition and shows how open education matters by providing a local perspective on a global issue through three authentic disciplinary examples of multilingual resources at the University of Cape Town. Read more ...

Going online with one of her courses has won UCT lecturer Dr Gina Ziervogel a major international open-content award. Ziervogel's third-year course Vulnerability to Environmental Change was selected as one of five – out of a possible 17,000 shared by universities worldwide – to scoop the course Awards for OpenCourseWare Excellence in the category for text and still images. Read more ...

This year 54 first year PhD students attended the "Starting the PhD Journey" held at Belmont Square on Thursday 10 May 2012. The workshop is hosted by CHED and aims to introduce first year doctoral students to the resources on offer at UCT as well as providing a forum for students to share experiences and build relationships for the PhD experience. Here delegates consult the various stalls showcasing the services of many departments at UCT. Read more ...

In this article, Associate Professor Mbulungeni Madiba of the Multilingualism Education Project reflects on a recent seminar on multilingual education, and on UCT's language policy. "UCT has done a great deal to embrace the cultural and linguistic diversity of its students and staff, but do we still see a gap between policy and practice when it comes to approaches to teaching?" Read more ...

Recipients of the UCT Carnegie Undergraduate Scholarship for Women in Science and Engineering, pictured here receiving notebooks sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with the Dean of CHED, Nan Yeld and Carnegie mentor, Bette Davidowitz. Read more ...

OCW CONSORTIUM announces 2012 winners of Course Awards for OPENCOURSEWARE EXCELLENCE. Courses selected from among the 17,000 courses now shared openly by universities worldwide. The course "Vulnerability to environmental change" by Dr Ziervogel funded by an OpenUCT Grant has been selected as one of the winners. Full course can be viewed at UCT OpenContent. Read more ...

For students in South Africa, mobile phones aren't just for texting. They're often the surest route to the Internet, especially for the many who have little or no reliable computer access off campus. And, as in much of Africa, cellphones are ubiquitous. A 2007 study found that 98.5 percent of the country's university students had one. Everyone has computer access, so mobile education should make more use of cellphones. Read more ...

CHED recently marked the release of the "Studying at University: A guide for first year students" at a special launch. The publication, revised by Catherine Hutchings and illustrated by Stacey Stent, aims to provide new students with the knowledge and skills required for coping with the studies and academic assignments at UCT. Read more ...

Thirty-two elated staff and students celebrated their successful completion of the latest Masithethe isiXhosa (Xhosa Communication) course at a course completion ceremony on 17 November. Well done Class of 2011! Read more ...

Licencing, copyright, patenting, intellectual property and "open stuff" were recurring buzzwords at UCT's recent Open Access Week, which aimed to raise awareness of issues surrounding the availability of academic research work. Read more ...

It's understandable that year in year out, participants of UCT's New Academic Practitioners Programme (NAPP) are calling for the initiative to be made compulsory, not only to new academics, but to all scholars. Described by some as an "eye-opener" to the academic life, the programme, now in its eighth year, has given them a sense of belonging, strengthened their teaching skills and boosted their confidence. Read more ...

For 11 years, the Education Development Unit (EDU) in UCT's Faculty of Commerce has succeeded in attracting and retaining students who have overcome gaps and disparities in education and life. But what stood out at this year's EDU annual awards ceremony on 28 July, hosted to recognise students' achievements, is the sense of community that the programme is inculcating. Read more ...

Employers of university graduates have for the second consecutive year named UCT's Career Service and its annual Careers Fair as the best in the country. This according to the South African Graduate Recruiters Association (SAGRA), which runs an independent survey of leading employers in South Africa. Read more ...