What it takes to be a good mentor in a university: Insights from Professor David Hornsby
In a compelling Mentor Masterclass hosted by Thuso Connect, Professor David Hornsby (above), Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President: Academic at Carleton University, Canada, delivered a ...
Senior academics’ insights shared at the postgraduates and AI workshop
Universities and AI are such a hot topic, generating so many differing views and queries that a recent webinar on it triggered a stream ...
Open student engagement about AI would be more beneficial than policing them on its use – a senior Rhodes University scholar advises
Professor Sioux McKenna, a professor of Higher Education Research at Rhodes University, recently led an online workshop titled Future-Proofing Postgraduate Education in the Age ...
Emerging researchers and scholars encouraged to use available support tools for success – USAf CEO
“We cannot claim to have covered all the bases concerning the support and empowerment of early career researchers and academics, but we are getting ...
Postgraduate study leaders from SA universities assemble to share ideas
The round-table layout at the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies was distinct from the typical straight-seat-rows format that people tend to ...
National Plan targets versus sector realities — Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi highlights provocative tensions
At the recent Enabling Quality Postgraduate Education (EQPE) colloquium, Dr Nomakwezi “Kwezi” Mzilikazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Rhodes University, ...
Targeted PhD numbers raise many questions at a recent colloquium
Numbers are always a key focus in any discussion on postgraduate students: the currently enrolled numbers vs those to which the university sector aspires, ...
Happy students with well-being are more likely to graduate, says Professor Liesel Ebersöhn
The fruit bowl at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Study of Resilience is not incidental. It is an intentional part of the ...
AI may not do your literature review, but it will identify the gaps, says Dr Nompilo Tshuma
At the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies, Professor Sioux McKenna of Rhodes University interrupted keynote speaker Dr Nompilo Tshuma as she ...
Research leaders develop an action plan for students and the sector’s well-being
One of the key features of the recent Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies colloquium was a two-hour breakaway session in which research leaders and ...
Empowering emerging researchers and academics means providing tools they need, not assumed solutions – Professor Stephanie Burton
Creating conducive environments for early career researchers and academics across the institutions of higher learning in South Africa remains a pivotal task. Hence, Professor ...
There are as many models of mentorship as there are mentors and mentees, says Professor Stephanie Burton
In the true spirit of a community of practice (CoP), which meets to share knowledge and information and support on common concerns, the recent ...
Effective mentoring can be about making people independent of any need for guidance
Mentoring does not have an end point – even if someone is on a specific mentoring programme with a cut-off date. “I hope when ...
Early career academics talk about being mentored — what works and what could work better
When Dr Heike Lucht, a research assistant at the University of Pretoria, was paired with a mentor affiliated with Rhodes University (RU) through an ...
Advancing doctoral assessment strategies; the importance of standardisation and the viva voce mode of assessment
Assessment standards as applied in postgraduate (especially doctoral) research proposals, dissertations and written and oral examinations were the subject of discussion at a recent ...
The 3rd USAf Higher Education Conference: The Future of the University
Universities South Africa (USAf) proudly presents the 3rd USAf Higher Education Conference, hosted from the 9th to the 11th of October 2024. After five ...
Thuso Resources, an information hub for early career academics, now transcends South African Borders
The recent data analysis for Thuso Resources has revealed that the platform, initially intended for emerging academics within South African institutions, is attracting users ...
The USAf programme for emerging academics is consolidating data for its final intervention – a monitoring tool for universities’ support systems
On 27 May, the Advancing Early Career Researchers and Scholars (AECRS) Programme team met with representatives from public universities in South Africa to discuss ...
Call: Postdoctoral researchers in the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie-Action COFUND Data4Healthcare programme, University of Oulu
We are now looking for 15 highly motivated and talented Postdoctoral Researchers to join us in Data4Healthcare postdoctoral programme co-funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie-Action (MSCA) COFUND of ...
Startling Survey findings: SA is graduating fewer doctoral candidates
The country is simply not producing enough PhD graduates, and, by implication, post-doctoral fellows (post-docs). This was one of the crucial findings of a ...
An urgent need for more PhD and post-doctoral graduates emerges from Tracer Study
A comprehensive strategy to massively increase the number of PhD and post-doctoral graduates in South Africa, given the pivotal role they play in the ...
Accolades for the two new digital platforms that offer help to emerging researchers
A new digital platform that connects early researchers with experienced mentors has been compared to the online dating app, Tinder. “But instead of a ...
Some key pointers on signing up on Thuso Connect
Comment after comment at last week’s launch of Thuso Connect reinforced how this online mentoring platform for early career researchers is fulfilling a need ...
Universities South Africa celebrates the launch of two digital platforms for emerging scholars
The way South African universities have joined forces to help emerging scholars is of historical significance, says Dr Phethiwe Matutu, the chief executive officer ...
Thuso solutions are potential game changers for emerging academic scholars and researchers
Capacity development of emerging academic scholars and researchers in South Africa’s public universities will take a new turn from Thursday, 18 May 2023, when ...